Hysteria 51

Pack your bags (and maybe a clothespin for your nose) because this week on Hysteria 51 we’re going interplanetary and intestinal.
First up: luxury travel has officially left Earth. A startup is taking reservations—yes, real money—to be among the first guests at a proposed hotel on the Moon. We’re talking deposits that can range from “casual quarter-mil” to a full $1,000,000 just to hold your spot, with the total trip potentially climbing far beyond that once you factor in the whole “rocket commute” situation. It’s space tourism with a side of “do they validate parking in low gravity?”
Then we come crashing back down to Earth with science that sounds like it was invented in a middle-school cafeteria: the idea that “sniffing farts” could help protect your brain. Under the jokes is a real research thread around hydrogen sulfide (the “rotten egg” gas associated with flatulence) and how it may help protect brain cells in Alzheimer’s-related mouse studies—less “weaponized crop dusting,” more “biochemistry doing something weird and promising.”
So if you like your weird news with equal parts sci-fi dreams and “please don’t say that out loud,” this episode is your perfect storm: moon hotel reservations, space-tourism absurdity, and the unexpectedly serious science of stink.
Links & Resources
📌Moon Vacancy
📌Stinky Mental Progress
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This week, we’re turning the mic over to you.
It’s a full-on voicemail spectacular—packed with listener reactions, hot takes, strange questions, wild theories, and the kind of chaotic energy that can only come from people brave enough to leave a message for this show. We’re hitting play, reacting in real time, and laughing our way through the best kind of audience participation: the unfiltered kind.
If you’ve ever yelled at your speaker during an episode… congratulations. This one’s for you.
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This week on Hysteria 51, we’re tackling two stories that prove nature and sports both have a wildly unhinged sense of humor.
First up: science says blocking reproduction may be linked to longer lifespans in mammals—with a large analysis across 117 species suggesting animals that were sterilized or given contraception lived about 10% longer on average. It’s the ultimate “live long and prosper” headline… with a twist that’ll make every mammal in the room cross its legs and reconsider its life choices.
Then we pivot to baseball’s most statistically improbable “sorry about your face” moment: the legendary tale of Phillies great Richie Ashburn, who once hit a foul ball that struck a fan—and then struck the same fan again during the same at-bat as she was being carried away. It’s slapstick destiny, but with stadium seating.
So if you like your weird news podcast with longevity science, evolutionary trade-offs, and a side of baseball history so absurd it sounds invented, hit play and let’s get strange.
Links & Resources
📌Unsullied Longevity
📌Just a Bit Outside...
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Two Brazilian electronics techs take a totally normal work trip… and wind up on a hillside in suits, raincoats, and homemade lead eye masks, clutching a note that reads like the world’s creepiest calendar invite: “16:30 be at the location. 18:30 ingest capsules. Protect metals. Await signal. Mask.” And then—nothing. No clear cause of death. No satisfying answers. Just one of the strangest unsolved cases in modern history, gift-wrapped for conspiracy lovers everywhere.
This week on Hysteria 51, we are joined by actor, comedian, and podcaster Steve Berg. He helps us dig into the “most likely” explanations first: a planned experiment, a DIY occult/science mashup, a bad batch of mystery capsules, and the investigative chaos that left toxicology (and common sense) rotting on the vine. Then we crank the dial to full common sense—UFO encounter theories, blinding beams of light, electromagnetic weirdness, and why “protect metals” sounds less like evidence and more like a command from Space OSHA.
It’s time to grab your raincoat, tape some metal to your face, and for the love of all that’s holy… do not ingest capsules from a guy who says he “knows a shortcut to the mothership.”

Check out of Special Guest Steve Berg:
Steve Berg is an actor and comedian who just finished work on Tim Kasher’s film Who’s Watching. He can also be seen in Olivia Wilde’s new film Don’t Worry Darling, and is currently working on the feature film Snack Shack. He’s also been obsessed with UFOs, the paranormal, the occult and all things weird his entire life, and on his podcast Hi, Strangeness, he passionately discusses all these topics in a light-hearted way. He can also be seen in New Line’s comedy feature Tag starring Jon Hamm and Rashida Jones. His credits also include recurring roles on NBC's The Good Place, ABC's The Goldbergs, Comedy Central's Idiotsitter, and BET's The Comedy Get Down. He has appeared in two features for director Joe Swanberg -- the Netflix Original Win It All and the indie Digging For Fire which premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Other credits include Mike White's directorial debut Year of the Dog, Jared Hess’ Gentlemen Broncos, and Joss Whedon's digital series Dr. Horrible's Sing Along-Along Blog. Berg has been a drunk narrator multiple times on Comedy Central's Drunk History and was a series regular in the Fox Television pilot WTF America produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer. He is originally from Omaha, Nebraska.
https://www.instagram.com/bergmaster5000/
linktr.ee/steveberg
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/christina-marie-rappel-consent-a-thoughtful/id1690998245?i=1000744278988

Special thanks to this week’s research sources:
CORE / BACKBONE
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mist%C3%A9rio_das_m%C3%A1scaras_de_chumbo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_masks_case
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/70161/bizarre-lead-mask-deaths-1966
BRAZILIAN TV / CASE MATERIAL
https://redeglobo.globo.com/Linhadireta/0%2C26665%2CVYJ0-5259-215835%2C00.html
https://redeglobo.globo.com/Linhadireta/0%2C26665%2CVYJ0-5259-215832%2C00.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjqCQEjgzk4
LOCAL JOURNALISM / LORE
https://infograficos.oglobo.globo.com/rio/bairros/cinco-lendas-urbanas-de-niteroi.html
https://odia.ig.com.br/colunas/coisas-do-rio/2021/02/6090106-mascaras-de-chumbo-caso-envolve-ovnis-e-mortes-estranhas.html
SKEPTICAL ANALYSIS
https://skeptoid.com/episodes/398
UFO / FRINGE CLAIMS WE REFERENCED
https://noufors.com/Documents/Books%2C%20Manuals%20and%20Published%20Papers/Specialty%20UFO%20Publications/Flying%20Saucer%20Review/FSR%2C1967%2CMar-Apr%2CV%2013%2CN%202.pdf
https://vigilia.com.br/o-caso-das-mascaras-de-chumbo-2/
https://aventurasnahistoria.com.br/noticias/reportagem/o-caso-das-mascaras-de-chumbo.phtml
https://www.ranker.com/list/case-of-the-lead-mask-deaths/patrick-thornton

Email us your favorite WEIRD news stories:
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Shop:
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This week on Hysteria 51, we’re boarding a flight straight into chaos—because one United Airlines flight reportedly had to divert after a passenger disrupted the crew, turning “in-flight service” into “in-flight survival mode.” If you’ve ever wondered how quickly a routine trip can become an unexpected emergency landing plot twist, buckle up and keep your hands, feet, and sense of reality inside the cabin at all times, even if you swear this is "A Simulation!"
Then we hop over to Thailand for a story that’s basically a modern fable: a fortune teller, a stolen phone, and the kind of irony that makes you stare directly into the camera like you’re on The Office. When your job is seeing the future… but you don’t see that coming? That’s premium weird news.
It’s bizarre headlines, travel nightmares, and criminally funny timing—the perfect episode for fans of strange-but-true stories, oddball crime, and “how is this real life?” energy.
Links & Resources
📌Flight Sim
📌Fortune Favors the Bold
Email us your favorite WEIRD news stories:
[email protected]
Support the Show
Get exclusive content & perks as well as an ad and sponsor free experience at https://www.patreon.com/Hysteria51 from just $1
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Be the Best Dressed at your Cult Meeting!
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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.