The Masked Lunatic That Hijacked American News • Mystery Files

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Sensitive topics: static noises, mildly obscene activity (spanking)
Have you ever found yourself on a Wikipedia deep dive on the weird side of the internet? In this show - weird thing enthusiasts Ryan and Shane take turns presenting their latest fascinations to each other covering everything unusual, unexplained, and unhinged!
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HOSTED BY
Shane Madej
WITH
Ryan Bergara
DIRECTOR
Annie Jeong
PRODUCER
Brittney Lee
EDITOR
Anthony De Vera
MOTION GRAPHICS
Diana Arana
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Jucel Andrin
RESEARCHER
Stacey Marbrey
WRITER
Alaina Rook
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
Carter Lau
CAMERA OPERATORS
Luman Kim Jay Tran
GRIP & ELECTRIC
Jay Tran
SOUND MIXER
Ben Forman
PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Billy Jett
SET DRESSER
Arron Haro
PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS
Brendon Ryu Violet Rawlings
POST PRODUCER
SAM YOUNG
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Frank Parker
HEAD OF DEVELOPMENT
Katie LeBlanc
HEAD OF PRODUCTION
Lizzie Lockard
HEAD OF POST PRODUCTION
Sam Young
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
Steven Lim, Ryan Bergara, and Shane Madej
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[@NovaBlueNova]

This is one of my favorite mysteries because it was just so benign and literally no one got hurt, the mystery is just "what the fuck was that about?"

[@palmer5628]

YEP. Just a silly little man in a costume, a little freaky but thats it really.

[@QuietBeast]

This show is GAY and gay

[@AC-th4ci]

Every now and then I'll forget about it until I come across a video like this, and I always have a good laugh. The whole thing is so bizarre and I love it.

[@NovaBlueNova]

@@AC-th4ci Truly just a great prank. They could've done *anything* and legit scarred people, but at most they showed a butt and made people confused.

[@edeliteedelite1961]

Seeing that would have traumatized me

[@anastasiabuscho5194]

“ do you ever think about hacking BuzzFeed?” “ every day” If BuzzFeed is ever hacked I guess we know who the culprits are.

[@MarcyTheKindaCoolWizard]

No no we only jnow the culprits IF they blame steven

[@c0nvict_pleb174]

Shades thrown 😂🤣

[@magicianstuff]

Or will it remain... a mystery.

[@SteveoMcCartney]

Sometimes I forget that they originally started at Buzzfeed

[@kimsenka_]

this should be added to their shorts

[@thevirtualtraveler]

I loved watching Ryan's reaction to the 2nd hijacking b/c one can just imagine all the people originally watching it having the exact same reactions.

[@poppyonline4034]

Yes me as well! Loved it!

[@STÜDD_Music]

Nah I’d be horrified lol

[@davidpoa7775]

"......What the fuck did I just watch?...." *SOME dude in 1987 November 22nd who just happened to see the max headroom incident* 😂😂

[@CC-sg1ff]

It's very fitting that the second high jacking interrupted a Doctor Who episode because something completely bizarre interrupting a normal broadcast is something that would totally start the plot of an episode of Doctor Who where it would be revealed aliens did it.

[@stormfaring]

That's what I was thinking. If this had happened in Britain it'd definitely be an episode. 😂

[@carolinemcgovern4488]

@@stormfaring I will be very disappointed in Russel if he doesn't make an episode based on this.

[@KanePlaysGames]

While not exactly the same you could technically call the episode where the alien tries to absorb people through the TV during the Queen's Coronation a TV Hijacking ep 😂

[@Lauren-hq8uf]

Very David Tennant's first episode, the christmas episode where the aliens take over the tv and control people through blood control!

[@irvinreevesinbaraj6134]

I got into Doctor Who 5 months ago. Glad I was prepared for this episode.

[@leahea]

nothing could have prepared me to see a ryan bergara cutout on the professor making muffled sounds and calling us nerds

[@allou82]

I knew they were going to do some sort of interruption, but I was not expecting that 😂

[@ODMA2112]

had to have seen it coming, but still floored me 😂

[@irvinreevesinbaraj6134]

🤣

[@Furubatsu]

Honestly, the fact that one of these hijacks happened in the middle of a Doctor Who episode must've been funny with how many people probably thought it was just a really, really weird episode

[@Silver_Arrow]

I thought the same thing lol. “Oh this is a new villain, interesting” or “oh they’re doing the 4th wall break thing again”

[@marie2334]

the vibe they have created feels like the basement of the mystery shack in gravity falls and i love it

[@andreamattio1749]

Oh my gods it really is!!

[@AmunDeus]

Interestingly specific, but also the perfect description of the vibe!

[@seshden1]

i really appreciate how shane clearly didn’t like doing the intense true crime stuff e.g. jonbenet, so they came up with a way to capture the same banter and vibes as unsolved but in a way thats more collaborative and enjoyable for them both. love your work as always boys xx

[@jordan0183]

when u say clearly is that an assumption? or did shane come out publicly & say he didn’t like unsolved?

[@derpyduck5088]

@@Iavieenvert I guess talking about unsolved murders all the time can drag you down and worry you a little bit. Especially on a very public media like KZbin, It's all fun and games until the Zodiac killer doesn't like you talking about him anymore and finds out where you live

[@jordan0183]

@@Iavieenvertu don’t have to be a smart ass about it, it was genuine question

[@Who_evenamIanymore]

@@jordan0183They weren’t being rude about it? You’re the one who’s losing your temper my dude.

