The year is nearly over! Let's do something fun and post the name and link to your favorite story of mine from 2024 as a new comment and tell me why you chose it. I'll respond to as many as I can and rotate my favorites as pinned comments. Put 2024 in the comment so I can find as many as possible. Edit: I can only pin new comments, not replies to this one. 🙏
Who else wants a move made about MrBallen, and his life journey from teen trouble maker, to navy seal, to global UA-cam SENSATION!! Throat punch the like button if you agree.
Ah, yes. My weekly reminder to not touch anything, not talk to anyone, and to stay in the house with my cellphone fully charged and tied around my wrist.
Of all the daredevil stunts one can do, wedging yourself into a completely unknown crawlspace is the most insane to me. It has to be some sort of compulsive madness.
Yeah, imagine not finding your way back or dropping your flashlight or getting stuck? Panic and anxiety will definitely set in and may lead to a heart attack, or you will lose your mind as your air is running out, knowing your gonna die. It would be very traumatic. Even the thought can cause stress.
This was a hard one for me to watch. I used to do a lot of exploring of tunnels and caves when I was a teenager then I was buried alive by a land slide. If it was not for my dog digging down enough to expose my head so I could breath I would have died, then my brother found me about an hour later and dug me the rest of the way out. Now I am very claustrophobic and get anxious when I hear stories like this one.
Omg that is crazy & super scary...and here I am severely claustrophobic from getting stuck in an elevator as a kid. I adore dogs, & your story is just another reason to why I love them so much❤❤❤
kindred souls lol. I put a shirt on that was t tight in my shoulders and chest and when I went to pull it off got it stuck and my arms stuck folded inside smothering my face. All my sisters did was sit there and laugh as I hyperventilated and panicked. LOL Gotta love sisters.
Neil corkscrewing himself deeper into the tunnel gave me chills. It’s incredible how some people thrive in situations most of us would find nightmarish.
If thriving is dying. These people put themselves in stupid situations in turn putting many others in a bad situation when the morons have to be saved.
The term "cork screwing" was accurate. I was picturing someone trying to pull a screw out after it was drilled in place. There was no way pulling on him was going to free him
@@jamieknox1806 Don't belittle someone for being braver than we are. How far would humanity have ever advanced if not for the type of people you would call "morons?"
i had several mini anxiety attacks throughout this entire episode! i can only imagine the torture & agony he went through seeing rescuer after rescuer come within arms reach of him & then retreat again b/c they couldn’t save him 😩 & his POOR POOR father 😩💔 Lord, i can’t even begin to imagine! & then for his father to say, stop the rescue mission b/c he didn’t want anymore deaths is the absolute BRAVEST & MOST CONSIDERATE & SINCERE thing i’ve EVER heard!!! i KNOW i wouldn’t be able to say that
I have mixed feelings about that… When someone makes multiple REALLY dumb decisions back to back, it’s hard to feel sorry for them.. I mean, ya I feel sorry for them to some degree, but another part of me feels like they asked for it 🤷♀️
The frustration of thinking....if he was a dead man anyway, why didn't they proceed with the rope pull? Even if it cracked some bones or caused RIP. :(
The fact that at the beginning of the story all they wanted was a chamber or cavern named after them, and then the very last sentence revealing that the place that became his tomb was actually named after him gave me chills… like he actually got what he wanted but it cost way more than he wanted to pay… THAT is good story telling.
I thought I was the only one who caught that lol. But ya, that’s so chilling that he got exactly what he wanted without realizing it was gonna cost him his life. Im sure he wasn’t even thinking of the possibility of not making it out…
Iam struggling with a very strong, dare i say crippling depression. Not so long after i've found you channel, a little bit more than a year ago my first baby bunny, who we raised with my wife as a child of our own, has died. I've been watching your amazing work ever since.... A year later, my second beloved bunny also passed away yesterday christmas eve. Needless to say, life hasnt been kind on me on other fronts either. But... Hearing your voice, listening to you helps me a lot. These stories of horror you tell, helps me to escape the horrors of my own reality. This may sound strange , or even bizarre , but your voice became synonymus for me with passing away, and letting go. I cant thank you enough for what you do. Thousands of miles separates us, but you helped me so much. Thank you , and thank you thousand times. Mr. Ballen , i know you probably doesnt have the time and/or capability to answer me, but i would just like you to know that you are a real hero for me.
I was devastated when my 13 year old bunny had passed away, I raised him from a little 6 month old baby, he truly was a sweet heart, and it took a long time to let go and move on, I still miss him to this day, but I think back with fond memories of his spunky personality and remember how precious life really is.
Currently sitting in the hospital with my mom while they treat her COPD & she instantly felt better when I told her Mrballen dropped a new video, glad we have the strange dark & mysterious to pass the time.
Hope your mom gets to feeling better .My step dad has been in the hospital for almost a month now with COPD and here I sit smoking 😮😮😮😮 Merry Christmas to you and your mom😊😊
I just wanted to tell you that my daughter gifted your book to me for Christmas. I was brought to tears because it was the one gift that wasn't on a list, I didn't ask for it, and I was totally surprised. She just knows that I'm a major fan which makes your book one of the most thoughtful gifts I've ever received.
I usually get bored with other storytellers because they drag things out or overhype, but you strike the perfect balance. You get right to the point while still including all the important details, and your videos are never clickbait. They always deliver exactly what you promise. Your storytelling skills and wording are so engaging; no one does it better!
True. So many content creators take a meandering, 'natural' approach, as if chatting to a friend. I too get bored with them. Mr Ballon is so professional and enjoyable.
I concur. But I do want to say - He is very good at gesticulating, too. Observe how he uses his hands etc. Not to take anything away from him, he's a GREAT storyteller.
As a kid growing up in Appalachia,i had no shortage of caves to explore and i went through them all...ive been in places so tight that i had to suck my gut in to squeeze through. Had I known about stories like this,i never would've went anywhere near those things
Even if you hadn't known about these kind of stories, had it never occured to you that you might get stuck? Like how come it isn't the first thing that comes to your mind? No offense, genuinely curious.
It takes Mr ballen to tell you that,😂 I'm sorry not being a smart kunt, I just over think everything 😂, here is me lol just jokeing,you last year what's stupid mean?,this year found Mr ballen,ohhhhh STUPID people ohhhhh 😂😂😂
Refering to his nickname it's Mr.B, but that's basically a result of him using his full name on (i think it was) TikTok, where he could not separate it. John B. Allen. John Ballen. People just started thinking his last name was Ballen and wrote emails to him, calling him Mr. Ballen. I love this kind of backlore lol.
@Yamyatos I been a fan for meany years,can't tell you how long but years, I'm calling him Mr ballen,don't give a fuxk what you new Gen call him but fuxk off and cry to daddy, git a problem you know where to find me
Every time I hear you tell one of these stories, my anxiety goes through the roof significantly. I always hope that, right at the very end, you'll reveal that, against all odds, someone emerged from the rubble and survived whatever catastrophic event they endured. Despite the outcome of these stories, I will always listt. You truly are the best of the best when it comes to storytelling. You have a gift and I do appreciate it. Thank you, kind sir.❤
As a father, I know that his dad must've been crushed just sitting there knowing his son is alive but will be dying and not being able to just hug his son when he felt alone and trapped. Ugh I can't think of anything worse
I have a pet fish and knowing my shift tomorrow is a 10 hour shift, and I won’t be able to feed my neighbours birds. Made me realise I need to get my shopping done and feed the kids that are locked up in my basement. I’m fishing for likes too.
Me too! It’s making me feel like I’m in clothes that are too tight. I’m sick right now so it’s already hard to breathe, so that’s adding to stress and I’m not even in the cave.
