I didn't even know I was a fan of the strange, dark ,and mysterious delivered in story format till I found Mr ballen

Number one thing I've learned on this channel. Cave diving is bad.

My worst fear now is going on vacation and ending up in one of Mr. Ballen's videos 😫

I have one rule for cave diving, just one rule that has always served me very well and saved my life, a rule I have never and will never break - do not go cave diving. Very effective. I can think of no more pointless, dangerous ways to horrifically die than being trapped underwater.

What I'll never.. And I mean never understand.. Is how people go caving or mining ALONE. Especially when there's warning signs all over lmao.

I LOVE how this guys converts measurements from miles to kilometers and such. It is so helpful and makes me feel appreciated as a viewer lol

His mistake with "M" cave was: once he rediscovered its location, he should have left and marked the location of the cave and then come back with dozens of people.

I've heard the 'M' cave story multiple times from multiple different creators but nobody ever mentioned the guy warning Kenny he would die. It just makes the story that much creepier.

"...probably ended his life. That's why you should never go looking for-" *ad plays* "THE HONDA ACORD-"

I have a story about aight good friend of mine that died when he went hiking on the Appalachian trail near Bear Mountain located in New York. My friend Chris was a risk taker. He loved skydiving, bungee jumping, rock climbing, discovering new caves which were known to be very dangerous (even for experience cave explorers). But the mountain that he decided to hike this day was a fairly easy hike, and it was a mountain that he had hiked numerous times and it was one of his favorite places to go. He hiked up this mountain called Anthony's Nose (located just on the other side of Bear Mountain overlooking the Hudson River). He started off around 5:30am just getting off a 12hr. overnight shift from work. He reached the top which only took a little over an hour. So once he reached the top he decided to rest on top of this huge bolder. There's no gate or anything that would stop u from falling off the cliff of this bolder which is about 225ft straight drop to the bottom. He never showed up for work that night and this was highly unusual because he never called out and was always there on time. His boss called his cell phone but it was going straight to voicemail because it wasn't charged the entire day. One of his coworkers was very good friends with him and his family so he called his brother and asked him if he knew were Chris was because he didn't show up for work, didn't call, his phone is off and no one has heard from him or has been able to get in touch with him. His brother knew that he was going hiking and asked some of his friends including myself if he had gone with him. But everyone told him that he was going straight from work by himself. His brother drove to the mountain and found his car parked on the side of the road just before the trail started. It was already dark outside and nobody was thrilled about hiking in the woods at night because the area was known for bears. Wolves and snakes. His brother called the police and in the morning they started the search for Chris. Once they reached the top the found his backpack and jacket, but no Chris. So after a few minutes of looking around the area, one of the officers looked over the edge of the cliff and at the bottom they saw his body. Apparently he had fallen asleep while resting and rolled over the edge. He died from blunt trauma to his head cracking his skull on a rock either on the way down or once hitting the ground. He also suffered from two broken legs, and a broken neck. He died almost instantly. He was only 26yrs old, married with a 3 year old daughter and a child on the way. He was a great guy who everyone enjoyed being around. He will be missed. Thank you for reading my story! Love ur channel Mr. B!

Important to note about Kenny: his girlfriend has since said that she actually believes Kenny may have disappeared on purpose. Apparently he had a history of depression and was struggling mentally at the time he went missing, and as an explorer it would be easy for him to disappear himself in a way that he wouldn't be recovered. She noted that he had not brought his camera with him that he used to record, so his intention this time wasn't to find M-cave. That is definitely the saddest possible ending, but it comes from the person closest to him, and based on her explanation I think that is what happened.

Anyone else just feel so soothed by mr ballens voice that it doesn’t matter how insane the stories are I could just sit happy and take a nap 😂

hell of a man, " when I was on the seal team" then admits he had fears or fearful thoughts just like anyone else. Is modest and has humility, two traits that are VERY hard to find anymore. Thank you for your service MrBallen.

Getting LOST in a catacomb under Paris and having your light source eventually run out sounds like a literal worst nightmare lol doesn’t get much worse than that!

I've always assumed Kenny disappeared because that M cave was actually some sort of an exhaust or vent for area 51. He likely got exposed to some really toxic stuff or saw something he shouldn't have if his phone was just found near a different mineshaft...