[@jordan0183]

@@Who_evenamIanymore “that seems pretty clear” ok obviously not or i wouldn’t have asked?

[@lauravr5632]

“This time AI actually gave an artist a job rather than taking it away”. Once again, Shane proves why he is everything

[@slccpyy]

love how the season premiere of this show was so sophisticated and seemed so professional vs the season finale it's jus complete chaos

[@swimminginhoney]

I’ve really loved this series!! I feel like the first ep had some cool ‘over the shoulder’ shots and was tryna be a lil different which I really liked - added to the vibes!

[@bunnymouse626]

@@swimminginhoneynow we’ve upgraded to bare butts being smacked with fly swatters!!

[@swimminginhoney]

@@bunnymouse626 the only type of upgrade I will ever care for!

[@QuietBeast]

gay show

[@swimminginhoney]

@@QuietBeast and thank the lord

[@DracowolfieDen]

I'm so thankful this show focused on nonviolent, not-horrific mysteries. I love the real mystery format of these types of shows, but I am tired of feeling so awful with a sense of dread and doom about humanity afterwards. This genuinely just weird stuff is so refreshing!!

[@Victoria_Fama]

Same

[@letsplay7828]

I really hope they do an episode of Havana Syndrome. I think they would have a lot of fun with it, especially as it was probably mass hysteria (which is a running theme for them).

[@brendan9868]

@@yelhsasokolova8561less so disturbing, more of just confusing tbh. It was basically a cluster of spontaneous symptoms that mostly included like head and hearing issues that initially broke out in a US/Canadian embassy in Havana Cuba in 2016. Nobody really knows what caused it, but there’s a lot of theories like radio waves, microwave weapons, pesticides and of course everyone’s favorite, aliens. Was definitely a very odd situation, but to my knowledge nobody died and everyone made a full recovery from this strange idiopathic illness.

[@ruaoneill9050]

1000% agree!

[@letsplay7828]

@@yelhsasokolova8561 This is from wiki "Havana syndrome is a cluster of idiopathic symptoms experienced mostly abroad by U.S. government officials and military personnel. The symptoms range in severity from pain and ringing in the ears to cognitive dysfunction and were first reported in 2016 by U.S. and Canadian embassy staff in Havana, Cuba." The conspiracy theorist podcast on Spotify does a great job of explaining what happened and some of the theories.

[@goylefriend]

Ryan muttering "jesus christ" while Shane cheerfully bounces along to the first broadcast is killing me

[@julietteg9665]

ryan looked so disturbed 😭😭

[@Andy-the-crow]

This is my favorite hijacking case ever

[@Alex-cw3rz]

You have a list of hijackings you enjoy?

[@user-pq6dg8hv4z]

@@Alex-cw3rzyou don’t?

[@Andy-the-crow]

@@user-pq6dg8hv4z seriously who doesn't have a list of their favorite weird things that happened on tv

[@nathanos42]

My least favorite is when they flew pl--- my lawyer has advised me to not finish this joke

[@spencerthestupidsamurai7326]

@@nathanos42This pissed me off, but mainly because I was trying so hard not to make the joke myself, and then here you are.

[@qotice]

Shane has the vocal mannerisms of a gandpa, carnie, and snake oil salesman combined. There’s a creak to it, and a softness. I believe any word he says

[@kenzieoakley]

this is so specific and so accurate

[@voilet-the-non-violet-vulpix]

Not a combination I would’ve come up with on my own, but I can definitely hear it

[@anavillarreal2955]

how is that exactly accurate

[@KittyPieVibes]

That’s all I could think during the ad read, he has soft old times voice

[@IamaproudChristian22]

Jesus is coing back. Believe He died for your sins and rose again then repent to be saved.

[@georgiapeachboy]

“The punishment for his little crime? The chair.” “What?!” “I’m just kidding.” Best episode yet

[@ryanperez5457]

That was probably my favorite joke besides when they talked about Shane's ass.

[@littleluna1019]

13:36

[@ZeranZeran]

@@ryanperez5457 "it's like porcelain" lmao

[@glubtier]

I love this. No one was really hurt, maybe some kids were scared and she grandmas were scandalized, but that's about it. It's wild to think that someone out there knows and has just been keeping quiet....

[@Lunch_Meat]

Actually, I think that's probably a good reason WHY nobody has come forward. It's just kinda silly and stupid and easy to just brush off and forget about. Anytime you would hear about it or be reminded about it somehow, that's just one rare off chance to have a smug little chuckle to yourself before going on with your life again.

[@partlyironic]

if kids were up watching TV past 9pm that's on the parents. they could have easily jammed the broadcast at kid tv watching time and they didn't

[@rosemadder5547]

Especially given how rare it is for humans to keep quiet

[@rosemadder5547]

@@Lunch_Meat and how many views are on this video? Dozens of channels have covered this probably a hundred times all together. Definitely not what brushed off or forgotten about means. Omg oops, I'm turning into Lemony Snickett lol

[@Lunch_Meat]

@@rosemadder5547 that argument doesn't make much sense because no matter how many views a KZbin video gets, it's still a KZbin video. It's not a case that circulates in the mainstream media. You aren't seeing an anniversary update about it on CNN. Considering the people involved are probably in their 40s or older now, how much are you really going to care about a KZbin investigation? Hell, I'd be laughing to myself about how many dumb kids are still fascinated by some dumb prank I pulled when I was a dumb kid. I'd have my little private laugh and then I'd go take care of my own kids, or go back to work, or do any of the other adult things that are way more important on the day to day basis

[@taprobanna]

Considering the Professor is canonically a time traveler, there is a very real possibility that he WAS the real Max Headroom, or at least involved in the scheme. Perhaps Holo-Professor hijacking today's episode was a confession?

