False Summits

About False Summits

The American West has been capturing the imagination for hundreds of years. Hollywood being one of its biggest promoters it gave it an almost mythical status in minds worldwide. Depicted as a rough and tumble place but with a bit of grit and termination on could achieve love and prosperity. Dose the realty hold up to the image? And if so, does it the same ring true today? Dive into the blurry side of the American West with this darkly comedic history podcast. Join Mason Orlando, Jess Leigh, and Marcelo Aguilar as they explore the wild, weird, grim often terrifying events that create what the American West is today. From bizarre outlaws and forgotten massacres to eccentric hermits and religious followers attempting to create utopia, this podcast takes a sharp, absurdist twist on Western American history. With a blend of dark humor, historical insight, and a dash of heathy commentary, each episode we cover weird, unsettling, and sometimes hopeful stories that may challenge your conception of the wild West.

Publisher

Mason Orlando - Jess Leigh - Marcelo Aguilar

Category

comedy · history · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

3 Nov 2023

Latest episode

23 Apr 2026

Latest episodes

46 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   23 Apr 2026

   The San Diego Tank Rampage

   Let us know what you think We talk about time a guy took a tank joyriding in the streets of America’s Finest City. Spoiler. it ends badly. Sources: Cul de Sac: A Suburban War Story: Director Garrett Scott Tank Rampage: A symbolic story terms 20: Peter Rowe -San Digo Union-Tribune Tank’s Driver Beset by Drug, Money Problems; By SEBASTIAN ROTELLA and CHRIS KRAUL Picture : MSN.com Thanks so much for listening!!!!! Like, subscribe, leave a review, wherever you can!!! ...

2. 

   1 Oct 2025

   Dope Lake 77

   Let us know what you think Mason tells the tale of what happed when a plan with 6000 pounds of weed crashed in the mountains of Yosemite National Park in the late 1970s. Sources: The Legend of Dope Lake: by Greg Nichols of in Men’s Journal. https://www.mensjournal.com/travel/what-to-do-in-chamonix-in-summer The 1977 Yosemite Dope Lake incident by Hikerdelic https://hikerdelic.com/blogs/news/the-1977-yosemite-dope-lake-incident Photo: Rick Schloss Thanks so much for listeni...

3. 

   23 Aug 2025

   Operation Wetb#ck

   Let us know what you think This week Marcelo takes us thru a dark chapiter in American History, the grotesquely named immigration law enforcement initiative “Operation Wetback” that used military style tactics to remove Mexican immigrants, often ignoring residential or citizen status. Eerily like the headlines of today, we will explore the motivations of those who created and carried out the constitutionally questionable act and the repercussions it had on the communities, economies, and fami...

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 33 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

42

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

60

Contact False Summits

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.