He did a similar spelunking story like this before and I have the same feeling watching this, pure gut-wrenching anxiety 😂 Nothing like sending your brain into primordial fear for fun
It's not a picture of the real tunnel. It's just for illustration purposes. Do you know how UA-cam videos (and other videos) are made? This is not a documentary. Paper Brain. American maybe?
Same! I’ve never felt claustrophobia in my life until I heard this story and nutty putty. It’s crazy to me how some ppl don’t have that primal instinct to not do these types of things. Most of us would’ve abort mission as soon as the cave started to get small. We would never try to keep stretching and contorting our bodies to push through those tight spaces… Sad to say, but its natural selection taking its course 🤷♀️
The thing I love about Mr. Ballen's storytelling is that you are not even consciously aware you are being told a story. It's like you are actually there and it is happening to you. That is a rare quality.
I agree. Mr. Ballen is the best that I have listened to. Each episode takes us on a different journey. I began listening to him when he first started posting and was hooked immediately. Now I am a long time top fan. 🩷🩷🩷😊
Reading so many comments from people who are struggling with bereavement at this time of year, please know you have my heartfelt condolences and love as a bereaved parent (12 years on from the loss of our 9-year-old daughter to acute myeloid leukaemia) and having lost my father to Covid in 2020 on 28 December (he was also a US Army veteran). May we all get through this holiday with as much peace as possible. Thank you, Mr Ballen, for your stories which help so many who are bereaved in their time of struggle.
@@alliterationUK My condolences on the loss of your father and daughter. My mother past on Dec. 11, 2019 right before the pandemic. I miss her so much and I'm trying my best not to go headlong into depression. All I can do is ask God to help me through it and I pray that you put your broken heart into his care and he'll mend your heart. Thank you Lord Jesus for blessing us all with another day so that we may show love to others in their time of need. It's in your name I pray, Amen
Anyone else notice how much the quality has improved? Audio, visual, and green screen. Idk it just seems like it’s gotten so much clearer :) thanks for any upgrades you’ve done !
@@thirdmonkeyent_llc well even with his entire team he used to film on his iphone and recently mentioned he did in a live stream so I think he may have changed it since the quality got better :)
@@MohamadhoseinSabzevari omg I noticed it in the last video too !!! I didn’t see your comment tho, so I’m sorry I missed it 😭 I’m so happy to see that we notice the little things 😂
Rest in peace. Thats a mindset I cant even begin to comprehend. Finding an unexplored hole barely big enough fit in, climbing in, and then continuing to descend when it becomes even tighter is a legitimately terrifying thought. The walls were closing in on me as I was listening to this.
My dad died a week before xmas so this is a very rough time of year for me. Distractions are how I get through. Thanks MrB I really needed this right about now. ❤
My Dad died tragically right before Christmas in 2011. I was devastated. Now it seems that the holidays only being grief and sadness for me. So I know exactly how you feel. Distraction and my faith are what gets me thru. Plus, I know Daddy is always with his little girl
Hadn't heard this particular cave disaster before, damn, this was a hard one to watch. Forget serial killers, cannibals, or other gory stuff, claustrophobic tunnels where you're stuck for hours and the only thing you can do is just slowly suffocate until you die, that scares me more than anything else.
Or worse, if he had oxygen but simply had to wait for a long death. An absolute tragedy. Every adventure like that should be thought through as if it were only one person doing the cave exploring, because as in Neil's situation, it all depended on him to extricate himself. And it all depended on him to make judgements about the limits of a difficult exploration.
For what purpose exactly? To keep him alive longer when there's no chance he'll get out? It wasn't just because there was less oxygen. The problem was that he was so wedged in that his lungs couldn't expand fully. No matter how much pure oxygen you put into someone. It was 1959. The rescue methods weren't very advanced.
@@plumdutchesswasn't it said that they needed Niel to wriggle and help unwedge himself? He needed to be conscious to participate in his rescue efforts.
Some of the hardest Mr. Ballen stories ive ever listened to involve caves, or divers.....or both. Absolutely terrifying, and horribly sad. Such an awedful, and lonely way to go.
I'm glad these days we have cameras, not that you will find me in these predicaments but that hopefully they will prevent others from getting into this kind of trouble.
I personally BELIVE .. that skinwalker ranch.. is one of the best story’s you’ve ever told! The way you explain it and all its detail even to the groceries the mom left out and the wolf and how big it was! It’s amazing !
As a firefighter I’m not claustrophobic, but doing something like this would be a huge no from me Just to clarify I would go in to attempt a co-ordinated rescue, but cave diving in general absolutely not,
I was a tank driver and inside of the tank is really claustrophobic and I am 6'0 and I was 230 at the time and even then I would be like "nah I'm good"
One of the things about caves is simply air to breathe. The last rescuer who put rope around Neil's shoulders ... why could he not fix the oxygen mask to his face?
John thank you for your 😮storytelling. At 71 years old it's heartbreaking that families no longer participate in making sure they pass on the stories to new generations. There were 12 in our family and my dad was a master storyteller. It didn't matter if it was scary, sad or funny. We would all be on the edge of our seats not taking our eyes off him till the story was over. Such rich information and stories of where we all came from etc. So as someone who knows a good story teller imagine how thrilled I was to find you. As long as you’re around the rest of us can go back in time when this was something all families do. I hope you realize the impact this has for people like me to just for a moment travel back to that time I sat on my dad’s lap soaking in every word. It’s a precious gift you give and I wanted to thank you personally. 😊
The fact that nobody had been down and into such an easily in an accessible area, you know it was like around a lot of places where people had been before, and the fact that nobody went down there after all of that access had been saturated, tells you something as a reason that no one went down there
I'm sorry Mr. ballin but I could not finish this episode..I began feeling a tightness in my chest and I was beginning to drown in anxiety just listening to this story..this is literally my worst nightmare..on a different note: Merry Christmas to you and your family..may you all have a safe holiday
Eric Moss is an angel for caring more about lives than his son's former body. All too many parents are willing, even eager to let people risk their lives for a dead form. RIP to his son. Please don't risk your life, people. Please just don't. There are ways to get adrenaline without taking huge risks. Remember Moss Chamber.
This. Having people risk their lives to rescue the dead body of a person who knew what they were getting into is just, sorry to say.. but stupid. Especially if it's ironic like this. I dont mean to be rude, but i mean.. he is buried underground and people are supposed to risk their lives to get him out there, just so he can be buried underground somewhere else? Ridiculous. Cave exploration and cave diving are so stupid hobbies to have. I get the thrill of wanting to explore something unknown, but risking your life is just not worth it. Intuitively i think cave diving is more dangerous, but i feel like cave explorers think the same and just make up for it by doing even riskier stuff...
The main issues I found were going to the pro’s and listening to their ego’s. One has pictures of a toddler in the cave I nearly died in with my brother. Saying that I’ve been since but use my own common sense and take proper safety precautions. Pridhamsleigh Cavern. Hmmmm… need to go back.
Just hearing how he kept shimmying down put my anxiety through the rough, as I’m listening to him talk I’m just shaking my head, cause I couldn’t imagine, the fear and hopelessness Neil felt
What a devastating decision to have to make as a father. As a person in general, really. Another wonderful and respectful telling of someone’s last moments, Mr. Ballen! Always a pleasure hearing a tale from you.
What I wonder about most is the perspective and thought process of the father when he was letting his son crawl into the tight space. I am not a father, just an uncle and I do acknowledge that being overprotective at all times is a bad idea. But how does would I live with the burden that I let my family risk so much without putting a stop to it, or maybe even encourage it? I don’t want to be insensitive to someone who clearly has indured a painful loss. With that said, how isn’t it the father’s responsibility?
I've been caving in Peak Cavern. They didn't tell us about this entombed body of Neil before we went! We went into some really tight tunnels as well. Poor guy. Just when you think caving couldn't get any scarier, MrBallen pulls another caving tragedy from his hat.