[@Jose-wd6kn]

hey lol

[@ruaoneill9050]

they're gonna have to retape the end of this episode because the mystery is officially SOLVED!

[@justmonika1229]

puppet history lore in mystery files???? gasp!

[@TypicalBricks174]

The hijacking did happen during an episode of Doctor who so maybe it was him just poking fun at another time traveler

[@Scp716creativecommons]

Professor bulwar smythe would be the best cameo ever

[@HoursHand]

I was visiting my parents when this video released. My mother happened to see my screen when I was checking my subscriptions: "But I thought they never unmasked him!" So at least one person has, at some moment in time, thought Shane Madej was the face of the Max Headroom hijacker.

[@lefthandderivative]

weirdly not very surprised by that lmao

[@DanGamingFan2406]

I remember my dad telling me all about this guy. Crazy how someone was able to hack a whole TV station like that. I can't think of a better way to end the first season, and I can't wait for the next one.

[@watershipup7101]

Agreed

[@bunnyfrosting1744]

Gave this 666 likes. Spooky

[@toddaulner5393]

I actually saw it while living in South Dakota.

[@toddaulner5393]

Two of them in fact!

[@swamicutugno956]

​@@watershipup7101😊😊😊😊😊😅😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😅😊😊😊😊33|😊😊😊😅😊😊

[@CattyKittenQueen]

everything about this was a masterpiece. The topic? The jokes? The Professor interruption? 100/10 in my book.

[@acinnamonroll2538]

The Max Headroom incident scares me more than a lot of other mysteries like this. There’s just something so terrifying about the blank expression of the mask staring at you

[@KittyPieVibes]

I think ultimately it’s a harmless prank and even a bit funny but yeah, I can’t imagine being up at night watching tv, maybe dozing off a bit and then seeing the uncanny mask and hearing that distorted laughter. It’s just a bit of a shock

[@burtknighten4438]

I was young and thinking what a weird commercial

[@dromie5059]

I'm irrationally scared of Max Headroom

[@TheBlakus420]

It's very unsettling

[@StrawbsIsAway]

the sound definitely doesn't help. it's so creepy and sounds exactly like the sinister middle between hysterical laughter and sobbing.

[@dark2023-1lovesoni]

As far as the Reddit guy. I think it takes a lot of maturity and strength to admit you were wrong. Especially publicly, to a large group, and in a situation where you cannot be fact checked or proven wrong. I respect that guy a lot now.

[@GravitoRaize]

IMHO, I think the Reddit guy got tracked down by authorities, told them he really didn't know J & K could do this for sure and he updated the post to reflect that but was initially telling the truth. I also think J was Chamelion.

[@karolinawww6834]

Provided that he wasn't fibbing from the start

[@QuietBeast]

gay show, GAY as in sh-t but also Ryan's gay

[@lovablesnowman]

It's still hilarious for him to be so completely confident and yet completely wrong

[@hederahelix1383]

@@QuietBeast Until you are old enough to swear without censoring it and not getting grounded for 2 months then lets talk

[@ytknits4892]

This feels like an epic, romantic tale. A mysterious masked man, a victimless crime, actual piracy, things getting a little bit racy…

[@sanasaleem1]

Lmao I love this, thanks for the giggle!

[@croaklikeatoad4384]

Blustery officials who fail to catch the culprit/hero

[@sunburnspiastri]

your description is giving the princess bride

[@QuietBeast]

GAY and failure of a show

[@Julia-tk2em]

@@sunburnspiastriFencing, fighting, torture and revenge!

[@LondonBerry3602]

It’s actually getting ridiculous that a popcorn company hasn’t sponsored these two yet.

[@ilikeitimnotgonnacrack9307]

well...

[@rg9453]

You are correct, Shane. The 80's WERE weird! I was 10 the year this happened, and I can clearly remember my mother forbidding me from ever watching a rerun of Max Headroom again after totally misunderstanding the story. Brother had a Max Headroom mask from Halloween, and she "got that evil thing OUT of the house!" Now that I think about it, my childhood was weirder than the 80's...

[@Alicia96]

RIP

[@shannond7437]

And playing D&D was worshipping the devil 😹

[@jeoseannegwynethpedroza7596]

ty

[@glasscardproductions4736]

​@@shannond7437 As was listening to any music slightly more provocative than Elvis Presley. Or playing Pokémon. Or having political views any further left than George W. Bush. Or anything if you could stretch it enough.

[@nivision]

@@glasscardproductions4736 Pokemon was mid-late 90s. George W Bush didn't even run for an office till the mid 90s and wasn't President till the 00s (though you might be thinking of his dad). are we Xennials just a joke to you? lol

[@TheNickMalave]

I was seriously hoping Shane would say, “imagine a jar a peanut butter…” again 😂

[@QuietBeast]

gaay show

[@parasitophobia]

I think about this constantly , it would’ve been so funny if that was done again

[@Fa1ry]

wait whats the og episode for this it sounds hilarious.

[@HE4RTSLABYUL]

​@@Fa1ryit's from the tunguska explosion episode

[@citonita2207]

It's impossible for me to see this as anything other than two bored, mischievous (but innocuous) teenagers messing around. The level of skill matched with goofy, aimless improv and mooning... Pure teenager to me. Love that there's a girl in on it lol. I also like to think everyone involved never spoke a word of it again but honestly Ryan is right, it'd take an insane amount of self-control (and confidence) to let it stay a secret forever. To prank and then not let the need for outside validation ruin the mystery.

