The Confessionals - 811: Portals Opening in Tennessee’s Mountains (Members)

Episode Date: November 20, 2025

What if the camera didn’t just catch a creature, but the doorway it came through? In this episode, Tony sits down with Travis Carpenter to revisit the night his father, Scott Carpenter, filmed one of the clearest portal manifestations ever recorded. From that moment on, everything changes. They unravel Scott’s groundbreaking DNA research suggesting Bigfoot’s supernatural origins, the eerie connection between metallic “door” sounds and portals, and the possibility that East Tennessee’s ancient mountains are dotted with thin places, geographic points where spiritual war bleeds into the physical world. By the end, it’s not just about a portal in the Smokies, it’s about realizing we live on a battlefield where those doors are opening again. Please pray for Tony's wife, Lindsay, as she battles breast cancer. Your prayers make a difference!If you’re able, consider helping the Merkel family with medical expenses by donating to Lindsay’s GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/b8f76890Become a member for ad-free listening, extra shows, and exclusive access to our social media app: theconfessionalspodcast.com/joinThe Confessionals Social Network App:Apple Store: https://apple.co/3UxhPrhGoogle Play: https://bit.ly/43mk8kZThe Counter Series Available NOW:The Counter (YouTube): WATCH HEREThe Counter (Full Episode): WATCH HERETony's Recommended Reads: slingshotlibrary.comIf you want to learn about Jesus and what it means to be saved: Click HereBigfoot: The Journey To Belief: Stream HereThe Meadow Project: Stream HereMerkel Media Apparel: merkmerch.comMy New YouTube ChannelMerkel IRL: @merkelIRLMy First Sermon: Unseen BattlesSPONSORSSIMPLISAFE TODAY: simplisafe.com/confessionalsGHOSTBED: GhostBed.com/tonyCONNECT WITH USWebsite: www.theconfessionalspodcast.comEmail: [e-mail] ADDRESS:Merkel Media257 N. Calderwood St., #301Alcoa, TN 37701SOCIAL MEDIASubscribe to our YouTube: https://bit.ly/2TlREaIReddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/theconfessionals/Discord: https://discord.gg/KDn4D2uw7hShow Instagram: theconfessionalspodcastTony's Instagram: tonymerkelofficialFacebook: www.facebook.com/TheConfessionalsPodcasTwitter: @TConfessionalsTony's Twitter: @tony_merkelProduced by: @jack_theproducerOUTRO MUSICJoel Thomas - MissingYouTube | Apple Music | Spotify

Hey, everybody. This is a preview of today's members episode. If you want to hear the whole thing, head on over to the Confessionalspodcast.com. Hit the join button and become a member today. Merkel. Media's here. This was all circulating around the base that a giant had to kill, but no one was supposed to talk about it. I saw three long, bony fingers, reach up underneath the door, curl up to grab it, and then disappear. When he came over, over to me? Dude, he slithered over to me. And this giant comes out of the cave and they're all frozen. And he starts running and firing up this giant.

Well, the giant moves. He's got a spear in one hand and he's running really fast. And spears, Dan, holds them up like this. Somebody else, shoot him in the face, shoot him in the face. They basically decapitated. And I look over and there are two small... ...pushed and I touch air. And I touch air. Couldn't breathe.

And I couldn't move because I know I'm seeing a monster. So I was, I had Brian Jeffrey here in studio. Mm-hmm. And you know him? I don't. I'm going to look him up. Dude, paranormal. Black mass paranormal is his YouTube channel.

He's got like 60, I think it's like 60,000. Mm-hmm. The black mass paranormal guy? Yeah, the black mass paranormal guy. Yeah. So he does investigations all over the Smoky Mountains, all over this region, East Tennessee, he's local. Okay.

Yeah, just gave him a follow. Yeah, dude. He's a good dude. He's a good dude. But he was in here, and we had, he goes out to these different locations. And what's crazy is he was going to your dad's location, not knowing that's exactly where your dad's been going. He found it in a lot of good stuff?