I absolutely cannot fathom how anyone could willingly enter into some small, confined underground "mystery" tunnel & then voluntarily subject themselves to the extremely high likelihood of complete entrapment. For me, that's a torture worse than death! Sometimes, I'm simply amazed by the lengths to which people will go for the mere possibility of (even minimal) notoriety. 🤦♀SMH
People don't know the limits of their mortality until they push the bounds to the very edge. People have survived close to this, but unfortunately in this case, Neil went past his limit.
I believe it is exactly that. These challenges make you feel like you are alive and remind you of your morality. That feeling also really appeals to me. Tho I am not that extreme and prefer just to walk through wild nature, instead of claustrophobic stuff like this. XD @erayburn6354 @@ibm30rpg
I have seen all of Mr. Ballen videos. This is the first time I had to stop the video halfway through and quit listening. This scared me so bad that I didn't have the guts to finish the video. Just can't handle tight spaces. Never thought I wouldn't be able to finish one of your episodes. Master storyteller, sir.
It's crazy that so many caving disasters are not about something going suddenly wrong, but people deliberately go into places where getting out has a smaller chance than getting stuck. Forcing himself to an unknown cave to the point he doesn't realize he can't move his arms up, rocks falling? After the turn his chances to survive were 0%.
Wishing everyone here including Mr Ballen a merry christmas. Thanks again Mr Ballen for your amazing story telling. This cave exploration story let's me know there are some exploration or curiousity that is not worth losing your life for. Tragically he finally had a cave named after him but posthumously.
No one else is getting nauseated listening to this story? Im only at 7:17 idk if i can keep going. Small spaces are very hard for me. On the other hand i love Mr. Ballen!
I work a stones throw from this, crazy Mr Ballen doing a video on it. Im claustrophobic so I’ve never been in and was a difficult listen but good to hear about something local.
Excellent video! A friend of mine goes caving and ive been in a few baby level caves with him as im partially disabled. Im talking you can walk through and maybe duck or climb over a small boulder from time to time. Even so we get the same talk every time. One of the most important rules. If you don't know where a cave goes NEVER EVER force yourself through a squeeze. Theres no garentee i get out
Same, my anxiety was raised listening to this story and imagining what it would be like if I was in Neil’s position. I couldn’t handle the climbing down and the idea of trying to squeeze and force my body down this tunnel is too scary for me.
I live 3km from where this happened in Castleton, High Peak. Tragic. Can never understand how people can enjoy being constricted underground in the dark. Its my worst nightmare!! 😫 RIP Neil. ❤ Eric was a real one for doing that too. 👏
All of us folks from different places and backgrounds, with sad stories or happy stories, all united together by the strange, dark, and mysterious. Thank you, MrBallen, for all you do for this storytime family you have inherited. Merry Christmas and happy holidays!!!
I think his logic was that there was no point in risking other ppl’s lives to retrieve a dead body. If he was still alive, theres no way he would’ve said that. But since he knew he was never gonna see his son again anyways, he figured there was no need to put others at risk just so he can have a proper burial ground. He was gonna get buried in the ground regardless, so it only makes sense to just leave him there and guarantee everyone else’s safety
I try not to be so harsh. Remember, this happened in 1959, long before accident/incident reports were widely published. I took up skydiving in the early 80s. Our sport parachute club required us to join the United States Parachute Association. The accident/incident reports in thei publication was instrumental in saving lives. I assume that might be the case with spelunking and other potentially hazardous sports. @aldiirsanmajid4235
@@aldiirsanmajid4235it is pretty funny how whenever someone dies people say how amazing they were, how kind they were to everyone, etc. I’m like there’s no way that’s true😅 most people are dumb and/or assholes
@@aldiirsanmajid4235 he was just doing what he did. You can't blame him for that. He did tight tunnels a thousand times and it worked out. I'm sure he didn't go into this thinking it would be his last. You don't have to be so harsh and judgmental.
Dude this whole story has me nauseated. I’m so claustrophobic I’m struggling just to listen without hyperventilating, but your storytelling is so enthralling, I can’t stop. Thanks for inspiring my nightmares. Love the channel.
I didn't realise I heard this story before until his dad said to stop. I didn't forget him. He truly loved his son, and didn't want anyone else to share the same fate.
At 9:47 I’m going dude just go back up! Like there is no morphine, no tranqs to help you as you leave this world. Nothing but absolute isolation & horrific terror.
Thats the EXACT same thing I was thinking. Common sense. Don't go into spaces smaller than your body. Nothing wrong with caving, but you HAVE to do it with logic and sense. Spelunking and cave diving are actually safe if all rules are followed and basic sense used, but we hear about deaths due to the fact that those things aren't done.
@Paradigm-change Yes it was absolutely heartbreaking. I kept thinking of my sons and I can’t even begin to imagine how I would feel had it been one of them and I had to make such a gut wrenching decision. I just can’t even put myself in his father’s shoes… The pain he must’ve endured and carried for the rest of his life is just unimaginable.
I’ve listened to pretty much every one of your stories and this one made me more stressed than any other. The fact that he was still alive all those hours later is such a nightmare.
4:00 - Wallow in Self Pity 4:30 - Stare Into The Abyss 5:00 - Solver World Hunger. Tell No One! 5:30 - Jazzercise 6:30 - Dinner With Me (I can't cancel that again!) 7:00 - Wrestle With My Self Loathing 8:00 - Watch Mr. Ballen I'm Booked!
What really amazed me is that, even though he showed a lot of struggles for just 4 hours, he managed to keep breathing up to 36 hours ! That’s amazing, it just shows how much stronger we are, way past what we believe what our limit is.
@@ibm30rpg You forgot the part where they were able to wind a rope around his chest in the same space that's supposedly to narrow to put a mask on his face then..
"It's all we do" and "we upload once a week" hits the logic side of the mind hard after binging your older videos where it was 4 sometimes even 5 times a week 😂 But it just makes the new releases that much better 🔥❤️
They get an adrenaline rush out of it. The thrill of the unknown, and ultimately the idea of a death like this. They get closer and closer to it, squeezing in tighter and tighter as they gain experience in different cave systems until eventually it happens. They need to be rescued and most do, but not always. The peak of adrenaline, near death. It’s an addiction and you can find it everywhere. Skydiving, Scuba diving, cave exploration, the isle of man tt, mountain climbing, skyscraper climbing, there’s literally human beings right now addicted to playing Russian Roulette. I feel sympathy for them but at the end of the day you did it to yourself. It’s elegant suicide.
He does have a good voice. I like the content of Mr. Ballen's main channel and his medical mysteries podcast better though. I gave Run Fool a try and it was too hard to believe the story.
@k.elysium6819 the stories are not real. They are told as if they happened for real but it's all folklore tales, monsters, haunted things. Like wendigos, spirits etc You're not supposed to believe I'm them.
@jet__girl I know they're not real, I'm just saying, I don't like that style. The reason my post was a bit ambivalent was because I've only heard one or two, so didn't know if there were other ones that were more real sounding. I like stories that are either true, or impossible to explain. Mr Ballen does a great job with his paranormal themed stories, because he doesn't tell them in a way that shows he believes there is no logical explanation, rather, he dubs them "unexplainable" and moves on.
I’ve seen so many of these videos but this is one of the saddest to me. Knowing he was so close to being rescued so many times and then having his father there to witness him be declared dead is just heartbreaking
Heart pounding throughout the whole story, hoping this would be the first where they actually made it out alive, knowing full well how this channel operates! 😮💨
Yeah, that one was terrible. I don't often think back on stories but that one stuck with me. Off topic, but one of the most brutal shark attacks that still haunts me at least a few times a month is Vladimir Popov. There is video footage of the attack off the coast of Egypt I believe.
I only recently found this channel and I've been binging your videos everyday for the past two weeks. You and Mr. Nightmare are the best story tellers on here.
