Bradshaw Ranch — Beyond Skinwalker Ranch: The 2023 History Channel Investigation
Bradshaw Ranch — Beyond Skinwalker Ranch: The 2023 History Channel Investigation
Overview
In December 2022, a television crew from the History Channel descended upon Sedona to film a new series, Beyond Skinwalker Ranch, which premiered on June 6, 2023. The series was an extension of the established Skinwalker Ranch franchise, with the premise of investigating other American locations with significant paranormal and UFO reputations under the guidance of investigators with unusual credentials.
The Production
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Series | Beyond Skinwalker Ranch (History Channel) |
| Premiered | June 6, 2023; 10 PM |
| Episode featuring Bradshaw Ranch | "Alien Cover-Up" (title referenced in some accounts; specific title may vary by episode) |
| Filming dates | December 2022 (approximately two weeks in Sedona) |
| Primary investigators | Andrew Bustamante (former CIA officer); Paul Beban (investigative journalist) |
| Executive producer connection | Brandon Fugal, owner of Skinwalker Ranch, was an executive producer; his involvement in the Beyond Skinwalker franchise connected Bradshaw Ranch explicitly to the Skinwalker Ranch comparison |
| Sedona locations filmed | Bradshaw Ranch; The Hudson; Airport Mesa; Mary Margaret Sather's art studio; Cowboy Club (dining) |
| Interviewees | John Bradshaw (son of Bob Bradshaw; CEO of A Day in the West Jeep Tours); Mason Bradshaw (John's son); Tom Dongo (UFO investigator); various others |
| Permits | The production team acquired all required permits from the city of Sedona and U.S. Forest Service before filming on the ranch |
Andrew Bustamante: Former CIA
The choice of Andrew Bustamante as a lead investigator was the most distinctive element of the Beyond Skinwalker Ranch format applied to Bradshaw Ranch. Bustamante's background as a former CIA case officer gave the investigation an institutional credibility framework that distinguished it from conventional UFO documentary productions. His ability to interpret evidence through an intelligence-analysis lens — assessing whether findings are consistent with government or military activity — was central to the episode's claims.
Key Claims from the Investigation
Dangerous radiation levels: The episode claimed that investigators detected dangerous radiation at specific locations on the property. This was presented as the most physically concrete finding of the investigation and connected to both the paranormal and classified technology explanations.
"Near-peer competition": Bustamante claimed that the investigation encountered active interference from what he characterised as a sophisticated near-peer competitor — suggesting the interference reflected capabilities at the level of the federal government or military. This claim connected the ranch's phenomena to active ongoing classified interest.
Evidence of sophisticated technology: Bustamante stated they "collected some compelling evidence that suggested a level of sophistication that would really only be accessible to the federal government or the U.S. military."
Portal evidence: Co-investigator Paul Carr stated: "I think that we've found some evidence that pushes some of the questions that both Linda Bradshaw and Tom Dongo asked about [the possibility] of merging dimensions."
Local Response
The Sedona Red Rock News covered the production critically, noting specifically the factual errors in online content about the ranch (the eminent domain myth; the wrong acquisition decade) and the NAU scientists' null result. John Bradshaw's response to the program was characteristically ambivalent: "There's a lot of rumors and speculations of stories and I think there's a little bit of truth with each story."
Critical Assessment
The Beyond Skinwalker Ranch production represents the most prominent recent media treatment of Bradshaw Ranch. Its claims — particularly the radiation findings and the near-peer competition interference — are the most specific physical anomaly claims in the ranch's modern documented history. However:
- The claims were made within a television entertainment framework with commercial incentives toward dramatic findings
- No independent scientific peer review of the investigation's findings has been published
- The specific measurements, instruments, and methodologies used are not detailed to a degree that allows independent evaluation
- Bustamante's "near-peer competition" claim could encompass a wide range of phenomena from genuine government interference to private security to equipment interference from non-hostile sources
