The end is near - count down the end of 2021 with a replay of these TOP 10 THE CONFESSIONALS EPISODES OF 2021! Did your favorite episode take the top spot? Take a second (…or third or fourth…) listen to these amazing shows, and THANK YOU for another year of listening!

#10 - Episode 385: Metaphysical Dogman

In Episode 385: Metaphysical Dogman we are joined by Josh Turner from Paranormal Round Table. For the better part of a year, the listeners of The Confessionals and Paranormal Round Table have been messaging Josh and me about doing an episode together. About a month ago, Josh and I finally connected and decided to do a couple of shows for our prospective audiences. Josh had a dogman encounter when he was a teenager that realigned his life course and what he would be pursuing. What he saw seemed very physical and for years, he thought this beast was simply that - a beast that was out there lurking in the shadows. But the more Josh researched and talked to people about their encounters, the more he was opened up to the idea that dogman was something more than just a monster. But it wasn't until he talked to people who were present during his encounter as a teenager that he learned what he saw and what they saw were very different things. It was the information Josh needed to push him over the edge into a new way of thinking about this topic. It wasn't just a physical dogman he was chasing, but rather a metaphysical dogman.

 #9 - Episode 397: The Lost Gold Of Dents Run

In Episode 397: The Lost Gold of Dents Run, we are joined by Kem and Den Parada, a father-and-son treasure hunting duo based out of Pennsylvania. Back in the 1970s, Den was on the hunt for a lost Civil War treasure made up of 52 gold bars that went “missing” while being transported from Virginia to Philadelphia. In today’s currency, the gold bars were estimated to be worth close to $400,000,000, which would be the largest buried treasure recovered in U.S. history. One day when Den was at work, a psychic entered the store, found his way over to Den, and ended up revealing a location where he believed Den would find the gold. This encounter set off a nearly 50-year-long search for the Civil War treasure. After investing so much time and effort into their endeavor, the Paradas had the treasure pegged and proceeded to follow proper legal means of recovering it. They called in the F.B.I. and believed everything was aboveboard and ready to unearth the treasure of a lifetime – but they soon regretted it all when government agencies moved in under the cover of night and stole the gold out from under them. Kem and Den tell us everything about their incredible story, from how they found the gold, to government agencies trying to derail their efforts, to disclosing that they know where more gold is stashed – and this time they plan to get it.

#8 - Episode 337: Swamp Monsters & Giants | Dark Waters

In Episode 337: Swamp Monsters & Giants, we are joined by my friend Dark Waters! DW has been a guest on The Confessionals a few times previously as part of our Think Tank discussion groups, and he joins us now to share some of the personal experiences from his childhood that sparked his interest in the paranormal world. In the first segment of Episode 337, we discuss the swamps of Louisiana, and how recent storms there have rendered areas accessible that were previously out of reach – and probably for good reason! From bizarre monsters happened upon by fishermen to giants as tall as trees, these swamps hold many secrets that are only now becoming known. In an Overtime segment, we continue our discussion as DW recalls one of the most dramatic demonic experiences he has ever gone through.

#7 - Episode 390: The Great Matrix Reset

In Episode 390: The Great Matrix Reset, we are joined again by Garrick King! Garrick started noticing and receiving repetitive numbers on a daily basis in 2009. It became so apparent that this phenomenon wasn’t normal or just a coincidence that he started digging into what these numbers could possibly mean. The more Garrick uncovered, the more it seemed that his exploration of the subject was being guided by someone or something other than himself. He takes us on a deep dive into these numbers, and shares how they led him to the belief that we live in a matrix, and it is gearing up to reset itself within our lifetime!

#6 - Episode 387: Hunter Encounters Dogman

In Episode 387: Hunter Encounters Dogman, we are joined by Emmett. He tells us about his multiple UFO encounters, the shadow figures that plague him, and his grandfather visiting him in his dreams and morphing into something terrifying. Emmett also shares a unique encounter in Vermont while bear hunting, when he saw a white dogman climb a tree, and then exit the area by leaping from tree to tree. Even though Emmett was hunting for a bear, after seeing the dogman he believed the ammo he had in his gun would not have taken down that beast.

We also have an Overtime show with Emmett available on the website and the Castos app for all members. In Overtime, Emmett recalls when he was a kids’ camp counselor and had a scary week-long experience with a little boy named Zachary. Zachary seems to have been demonically possessed, at the very least, but in my own opinion, I think there may have been a chance Zachary was not human at all. Emmett’s story has many twists and turns, including warlocks and mind control, and that’s just a fraction of what makes this story so bizarre!