At first I had so many questions about the rescue efforts but then I looked at the date of the accident. I feel so much for the father that had to make the heartbreaking decision, knowing he would never be able to see/touch his son again.
I feel like people who look at holes in the ground and decide to go inside them, and especially ones who don’t go back out once they realize it’s getting smaller and tighter, and they’re having to contort their bodies to get through are highly lacking in intelligence and common sense. Because of one man’s foolish decision, all those other people risked THEIR lives and could have died because of him. It’s sad that he died, but he really should have known better.
I think the same... the hole was getting smaller and smaller and the guy just kept squeezing himself further down... sorry my friend you brought that to yourself...
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
The year is nearly over! Let's do something fun and post the name and link to your favorite story of mine from 2024 as a new comment and tell me why you chose it. I'll respond to as many as I can and rotate my favorites as pinned comments. Put 2024 in the comment so I can find as many as possible.
Edit: I can only pin new comments, not replies to this one. 🙏
ua-cam.com/video/RZA7BqNO-YU/v-deo.htmlsi=ISQMp-DjuUAYI6Kg
Bells Canyon is probably my all time favourite. I've listened to it several times and it still gives me chills.
Do you know the way to Bells Canyon..... 😂❤
All of them
Who else wants a move made about MrBallen, and his life journey from teen trouble maker, to navy seal, to global UA-cam SENSATION!!
Throat punch the like button if you agree.
Mr. Ballen is basically my weekly reminder of how precious life is and why we shouldn’t push past the thin border between adventure and stupidity.
Dropped the mic ❤
Ah, yes. My weekly reminder to not touch anything, not talk to anyone, and to stay in the house with my cellphone fully charged and tied around my wrist.
Adventure and Stupidity is mixed but I loved to lives that kind of life...
And never leave the house lol
So much pure stupidity going around 😮
Of all the daredevil stunts one can do, wedging yourself into a completely unknown crawlspace is the most insane to me. It has to be some sort of compulsive madness.
See, now we can use cameras to look first into places like this. To me, that would be the most sensible first step to exploring such places.
Yeah, imagine not finding your way back or dropping your flashlight or getting stuck? Panic and anxiety will definitely set in and may lead to a heart attack, or you will lose your mind as your air is running out, knowing your gonna die. It would be very traumatic. Even the thought can cause stress.
@@gabriellashimone6546
That's what I say. Put a swimming drone in there first
Thank you! I said similar, it's just so difficult for others to understand why you would do such a thing?
@@gabriellashimone6546yeah well there weren’t really good tiny cameras. I believe now we have tiny cameras.
This was a hard one for me to watch. I used to do a lot of exploring of tunnels and caves when I was a teenager then I was buried alive by a land slide. If it was not for my dog digging down enough to expose my head so I could breath I would have died, then my brother found me about an hour later and dug me the rest of the way out. Now I am very claustrophobic and get anxious when I hear stories like this one.
Omg that is crazy & super scary...and here I am severely claustrophobic from getting stuck in an elevator as a kid.
I adore dogs, & your story is just another reason to why I love them so much❤❤❤
Lesson learned. Good dog.
Is anyone else thinking this needs to be a Mr. Ballen episode. What a cool story!
I just read this and now I'm gonna pause the video and go give my dog a hug
O.M.G this is my worst fear being burried alive. Dogs are amazing😭❤️
Omg THIS IS MY WORST NIGHTMARE. I once almost hyperventilated when I accidentally put my head through my shirt sleeve when I was like 6 or 7 😂😂😂
Relatable 😂
I got stick.in a dress that was too small for me
I literally had a panic attack
So caving is defo not for me
Poor Neill
kindred souls lol. I put a shirt on that was t tight in my shoulders and chest and when I went to pull it off got it stuck and my arms stuck folded inside smothering my face. All my sisters did was sit there and laugh as I hyperventilated and panicked. LOL Gotta love sisters.
Couldn't take my bra off it rolled and twisted was dire for me 😂
Each one of you are my soul mates. I can't even stand for the covers to be over my face...
Poor Neil. I can never understand the thrill one gets from putting oneself in such a situation.
Adrenaline is a hell of a drug ( paraphrasing)
Same. I truly don’t understand
Thankful I'm too chubby
I get nauseated just listening to these stories sometimes 😭
This is why women live longer than men.
Niels father is a truly heroic man for making the decision to stop the rescue efforts. I’m never touching a cave in my life because of this channel
Tbf he didn't stop the rescue efforts. He stopped the recovery efforts
That had to be so tough man
The nutty putty cave incident is horrifying compared to this one. This one is very tame in comparison.
That’s not necessarily heroic… a heroic action is one that puts yourself at risk for the betterment of others. He didn’t put himself at risk.
@@rescue08jrgaming72 People really use the term hero too quickly these days.
Neil corkscrewing himself deeper into the tunnel gave me chills. It’s incredible how some people thrive in situations most of us would find nightmarish.
He quit thriving at some point...
Exactly what I was going to say. He did not thrive.
If thriving is dying. These people put themselves in stupid situations in turn putting many others in a bad situation when the morons have to be saved.
The term "cork screwing" was accurate. I was picturing someone trying to pull a screw out after it was drilled in place. There was no way pulling on him was going to free him
@@jamieknox1806 Don't belittle someone for being braver than we are. How far would humanity have ever advanced if not for the type of people you would call "morons?"
i had several mini anxiety attacks throughout this entire episode! i can only imagine the torture & agony he went through seeing rescuer after rescuer come within arms reach of him & then retreat again b/c they couldn’t save him 😩 & his POOR POOR father 😩💔 Lord, i can’t even begin to imagine! & then for his father to say, stop the rescue mission b/c he didn’t want anymore deaths is the absolute BRAVEST & MOST CONSIDERATE & SINCERE thing i’ve EVER heard!!! i KNOW i wouldn’t be able to say that
I have mixed feelings about that… When someone makes multiple REALLY dumb decisions back to back, it’s hard to feel sorry for them.. I mean, ya I feel sorry for them to some degree, but another part of me feels like they asked for it 🤷♀️
I pictured myself down that hole, i started to trip out while ballen was telling the story.. i could feel what moss was feeling in that hole .. RIP 🪦
These cave stories are the hardest for me to get through. The wincing intensified with each passing minute.
@@budgiebirdy I start to have difficulty breathing
@@KittyKat1Me too 😰
The frustration of thinking....if he was a dead man anyway, why didn't they proceed with the rope pull? Even if it cracked some bones or caused RIP. :(
don't worry, it's hard for them to get through, too. lmao
I’m 12 minutes in and have paused it 6 times already. Not sure I’ll be able to finish this one
The fact that at the beginning of the story all they wanted was a chamber or cavern named after them, and then the very last sentence revealing that the place that became his tomb was actually named after him gave me chills… like he actually got what he wanted but it cost way more than he wanted to pay… THAT is good story telling.
It's like a Twilight Zone ending.
I thought I was the only one who caught that lol. But ya, that’s so chilling that he got exactly what he wanted without realizing it was gonna cost him his life. Im sure he wasn’t even thinking of the possibility of not making it out…
Big Props to the father saving anyone else from potentially being killed.
Yup. At least he knew that his son died and where the body is, so he has the closure.
Iam struggling with a very strong, dare i say crippling depression. Not so long after i've found you channel, a little bit more than a year ago my first baby bunny, who we raised with my wife as a child of our own, has died. I've been watching your amazing work ever since.... A year later, my second beloved bunny also passed away yesterday christmas eve. Needless to say, life hasnt been kind on me on other fronts either. But... Hearing your voice, listening to you helps me a lot. These stories of horror you tell, helps me to escape the horrors of my own reality. This may sound strange , or even bizarre , but your voice became synonymus for me with passing away, and letting go. I cant thank you enough for what you do. Thousands of miles separates us, but you helped me so much. Thank you , and thank you thousand times. Mr. Ballen , i know you probably doesnt have the time and/or capability to answer me, but i would just like you to know that you are a real hero for me.