[@patrickreyl3903]

To me that Internet is not importat

[@lithium444]

Shane should randomly dress up as Max Headroom for one their investigations and I wonder if Ryan would even notice

[@ginafarley6190]

Great idea

[@emmanone621]

I can get behind this

[@lemon1797]

My immediate thought is that someone working at the station just stumbled across the method of how to hijack the broadcast, and wanted to know if it was actually possible. They did a short hijack and after finding out it IS possible they try and see how long they can hijack for, hence the second broadcast. They never did any after that because, in my head, they were probably satisfied with the knowledge they could do it. The reason for the content was probably to ensure that they knew it wasn't a technical glitch, and to ensure they can see whats being transmitted. For the longer hijacking, I believe the spanking was to do something they wouldn't want to show on TV but also not so sexually deviant to be scarring to any kids. I honestly don't think it was to bring attention to anything, I just think they wanted to know if they could do it and get away with it.

[@captaintrashcans3163]

That’s honestly highly likely. A lot of hackers and computer geeks in general often mess with things for the sake of just seeing what they could do. Like you said the first test was just to see if their theory about being able to hijack the broadcast was correct. The next step a lot of these people would do is to see how far they could go. That’s why this time they managed to get audio going and remained on air for over a minute. They clearly had no desired message and was just there for some fun which again aligns with a lot of people in those groups. While some might have kept doing it, this person was also probably aware they would get caught, especially being an inside job. I do wonder though about who exactly among the staff could have done it. I almost wanna say someone lower down on the ladder as they had more room to mess around, we’re either gaining confidence in their abilities or had been for some time and leader positions likely feared losing their job

[@carolinemcgovern4488]

I think this is the most likely explanation to be honest. It would also explain why no one got caught as well as if it was just someone messing around and just testing themseveles then I'm sure their bosses would have sympathy for them.

[@whatabouttheearth]

What does Nestor Makhno know about hacking the system? (;

[@jas17p]

This seems very likely. I don't think there's any real message someone just wanted to see if they could get away with it. Maybe the spanking was to see how quickly someone else would (or could) put a stop to the hijacking with the stakes being the channel in a lot of trouble.

[@QuietBeast]

Ryan and this show are both gay

[@etanaedelman9011]

I love how the second hijacking cuts out just in time to hear Tom Baker say "as far as I can tell a massive electric shock, he died instantly".

[@DrNotnert]

It's funny to think that if this happened nowadays, I don't think anybody would be phased by it. People would just think it was an ad and carry on

[@DJ-iu5bb]

They probably think oh that's Eminem 😂

[@RiderLover2426]

@@DJ-iu5bbyou’re right lmao

[@auggie532]

airwaves still get hijacked a lot, just not cable TV so much I guess. my fave airway hijacking was playing Bad Apple from Touhou over Russian military airwaves in January 2022, lol.

[@antidave]

​@@auggie532lol that song is a bop

[@MrTeaTwoSugars]

I still think it's creepy af

[@freya2294]

everyone involved in this show should be so proud. it's absolutely incredible. HERE'S TO MANY MORE SEASONS!!

[@veronicado1016]

YESSS!!! MORE SEASONS PLEASE!!!❤

[@atriskeel5427]

💯💯

[@frankmarano1118]

It's an addictive show, I know some of their other shows get more views at least for now but this is my favorite series by them so far. Some UFO stories could be an interesting thing to explore. Maybe whether they think the person was lying or telling the truth, though it may not fit into thus exact whodunit format

[@louisoliver4905]

My theory for this case has always been that this was a college friend group's doing. As an art student who knows his crowd well, this seems like something a couple of art school students would do. They could've easily asked some programmer friends to be in on it, filmed this in a storage locker or something, took the recordings to some other building, and hijacked local news for a while. This doesn't solve who exactly is behind it but it makes sense in my head.

[@TheAmerz1]

Same! It takes an art student to know one! I went to AIP, had a film and broadcasting department and a lot of smart kids, reminds me of them, or my brothers friends at CCAD

[@mirandagoldstine8548]

My personal theory is that it was a group of people who used to work at the stations in question. I think they got fired for reasons they felt were unjust and wanted to make a point of how they felt about their former employers.

[@soupster857]

my thoughts exactly! at my uni the film, theatre and broadcasting/techie departments are close together so we get loads of weird stuff like this. my friend group is 5 close-knit techies and artists who would be insane enough to do this

[@Mrsqtfactory]

Ryan's hair has reached 1920's flapper potential and I think we'd all be missing out if he didn't attempt finger waves

[@demonwriterx9412]

Seeing the professor hijack the episode was so funny! 😂

[@Luno870]

I hope this is a hint that he's coming back soon!

[@ghostsoffishandcrows7341]

THE LORE DEEPENS

[@sunsun5005]

or what if the evil hologram finally succeeded in making a skin suit out of Ryan!!

[@Kaiokenshiro]

puppet history return ? 😮😮

[@lumae8216]

@@KaiokenshiroIt’s been announced that it’s coming back!

[@AshleyIsArtsy]

I love that Ryan always looks like a movie version of a homeless man and Shane is always serving just the dorkiest looks imaginable but still pulling it off like a socially awkward scientist in a disaster movie. Great season guys!!! Very excited to see what you teach each other about next time!

