Stocks? The economy?? Don't get us started! Look, any industry that allowed the biggest Ponzi scheme in history, aka Bernie Madoff, to literally *thrive* is an automatic sounds like a cult to us. Members willing to "sell their soul" to Wall Street in exchange for the American Dream enter a world ripe for corruption, deception, and exclusivity, and this week, ... Show More
Jul 8
The Cult of America's Next Top Model
This week, Chelsea, Amanda, and guest Sarah Hartshorne (@sarahbhartshorne) dig into the high-gloss, high-drama, and disturbingly high-control world of America’s Next Top Model. Once hailed as a launchpad for aspiring models, the long-running franchise masked emotional manipulatio ... Show More
1h 21m
Jul 1
The Cult of Elon Musk (Part 2)
What happens when a billionaire tech mogul starts to look less like a CEO and more like a modern-day messiah? This week, Chelsea, Amanda, and Reese team up with historian and authoritarianism expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat (@ruthbenghiat) to explore the cult of personality surrounding Elo ... Show More
1h 12m
Dec 2023
378 - Zombies, White Camps, and Murder: The Story of Lori Vallow
I know - this episode is a long one! I tried to cut as much as I could that didn't feel relevant to tell this tale. I really did! There's just so much juicy stuff. So many strange, STRANGE details. Lori evolved, over the course of her adult life, from a manipulative person who wa ... Show More
3h 13m
Oct 2022
319 - The Bloody Harpes
How much do you know about America's first documented serial killers, The Bloody Harpes? Micajah and Wiley Harpe went on a crazy murder spree out on the western American frontier, starting in late 1798. The murdered men, women, children, and even babies. And they'd been bad, murd ... Show More
2h 13m
Oct 2022
Cults: Manipulation Tactics, Celebrity Involvement, Escape w/ Lola Blanc + Meaghan Elizabeth
Joining the Deux U classroom this week are Cult survivors Lola Blanc and Meaghan Elizabeth. On their podcast, Trust Me, they talk to fellow survivors, former and current believers, experts, and everyone in between to try to get to the bottom of how extreme belief happens, who's s ... Show More
1h 7m
Feb 2022
Armstrongism: “Saving For the Feast”
A humble upbringing is an understatement for Dan McIntrye. Canada born and bred, Dan’s cult journey took him from guitar god, to free desserts to cult escape, only to land him right in the arms of… another one?
A double survivor. A triple thriver. And one extremely nice guy. ... Show More
1 h
Apr 2024
379: Jordan Harbinger—Psst… Wanna Buy a Stadium Buddy?
The former Wall Street lawyer and current OG podcaster drops by to discuss the latest in Podcastladia, how patternicity and our desire for certainty can lead us to create wild theories, the death of skepticism, honesty in advertising, and what he learned from being kidnapped the ... Show More
1h 20m