My Favorite Podcasts
About four years ago, I was working in a really dull, dead-end job. The office was musty and quiet, the employees were silent and unfriendly, and I craved the sound of talking... or really any sound at all. I remember vividly typing into Google "podcasts about Bravo" - I'm such a reality tv nut and I have no shame about it! I ran across a podcast called "Watch What Crappens" and immediately fell in love with the hosts, Ronnie and Ben. At that time, they were only recording once a week. I would gobble up their hour-long podcast and impatiently wait until the next week's edition.
Since then, Watch What Crappens has become a daily podcast, and my life is now complete. Ronnie and Ben do hilarious recaps into Bravo TV shows. They have ridiculous impressions and inside jokes. I actually feel like I'm sitting and chatting with my besties instead of listening to a podcast. I told my little sister about Watch What Crappens, and we text daily about some joke that was on the latest episode. Shout out to Ronnie and Ben, my sister, Sarah, and I want to be your friends! Love you guys!In any case, the Crappens guys have inspired me to listen to more podcasts. I have made a list below of my favorites. I now subscribe to so many of them that it's difficult to keep up!
- Watch What Crappens. Besides the awesomeness I've explained above, Ronnie Karam and Ben Mandelker answer questions from a weekly mailbag where readers submit questions, requests for impressions, and hypothetical scenarios to play out for the audience.
- The Rose Pricks Podcast. Any Bachelor/Bachelorette/Paradise fans? You have to listen to this hilarious podcast that recaps each episode. Ronnie Karam (yes, the same Ronnie from Crappens) and Stefanie Wilder Taylor mock the entire show and do deep dives into the psyche of the crazy women (and men) that willingly participate on this crappy, but wonderful, television.
- Up and Vanished. Okay, I know this is a total 180 from my reality television obsession. Up and Vanished is a real crime podcast that follows the disappearance of a teacher from Georgia in 2005. The case has so many crazy twists and turns, and remains unsolved. Payne Lindsey, the host, has never produced a podcast before, which is pretty impressive after hearing a few episodes. He has been playing detective in real time, and giving weekly updates on the case since September. In a way, I guess this is reality television, just in audio form!
- Accused. Similar to Up and Vanished, Accused is a project done by journalists at The Cincinnati Enquirer in which they do a deep dive into a murder case from 1978. Beth Andes was found in her apartment near The University of Miami (the one in Ohio) by her boyfriend, Bob. Bob was then tried for murder, but was found innocent in both the civil and criminal trials. Since then, the case has been closed, even though Bob was found to be innocent. The two journalists investigate other leads and dive deeper into the police investigation.
- This American Life. Usually told in a first person narrative, This American Life chronicles normal, every day Americans daily lives and experiences. Sometimes, they are totally bizarre. Other times, totally simple and relatable stories. It's an interesting take on journalism, because it's so raw and so real.