[@laurenreynolds9755]

'A movie version of a homeless man' is absolutely the best way to describe Ryan's haircut omg 😂

[@butnip]

There's like nothing scary or aggressive really about this hijacking but that mask always unnerved me

[@alycran]

Same

[@Redroco10]

To Ryan and Shane, what figure or character do you think would be the funniest to put on everyone’s TV to interrupt their shows?

[@justmonika1229]

a young Leo dicaprio going into way too much detail about how he TOTALLY COULD HAVE FIT ON THAT DOOR

[@Benspooky]

Put Ryan and Shane on every channel, saying we are not alone. Look out your windows as there are all ways someone around everyone one will be looking in the sky 😂😂😂😂

[@Dank69410]

Pepe

[@michelleneal6860]

The troll face meme

[@sleepingninjaquiettime]

Ren and stimpy or Squidward. Evil Squidward though.

[@samuelsmith5400]

I love that Ryan immediately changes notes on the playboy TV hack after realizing it was probably a troll.

[@M0riW0lf]

For the debrief: If you guys could interrupt any tv programming and commit any shenanigan, what program would you like to interrupt and what would you do?

[@lilys1697]

ANSWER THIS PLSSSSSSS

[@MirandaParedes]

NEED THIS ANSWER!!! (i was going to ask the same thing)

[@themarlboromandalorian]

Sportsball. Any big play. People get too worked up over sports. Those rich fuckers don't pay taxes and nobody bats an eye. But yeah.

[@rossrogue9980]

I like how spanking is listed as a disturbance LMAO

[@Tanya49655]

Those are honestly my favorite part of the episodes they’re hilarious every time

[@redbannerradio]

I've been a radio technician and radio station operator for years now. I can say that it was stunningly simple to pull this off. I can guarantee this is how it happened. Back in 1987, television was still broadcasting in analog, meaning there was no encryption available to protect a signal. Each television channel corresponds to a certain amount of radio frequency spectrum that it broadcasts on. The sound and picture portions broadcast on separate frequencies. Each TV station follows the same transmission flow. First, the studio sends out a signal to the transmitter site, using what is known as an STL signal (studio-to-transmitter link) which is always broadcast at a much lower power. That is then relayed by the main TV transmitter at vastly higher power, which is what you see on a TV receiver. Literally ALL they needed to do was figure out what STL frequencies WGN and WTTW used, and buy (or borrow, or steal) what is known as an STL transmitter (also known as an exciter, sometimes) and boom, now the main TV transmitter is broadcasting that picture rather than the one being sent out by the studio. They didn't even need to have a more powerful STL transmitter, they just needed to be closer than the studio STL was and point the transmitters' antenna directly at the TV's antenna tower (which admittedly would be difficult from miles away, which makes me believe they were pretty damn close to the tower at the time of the hijacking). The reason the first hijacking lacked audio could be due to a few reasons. One: they simply had an issue sending audio into the STL transmitter. Two: they recorded the first clip without audio. Or three: they couldn't hijack the audio STL frequency properly. With all that being said, it takes a really well-read radio/TV hobbyist to know this sort of stuff. STL frequencies, however, weren't usually kept private, as many TV stations used to sign off the air at night, and were required by law to state their visual and aural frequencies AND their STL frequencies. So it is entirely possible than an intrepid (if not a bit unhinged) nerd with access to high-end and highly specific transmission gear and video gear could have learned the frequencies to hijack and there ya go. Truly the biggest obstacle he would have faced was probably affording the cameras and transmitters, and the VHS gear which back then still cost quite a bit of money. So, if you ask me who's the most likely culprit - it probably was a group of very intelligent 20-somethings with a penchant for technology who just did it for a laugh. I highly doubt an employee did this because A) there was no real sense of "I got a bone to pick with you" from anything that the Max Headroom-cosplayer said or showed, and B) they would have to know they'd be the first suspects in this case and would hardly get away with it. The only reason these people got away with it is likely BECAUSE they weren't insiders and had no connection to each television station. Captain Midnight and the Playboy Channel hijackers were both employees, they both had grudges/bones to pick with who they were hijacking, and they both got caught. Very different vibes all around from those hijackings compared to this one. Capt. Midnight was peeved about the subscription price; the Playboy hijacker hated the nudity. Max Headroom? Idk, seems to me like he just wanted airtime.

[@hekates-ladder]

ryan’s reaction to the spanking gave me so much life just now lmao

[@QuietBeast]

ryan is gay

[@TheMakeupChair]

This level of weirdness is on my list of favourite human weirdness things! Hey Shane and Ryan (also anyone else!) what’s on your favourite ‘weird things humans have done’ list??

[@ThisUserNameWasNotTaken]

Enumclaws famous death

[@TheMakeupChair]

Pirate radio, is on my list too, the attitude to - just do it anyway - makes life more interesting, especially the Irish Pirate radio stations like Sunshine Radio and Radio Nova!

[@jacquelynshiflett456]

That whole going down Niagara Falls in a barrel

[@s_napps]

How we personify things that aren’t alive/real/conscious. Like roombas

[@christopherdouglas2154]

Probably Replies and Posting Obviously Idiotic Comments 😮😅

[@orion7699]

Watching this while in a hospital ward right now, thank you Shane and Ryan as well as the rest of the Watcher team for making this stay easier

[@oonooooooooo]

your pfp makes me *very* concerned about what you’re doing in the hospital

[@NANA0389]

Hope you get well soon random commenter! ❤️

[@tommywiseau3976]

For the debrief: you guys should have guest hosts every once in a while, where they present a solved mystery to ryan and shane who then guess the actual answer and see which ones right. Like a true crime jeopardy

[@mihaelartemus]

Reverse muppet history

[@moiradavis8364]

I love this idea with my whole heart and sincerely hope they do it

[@midoriya-shonen]

The second they started talking about Watcher getting hacked I was desperately hoping for a Professor/HoloProfessor cameo. And I got it!!!! God I'm so happy. You guys have the best sense of humor

[@nomibomi5760]

I like the theory that Max Headroom lived in the computer at the news broadcasting station, i think we should go with that one.

