Here’s What Travel Channel’s Experts Think About Those Monoliths

In case you missed it, monoliths have been mysteriously appearing (and disappearing) around the world. The first emerged in the Utah desert on Nov. 18 and vanished on Nov. 27. On the same day the Utah monolith disappeared, a new one popped up outside Piatra Neamț, Romania. By the time Dec. 2 came around, the monolith in Romania was gone and a new one was discovered in Atascadero, California.

Since the first monolith’s appearance, some questions have been answered. For example, the Utah monolith didn’t just vanish on its own — two men took credit for removing it. But several questions still remain. Who better to weigh in than some of our very own experts here at Travel Channel?

We reached out to Dave Schrader (The Holzer Files), Ben Hansen (True Paranormal: Fact or Faked, UFO Witness) and Ronny Le Blanc (Expedition Bigfoot, Paranormal Caught on Camera) for their thoughts. Here's what they had to say:

On the origin of the Utah monolith:

Ronny: "My theory and that of many others is that this has something to do with art, no aliens. And trust me — I wish it was aliens more than anyone. These structures are believed to be the creation of sculpture artist John McCracken. As his wishful dying legacy, McCraken had the idea of creating sculptures and leaving them in remote places for people to discover. To top it off, he was a lover of science fiction. So, it seems like a simple enough explanation, right? Well, not so fast. He passed away in 2011. Coupled with the fact that, based on the magic of Google Earth satellite imagery, this solo standing structure in Utah was constructed and or installed between 2015 to 2016, four to five years after John McCraken’s death. So either a gallery or a group of artists are carrying on his legacy or this is something else. I for one think this is linked to McCraken. All signs point to him."

Dave: "In a year that brought strife between people, world-wide pandemics and political unrest, suddenly these unusual monoliths begin appearing around the world and disappearing just as mysteriously. What many people didn't pay attention to was the bizarre public announcements about UFO disclosure that has slowly been taking place. It started in 2017 and has continued throughout 2020 by of all sources, our own government.I do not believe these monoliths were put up by aliens, but I think that it is inspiring us to think beyond our current circumstances and be awakened to the mysteries that surround us every day."

Ben: "We're learning that the Utah monolith was placed at least four years ago, and it was found in a very remote location. This implies the designer didn't want it easily found and immediate recognition was not a prime motive. Did it have a secret purpose? Maybe... but it's more likely that they simply wanted it to remain undisturbed or they knew that one day someone would discover it and the remoteness of the spot would only add to the mystery."

On the monoliths that followed:

Ronny: "With the international attention on this towering mirrored triangle, people may want to get into the game. Is it a game? Is this for a movie? Or is it just the nature of how things go viral in this world of social when we can’t be social? During this historic year where the pandemic has shuttered businesses and travel, instilled fear and anxiety throughout the world, this teleporting piece of art has grabbed the world’s attention and when we can’t get into the museums or art galleries, we can get into nature and into the woods. Someone is bringing the art to us, bringing us into nature and into remote places that are meant to be explored and experienced."

Dave: "This may be nothing more than copy cat stunts following a one off art installation, but the positive side to this: it has us all talking about something new, something less fraught with fear and misery, but with wonder and excitement. Could this be random acts of weirdness by unrelated people or could it be a well orchestrated move to get us out of our own heads and back in a state of wonder and coming together to discuss possibilities? I think we are all heading to a new paradigm and consciousness and maybe, just maybe this is a gentle push to get that ball rolling."

Ben: "Ever since filming our TV series True Paranormal: Fact or Faked, I've been fascinated as to why people hoax things. I developed a hoaxer profiling model that examines the motives and patterns of hoaxers. While I think the Utah monolith wasn't devised as a hoax per se, the Romanian and Californian monoliths fit the profile of being created by those I call, "self-amused pranksters". It's clear that they suddenly appeared within the past week and we can assume they were inspired by the news of the Utah structure due to the global news coverage. The motive of this kind of hoaxer is often boredom and a desire for a secret satisfaction to see their work gain notoriety. We saw similar hoaxes during a series of videos where people purportedly filmed a UFO over the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem or when supposedly noises of the groaning earth and trumpets were recorded around the globe. The only difference in this case is that we really have tangible objects that exist. However, I wouldn't put money on it that they're extraterrestrial."

Final thoughts:

Ronny: "Whether this is a marketing stunt … or some Space-X/Tesla/NASA partnership, this is the escape we need as we close out the end of this tumultuous year and head into a new adventure that is 2021. Everyone loves a good mystery and 'hindsight being 2020,' might have a whole new meaning. Cheers to 2021!"

Dave: "The one thing I know for sure: we need Scott Wolter from America Unearthed to look into this because if anyone can get to the bottom of this, it is Scott."

Ben: "If the next monolith appears and it has the ability to communicate with aliens... please call me ASAP."

You can catch Dave in new episodes of The Holzer Files Thursdays at 10|9c. Don't miss Ben Wednesday nights at 10|9c for episodes of True Paranormal: Fact or Faked and stay tuned for more info on his new series UFO Witness coming soon to discovery+. Season 2 of Expedition Bigfoot with Ronny and the rest of the #TRVLBigfoot team premieres Sunday, Jan. 3 at 9|8c!