My dad works in the Mojave desert and he has all his life. The amount of simply disturbing and unexplainable happenings in that span of land is so awful that many of the field excursions they do are incredibly thought out and cautioned. I mean he’s watched people die from falling into dams and getting ripped apart by the water pressure. It’s a scary place during the day, and even worse at night.

Who would’ve thought that somewhere called The Gate to Hell would be dangerous?

His videos are so interesting that you can’t skip any part because you will miss something and the story will feel incomplete

I work night shifts at the hospital (security officer) and listening to these videos make my nights so nice and peaceful. the more sinister videos make me question if I'm truly alone in this 108yr old facility👻 (certain areas have an eerie feeling upon entering the room. the abandoned Operating Room is in the basement with the 1950's green tiles still present. one of my coworkers swears on his life he saw the face a woman through a window down there and he's never ran up stairs faster than he did that night) listening to your stories enhances those feelings and truly makes me wonder what I can't see next to me while I'm working 12hr shifts in a super old/quiet hospital!!

I toured the public part of the Paris catacombs. Large parts of it were actually beautiful, though certainly macabre. But what have me chills was noticing the lines of soot on the ceilings from the torches of long dead laborers lighting their way to work on this project. Then the line of soot dead ends into a wall. Being surrounded by thousands of human remains didn't bother me, but mystery of what lady beyond that wall, and the potent metaphor of that line to safety out of this maze of death being so thoroughly cut, gave me shivers

This has the most nonchalant "Back when I was a Navy Seal" flex of all time.

Why is it so comforting to just hear someone sit and tell a strange, dark or mysterious story. I do this every single night in bed. Please never quit doing this

Can we just take a moment to appreciate mrballen for taking time to stop inside of the dangerous cave and strip his scuba gear and tell us story's

The only channel with videos I “like” before I even watch because I know I won’t be disappointed. This is crack lol, absolutely addictive. Great job MrBallen. The best channel on KZfaq.

Things I'll never do: go anywhere Mr. Ballen says I can't go.

Fun fact: you’re not scared of being alone in the dark, you’re scared of not being alone

Sometimes i watch Mr Ballen videos and root for the person - and then I remember that I’m a huge fan of the strange dark and mysterious delivered in story format and I’m watching a Mr Ballen video

That "M Cave" thing almost sounds like it could've been the inspiration for one of the episodes of X-Files, the one where a high school student finds this beam of light in some cave that made him jerk around like he was having a seizure at warp speed or something, and he ended up with the ability to move faster than the eye can see.

I can't imagine going past a sign that said GO NO FURTHER OR YOU WILL DIE!....and where 300 ppl had died. I have a reeeaaalllyyy hard time feeling bad for ppl that reckless😬🤷‍♀️

It's crazy how much I have learnt about myself after I started watching this channel. I found I have- cave+ cliff+ river/ sea/ ocean+ desert+ mountain+ so many more phobias, that it's incredible. Before, I thought I was very brave because I could go outta my room to the backyard at 2 in the night all alone, with all lights on.

I am an avid diver and have been diving at Vortex Springs many times. Glad you covered his story here. I followed his story for a very long time. The details surrounding it and the people involved are extremely intriguing. You should check it out if you haven’t already. I’d love to hear a full story from your perspective.

Let's all just give Mr. Ballen a billion views and likes. This guy is awesome.

When you described your swimming beneath the barges, I immediately thought of my late Green Beret Father. In Operation Just Cause 1989, my Father volunteered as an Individual Military Augmentee with the 1st Special Forces Group-Delta to be a combat diver. His mission was to take and hold the locks of the Panama Canal. He told me exactly what you said about swimming under barges. He was swimming beneath the hulls of massive ships in complete darkness, while on his back with little space to maneuver. His tanks literally rubbed against the floor of the Canal. He was very proud of his specified task. His story was enough to make me feel claustrophobic and I was just sitting there listening. Ha! Dad proudly served in the US Army Special Forces for 29 1/2 years on two teams A-234 An Lac (5th SFG Vietnam) 1967-1969 and A-122 (12th SFG) 1972-1995. He died in 2014 after a 19 1/2 year battle with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, bone marrow leukemia and multiple myeloma due to Agent Orange. Miss him every day.

