This is a list of 13 YouTube channels like Nexpo and MrBallen. These are 13 of my favorite channels that are involved with Internet mysteries, crime, horror, dark web events, storytelling, conspiracies, investigative work, and/or a combination of these traits. They’re not exact replicas of Nexpo or MrBallen. However, these 13 channels are similar enough that many of their fans will enjoy them as rabbit holes.
The reason that I’m publishing 13 channels instead of rounding it to 10 or 15 is because of the mysterious allure with 13. This goes perfectly with the dark and mysterious content. I’ve included the YouTube channels in the subheadings of each user. In addition, I’ve added the YouTube Spotlight posts of a few users who I’ve blogged about as my favorites on that platform.
I’m not going into great detail with these channels. I’ll leave a brief synopsis before letting you decide on whether you want to check them out or not.
Who Are Nexpo and MrBallen?
Nexpo (YouTube) (YouTube Spotlight)
Nexpo, also known as Nightmare Expo, refers to himself as an internet detective. He creates analytical takes and retrospectives on anything that involves mystery and horror. His channel has six playlists that include internet investigations (74 videos), real world mysteries (37), web series deep dives (14), disturbing things from around the Internet (13), console conspiracies (seven) and gaming retrospectives (six).
Me, Nexpo (Nightmare): YouTube Spotlight Of The Best, 9
MrBallen (YouTube) (YouTube Spotlight)
MrBallen is a former Navy SEAL who tells stories about true crime cases and other mysteries. More than six million subscribers almost didn’t get the chance to learn about him because he was nearly killed during a 2014 deployment in Afghanistan. You can read this New York Post article that talks more in depth about his military service, career, and the 2020 video that turned him into a viral sensation.
As of December 2021, MrBallen had 4.7 million subscribers. Fast forward to five months later and he has passed six million. This doesn’t include all the people who follow him for his podcast content.
Me, MrBallen: YouTube Spotlight Of The Best, 11
YouTube Channels Like Nexpo and MrBallen
Barely Sociable / Slightly Sociable (YouTube B) (YouTube S) (YouTube Spotlight)
Barely Sociable / Slightly Sociable create documentaries for the YouTube mystery genre. If I had to compare him to someone, then I’d say he’s like Nexpo but with a much greater focus on mystery than horror. Barely Sociable covers topics that the mainstream media tends to avoid. Most of his videos revolve around international conspiracies. He’s a respected member of the community who has done collaborations with other key channels such as Nexpo, ReignBot, and blameitonjorge.
Barely Sociable: YouTube Spotlight Of The Best, 15
Blameitonjorge (YouTube)
Blameitonjorge used to focus on large lists that covered cartoons and movie animations. In the past year, he shifted toward doing Internet mysteries that are similar to what Nick Crowley does. The main focus on this channel is 30-minute documentaries on missing media, people, and other items. He also provides updates when missing media is found. The most recent example of that is his documentary on the leaking of the banned Sesame Street episode No. 847
Chill Fuel (YouTube)
Hey, thanks for stopping by the channel, I make spooky or “chill” inducing video docs diving into mysteries from the internet and beyond. I mainly like to focus on mysteries that have intrigued me for one reason which usually ends up being strange subreddits, analogue horror, mysterious YouTube channels, and how individuals look to abuse the advancements in technology.
Chill Fuel, YouTube About Page (July 26, 2022)
Chilling Scares (YouTube)
There are a lot of channels who are considered Mr. Nightmare copycats. Let me make this clear: none of them are on the level of the great Mr. Nightmare. That said, this is probably my favorite among those copycats. The channel nor the narrator have the same scary vibes that one can expect from a Mr. Nightmare video. I’m still a fan of it because he publishes unique content that I don’t see anywhere else. I’d guess that Mr. Nightmare fans would enjoy him as long as they don’t think that he’s stealing his content.
Chills / Top 15s (YouTube C) (YouTube 15s)
If I recall correctly, then the Chills and Top 15s channels were what started it all for me. Chills used to publish random lists on both channels about two to three times per week. The channel focused on creepy and fascinating tales from about everything you could think of. Top 15s hasn’t been active for seven months. The Chills channel has shifted more toward paranormal content instead of dark and strange mysteries.
