Did you know that there was once talk of doing an X-Files episode that would have been a crossover with Unsolved Mysteries? X-Files writer Vince Gilligan came up with the idea of an X-Files/Unsolved Mysteries crossover, but couldn't figure out how to make it work. Although a crossover with UM materialized, a crossover with Cops eventually did (2000 episode "X-Cops").

http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3419708/unsolved-mysteriesthe-x-files-crossover-episode-almost/

Interesting... I can see why it would have been tough to do, especially with the time crunch Gilligan was under.

In order to work, it would have had to be a "true" UM segment, not a fictionalized X-Files storyline. Take the Allagash Abductions or Missing Time segment, but incorporate the fictionalized agents Mulder and Scully to investigate the case?

The main difficulty I see is in the differing styles of the show. UM being documentary style, where the focus is on the event, person, or crime versus X-Files where the focus was more on the agents. Maybe a "The Investigators" segment would've been a better fit, as those tended focus a little less on a specific incident.

The tongue in cheek UM scene in the movie Baseketball is as close to a cross-over as we got. (at least that comes to mind) It worked, in my opinion, because it was kept short and stuck to the UM style, with the obvious exception of Stack's language.

It would have been interesting if they had pulled off the UM/XF cross-over, but I'm not sure how successful it would have been, since David D and Gillian A weren't even slated to be a part of it.

I agree that it would have been tough to do and the issues you mentioned would have made such a crossover story very difficult to pull off. Besides, with The X-Files airing on Fox, the home of America's Most Wanted (a longtime rival of UM), the network would probably have been uncomfortable with the idea, anyway.

Did you know that there was once talk of doing an X-Files episode that would have been a crossover with Unsolved Mysteries? X-Files writer Vince Gilligan came up with the idea of an X-Files/Unsolved Mysteries crossover, but couldn't figure out how to make it work. Although a crossover with UM materialized, a crossover with Cops eventually did (2000 episode "X-Cops").

http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3419708/unsolved-mysteriesthe-x-files-crossover-episode-almost/

Vince should've hired me.

Here's what I really think happened. I believe that Dale was in on it small time with another/ex employee. We see Dale walking out on camera, but never again. However, his scent was near the furnace that contained the platinum. I don't think he planned on fleeing, but set it up so he couldn't be blamed, and would've said the masked robber took off. We see him walking with the masked man on camera like he had a gun behind his back, as well as his belongings left behind, so he and his comrade had set this heist up for some small cash. If the masked man purposely walked on camera like he didn't know it was there, but Dale did, then it seems like it was a random intruder, correct? But the masked man knew where everything was, and how to cut the platinum, so he obviously was an ex/employee pretending he didn't know the camera was there so he could seem legit, but he failed by outing himself with how to cut the platinum and knowing where everything was.

Dale's scent was at the furnace, but the footage didn't show him there, just the masked man, odd. So I think Dale was keeping lookout/ possibly coaching the masked man, but the magnetic properties inside Dale's body had vibrated, and aligned with the platinum, and extraterrestrials had sensed Dale's magnetic force from outer space, so they abducted Dale via spaceship beam from the furnace area without the masked man noticing. The masked man looked around for Dale, but thought that Dale had ran off and snitched, so he was seen pushing the platinum in the bag quickly out of the plant to get away.