Dude, like for years. So while your dad was going there, he was going there. why do you think this location calls so many people? Because it's such a hot spot. When you say location, do you mean that specific location? Do you mean like location as in like the general East Tennessee area? I think I think a little bit of both. I need to know which one you're talking about. Because there's, I think there's multiple locations that call people, but that specific one that we're going to get into today, why do you think there's been so many, so many. many activities or so many things that have happened because you've had an experience obviously dad has several yeah um there's been uh people you know larger people like uh less droughts had a major experience there less is coming back next year and he's gonna i mean we're not talking about like oh i saw something we're talking about paranormal experiences in that one specific location but people are having i think it's i'm not saying it's centered there

but definitely for the group and the people that we've talked to, that's a big hot spot. So why do you think, I guess, that hot spot and, you know... Who's doing the interview? I'm just kidding. That's right. No, I like that. I'm playing. I don't know, dude.

I think... So I feel like there... So I come from this a very supernatural perspective. I wasn't always like that, but I am now. My faith has 100% defined a lot of... the experiences I've had and what I'm seeing happening around me. And I think that there are certain natural geographical locations. And maybe not natural totally.

Like maybe there's natural, but there's also natural as in there's just really old places that portals have been opened up through, you know, a hundred thousand years ago people doing things at that location. Because what I think happens is when people are practicing occultic type things over and over again in geographic locations, I believe that it wear, and this is just my belief, it wears the veil thin. And so other things creep through because you built a doorway. And I feel like this area in general, East Tennessee is very old, has a lot of history, dark history, witchcraft. going all the way back to the natives and beyond that because I don't believe that they were the first ones here

we don't know what the true history is of America let alone East Tennessee and I think there's a lot of history here and doors have been opened up and so this area is naturally more prone to have this stuff happen I mean the smokies themselves are so vast and so huge it's a natural spot that things can hide in mysterious things. Absolutely. You know, a lot of people don't realize, like you said, how huge this place is. The Smoky Mountains amassed, you know, the Appalachians are from what Pennsylvania or even farther than that all the way down to Georgia. So you've got a massive mountain range. And the way Dad always put it is, even if these creatures work natural, if a bear can survive there,

definitely a big foot can. So if it's all natural. And you know, you and I are of the belief that they're not all natural. Yeah, it's super natural in origin. Yeah, totally. And let me just, you brought up dad, and it's just properly introduced you to people. You are Travis Carpenter, son of Scott Carpenter. And your dad was on the show one time.

I planned on having him on, I don't know, a hundred times. But it's funny. I mean, he literally lived. right. I mean, we live for everybody. We live very, very close. Your dad lived 10 minutes from the studio. Yeah. Yeah. And I was like, Scott Carpenter's going to be on forever, always, you know.

Unfortunately, Lord had other plans and took them home a little sooner than what we anticipated. But nothing catches God off guard. That's one thing we have to remember is that, like, all the things that we go through in life, it catches you off guard. It catches me off guard. But it wasn't catching God off guard. and people have to understand it the fact that that God is outside of time

he saw it all happen before like literally before the earth was created he knew it was going to happen and when it was going to happen you know it says all things work together for good to them

who love God and are called according to his purpose you and I would have never had a relationship Just being real with you if Dad hadn't passed away. Like our relationship... It's fine. You're calling me to tell me. Yeah.

Like, I called you and I mean, I was pretty broke and I was like, hey, I'm sorry, Dad, Dot. And it was, you know, I did that with multiple people, but I did that with you, L.A., all that. Because I didn't know what to do. I was in a, I was in shock and you, you spent time with me and you didn't know me from Adam and you spent time with me in my darkest hour. And that means something to me. And there will be people, it's funny, there'll be people that are like, oh, Tony's this, Tony's a cell out, Tony's this. I'm like, no, that's my friend. That dude was there for me when he didn't have to be. And he was there for me, like, behind the scenes that no one's, we're not going to talk about it, but you were there. So, and just there's so many other great things that God has brought out of dad's death that you could look and be like, that's a terrible thing. And it's brought me closer to God. It's brought me, I feel like, Like it's brought me into a level of awareness about certain things like paranormal and all this. It's brought me closer to my family.