#5 - Episode 325: The Underground Reptilians

Episode 325: The Underground Reptilians is a two-part show, with Part Two available as an Overtime segment on the website for members! On this episode, we speak with Brian, who describes growing up near a place in Michigan where reptilians lived underground with other creatures! Brian and I first connected when he left a comment on theconfessionalspodcast.com about his experiences helping to de-program SRA (Satanic Ritually Abused) people. I was interested in bringing him on the show to pick his brain about the process of de-programming in SRA cases, but as we communicated he asked me if I would like to hear about his reptilian stories - of course, I said, "Yes!" As children, Brian and his brother would play with other kids around an area called Witch's Hollow. One day, Brian's brother stumbled upon an opening in the ground that had a dismembered head in the entrance! After contemplating what he saw, his brother decided to return to the location to get another look, and when he did he was met by a reptilian who was manning the entrance. That was the first of many ongoing interactions he had with these creatures, and Brian shares the encounters with us!

#4 - Episode 311: The Mysterious Egress Industries

In Episode 311: The Mysterious Egress Industries, we are joined by Kyle and Steve from The Holosky Podcast. A couple of months ago I was contacted by a mutual listener, informing me about some of the crazy things that were happening on their show. Boy, they were not kidding! It all started when Steve was doing some research on Reddit for one of their upcoming shows, and stumbled across "dream flyers" that asked peculiar questions and advertised a phone number for "Egress Industries." Steve thought it could be an interesting idea for the show, and bought a burner phone to conduct their experiment. Steve and Kyle used it to contact the number on the flyer, and that’s when things began to progress out of hand! They were connected to a guy named Bob who was also experiencing bizarre happenings involving the Egress Industries’ phone number. When the three started talking, Egress immediately knew about it, and began texting their phones and the phones of some of their acquaintances - numbers they never should have had access to! Egress even started to text Kyle's co-worker, and may have possibly made an in-person visit to Kyle's wife. As the story unfolds, it became clear that just by the simple fact that Kyle and Steve were speaking with me about them, I may now be on the radar of the mysterious Egress Industries!

#3 - Episode 309: The Predator

In Episode 309: The Predator, we talk JR, a former member of a "1%" motorcycle club. After doing something to get himself kicked out of the club, JR started his own burglary gang. Between the club and the gang, he was in deep trouble with the law and found himself on the run, hiding out on a very remote property in southeast Indiana. Although he was given permission to stay on the property, JR was also warned that something was roaming the land... Not paying much mind to that warning, he spent nine months at the location, spending his time looking for old artifacts he could sell for cash. As time went on, JR not only found artifacts, but discovered huge finger bones and oddly placed mounds. And that's where he wishes his discoveries had ended: while out searching, JR also came across a translucent creature he can only describe as "The Predator." During his final encounter with it, he was left so terrified that he decided to head back home, where he was facing prison time, than stay one more day in the forest with The Predator!

#2 - Episode 377: The Secrets of Area 2

In Episode 377: The Secrets Of Area 2, we are joined by Chris to share his experiences at Area 2, also known as Nellis Air Force Base. He describes many of the bizarre things he has heard and seen for himself, both at the base and at other locations, such as shadow men, UFOs, hybrid creatures like catman, and so much more. We later take our conversation into an Overtime segment, where Chris shares more details about his strange stories, and tells us a few new ones too.

#1 - Episode 335: Dog vs Dogman

In Episode 335: Dog vs Dogman, we are joined by Kyle who shares the most dramatic dogman experience ever sent to The Confessionals! Kyle was born and raised in Kentucky, and became a coon hunter at a very young age. When he was 15 years old, he and his grandfather set out for a night of hunting raccoons with their dogs Bow and Jake. Little did Kyle know that on this night, his life was going to change forever. The dogs treed a coon when a pack of coyotes moved in to challenge the hunting dogs. There was a strong battle of dominance, and when Kyle finally arrived at the scene he saw Jake standing strong with coyotes on the run. He then heard what he thought was his dog Bow on the other side of a large tree, chomping on a coyote. But, when he circled around to find Bow, he came face to face with a monstrous beast that towered over him. This is where Kyle's life changed forever, as a bloodthirsty dogman took chase after him, and a battle of dog versus dogman took place! Kyle's story of survival truly defied the odds with those two kinds of dogs in the woods that night - one was man's best friend, the other was man's worst nightmare.

It’s been a year of amazing episodes! For even more TC 2021 memories, take another listen to these HONORABLE MENTION episodes: Episode 331: The Devil’s In The Music, Episode 381: Knock Knock Knock, and Episode 383: A Truckers Bigfoot Property!

Happy New Year!

~ Lindsay W. Merkel