Meet Las Vegan Ben McGee, the skeptic on new show Chasing UFOs

Dean Bradshaw, National Geographic Channel

Catch McGee this Friday, as Chasing UFOs premieres June 29.

By Rick Lax (contact)

Wednesday, June 27, 2012 | 6:17 p.m.

One day you’re playing trombone for Gladys Knight and teaching part-time at CSN, the next you’re starring in a National Geographic TV show about UFO sightings (you in this scenario being geoscientist/freelance trombonist Ben McGee).

When you were pitched Chasing UFOs, did you say yes right away?

Not immediately. If you want a career as a scientist, touching anything with UFO on it has ... implications, let’s say. But I’m a big believer in education outreach. And all the people who have questions about UFOs, they’re right to ask them. So ultimately, I said yes.

Does the show have a particular outlook, pro-UFO or skeptical?

National Geographic wants to promote the scientific look—I’m a skeptic—but they also want other perspectives. So the viewers get slices of all sides of the story.

Have you come across anything that might have been a UFO?

I will say, in a couple instances, I was convinced that something happened. Was it necessarily aliens? No. But you can’t just wave these claims away. I believe there are questions that need to be explored before you can jump to the conclusion [that aliens haven’t visited Earth].

Sounds like you’re being diplomatic ...

They gave me a nickname on the show: Dream Crusher.