And it's opened so many doors for me and my family. And, you know, I just go back to the scriptures. Like all things work together for good to them that love God. And I'm not saying I'm the perfect Christian by any stretch of the imagination. Nobody is, right? But there isn't a such thing. I do love the Lord, and, man, he's, he has brought so much good out of, out of this. It's not even funny.

Yeah. No, I mean, you have a wrong definition of your faith in Christ if you believe it's based off works. You know what I mean? Like, that's what other religions do. The whole point of Christianity is that we need, we need Jesus in order to be saved because we can't do it ourselves. It's not based off works. Absolutely. Red Galatians 3.

like literally Monday, had a big Bible study about it, and it literally talks about Paul, beats it to death. It's like, it's all faith. Yeah. It's all faith. And you cannot do anything to get to heaven except have faith, period. Yeah. I mean, that's why it's on my Instagram.

I know it's on my email signatures, Romans 10-9. It's huge. I mean, it's the foundation of a Christian's faith. And it's just believing in your heart in confessing your mouth that Jesus Christ, the son of God who died and rose again for your sins. You believe that and you confess with your mouth. You can confess that with your mouth as much as you want,

but you can't trick the heart, you can't trick your heart, you can't trick God in reading your heart, it's the heart issue that people stumble on. So, no, man, I appreciate you saying that stuff. It's funny. People make conspiracy theories about me all the time. It's wild. But I just let it fall in death fears.

for the most part. But to go back to your thoughts here about East Tennessee and what you had brought up, the specific location that your dad investigated heavily, that Brian still investigates heavily,

there's a lot of water there. Yes. And one of these days, I hope to have a better and more firm understanding as to the significance of water and thinning veils, but there is a connection. Absolutely.

There's a famous portal video that Dad has and has pictures of and you've seen and you've got pictures of. And it's been talked about. The one here? Yeah. Yeah. So that one is actually by a rock face and water. Like you've been, that's the place that I had shown you. And there has to be something with water.

And I, again, don't know what it is. but this place that the portal was and in the heavily researched area for folks, it's on a peninsula of land and it's covered by water. There's water everywhere around it. So, Jack, can you do me a favor and go on and look and see if you can pull up the portal images? See if you can find them. I know they've been pretty scrubbed on the internet, but can you find them and pull up on the TV? Yeah, it's not going to be on that YouTube channel, though.

So if you could just look and see if you can find, maybe look for L.A. Marzuli or something like that. But anyways, while he's doing that, you gave me this book here, which is your dad's, the Nephlam Amonga special edition, not for resale. I got the thicker copy.

You got the original copy. I remember seeing this sitting on his desk in his office. But yeah, I actually have it open here. and if we can pull it, the picture's great. If not, maybe Jack will put them. Yeah, we'll have Jack put them in afterwards. Absolutely.

But like you, what you see here is literally a bubble. And you see it happening on video, but we have the pictures here. It's like a see-through bubble that you just visually can see appearing. And then a thing manifesting in the middle of the bubble. and I will here I'll hold this up for the camera so they can maybe Jack can zoom it in here but like you can see that

this creature entity let's call it an entity manifesting in the middle of that and where you where you showed me where that was I don't there is a water source not far from there the way it works is that you have a

trail. You have a trail. You have a rock face and then you have a creek running right beside it. So you have water. You have a trail and then a rock face. And there's something about those rock faces, by the way, that have something to do with entities, portals, something like that. I remember, you know, just being, you know, a guy hunting on all that and I'll see a rock face and I'll just get the, get the it, get that pit, you know, deep in the pit of my stomach. And this is before I even really got into dad's research and whatnot. I just, I never really liked them. And I always got scared beside them. And now doing the more research and really digging deep into dad's stuff, I know why. Because they've got, it's again, something to do with that veil thinning, that paranormal abilities or things around that. Yeah, that's exactly what we're talking about right there.