I was devastated when my 13 year old bunny had passed away, I raised him from a little 6 month old baby, he truly was a sweet heart, and it took a long time to let go and move on, I still miss him to this day, but I think back with fond memories of his spunky personality and remember how precious life really is.
@@LeeMuayThaithey can mean the world for you
Hang in there buddy, sometimes we just have to wait to find out things that make us feel life it's not that bad🙌🏻
@@Bergaraa thank you for your kindness. I hope you are right
I'll remember you in my prayer, friend!🙏💞
Currently sitting in the hospital with my mom while they treat her COPD & she instantly felt better when I told her Mrballen dropped a new video, glad we have the strange dark & mysterious to pass the time.
Oh man I am so sorry-I hope she gets better quickly
Praying for your mom ♥️ my mom had COPD too & it can get really rough
🥰
Tell your mom I hope she feels better and gets to listen to the next video with you at home. Be well.🙏
Hope your mom gets to feeling better .My step dad has been in the hospital for almost a month now with COPD and here I sit smoking 😮😮😮😮 Merry Christmas to you and your mom😊😊
There is absolutely no way in hell I would EVER go into a cave. That poor young man’s death is horrific. RIP
You Crack ne up with the like button sayings😂😅
My caving experience is limited to Mammoth Cave.
From one Holly to another… NEVER go into a man cave! It’s nothing but dirty dishes, stinky socks, and electronic trip wires.
@@hollyperrin7353 yup that’s prolly a death sentence too 🤪🤣😳
@@pioneercynthia1Me too! A Kentucky 5th Grade traditional field trip 😂
I have Nutty Putty Cave flashbacks as you're telling this story. My stomach feels twisty, and my face is contorting into various expressions of oh no.
agreed
I also thought about Nutty Putty.
When did you go there?
Yeah Nutty Putty cave is synonymous with claustrophobia to me. Also the first story that made me feel claustrophobic.
I lived in Fairfield and we used to go to the Nutty Putty’s and all the old mines out there all the time when I was young. No way I could do it now
I just wanted to tell you that my daughter gifted your book to me for Christmas. I was brought to tears because it was the one gift that wasn't on a list, I didn't ask for it, and I was totally surprised. She just knows that I'm a major fan which makes your book one of the most thoughtful gifts I've ever received.
I usually get bored with other storytellers because they drag things out or overhype, but you strike the perfect balance. You get right to the point while still including all the important details, and your videos are never clickbait. They always deliver exactly what you promise. Your storytelling skills and wording are so engaging; no one does it better!
True. So many content creators take a meandering, 'natural' approach, as if chatting to a friend. I too get bored with them. Mr Ballon is so professional and enjoyable.
I concur. But I do want to say - He is very good at gesticulating, too. Observe how he uses his hands etc.
Not to take anything away from him, he's a GREAT storyteller.
As a kid growing up in Appalachia,i had no shortage of caves to explore and i went through them all...ive been in places so tight that i had to suck my gut in to squeeze through. Had I known about stories like this,i never would've went anywhere near those things
well, i glad u didn't get stuck or smtg
I'm glad you didn't learn the same way Neil did! Hopefully, you're being more careful these days!
@@drake6sermos665 absolutely! I seriously doubt that I'd even go in a cave period these days,I can't imagine a more terrifying fate
My Mom is Appalachian and she wouldn't even jump off the trestle into the water with her brothers 😂
Even if you hadn't known about these kind of stories, had it never occured to you that you might get stuck? Like how come it isn't the first thing that comes to your mind? No offense, genuinely curious.
Mr. Ballen always reminds me that not doing stupid stuff is generally the best way to stay alive.
Thanks, Mr. B. 🙌
It takes Mr ballen to tell you that,😂 I'm sorry not being a smart kunt, I just over think everything 😂, here is me lol just jokeing,you last year what's stupid mean?,this year found Mr ballen,ohhhhh STUPID people ohhhhh 😂😂😂
Very sad story.i hope next year mr.ballen tell da story of mysterious drone in new jersey😅😅😅
@@ericbernardo9161 jersey devil lol 😆 wait,I'm wrong so very wrong thats lost tapes
Refering to his nickname it's Mr.B, but that's basically a result of him using his full name on (i think it was) TikTok, where he could not separate it. John B. Allen. John Ballen. People just started thinking his last name was Ballen and wrote emails to him, calling him Mr. Ballen. I love this kind of backlore lol.
@Yamyatos I been a fan for meany years,can't tell you how long but years, I'm calling him Mr ballen,don't give a fuxk what you new Gen call him but fuxk off and cry to daddy, git a problem you know where to find me
Every time I hear you tell one of these stories, my anxiety goes through the roof significantly. I always hope that, right at the very end, you'll reveal that, against all odds, someone emerged from the rubble and survived whatever catastrophic event they endured.
Despite the outcome of these stories, I will always listt. You truly are the best of the best when it comes to storytelling. You have a gift and I do appreciate it. Thank you, kind sir.❤
As a father, I know that his dad must've been crushed just sitting there knowing his son is alive but will be dying and not being able to just hug his son when he felt alone and trapped. Ugh I can't think of anything worse
I'm a mother of a little boy and this made me cry xx
and that is why this kind of thing is super selfish with no reason or gain only dumb
And that’s why you educate you’re children so you don’t gotta ever face that feeling and they don’t gotta die while you’re still kicking👍
I have a pet fish and knowing my shift tomorrow is a 10 hour shift, and I won’t be able to feed my neighbours birds. Made me realise I need to get my shopping done and feed the kids that are locked up in my basement. I’m fishing for likes too.
Watching your kid get eaten by velociraptors is probably worse
"Todays story is a claustrophobic nightmare" - me knowing I'm going to get anxiety - "Let's do this" ▶️
SAME, I can't breathe listening to this...
Me too! It’s making me feel like I’m in clothes that are too tight. I’m sick right now so it’s already hard to breathe, so that’s adding to stress and I’m not even in the cave.
I thought it was just me.
Me too 😬
He did a similar spelunking story like this before and I have the same feeling watching this, pure gut-wrenching anxiety 😂 Nothing like sending your brain into primordial fear for fun
Dude one look at the tunnel and I already knew that this was gonna be one of the toughest MrBallen eps to go through
One look and I decided I'm NOT watching this one!
Absolutely
Yep I’m at work trying not to cry ffs
It's not a picture of the real tunnel. It's just for illustration purposes. Do you know how UA-cam videos (and other videos) are made? This is not a documentary. Paper Brain. American maybe?
I'm not claustrophobic, but this nearly threw me into a panic attack
My need for deep breaths just increased with every passing minute of this horrific tale!
Oh how sad that poor young man and how thoughtful and brave of his father to stop anyone else risking their life trying to retrieve his sons body.
Everyone gangster til the strange dark and mysterious is delivered in story format
🏆
😂😂😂
😂😂
Story Time Gangster! 😅
Someone comments this on EVERY MrBallen video....and it still makes me smile every time!😂
I'm generally not claustrophobic, but I could never be that brave.
Same! I’ve never felt claustrophobia in my life until I heard this story and nutty putty. It’s crazy to me how some ppl don’t have that primal instinct to not do these types of things. Most of us would’ve abort mission as soon as the cave started to get small. We would never try to keep stretching and contorting our bodies to push through those tight spaces… Sad to say, but its natural selection taking its course 🤷♀️
The thing I love about Mr. Ballen's storytelling is that you are not even consciously aware you are being told a story. It's like you are actually there and it is happening to you. That is a rare quality.
That is a excellent way to describe Mr. Ballens story telling. You really do feel like it is happening to you and you are there
Ikr its crazy
I agree. Mr. Ballen is the best that I have listened to. Each episode takes us on a different journey. I began listening to him when he first started posting and was hooked immediately. Now I am a long time top fan. 🩷🩷🩷😊
I disagree, he just sounds like a very good story teller.