[@paperxpens5508]

Ryan reacting to the second Max Headroom video like a baby sensory video is KILLING ME! Keep up the good work boys love yah

[@ItoHiyori]

The restraint to not use the term unsolved and the lack of restraint of Shane has with talking about Chicago are both why I love this show. Also mysteries where everyone is safe after like the phoenix lights or this are my newest favs.

[@Moundhousedude]

Mysterious hijackings of mass media are some of my favorite weird things. This, the hijack aspect of the Toynbee Tiles mystery, the weird radio broadcasts in the Pacific Northwest (96.7), and the Southern Television Interruption are all excellent mysteries.

[@RealBradMiller]

I love how the Toynbee Tiles were made and placed.

[@goblin2635]

do you have any recommendations for stuff i could watch/read about these things listed?

[@worlddictionary9954]

there’s a documentary about toynbee tiles called Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles

[@mortarpestle6225]

A new Toynbee tile just appeared in Baltimore!

[@Moundhousedude]

@@mortarpestle6225 No way! That’s so cool.

[@4verNami]

For the theories: could the hacker have been someone who was angry about Max Headroom no longer airing? Perhaps they hoped the publicity stunt would get people talking (especially if they added something "scandalous" i.e the butt slapping) and perhaps get it popular enough again that they'd make more..?

[@insertcolorherehawk3761]

It would be weird, because attacking just (then-unaffiliated) WGN and (PBS) WTTW wouldn’t have done a thing I wonder if they had the Superstation yet

[@GKazoo]

I was thinking that too especially after they mentioned it was canceled so soon before

[@slsevans]

That was the theory I remember most folks talking about at the time.

[@InitialPC]

normally associating a scandal with something doesnt really make people want that thing

[@mynmyn3983]

Ryan: "Do you ever try to hack Buzzfeed?" Shane: "Oh, all the time," Ryan: "Yeah me too." lmaoooooo XD

[@Russianbluez]

genuinely one of my all time favorite mysteries, its just that weird odd flavor of no real harm done but also genuine absurdity and the fact that they got away with it. a lot of media would end up inspired by this incident, you can honestly say that this is a true american legend.

[@Bonemarreow]

More devastated that Shane didn’t turn out to be headroom than I was when Shane didn’t turn out to be leather man

[@sapphireto3944]

Praising Captain Midnight then start a subscription screaming service at unfair price

[@vivuviu]

the whole vid aged like milk

[@riversong4997]

Haha exactly!

[@rosskarmen7397]

I'd imagine there were at least 3 people involved. During the whole fly swatter thing, there are obviously 2 people. Also, the camera seems to shift a bit as though to capture it better. This could point to there also being a person behind the camera. Also, Chamelion says "We'll strike again", not "I'll strike again." This could imply either that he wasn't the perpetrator and is referring to them collectively, or that he is part of a group of people that includes the perpetrator Side Note: Eminem's music video for Rap God is based around Max Headroom

[@mathddv]

Thank you for your comment because i knew it reminded me of something but could not tell what... The Eminem video of course 👌

[@RipOffProductionsLLC]

The flyswatter scene looked like the swatter was being swung by a puppet, so it could have been a one man job if he had some practical engineering skills in addition to the electronic ones needed to hijack the station.

[@jessicaneal4701]

As a Doctor Who fan, I would be so mad that someone interrupted an episode like that 😂

[@professionaleejit5927]

At the same time if I was watching that I wouldn't even know if it was just part of the show because that is the kind of thing you expect from doctor who Same way the "interrupt" some of the ads on BBC.

[@helenoscar9748]

Yeah, and that's a kick-ass episode, too. Very creepy.

[@lindseycatlin5972]

Same here!

[@sandrafaith]

Particularly in 1987, when that might have been your only chance to videotape it off of the TV! Who knows when it might come up in rotation again.

[@caitlynstarrparrish]

I think I first learned abt this case thru being a doctor who fan

[@jackroberts2704]

Ive known about this case for years and even though Shane would've been a literal baby, this feels like his confession.

[@theredmenace22]

My new theory is that this hijacking was our chaotic demon lord's first prank of this current incarnation. He keeps trying to top the dancing plague but alas, that might have been his peak moment of glory.

[@bryarpowell3091]

I gotta know, for the season, what were everyone’s favorite costumes? Shane definitely committed more to them but Ryan seemed to love the bits😂

[@Storm-dm4bx]

Leatherman

[@justmonika1229]

Leatherman is so iconic

[@shrikesvalley4272]

leatherman will always hold a place in my heart

[@IrishAmericana]

Ryan and Shane helped keep me sane during the pandemic. I'm so happy to see them succeeding

[@lemonlemonlemonlemonlemonlemo]

yeah without them we’d be inshane. and cryan alone

[@QuietBeast]

gaaa*goat noise*aay show

[@thatzapherguy4066]

I'm just going to say i was really bummed out when you guys left buzzfeed because it wasn't immediately clear to me that you were leaving to start your own channel. i love how you all hit the ground running with all these great series (too many spirits, Puppet History, Mystery Files, Ghost Files, Ect.) i can't wait to see what the future has in store for Watcher!