"He sees with his camera a massive pile of bones but doesn't appear to be alarmed..." already I'm like "he's in the Paris Catacombs."

My wife and I have both been diving in Vortex Springs and Morrison Springs in Florida which both have spring caves. (Geographically close together if its the same one). The water that flows thru from the caves is cold and very uninviting even in the summer ~65°F. I can’t understand how anyone can get certified as a diver and not know how dangerous cave diving is. We had been repeatedly warned by our instructors and the sign at the entrance was enough for me to know not to go far. I went past the sign but never lost sight of the cave opening. I got additional training: advanced, Nitrox, and such but was never even interested in getting the cave diving training. It just doesn’t sound fun to me.

I first heard of the catacombs in high school when I was taking french. My school was trying to organize a trip to France to see the catacombs,but ultimately it fell through and I was so sad. Going to France had always been a dream of mine and I thought I was close and it didn't happen. One day I'll see France and the catacombs.

The feeling that he got outside the m-cave sounds to me like infra-sound. Deep bass-notes, at frequezies too low to hear for the human ear. But does affect the body, psyche and even vision. This can occour naturally if wind passes through in a cave that is shaped in such a way that it acts as a low frequenzy flute.

When he said “skeletal remains” I immediately knew it was the Catacombs of Paris

Several years ago I found some old radio shows on the internet. They were Great! Then I discovered creepy patas, which had some good stories to tell. Thank You Mr.Ballen for your fine storytelling. I wish more people would get into telling stories without visual input(or very little of it). Yours are enjoyable true stories and there is plenty of room to tell fictional stories the same way. I think the public would love good stories, well told. Radio storytelling was a huge success so I think internet storytelling can become a huge success. Keep the stories coming MrBallen.

Out of all the coverage ive seen of Kenny and the M cave, you are the first person to rationally explain the 'vibration" with the access denial system. I think that could be possible, and thag Kenny stumbled on some military instillation he shouldn't have

Kenny the M cave guy,in theory didn't get lost because of his vast desert experience.He found something he shouldn't have.

This guy is so cool. Nowadays we have so many people doing the 'Stolen Valor' thing and saying they were Navy SEALS. But this guy actually was and he never mentions it. Badass

We went walking in the woods last week, I said to my husband, let’s not go too far, I’d rather not be in one of MrBallens’ videos! Xx❤xX

I miss the days when you uploaded 3, 4 or 5 times a week. Now we get the 1. I knew it would come to it but i dreaded it. You started off saying 3, 4 or 5, then you said 2 to 3 times a week. Then went to 1 post a week. But i really do understand how much depth you put into your stories and i understand your family has grown and you were fixing your house, im so glad i found you a few years ago. Best youtuber on this whole app. Thank you for what you do!!! I really mean it

Everybody gangsta untill the strange dark and mysterious is delivered in story format

The catacombs in Paris are so weird. You walk through narrow hallways where the walls are stacked bones. The bones are often separated by type so they stack neatly. But there will be designs in these walls by mixing other bones - like skulls for instance - in patterns. It’s a very weird for of Art work. As you’re walking through it hits you that this is what all of us become. I would look at a skull and think, this was a person. A person with fears and loves and dreams. The real creepy thing is walking in these hallways made of bones and feeling water drip on you. 😖

The M Cave situation is probably one of the most confusing and terrifying stories I've heard about.

Whenever I'm tempted to make a risky decision, a voice in my head says, "And this is how you'll end up in Mr Ballen's stories."

