On September 13th, 1978, an episode of The Dating Game aired on network television featuring a man named Rodney Alcala as “Bachelor Number One.” The announcer introduced him as a “successful photographer” – but at the time, Rodney had a secret. He’d already killed at least four victims…and he wasn’t done yet.
Be sure to watch Woman of the Hour on Netflix, s ... Show More
Mar 9
Dalia Dippolito: A Black Widow, a Murder Plot, and a Web of Lies
A seemingly heartbroken newlywed becomes the face of a shocking murder-for-hire plot—caught on tape before the crime can even happen. But as the trial unfolds, the real mystery isn’t what she planned, it’s how far reality can bend when everyone knows the cameras are watching. Sou ... Show More
25m 15s
Jan 2025
Rodney Alcala: The Dating Game Killer (Part 1)
<p>When Cheryl Bradshaw appeared on the popular game show <i>The Dating Game</i> in 1978, she was charmed by bachelor number one, Rodney Alcala, and by the end of the episode, she’d chosen him to take her on a date. However, just minutes after the episode finished taping, Cheryl ... Show More
50m 11s
Feb 2025
Rodney Alcala: The Dating Game Killer (Part 3)
<p>After his arrest, investigators would learn that, by the time he appeared on the game show, he was also a killer. In the year that followed, Alcala would go on to murder several other women until he was finally caught and convicted for his crimes. At his trial, Rodney Alcala w ... Show More
1h 4m
Feb 2025
Rodney Alcala: The Dating Game Killer (Part 2)
<p>At the time of his appearance on The Dating Game in 1978, Alcala was a convicted sexual predator who had served time for sexual assault and had only avoided a charge of attempted murder on a technicality. After his arrest, investigators would learn that, by the time he appeare ... Show More
1h 2m
Nov 2024
Woman Of The Hour with Ian McDonald
In 1978, a Texan-born man went on national TV, competing in and ultimately winning an episode of the popular American game show The Dating Game. This man was, according to host Jim Lange, a "successful photographer" who you might find "skydiving or motorcycling." Left out of that ... Show More
59m 26s
Jan 2025
The Unsolved Murder of Melissa Witt
<p>On December 1, 1994, nineteen-year-old Melissa Witt planned to meet her mother at a Fort Smith, Arkansas bowling alley, but by all appearances, she only made it as far as the parking lot. Two days later, investigators discovered Melissa’s car abandoned in the Bowling World par ... Show More
52m 11s