[@samduford]

As someone who travels from Bloomington Indiana to the Chicago suburbs, Shane saying it’s only “an hour or 2 away” made me scream. Bloomington IN is like 5 hours away from Schaumburg. Besides that, the show is well researched.

[@beeaggro2593]

Shane just revealed he speeds

[@evypolyak]

Him saying that made me giggle, I was like "no way he has ever been to Bloomington, if he thinks it takes any less than at least 4 hours" LOL

[@mangokraken]

Is it the distance or is it traffic? Back in the day out here is SoCal I could get to LA in an hour, nows its twice that and its only about ~40 miles

[@beeaggro2593]

also tbh people say oh yeah Orlando is 2 hours from Miami all the time (its because they speed). It's also like 4-5

[@lyztho]

honestly i feel like he mixed it up with Bloomington Illinois somehow

[@megaton_a]

I'm just imagining some old man on his death bed whispering to his grandchild "Max.... Headroom.... was.... ME!" and the kid is like "OK Grandpa really lost his shit at the end. Claiming to be some ancient Coke mascot LOL." and going about his life never realizing his grandfather gave him the secret to one of the Midwest's greatest mysteries.

[@emilysheffield9390]

just a fun fact for the debrief since ryan mentioned “50 years in jail.” so jail is anything up to 1 year and beyond that it’s prison. so you can’t actually spend 50 years in jail… this is something that i was surprised to learn when getting my criminology degree and not many people know that’s actually the difference between the two !!

[@writzypoetry239]

To Shane and Ryan, have you played "the test" yet? It's a horror personality test on steam where each ending is custom tailored to the player.

[@lionwilliams5390]

Such a good series

[@d25102]

is this in any way related to the watson scott test

[@snethies]

@@d25102 its basically a copy, but not as good

[@lionwilliams5390]

@@d25102 No it's actually nothing like the watson scott test. You answer questions yes, but it's not designed to scare you, it's designed to read you.

[@manifestedbeauty]

I was HOPING Shane would be the one to present this one. This truly is a story right up his alley 😂

[@velvaetalt]

i can’t believe this guy hacked the news AND became the rap god. true legend.

[@slaughter-water]

Love Shane’s consistent mention of Schaumburg whenever Chicago is mentioned

[@Krejii05]

To shane and ryan. If you could choose 1 mystery out of every one in the world, crime, supernatural, or just life questions like, ANY MYSTERY. What one would you choose to have publicly solved?

[@QuietBeast]

exceptionally gay as bad show

[@save.us_kby7202]

@@QuietBeastlil man gettin tense

[@keeba1378]

Nothing in the last decade has made me feel older than Ryan not realizing that Max Headroom was a character.

[@KittyPieVibes]

Tbh it just depends on who’s reporting it. I had heard this story a couple times before learning about the original show the mask was based on. It seems like it should be obvious of course, but that show might’ve been lost to time without this incident

[@JettR-xq2uw]

To Shane and Ryan- If you were to commit one crime with no consequences, what would it be?

[@jay7568]

Tax evasion

[@Snarl_Marx]

I dunno, arson?

[@ReeN1995]

For me it's easy, Bank robbery. Fuck those bankers and nobody gets hurt really

[@chalinosanchezalv]

Bank robbery, insider trading, fraud, scams 🤷‍♂️

[@reidye]

Probably the most famous incident of hijacking in TV history

[@biirdbraiins]

gotta love that despite shane longer being *ryan’s* friend, ryan is still introduced as “shane’s friend”

[@girlfailure_69]

wait what

[@jessiegowen9020]

Wait, what did I miss

[@gremloid]

huh??????

[@unreghypercam2]

??

[@anthonyr7977]

@@girlfailure_69it’s lore from the Mystery Files Debriefs, things are normal between them IRL

[@MSTiekims9952]

Max always kind of creeped me out - I was too young to really get the humor. I had not heard of this mystery before, and seeing those clips have only intensified the creepiness! My favorite WTF moment during a broadcast was a clip that The Soup (when Joel McHale was hosting) found: it was a talk show and all of a sudden there was a still of spaghetti cat that lasted like 10 seconds before switching back to the show hosts. There was no mention of the cat and it was like it didn’t happen. For those wondering, spaghetti cat was a black cat sitting in a high chair with a plate of spaghetti in front of it. It became a running joke on The Soup. I miss that show.

[@ariellytton9190]

I'm sad this season is ending, but I'm looking forward to another season of Ghost Files. I have yet to see Ryan sh*t himself on camera

[@daisyjoy242]

If Ryan does sh-t on camera one day, I would confused and laugh uncontrollably

[@angelai8324]

This has always been one of the weirdest things to me, and I'm glad to see the Bois cover it!

[@brimaher10]

ryans reaction is the best thing ive ever seen, this has now become my new comfort episode

[@georgehider4378]

THE PROFESSOR IS NOW LORE IN MYSTERY FILES, THIS IS THE CROSSOVER WE NEEDED

[@moonlight_moth]

This has been such a great show. Thank you to everyone who made it happen!