My blackness would 100 percent keep me out of any of these scenarios lol

Who is this guy and how did I get this recommendation? Former Navy seal, interesting stories? Okay, I'll subscribe

As I rewatch this for the millionth time IMO back then he had such excitement and passion towards these stories the way he tells them. Now that he’s down to 1 video a week it just doesn’t seem like he has that same passion anymore. I’m not saying he doesn’t love what he does and he isn’t amazing at it. He’s the reason I get premium. I just wouldn’t want someone doing something they weren’t passionate about for the sake of other people. He’s still the best. There’s just something about him that’s captivating I wish there were more videos. I miss he uploads 3,4 sometimes up to 5 times per week

If I'm even asked if I want to go do something outside of work, grocery shopping and visiting my mother at the nursing home, my answer is always "Are you insane? Don't you watch Mr. Ballen?"

what i love about mrballen is that he never clickbaits, the videos outdo the thumbnail tbh

"How much air did Ben have?" "Three hours worth" "Okay, if he isn't back in two days we'll send divers in to look for him"

Vortex spring cave is a situation for a small UUV, an unmanned underwater vehicle, to scout out and finish mapping. Exploring via drone is vicarious in a way, but at least if it dies you're still around to try again later. Caves are bizarrely terrifying, both terrestrial and not, and I know for a fact it's this completely insane paranoia that it's going to collapse while I'm in there, despite existing for eons in some cases.

There was this one guy, you could search him in here, that's allegedly found the M cave(not 100% sure but the outline almost looks the same) and found some broken glass bottles and cans, but the most important was(he didn't mention this outright during the video) there looked like an artificial wall that blocked the entrance and there was wind blowing out from a small hole he made.

Mr Ballen could tell a story about a grilled cheese sandwich and it would be scary!

If you go to the original M cave video, his girlfriend made a lengthy post explaining that it’s most likely he killed himself. He was severely depressed, running out of money and had spoken with her about suicide before and had said “if i ever did it, nobody will find me” and that he likely left his phone behind to avoid being traced and his body discovered

I love how you can relate to most of these stories and also share with us your military experience. Your voice is at one tone. I literally fall asleep listening to you, not cuz your boring, but it's soothing. Thank you for you content

Just let’s make a bonfire in the woods and listen John telling stories

Years ago when I was in my teens, we regularly surfed during hurricanes. Before, during and after didn't matter to us as long as the waves were good. It was a big day 14+ft. I took a set wave and ate it right at the bottom. Commence the wash cycle. After being thrown around like a rag doll I found myself at the sea floor. Felt like 30 ft or so from the surface, so much pressure. Not just from the depth but from the wave above as well. I remember standing and pulling my leash to get my board so I can use the buoyancy to surface. I started to run out of air, now that is a horrible feeling. Just when I'm thinking yup I'm about to die, the pressure from the waves pass and I start to float up. As I'm getting to the surface my body can't handle it anymore and I take a nice breath of sea water. It feels like the thickest, heaviest air ever and hurts/burns like nothing else. I surface a split second later and begin to cough up and throw up at the same time. I then floated to shore and laid on the beach for a while. Being down there in the pitch black cold and feeling like you're about to drown with no way to try to get out is the most fear I have ever felt.

for that last story...why open the gate for someone who doesn't have a key... what if someone locked the gate after you.....

I'd rather not go to ANY of these places! I much prefer to round house kick these like buttons to your stories to the other side of the universe from the comfort of my sofa, thanks! 😆 💜

Remember all of these people were highly motivated people. Stay lazy everyone 👌

My partner was invited to an underground rave in the Paris Catacombs in the early 2000's. It was deep in one of the forbidden sections and they were lead there in a group by someone who already knew the way. He said it was one of the weirdest parties he'd ever been to - a lot of gothics were there, lots of satanic graffiti and to top it all off there was a dead goat with it's throat slit. He and his group of friends obviously wanted to leave immediately but had to wait for their "guide" or risk getting lost in the labyrinth of bones. This was during a period where he lived 'van life' before it was cool and road-tripped France for a couple of years. Now he is one of the most street smart people I know and can sniff a dodgy character a mile away, thank God!

These stories are crazy.. R.I.P. to all of those souls who've lost their lives out there.. All those high risk dare devils, take note of these videos. They will really save you or at least give you a better awareness of potential dangers while engaging in those activities.

I love rewatching these so much

Something I've thought about for nearly a decade, and I'm surprised no youtuber has done yet, is seriously invest time+money in exploratory robotics as a hobby. If someone built a remote controlled robotic fish and live steamed navigating it through some of the world's most notorious underwater caves, I'd watch that with popcorn.

