Who Is the Owner of Skinwalker Ranch? Find out Who Is Behind the Hit Reality Series
Premiering at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, ‘The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch’ quickly captivated viewers.
Published June 13 2025, 11:28 a.m. ET
America’s long-standing and unwavering fascination with paranormal activities and UFOs is exactly why the History Channel’s reality series The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch is so popular. However, as fans tune in season after season, the backstory about the owner of the ranch is a bit more mysterious.
Premiering at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch quickly captivated viewers and became one of the network’s biggest hits. Its sixth season premiered in June 2025.
Who is the owner of Skinwalker Ranch?
Brandon Fugal, the chairman of Colliers International, is the owner of Skinwalker Ranch and “one of the most prominent businessmen and real estate developers in the Intermountain West,” according to the History Channel.
“In 2016, Brandon purchased Skinwalker Ranch from aerospace tycoon Robert Bigelow in order to investigate and study the strange and unexplainable phenomena that has been reported there for more than two centuries,” his bio from the network reads.
In a 2020 interview with Vice, Brandon opened up about why he wanted to become the new owner.
“You’re right. It is strange,” Brandon said when asked why he purchased the property. Skinwalker Ranch, as a project, is so unconventional and so outside of my normal course of business and really, frankly, anyone’s normal course of business, that it presents a whole new problem set.”
Skinwalker Ranch owner Brian Fugal knows the purchase was controversial.
“I’ve lost some sleep over it,” he continued. “I worry about what some of my clients and colleagues will think. It’s controversial. That is why I’ve waited so long and stayed out of the spotlight.”
Brandon also shared that his prior positive working experience with Robert also factored into his decision. “They wanted to introduce me to Mr. Bigelow because of the positive experience we had working together and asked if I would be willing to potentially entertain meeting with Mr. Bigelow regarding the ranch,” he said. “I had heard of the ranch but I never really thought about it until they proposed the idea.”
What can fans expect from the sixth season of ‘The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch?’
In Season 6, landowner Brandon Fugal and his team—led by principal investigator Erik Bard and astrophysicist Dr. Travis Taylor — detect a signal at a 1.6 GHz frequency “that may represent a form of communication,” according to the History Channel.
“The team will be stunned to discover that someone — or something — is even cloning signals they themselves have broadcast during experiments.”
That’s not all fans can expect, as the network also shares that the Skinwalker Ranch team “will finally identify a massive, invisible phenomenon that encompasses the Triangle — which may be the key to unlocking the entire mystery.” This season may finally provide a “definite answer” to whether we are actually all alone in the universe.
The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch airs Tuesdays on the History Channel at 8 p.m. EST and is available to stream the following day.