For me, more of a campfire type story telling, if that makes sense
Reading so many comments from people who are struggling with bereavement at this time of year, please know you have my heartfelt condolences and love as a bereaved parent (12 years on from the loss of our 9-year-old daughter to acute myeloid leukaemia) and having lost my father to Covid in 2020 on 28 December (he was also a US Army veteran). May we all get through this holiday with as much peace as possible. Thank you, Mr Ballen, for your stories which help so many who are bereaved in their time of struggle.
Wishing you peace joy and happiness during this tough time
I am so sorry for the loss of your daughter and father. All the best wishes to you and your family.
Just geose to show that being a us army veteran don’t mean you can survive Covid
❤
@@alliterationUK My condolences on the loss of your father and daughter. My mother past on Dec. 11, 2019 right before the pandemic. I miss her so much and I'm trying my best not to go headlong into depression. All I can do is ask God to help me through it and I pray that you put your broken heart into his care and he'll mend your heart. Thank you Lord Jesus for blessing us all with another day so that we may show love to others in their time of need. It's in your name I pray, Amen
Anyone else notice how much the quality has improved? Audio, visual, and green screen. Idk it just seems like it’s gotten so much clearer :) thanks for any upgrades you’ve done !
@@cassykissess yes honey
Me 😂♥️
Yeah. Because he's actually an entire company now with a team haha
@@thirdmonkeyent_llc well even with his entire team he used to film on his iphone and recently mentioned he did in a live stream so I think he may have changed it since the quality got better :)
@@MohamadhoseinSabzevari omg I noticed it in the last video too !!! I didn’t see your comment tho, so I’m sorry I missed it 😭 I’m so happy to see that we notice the little things 😂
@@MohamadhoseinSabzevari crreepy
My sister lived in Castleton, there is a tree planted in his memory, with a plaque for him
I'm willing to bet that is his family
From his family
Rest in peace. Thats a mindset I cant even begin to comprehend. Finding an unexplored hole barely big enough fit in, climbing in, and then continuing to descend when it becomes even tighter is a legitimately terrifying thought. The walls were closing in on me as I was listening to this.
My dad died a week before xmas so this is a very rough time of year for me. Distractions are how I get through. Thanks MrB I really needed this right about now. ❤
I’m sorry for your loss
Sorry for your loss☹️
God bless
My Dad died tragically right before Christmas in 2011. I was devastated. Now it seems that the holidays only being grief and sadness for me. So I know exactly how you feel. Distraction and my faith are what gets me thru. Plus, I know Daddy is always with his little girl
Sorry for your loss. I lost my dad in December too. It's a difficult time for some.
Hadn't heard this particular cave disaster before, damn, this was a hard one to watch. Forget serial killers, cannibals, or other gory stuff, claustrophobic tunnels where you're stuck for hours and the only thing you can do is just slowly suffocate until you die, that scares me more than anything else.
Or worse, if he had oxygen but simply had to wait for a long death. An absolute tragedy. Every adventure like that should be thought through as if it were only one person doing the cave exploring, because as in Neil's situation, it all depended on him to extricate himself. And it all depended on him to make judgements about the limits of a difficult exploration.
I mean all you have to do to avoid this happening is not be a dumbass.
If the female rescuer was close enough to attempt to break his collar bone, why could she not have put a mask on him?
I was looking for this comment. I was thinking the same. Truly crazy try didn't think to do that.
For what purpose exactly? To keep him alive longer when there's no chance he'll get out? It wasn't just because there was less oxygen. The problem was that he was so wedged in that his lungs couldn't expand fully. No matter how much pure oxygen you put into someone. It was 1959. The rescue methods weren't very advanced.
@@plumdutchesswasn't it said that they needed Niel to wriggle and help unwedge himself? He needed to be conscious to participate in his rescue efforts.
RIGHT?!???
He was compressed so air couldn’t get in even if supplied
Some of the hardest Mr. Ballen stories ive ever listened to involve caves, or divers.....or both. Absolutely terrifying, and horribly sad. Such an awedful, and lonely way to go.
I got it when you said, “ amateur explorers!” Nothing good can come after that description! 😮
I'm glad these days we have cameras, not that you will find me in these predicaments but that hopefully they will prevent others from getting into this kind of trouble.
Agreed
What’s a camera gonna do ? Nothing was stopping him from going in that hole
@johnwicksdog4399 If he had a camera, he could've seen there was no cavern at the end, and wouldn't have put himself in danger.
@@aleashacasarez855 get outta here. Nothing was stopping him
I personally BELIVE .. that skinwalker ranch.. is one of the best story’s you’ve ever told! The way you explain it and all its detail even to the groceries the mom left out and the wolf and how big it was! It’s amazing !
As a firefighter I’m not claustrophobic, but doing something like this would be a huge no from me
Just to clarify I would go in to attempt a co-ordinated rescue, but cave diving in general absolutely not,
You’re a hero anyway for being willing to save lives ❤
Yeah this would be a "Sorry, you gonna die, son" from me. Not a firefighter.
Hey firefighter, do you know Bigfoot stories?
I was a tank driver and inside of the tank is really claustrophobic and I am 6'0 and I was 230 at the time and even then I would be like "nah I'm good"
One of the things about caves is simply air to breathe. The last rescuer who put rope around Neil's shoulders ... why could he not fix the oxygen mask to his face?
The best part about spelunking is that you don’t have to do it. RIP Neil
John thank you for your 😮storytelling. At 71 years old it's heartbreaking that families no longer participate in making sure they pass on the stories to new generations. There were 12 in our family and my dad was a master storyteller. It didn't matter if it was scary, sad or funny. We would all be on the edge of our seats not taking our eyes off him till the story was over. Such rich information and stories of where we all came from etc. So as someone who knows a good story teller imagine how thrilled I was to find you. As long as you’re around the rest of us can go back in time when this was something all families do. I hope you realize the impact this has for people like me to just for a moment travel back to that time I sat on my dad’s lap soaking in every word. It’s a precious gift you give and I wanted to thank you personally. 😊
I completely felt this. Have a peaceful evening.
That poor father! 😮 What a courageous sacrifice he made not to risk others' lives
20:45 if the guy reached him, why didn’t he put the mask on??
I was just thinking that when this comment popped up. Are we missing something here?
Came to ask the same thing. If they could get a rope around his chest and take it off why couldn’t they get the mask to his face?
My exact thoughts
Because his arms were stuck.
@@cherylhickmon8573 the person who made it down to him .. why didn’t he put the mask on for him
My main goal in life is to never be a victim in these situations or stories just a listener only!!
Okay you're still gonna get got my colon cancer or something.
Sounds like a guaranteed way to have a boring life in vain
I feel you
ngl id never wanna be in one of these stories but at the same time if mr.ballen told my story id be so honored
You're a very sensible person. 🤗
What I find the most disturbing is the superlong death struggle. Heartbreaking.
The fact that nobody had been down and into such an easily in an accessible area, you know it was like around a lot of places where people had been before, and the fact that nobody went down there after all of that access had been saturated, tells you something as a reason that no one went down there
The way Mr ballen tells stories makes me get chills every single time
Yup, heard the Neil Moss story several times but i still had to hear the Ballen rendering
I'm sorry Mr. ballin but I could not finish this episode..I began feeling a tightness in my chest and I was beginning to drown in anxiety just listening to this story..this is literally my worst nightmare..on a different note: Merry Christmas to you and your family..may you all have a safe holiday
Same, 11 mins in and I just can’t handle my claustrophobia listening to it.😅
Merry Christmas 😊
He makes it out alive
@@judyt1204he makes it out alive
@@judyt1204 same - not enjoyable for me to think about, I'm out - poor guy (I rock climb, sky dive, etc - but the cave stuff is not for me
Eric Moss is an angel for caring more about lives than his son's former body. All too many parents are willing, even eager to let people risk their lives for a dead form.