A note on Kenney, he was in a dark place emotionally (about to lose his home that was his prize possession, no job, out of money etc) and was very depressed and spoke of suicide. He said that if he was to take his life, he'd do it out there where no one would find him because he had to find his father after he'd taken his life and it traumatized him.

I am NOW a fan of the Strange, Dark, and Mysterious because of YOU! John, you are amazingly AWESOME! The best storyteller I've ever heard 🥰

Mad respect for Lemmy for telling guy 2 to not go in, from beyond the grave Motörhead singer is still a legend

Wow! The M cave story is absolutely heartbreaking! He was scared, but let total strangers talk him into going back?! Talk about peer pressure 😔 Regardless of what causes his disappearance, he shouldn't have let people talk him into this!

If you’re a fan of sneaking away from your family to binge watch MrBallen, you came to the right place. That’s literally all I do - and I do it 3, 4, sometimes 5 times a week.

You’re awesome bro, I found you on Snapchat a couple months ago and checked your KZfaq out and now I listen to your videos at work almost all day lol you help make the boring day go by much faster 👌 thank you 🙏

Love Your Stories, Real Informative...Thank You For Your Service ...

I like him because it's like friends talking about something one found out.

I love how this dude always says "let me offer my opinion" he's not thrusting on people. It's chill as fuck

8:30 in the morning on a Saturday and I'm starting my day with a Mr.Ballen binge. Let's go!

I just watched a video about the Paris catacombs. It took the 10 to 15 hours to go through with a guide. Some places you had to crawl on you belly to get through. I always wanted to go and see it but not so much now.

I believe there was a movie based of the first story. It’s called “As above so below”. It’s a pretty scary movie about the Paris catacombs. It was a good movie in my opinion.

I’m still not over the salt water crocodile story!

I friggin love your videos. They are amazing. Thanks for making them.

Brother I love your videos Holy crap been bingin ya. Thank you for the amazing content

I'm an experienced diver. And the description of the barge to describe Vortex Spring was extremely helpful. I can imagine the expanse of darkness, and the ominous, million ton barge above you... Worse if the Sea isn't behaving. I respect you brother. I was taught that if you dive alone, you die alone. And if you succeed once. Don't try it again...

The Paris catacombs is one of the most morbid and terrifying places ever but people willingly go down there and tag skulls like it's no big deal

Love all of your posts thank you for sharing and all you do

Found you around 2020. Ran away. Now I'm hardcore binging you're uploads for days and '3' is easily you're "goldielock zone". I'd lean into it! Props on being a Navy Seal 🙏

Who else immediately thought of the movie As Above So Below when he started talking about the catacombs

This is why I stay in my room like a vampire

Mt worst fear is running out of Mr Ballen videos to watch.

Thank you for your service sir! God bless you!

As a Paramedic and a Biologist let me say that diving in the dark is one of the scariest things I ever did. I am a certified diver and rescue diver. I have dove in blackwater to recover bodies and I have bee around sharks and alligators. None of that compares to being a cave in the FL spings and I have dived many of them but I went in a cave only once. I want anyone that says oh that not that bad just think of complete dark where if your light fails your in nothing. The only way you know up is by the bubbles but now you can't see that and you know that your going to die because when the air is gone there is no swimming up to a pocket. So your alone cold and you know its the end most painic some make peace with life and death and God and there are no nonbelievers at that point.

The guy looking for the M cave is probably now a permanent resident of Area 51

Just found out you used to be a navy seal. Definitely explains your knowledge of diving equipment and technique. Also explains the eloquence of your story telling and descriptive abilities.

Mr Ballen! Your videos are just so interesting, I can’t get enough!!

I have always wanted to explore the Paris Catacombs...the parts that aren't open to the public. I absolutely would NOT go beyond that underwater gate. I have heard about it before and I'm convinced that the only thing an unauthorized person is gonna find in there is the place where they die.

Mr Ballen could tell me a story and I’d be interested every time

Gradually started to love listening to these stories you tell them so well and make it interesting thank you i love it all 🙏🏾💯

Trust me John there's not one place you mentioned I would want to go I've got yellow streak running down my back and I'm proud of it that's what's keeping me alive outside of God I am not gutsy you take care and God bless

When the frontman for Motorhead says don't go in the cave, you DON"T go in the cave.