What's the single most compelling podcast episode you've ever listened to?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hands down it's s-town for me. There's an episode close to the end that gotten me. It's only 6 or so episodes, so short.

But I will say the series came under some criticism for being, I don't know, exploitative of mental illness.

I'll also just say it hit a number of my buttons and maybe I'm unique in that way - small town, southern, fitting in, mental illness, giftedness, loss. It was a very meaningful podcast to me.

I absolutely agree about S-Town. Incredible story. I didn’t know anything about it and I ended up sobbing on the way home from work during one of the episodes

I also was completely riveted by Cold, season 1 - Susan Powell.

Agree about S-Town as well. I’ll have to check out Cold season 1 now since it looks like we may have the same taste

[Anonymous]

There was one I heard about the great sausage eating contests and how participants downed several dozen.

[Anonymous]

I think it was one episode of This American Life, with a low-income student theme, but I could be confusing two similar episodes for one. Top students at an awful inner-city school spend the day at a pricey Ivy prep school (Fieldston), then it gives an update on their life like 5 years later?

1 — poor Black girl, really assertive personality, no. 1 in her inner-city high school and has big dreams. Update is she never went to college, just ended up broke and trapped working dead-end gig at Whole Foods. She's said in retrospect she realized she wasn't smart, her school was just low performing, which gave her delusions of grandeur.

2 — poor Black boy and girlfriend each win 100% full ride financial aid to the same SLAC. Boy skips classes, doesn't study, doesn't ask for help...is kicked out for failing too many classes. He didn't fully grasp the college kicked (counseled) him out, so he returned after Christmas break and his dorm key didn't work and they told him to leave campus. In contrast, the girlfriend studied hard, thrived and graduated.

3 — counselor bent over backwards to get another Black girl get into I think it was Williams College? 100% free full ride. She quit after a semester to move back near her boyfriend in the ghetto and went to a junior college nursing program instead.

4 — inner-city kid gets full ride to Choate boarding school in NJ for 9th-12th. like basically a $200,000 lottery ticket. his piece of garbage drug addict mom wouldn't let him go!

Just heartbreaking content.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've listened to a lot of podcasts and the ones that come immediately to mind that I liked the most are as follows:

Ronan Farrow-Catch and Kill

Criminal w/Phoebe Judge
(Lots of episodes were great but I can't remember exactly which ones)

Teacher's Pet
Crazy story from Australia, not sure how available it is now because the main guy got charged as a result of the podcast reviving the story and it's in the courts now.

I had to stop listening to Teacher's Pet. If I had to hear "lovely drink" one more time I was going to vomit

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The second season of In the Dark- the story of Curtis Flowers is all that is wrong with the US. I couldn’t stop listening but it is incredibly frustrating.

The Promise from Nashville Public Radio. It’s about the history of desegregation and segregation in Nashville schools. It’s really eye opening and well done.

In the Dark for sure. I wanted to junk punch that prosecuter

[Anonymous]

Dirty John. Probably the last episode in the series. But all episodes were pretty riveting.

[Anonymous]

It’s hard to pinpoint one episode but there were some really powerful episodes of the podcast “Everything Happens” by Kate Bowler

Also the Against the Odds episodes on the Thai cave rescue

And of course Dr. Death

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it was one episode of This American Life, with a low-income student theme, but I could be confusing two similar episodes for one. Top students at an awful inner-city school spend the day at a pricey Ivy prep school (Fieldston), then it gives an update on their life like 5 years later?

1 — poor Black girl, really assertive personality, no. 1 in her inner-city high school and has big dreams. Update is she never went to college, just ended up broke and trapped working dead-end gig at Whole Foods. She's said in retrospect she realized she wasn't smart, her school was just low performing, which gave her delusions of grandeur.

2 — poor Black boy and girlfriend each win 100% full ride financial aid to the same SLAC. Boy skips classes, doesn't study, doesn't ask for help...is kicked out for failing too many classes. He didn't fully grasp the college kicked (counseled) him out, so he returned after Christmas break and his dorm key didn't work and they told him to leave campus. In contrast, the girlfriend studied hard, thrived and graduated.

3 — counselor bent over backwards to get another Black girl get into I think it was Williams College? 100% free full ride. She quit after a semester to move back near her boyfriend in the ghetto and went to a junior college nursing program instead.

4 — inner-city kid gets full ride to Choate boarding school in NJ for 9th-12th. like basically a $200,000 lottery ticket. his piece of garbage drug addict mom wouldn't let him go!

Just heartbreaking content.

Update is 10 years later, not five.
1 — she almost won a full scholarship to Middlebury but lost in the finals of the selection process and then basically gave up on college.
2 — boy and girl went to Bard in Maine for free, boy was kicked out.

Episode is called Three Miles.
https://www.thisamericanlife.org/550/three-miles

[Anonymous]

4 — is actually Malcolm Gladwell's podcast. Boy's name was Carlos. It's even worse than not being able to go to Choate. After the mom doesn't let him go, she ends up losing him because of her criminal and drug convictions. Carlos had to go into foster care instead of a prestigious boarding school for free 9th thru 12th.

https://podcasts.apple.com/pk/podcast/carlos-doesnt-remember/id1119389968?i=1000372044232

[Anonymous]

Family Secrets by Dani Shapiro

[Anonymous]

This America Life 61: Fiasco! Laugh until you cry

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it was one episode of This American Life, with a low-income student theme, but I could be confusing two similar episodes for one. Top students at an awful inner-city school spend the day at a pricey Ivy prep school (Fieldston), then it gives an update on their life like 5 years later?

1 — poor Black girl, really assertive personality, no. 1 in her inner-city high school and has big dreams. Update is she never went to college, just ended up broke and trapped working dead-end gig at Whole Foods. She's said in retrospect she realized she wasn't smart, her school was just low performing, which gave her delusions of grandeur.

2 — poor Black boy and girlfriend each win 100% full ride financial aid to the same SLAC. Boy skips classes, doesn't study, doesn't ask for help...is kicked out for failing too many classes. He didn't fully grasp the college kicked (counseled) him out, so he returned after Christmas break and his dorm key didn't work and they told him to leave campus. In contrast, the girlfriend studied hard, thrived and graduated.

3 — counselor bent over backwards to get another Black girl get into I think it was Williams College? 100% free full ride. She quit after a semester to move back near her boyfriend in the ghetto and went to a junior college nursing program instead.

4 — inner-city kid gets full ride to Choate boarding school in NJ for 9th-12th. like basically a $200,000 lottery ticket. his piece of garbage drug addict mom wouldn't let him go!

Just heartbreaking content.

3 — Sounds like it is from an interview with the author of Hold Fast To Dreams, a former inner city school college counselor. And yes, the she quit a free full ride at Williams after one semester to get a 2-year associates degree in nursing at a NYC community college.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hold-fast-to-dreams-beth-zasloff/1117046202

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This America Life 61: Fiasco! Laugh until you cry

Is that the one with squirrel cop? So funny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's old, but I was so riveted by the first Season of Serial about Adnan Syad.

+1

It really remains the best one.

Omg yes

Whats it about?

[Anonymous]

"I am Not A Monster" might be the most riveting podcast I've ever listened to.