Curse of Skinwalker Ranch: Who is Bryant ‘Dragon’ Arnold?
Meet Bryant Arnold, a ‘Dragon’ guarding a spooky ranch in Utah. Here’s how the security officer found fame on Sky HISTORY’s Curse of Skinwalker Ranch.
Image: Curse of Skinwalker Ranch
Security specialist, licensed armed private security officer, skilled marksman — Bryant Arnold wears many hats. Those are in addition to the black cap his fans are used to seeing him wearing on the Sky HISTORY series Curse of Skinwalker Ranch.
Still, Bryant’s straight-laced persona means there’s a lot that viewers are unlikely to know about him. What was his personal path onto the show? How does he assist in the ongoing investigations into possibly the world’s most paranormal place? Oh, and why is he nicknamed ‘Dragon’? Read on as Sky HISTORY reveals all…
Bryant Arnold’s background
In 2016, Bryant heard some surprising news from businessman Brandon Fugal, a friend for more than two decades. Apparently, Brandon had agreed to buy Skinwalker Ranch – a 512-acre plot of land in a remote, desert-laden spot of northern Utah.
The property is named after the skinwalker – a legendary, shapeshifting creature said to haunt the site as well as the wider Uintah Basin. Brandon asked Bryant if he would like to become head of security at the ranch.
Bryant was a promising candidate for the position, having carried out private security work for Brandon in the past. Bryant had also long followed an outdoorsy lifestyle and associated with gun-toting hunters. However, he did lack a law enforcement background, and so had to learn quickly how to get to grips with his new role.
Why is Bryant Arnold nicknamed ‘Dragon’?
Bryant admits it’s a question he is often asked, but he has also been forthcoming about the answer – even if it is a long story.
Before Brandon acquired the ranch, it was owned by real-estate magnate Robert Bigelow from 1996 to 2016. During the Bigelow years, an overzealous security guard at the ranch came to be disparagingly branded ‘Dragon’.
Shortly after Skinwalker Ranch passed into Brandon’s hands, an authorised visitor to the site met Bryant but mistook him for ‘Dragon’. This inadvertent new moniker for Bryant caught on, though he has claimed never to refer to himself by that name.
Bryant Arnold’s role on the show
Compared to many other cast members on the show, Dragon is not as ‘hands-on’
in the day-to-day investigative work taking place on the property. However, he plays a crucial role in securing its perimeter. This helps to ensure that the onsite scientists like Dr Travis Taylor and Erik Bard can get on with their research work uninterrupted.
So, Dragon routinely patrols the site to keep an eye out for budding trespassers. He is not only head of security but also a safety officer. In the latter guise, he supervises the investigations to protect participants’ welfare.
Why is Dragon not on Curse of Skinwalker Ranch season six?
Bryant has been very secretive about his personal life, even on his socials. However, earlier this year, he broke the news that he was unable to participate in the filming of Curse of Skinwalker Ranch season six.
As Bryant revealed on the show’s official Instagram account, he took time out 'due to personal matters involving the health and care of my son'. He added: 'I want to assure everyone that I’m still very much a part of the team and fully support the ongoing investigation.'
Dragon’s biggest moments on the show
Bryant was initially sceptical about the spooky tales – including UFO sightings, poltergeist activity, and inexplicably mutilated cattle – often told about the ranch. Since then, he has gone from a ‘sceptic’ to a ‘believer’ to an ‘experiencer’.
Here are just some moments on the show where Dragon’s advice, expertise, even heroism, have impressively come to the fore.
Dragon comes to the caretaker’s rescue
Over the years, the ranch’s rocky Mesa has seen many drilling operations. While one is underway in the third season’s seventh episode, ‘Full Metal Mesa’, Dragon and ranch caretaker Tom Lewis head to Homestead Two.
While they are there, Tom suddenly blacks out. He reports numbness in his left arm, convincing Dragon that 'something cardiac-related' is to blame. He acts quickly to ensure Tom is escorted off the ranch and to the Uintah Basin Medical Center.
Dragon helps the scientists to make a breakthrough
In the fifth season’s seventh episode, ‘The Cone Zone’, a laser beam shot straight upwards in the Triangle stops at roughly 2,000 feet. Dragon suggests firing a rocket towards that end point. This rocket veers wildly off course, helping the team to ascertain the presence of a cone-shaped anomaly above the Triangle.
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