RIP to his son. Please don't risk your life, people. Please just don't. There are ways to get adrenaline without taking huge risks. Remember Moss Chamber.
Spoiler ☹️
This. Having people risk their lives to rescue the dead body of a person who knew what they were getting into is just, sorry to say.. but stupid. Especially if it's ironic like this. I dont mean to be rude, but i mean.. he is buried underground and people are supposed to risk their lives to get him out there, just so he can be buried underground somewhere else? Ridiculous.
Cave exploration and cave diving are so stupid hobbies to have. I get the thrill of wanting to explore something unknown, but risking your life is just not worth it. Intuitively i think cave diving is more dangerous, but i feel like cave explorers think the same and just make up for it by doing even riskier stuff...
The main issues I found were going to the pro’s and listening to their ego’s. One has pictures of a toddler in the cave I nearly died in with my brother. Saying that I’ve been since but use my own common sense and take proper safety precautions. Pridhamsleigh Cavern.
Hmmmm… need to go back.
@@k.elysium6819then don’t read the comments before watching the video.
Or Nutty Putty Caves
Just hearing how he kept shimmying down put my anxiety through the rough, as I’m listening to him talk I’m just shaking my head, cause I couldn’t imagine, the fear and hopelessness Neil felt
What a devastating decision to have to make as a father. As a person in general, really.
Another wonderful and respectful telling of someone’s last moments, Mr. Ballen! Always a pleasure hearing a tale from you.
What I wonder about most is the perspective and thought process of the father when he was letting his son crawl into the tight space.
I am not a father, just an uncle and I do acknowledge that being overprotective at all times is a bad idea. But how does would I live with the burden that I let my family risk so much without putting a stop to it, or maybe even encourage it?
I don’t want to be insensitive to someone who clearly has indured a painful loss. With that said, how isn’t it the father’s responsibility?
I've been caving in Peak Cavern. They didn't tell us about this entombed body of Neil before we went! We went into some really tight tunnels as well. Poor guy. Just when you think caving couldn't get any scarier, MrBallen pulls another caving tragedy from his hat.
I have no idea how you could ever go into such small spaces😮
lol they prob didn’t wanna kill the mood with speaking of a dead kid forever entombed in the rock you’re exploring
I absolutely cannot fathom how anyone could willingly enter into some small, confined underground "mystery" tunnel & then voluntarily subject themselves to the extremely high likelihood of complete entrapment. For me, that's a torture worse than death! Sometimes, I'm simply amazed by the lengths to which people will go for the mere possibility of (even minimal) notoriety. 🤦♀SMH
People don't know the limits of their mortality until they push the bounds to the very edge. People have survived close to this, but unfortunately in this case, Neil went past his limit.
I believe it is exactly that. These challenges make you feel like you are alive and remind you of your morality. That feeling also really appeals to me. Tho I am not that extreme and prefer just to walk through wild nature, instead of claustrophobic stuff like this. XD @erayburn6354 @@ibm30rpg
I have seen all of Mr. Ballen videos. This is the first time I had to stop the video halfway through and quit listening. This scared me so bad that I didn't have the guts to finish the video. Just can't handle tight spaces. Never thought I wouldn't be able to finish one of your episodes. Master storyteller, sir.
It's crazy that so many caving disasters are not about something going suddenly wrong, but people deliberately go into places where getting out has a smaller chance than getting stuck. Forcing himself to an unknown cave to the point he doesn't realize he can't move his arms up, rocks falling? After the turn his chances to survive were 0%.
This happened like 70 years ago.😢
Interesting, please share your source if you can! You can, right?
@@tonn333 source: listening to Mr. Ballen's stories, where he describes the conditions of the caves people went despite it being an unknown cave.
@@elinakeranen4499 do you see how that can be misleading? You're making conclusions on incomplete data
@@tonn333 "so many" is not a statistical claim.
Wishing everyone here including Mr Ballen a merry christmas. Thanks again Mr Ballen for your amazing story telling. This cave exploration story let's me know there are some exploration or curiousity that is not worth losing your life for. Tragically he finally had a cave named after him but posthumously.
Merry Christmas
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! 🎄🤍🕊️
@@magicman9321 thanks same to you.
@@CheesyFrog merry christmas to you too.
Merry Christmas
No one else is getting nauseated listening to this story? Im only at 7:17 idk if i can keep going. Small spaces are very hard for me. On the other hand i love Mr. Ballen!
literally me rn at 7:15 BRO TURN BACK
Dang I noticed this and stopped at 7:18.
im literally having a small anxiety attack
Me too! 7:25
Suffering the same dude. Strength in numbers 🤟🏽🫶🏽
I work a stones throw from this, crazy Mr Ballen doing a video on it. Im claustrophobic so I’ve never been in and was a difficult listen but good to hear about something local.
Excellent video! A friend of mine goes caving and ive been in a few baby level caves with him as im partially disabled. Im talking you can walk through and maybe duck or climb over a small boulder from time to time. Even so we get the same talk every time. One of the most important rules. If you don't know where a cave goes NEVER EVER force yourself through a squeeze. Theres no garentee i get out
I’m so claustrophobic, that I could never even try to go in this tunnel.
me too
Same, my anxiety was raised listening to this story and imagining what it would be like if I was in Neil’s position. I couldn’t handle the climbing down and the idea of trying to squeeze and force my body down this tunnel is too scary for me.
That, my portly shape and heart condition make it a hard no for me too!
I'm not claustrophobic but that tunnel, nope.
Yup. I'd be too claustrophobic just looking at the opening of the tunnel and I am not even claustrophobic. 😮
These stories give me the worst gut wrenching anxiety just listening!! I can't even imagine what makes people want to do this stuff for fun!!
This is the most disturbing episode I’ve heard yet. Took me 2 days to get through it was so upsetting. Poor guy. Heartbreaking.
I live 3km from where this happened in Castleton, High Peak. Tragic. Can never understand how people can enjoy being constricted underground in the dark. Its my worst nightmare!! 😫
RIP Neil. ❤ Eric was a real one for doing that too. 👏
All of us folks from different places and backgrounds, with sad stories or happy stories, all united together by the strange, dark, and mysterious. Thank you, MrBallen, for all you do for this storytime family you have inherited.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays!!!
As a father myself, this story crushed me and now I'm crying. Can we get a strange dark and mysterious story with a happy resolution soon please?
It's strange, dark, and mysterious not strange, happy, and mysterious.
That’s right mate , and I know it too.
Unfortunately most are tragic
There are some, but they’re few and far between
Terrible to think of the anguish that man must have gone through. Not just while it was happening, for the rest of his life.
So sad! I cried. His father made the hardest decision any parent could ever make. He couldn't even get to see his son for a last time. 😩😭😭😭
I think his logic was that there was no point in risking other ppl’s lives to retrieve a dead body. If he was still alive, theres no way he would’ve said that. But since he knew he was never gonna see his son again anyways, he figured there was no need to put others at risk just so he can have a proper burial ground. He was gonna get buried in the ground regardless, so it only makes sense to just leave him there and guarantee everyone else’s safety
@kayleigh3648
He's so selfless. I pray such never happen to anyone again. 💜
As someone with claustrophobia, this is pure nightmare fuel
Poor Neil, I cant imagine the pain he had to go through. This is so heartbreaking 💔
poor? he hinself decided to do such dumb things. why would they put themselves in such dangerous place just for the praise from other people? lmao 😂
I try not to be so harsh. Remember, this happened in 1959, long before accident/incident reports were widely published. I took up skydiving in the early 80s. Our sport parachute club required us to join the United States Parachute Association. The accident/incident reports in thei publication was instrumental in saving lives. I assume that might be the case with spelunking and other potentially hazardous sports. @aldiirsanmajid4235
@@aldiirsanmajid4235it is pretty funny how whenever someone dies people say how amazing they were, how kind they were to everyone, etc. I’m like there’s no way that’s true😅 most people are dumb and/or assholes
@@aldiirsanmajid4235 he was just doing what he did. You can't blame him for that. He did tight tunnels a thousand times and it worked out. I'm sure he didn't go into this thinking it would be his last. You don't have to be so harsh and judgmental.