If you’ve never watched Chills or Top 15s, then I’d highly recommend sorting through his huge video catalog via “Date added: oldest.” The newer stuff seems as if he’s scrapping the bottom of the barrel for new material. The newer stuff is still worth checking out if you’re into paranormal content but I’d start on the golden era of what he was publishing about three to five ago.
Coffeehouse Crime (YouTube)
This channel will have the greatest appeal to MrBallen fans. Coffeehouse Crime publishes multiple times per week. Adrian Stewart focuses on what he calls the, “Solved, unsolved and strange true crime cases.” The narration style could bore some MrBallen fans as Adrian uses a much more traditional presentation. There’s a lot of different and unique crime stories that will fascinate crime fanatics everywhere.
Eudoxia Mysteries (YouTube)
Eudoxia Mysteries is a channel that I just came across about a week ago. With 144k subscribers, this is definitely one of the smaller channels on the list. The channel specializes in disturbing posts and mysteries on Reddit and the Internet. The large majority of their content are lists that are similar to Nexpo’s “Disturbing Things” series. Occasionally, they’ll do documentaries of about 30 minutes on an individual topic. Here’s an example of that:
Mr. Nightmare (YouTube) (YouTube Spotlight)
Mr. Nightmare is a YouTuber who has an uncanny talent for telling stories about horror and personal anecdotes. He speaks over haunting music and chilling sound effects. The videos have jump scares when a surprising event happens. He offers a large variety of content that appeals to thousands of horror enthusiasts.
…For a horror content creator, Mr. Nightmare is incredibly widespread. His material never gets old because he covers dozens of topics. His stories cover Craigslist, Tinder, e-mail, texting, voicemails, children drawings, videos with backstories, Ring, school lockdowns, paranormal, creepypastas, and more.
Mr. Nightmare: YouTube Spotlight Of The Best, 13
Nick Crowley (YouTube)
This is the channel that I see most often compared to Nexpo. Crowley creates full documentaries and lists on Internet crime and mysteries. A couple of his biggest series are the darkest videos and channels on YouTube. I’d say that he’s like Nexpo if he were an Internet investigator who called out Internet creeps (e.g. pedophiles, stalkers, etc).
At the time of this publishing, his latest video from early July is one of my favorite YouTube documentaries. This is a 90-minute documentary on the Palestinian children’s show whose focus was to teach children to defend themselves against the people who stole their land. The Hamas militant group created it.
NightDocs (YouTube)
NightDocs has about 125,000 viewers which makes him the smallest channel on this list. He’s not the most frequent publisher but he covers dark topics that I’ve not seen from others on this list. He keys on the darkest elements of the Internet and society (e.g. North Korea).
ReignBot (YouTube) (YouTube Spotlight)
ReignBot creates some of the best mystery videos on YouTube. They’re a great storyteller whose presentation is matter of fact. Their delivery isn’t forced while it has a nice, dark mystique to it. Most of their videos are a respectable 15 minutes long. They do a fantastic job at condensing the information into a short time frame so everyone can view it in one showing. That helps me when I’m falling down one of their rabbit holes.
ReignBot: YouTube Spotlight Of The Best, 12
Rob Gavagan (YouTube)
Rob Gavagan was one of the original gangstas (OGs) who made strange and mysterious content as popular as it was today. Gavagan was once known as Rob Dyke. With more than three million followers, Gavagan creates full documentaries and large lists on mysteries that revolve around serial killers, incidents caught on camera, missing people, and dozens of other unsolved cases. Gavagan has a TON of content that dates all the way back to September 2012. He’s the perfect narrator for this style of content. Call me crazy but I could envision him doing Unsolved Mysteries.
ScareTheater (YouTube)
Do you prefer shorter content? ScareTheater does content that’s similar to ReignBot and Nick Crowley but he keeps the majority of his videos between 10-15 minutes. I’ve followed him for years now as he’s sort of the cherry on top to everyone else. He just returned from about a nine-month hiatus so give him a look.
Looking For More Channels Like Nexpo and MrBallen?
Check out this Reddit thread from magn3to_was_right. He has posted a list of more than 50 YouTube channels like Nexpo and MrBallen. Go ahead and post more similar channels in the comments below.