[@ella7693]

Watching this right after the whole Watcher-subscription shitshow is an experience, I'll tell you that

[@holloway_goat]

they did their best to fix it at least

[@angiegibson6598]

I watched this on Patreon early access and it genuinely frightened me. I love this episode and this series so much I can’t believe the season is over 😭

[@dannygalitzer8353]

this is one of my absolute favorite unsolved mysteries, its just so weird, all the theories I've read have been some level of unhinged, and no one was hurt. truly the trifecta of a good mystery imo

[@ef1876]

I love Shane taking the effort to dress up for each episode he presents! He's really bringing the vibes

[@prof_parahelix2390]

The Max Headroom hijackings are one of my favorite weird events, the video is great, and you guys even braved the BBC's copyright litigiousness long enough for me to hear a few seconds of my scarf boy talking in one of my favorite Who episodes. Standing o, Watcher. Standing o.

[@AuntieDeb71]

Max Headroom was so far ahead of its time, and hilarious/weird/somewhat prophetic show about the future of journalism. I absolutely loved it, and wish someone would re-run it.

[@pastelcryptid6665]

Really happy to see the boys handling Weird MysteriesTM again. I also just wanna say how grateful I am that you guys post content warnings, even for mild stuff. It proves that doing so doesn't have to be a big deal or distract from the media - if people want to check it out they know it's there, and they don't get any nasty surprises. And if they don't wanna see it bc of spoilers they don't have to. Everybody wins.

[@sapphinese]

11:36 fun fact! Some transmasc people who get top surgery opt to have their nipples removed in the process. I saw a trans man at pride last weekend who was shirtless and was just a blank slate there. I also once met a trans man whose areolae ended up heart-shaped after his surgery. Pretty cool stuff!

[@Werevampiwolf]

Yep! I'm planning to not have mine put back on for practical reasons. Plus, I have no plans to use them, so why put extra effort into saving them

[@jaymeselijah]

Yep! I’m getting mine removed mostly because the nipple healing process is a real bitch

[@gremloid]

lol i was considering commenting this. Surgery is awesome and its crazy what humans have been able to accomplish medical-wise

[@goblin2635]

i’ve seen some people get them tattooed on! and they look freakishly realistic

[@alexw.7097]

That's my plan, I don't have any need for nipples and the recovery for having them moved and put back on takes extra time and care, which is not worth it for me. 😅

[@idkraving]

Imagine chilling with the homies either at work or at home and just agreeing to hack a broadcast for funnies. Honestly I love that.

[@kathryncullen949]

I can’t tell you how delighted I was to hear Ryan use the term ‘wank’ 😂 Love how British slang is creeping its way stateside!

[@mgy2877]

Although I enjoy the buzzfeed unsolved true crime series this series is cool cause I just feel like they have so much creative potential and ability to do whatever they want. The quality is so cool to. Have a good weekend everyone 😊

[@alycran]

You too!!

[@Iron_Stigmata]

Omg you're covering one of my favourite weird things to ever happen, I've been hyperfixated on this for ages 😭. Very excited for this one!

[@CyLoZero]

their own version 13:13 was much more creepier LMAOO

[@tiredofit4761]

I was a teen during this craziness. How someone could hack into mainstream and yet no one has figured it out…. Insane and legendary

[@username-mf4mu]

Its so crazy right? Thinking about how much shit they could’ve got on national tv 😂 like if they wanted to they could show the whole country a beheading or some crazy shit like that

[@cappadocius9379]

I got to imagine the statute of limitations has expired on this crime. Hopefully someday they will come forward and admit it with proof.

[@maryamfirdousahmed4847]

It expired in 1992 so who knows 🤔

[@philipsalama8083]

I'm guessing that they're a 'respectable' older person, who doesn't want to admit to having clearly gotten high and bared their ass on TV.

[@DoesntMatter-i6h]

"That's one hell of a director's cut!" Thanks for the laugh. I was actually watching Dr. Who when this happened. No one else I knew had seen it and with no Internet back then, no one really believed me. With this Watcher episode, I can finally prove I was sane!

[@JaneDoe-uc7jf]

The Professor has been a naughty puppet. That Ryan-masked bandit single-handedly made my day.

[@MissLucyJane]

I love this case. It’s so weird yet harmless. Also, Ryan, *chef’s kiss* for the curly hair.

[@ariannebrodeur]

I remember hearing about this incident as a child, and being absolutely terrified lmao as an adult I can def laugh and find the hilarious joy in the idea of this harmless crime, I can't help but react the same way Ryan did to the actual video footage, shit is uncomfy for some reason. Even just the silly little Professor as Ryan joke hijack in this episode had me a lil uncomfy LMAOO such a fun mystery tho! I actually have a video on my phone from back in high school when I caught what I believe to be some kind of creepy jacking of my local news, randomly in the middle of a news report at night, there were photos of animal Skeletons, multiple. They were like diagrams? So not just candid photos of real bones, but I remember specifically a very unnerving bat skeleton diagram. And the casters went silent during the photos, about like 2 seconds or so, then it cut back to them and they just went back to talking, not acknowledging them or anything. I don't know what that was about but it still scares me to this day, shit like that is just creepy as hell, so I was excited for this episode bc I do genuinely love how spooky TV jacking is LMAO! Edit: I found the videos they're from 2018 and the headline had been "city selling electricity to San Diegans" and its still such a creepy video. It even has a strange transition from the broadcast to the photos with like a textured wavy pattern-definitely one of the creepiest things I've ever experienced lmao

[@goldenhusky407]

I wish this season was longer. Are y'all going to do longer seasons?? I love theories and mysteries that are explained in a fun way like how y'all did it.

[@idefine777]

For debrief: Ryan, when you wrote the list of topics for Shane to potentially chose from, did you just write CHICAGO next to this one so he would know it was for him?