@@avalon4693I know! In every story about someone dying, they were always loved by everyone, kind, intelligent, and amazing. 😅 Sure, they all were.
Dude this whole story has me nauseated. I’m so claustrophobic I’m struggling just to listen without hyperventilating, but your storytelling is so enthralling, I can’t stop. Thanks for inspiring my nightmares. Love the channel.
I didn't realise I heard this story before until his dad said to stop. I didn't forget him. He truly loved his son, and didn't want anyone else to share the same fate.
At 9:47 I’m going dude just go back up! Like there is no morphine, no tranqs to help you as you leave this world. Nothing but absolute isolation & horrific terror.
Thats the EXACT same thing I was thinking. Common sense. Don't go into spaces smaller than your body. Nothing wrong with caving, but you HAVE to do it with logic and sense. Spelunking and cave diving are actually safe if all rules are followed and basic sense used, but we hear about deaths due to the fact that those things aren't done.
The EXACT second I had to pause listening!
Poor Neil, I kept hoping for a happy ending. Such a heartbreaking story.
me too. that was really sad 😢
@Paradigm-change Yes it was absolutely heartbreaking. I kept thinking of my sons and I can’t even begin to imagine how I would feel had it been one of them and I had to make such a gut wrenching decision. I just can’t even put myself in his father’s shoes… The pain he must’ve endured and carried for the rest of his life is just unimaginable.
Idk why but I just can't seem to feel bad for him
@@Spammer_the_hedgehog I don’t know why either.
@@Spammer_the_hedgehog me neither he did that to himself
This episode had a bigger effect on me than any other episode…. Wow man that’s just… terrible. You did this story such justice.
I’ve listened to pretty much every one of your stories and this one made me more stressed than any other. The fact that he was still alive all those hours later is such a nightmare.
4:00 - Wallow in Self Pity
4:30 - Stare Into The Abyss
5:00 - Solver World Hunger. Tell No One!
5:30 - Jazzercise
6:30 - Dinner With Me (I can't cancel that again!)
7:00 - Wrestle With My Self Loathing
8:00 - Watch Mr. Ballen
I'm Booked!
Wow, you do all that in 4 minutes?
And you still have time to steal Christmas.
But WHAT will I WEAR?!?
Ahh the Grinch
I appreciate that you not only give warnings in your descriptions but also tell your viewers.
This story definitely gave me some goosebumps
Love having MrBallen as a part of my Saturday routine 🙌🏽💖
The thought of a slow death like that is soo scary. Idk why anyone gets a thrill of being in tight spaces.
Thanks to this channel I’ll never mess around in caves
I am living for these Saturday uploads, Mr. Ballen!! They are amazing!! I designate Saturday as house cleaning day, and it’s always a nice companion.
What really amazed me is that, even though he showed a lot of struggles for just 4 hours, he managed to keep breathing up to 36 hours ! That’s amazing, it just shows how much stronger we are, way past what we believe what our limit is.
Poor man. What a terrible way to die. My sympathy goes out to his family and loved ones.
play stupid games win stupid prizes sadly
I really don't understand why they didn't put the oxygen mask on him when they were able to crawl down close enough to touch him.
Yea, that bit wad never explained, and it bothered me too
You forgot the part where the cave is so narrow that there's not space around you to push the mask down.
It was in 1959. The technology wasn't as good, and oxygen tanks were probably a lot harder to come by.
@@ibm30rpg You forgot the part where they were able to wind a rope around his chest in the same space that's supposedly to narrow to put a mask on his face then..
To make the agony longer?..
Young, reckless, overconfident, desperate to seek glory and prestige and a cave. What could possibly go wrong?
Motivation was definitely driven by ego
Love how involved you are with your community. Best guy !!!
"It's all we do" and "we upload once a week" hits the logic side of the mind hard after binging your older videos where it was 4 sometimes even 5 times a week 😂
But it just makes the new releases that much better 🔥❤️
seriously how can someone find pleasure in going to such narrow places inside tunnels??!! This is Madness! Poor Neil. Very sad.
They get an adrenaline rush out of it. The thrill of the unknown, and ultimately the idea of a death like this. They get closer and closer to it, squeezing in tighter and tighter as they gain experience in different cave systems until eventually it happens. They need to be rescued and most do, but not always. The peak of adrenaline, near death. It’s an addiction and you can find it everywhere. Skydiving, Scuba diving, cave exploration, the isle of man tt, mountain climbing, skyscraper climbing, there’s literally human beings right now addicted to playing Russian Roulette. I feel sympathy for them but at the end of the day you did it to yourself. It’s elegant suicide.
High risk, low reward.
Rodney, from Run Fool, has the perfect voice for scary stories. Not exaggerated. It sounds like he is telling things that actually happened. So good.
He does have a good voice. I like the content of Mr. Ballen's main channel and his medical mysteries podcast better though. I gave Run Fool a try and it was too hard to believe the story.
@k.elysium6819 the stories are not real. They are told as if they happened for real but it's all folklore tales, monsters, haunted things. Like wendigos, spirits etc You're not supposed to believe I'm them.
@jet__girl I know they're not real, I'm just saying, I don't like that style. The reason my post was a bit ambivalent was because I've only heard one or two, so didn't know if there were other ones that were more real sounding. I like stories that are either true, or impossible to explain. Mr Ballen does a great job with his paranormal themed stories, because he doesn't tell them in a way that shows he believes there is no logical explanation, rather, he dubs them "unexplainable" and moves on.
I’ve seen so many of these videos but this is one of the saddest to me. Knowing he was so close to being rescued so many times and then having his father there to witness him be declared dead is just heartbreaking
This is exactly the kind of dude that would’ve watched mrballen. Strange dark and mysterious caves were his thing. Damn shame he didn’t have UA-cam.
8:08 The answer is no.
😂
Claustrophobia is another level of horrifying
Heart pounding throughout the whole story, hoping this would be the first where they actually made it out alive, knowing full well how this channel operates! 😮💨
I lost it when they came back & still heard Neil breathing knowing he was at the end... they stayed until they knew he was gone
No video about clostraphobia will ever compare to those men who got sucked into the oil pipe out in the middle of the ocean.
Ya that ones messed up.
Yeah, that one was terrible. I don't often think back on stories but that one stuck with me.
Off topic, but one of the most brutal shark attacks that still haunts me at least a few times a month is Vladimir Popov. There is video footage of the attack off the coast of Egypt I believe.
Whats the name of that video?
@@Joyangel278”The Caribbean Disaster”
Oh God..yeah.. beyond anything I can ever imagine..
I only recently found this channel and I've been binging your videos everyday for the past two weeks. You and Mr. Nightmare are the best story tellers on here.
At first I had so many questions about the rescue efforts but then I looked at the date of the accident. I feel so much for the father that had to make the heartbreaking decision, knowing he would never be able to see/touch his son again.
I feel like people who look at holes in the ground and decide to go inside them, and especially ones who don’t go back out once they realize it’s getting smaller and tighter, and they’re having to contort their bodies to get through are highly lacking in intelligence and common sense. Because of one man’s foolish decision, all those other people risked THEIR lives and could have died because of him. It’s sad that he died, but he really should have known better.
I think the same... the hole was getting smaller and smaller and the guy just kept squeezing himself further down... sorry my friend you brought that to yourself...
Ostrich brains.