And to the left, for folks, to the left is a of that picture down at the very bottom. To the left of that is a creek. And to the right of that is a rock face. And as dad walks away, he's actually got the back trail camera. And this is with an old Sony handy cam. So this is like 1080P. And by the way, you know, I got really, you get really frustrated because it's like, oh, man, it's this old grainy stuff. well, it's old-grainy stuff

and it reminds you that it's real. You know, with AI, you have, man, I get sent so many emails of just AI crap. What creature is it called that will, it has like a horse of a body, it has wings and it had, like it almost looks like

the Jersey. Like a Pegasus or something like that. Yeah, but what I've been seeing like this one, this one. Like a centaur? Like a Griffin or something like that. Yeah, like it was walking through the woods on video and this one Instagram account has been, and I like the Instagram. I follow it. Like it's fun, I like, it's fun to look at. Yes. But it's not real because AI has gotten to the point now where it can make really good,

clear, crappy videos. Yes. So it's like, that's too good. Let's make it look crappier so it's more believable. Right. And that's what they're doing now. They are because they're on to, oh, this looks too good. We have to fix it. Yeah. But I say all that to say, like, all of dad's stuff is taken 10, 15 years ago. And it's like, you know it's real because it's before that AI. Yeah. Yeah. And yes, does it look grainy? Does it look all this? It does because it's real. We're still using 1080 pixels and zooming in. If you're lucky. Yeah. Some of the stuff was less than 1080. Oh, yeah. That was like 480 and whatnot. But again, we're talking, you know, dad, dad was extremely poor. And this was a high. hobby for years before it became huge. You know, what really put dad on the map was being on a few TV shows. He was on Finding Bigfoot and then Survivor Man Bigfoot with Les Stroud. He had that experience. That he didn't even come to grips with that experience until years later.

That put him on the map and then the DNA study, where, in my opinion, in dad's opinion, and it proved that Bigfoot is not physical only. It is paranormal as well, which is I always love getting into that stuff. Yeah. But yeah, as Dad walks forward or closer to the trail, to the trailhead or away from the image, the image gets clearer. Yeah. Which is still wild to me. Yeah, that's actually a good point to point out too.

So this is on a camera that was on his shoulder facing backwards. Was this with the gimbal, do you know? This was not with the gimbal. So it's not stabilized. Oh, it's completely unstableized. It's wild. And so it's not stabilized. He's walking away.

The image gets clear because it's literally starting to manifest. Correct. And dad runs it through so many filters to try to figure out, like, is this a mess up? You know, some people are like, oh, it's just like a drop of water on the thing. If it were, the drop of water would move with the, you know, with the camera, so it would be everywhere, that quote-unquote drop of water or that stays in that one place. And you can just see the portal just opening.

And in my opinion, again, I'm a little biased. This is one of the best videos of a portal manifesting that you'll ever see. That's 100% real. No, I agree. In fact, I am being stretched right now to even think of an actual video of a portal opening up. Like, I don't know if there is one. Yeah. And you'll see, I don't see a lot of other people doing the back trail camera stuff the way dad did.

And I'm afraid that they're afraid of what they'll find. Well, we do it. And we have found things doing that. Supernatural things, I would say. It's not my production. So, like, the documentaries I no longer produced, they're not mine. so I can't have the liberty to just a blabber mouth about stuff that I don't own yet

or I will never own. So I will say this. There will be a documentary coming out and it has visual evidence of something supernatural happening and I would say even manifesting behind Joel as he walked with a reverse camera on.

And we've shown it to several people and nobody can explain it away. This was a preview of today's member episode. If you want to hear the whole thing, head on over to the confessionalspodcast.com. Hit the join button and become a member today.