Because loving reality isn't a crime!
Reality TV loves little more than romantically pairing rich people with the poors. But what happens when the rich people frauded their way to wealth, and their rap sheet is larger than their stock portfolio? Rebekah will tell you as she shines a light on the OG matchmaker, Patti Stanger and her thrice retitled TV show, Millionaire Matchmaker.
Patti herself was also the victim of a crime that remains unsolved and will have you double checking your hotel room the next time you travel. But you will really demand justice when you hear Patti ridicule the matchmaking hopefuls. Tyra walked so Patti Stanger could run.
Come for the Tori Spelling segment, stay for Rebekah and Melissa’s real-time Patti Stanger discovery at the very end!
Here’s what the hosts are watching as of today’s episode:
Melissa: Improv Broadway, TikTok
Rebekah: Dear Child, Netflix
Rebekah gave the following clues for the next episode!
A&E
JEWELS
JINX
We are @criminalityshow on IG/FB + Twitter
We are @criminalitypodcastTikTok on TikTok
You can say hi and tell us what you’re watching: [email protected]
Enjoy the show? Please rate/review then share with a friend because loving REALITY isn’t a CRIME! https://podfollow.com/criminality
We have a website where you can see all past episodes, our TV recommendations, and buy MERCH! https://www.criminalityshow.com/
SOURCES:
Nicki Swift.com
https://www.nickiswift.com/1492133/millionaire-matchmaker-biggest-scandals-behind-the-scenes/
Ny Post
https://pagesix.com/2019/05/03/shocked-patti-stanger-says-hotel-robbery-served-as-a-wakeup-call/
Distractify
https://www.distractify.com/p/patti-stanger-married#:~:text=As%20of%20April%202024%2C%20Patti,Beyond%20The%20Velvet%20Rope%20podcast.
Daily Mail UK
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-4239876/Patti-Stanger-named-lawsuit.html
Vulture
https://www.vulture.com/2011/11/watch-a-compilation-of-patti-stangers-most-cutting-insults.html
Reality Tea
WKYC
Variety
https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/nick-viall-patti-stanger-the-matchmaker-cw-1235911728/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In the surprise of all surprises, Melissa announces that today’s story is about actor Gary Busey. Perhaps you will be surprised to learn that he was a regular on reality TV shows and really made the rounds from Celebrity Apprentice to Celebrity Rehab. Or maybe you knew that. Don’t worry, because that is the LEAST crazy part of today’s episode.
Melissa teaches us Gary Busey 101 which involves “busey-isms,” and walks us through his legal troubles which range from pretty comical to very criminal. Tune in for a story you didn’t see coming. Speaking of seeing, watch out for Gary if you are driving in Los Angeles.
Come for Busey, stay for a correction corner, previous story update, and another segment of “Under Tori’s Spell.”
Here’s what the hosts are watching as of today’s episode:
Melissa: The Jinx Season 2, MAX
Rebekah: Vanderpump Villa, HULU
Rebekah gave the following clues for the next episode!
BRAVO
NET WORTH
DATING
We are @criminalityshow on IG/FB + Twitter
We are @criminalitypodcastTikTok on TikTok
You can say hi and tell us what you’re watching: [email protected]
Enjoy the show? Please rate/review then share with a friend because loving REALITY isn’t a CRIME! https://podfollow.com/criminality
We have a website where you can see all past episodes, our TV recommendations, and buy MERCH! https://www.criminalityshow.com/
SOURCES:
Sources:
Due to character limits, a complete list of sources is available upon request.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Rebekah is not so reluctantly delving into the TLC waters today. When Melissa mentioned a possible cult connection for one of the couples on the current season of Seeking Sister Wife, it became clear Rebekah would need to dive in and report back. Even she was shocked by what she uncovered about a cult called The Alamo Christian Foundation.
Justin and Becky Ryan seem like a pretty average couple, at least on the TLC spectrum of rankings. But once Rebekah reveals just how central the Alamo Christian Foundation was in their upbringing, it becomes impossible to view their creepy behavior the same way.
She explores the serious crimes of Becky Ryan’s step-dad, Tony Alamo, which include body smuggling and kidnapping, and examine the Ryan’s dating tactics - are they simply peculiar or actually predatory?
And you don’t want to miss Melissa and Rebekah’s newest “segment” at the top of the show where they share what they’ve learned from Tori Spelling’s new podcast, MisSpelling.
Here’s what the hosts are watching as of today’s episode:
Melissa: Unlocked: A Jail Experiment, Netflix
Rebekah: The Tourist, Netflix
Melissa gave the following clues for the next episode!
BUDDY HOLLY
TEETH
ARKANSAS
We are @criminalityshow on IG/FB + Twitter
We are @criminalitypodcastTikTok on TikTok
You can say hi and tell us what you’re watching: [email protected]
Enjoy the show? Please rate/review then share with a friend because loving REALITY isn’t a CRIME! https://podfollow.com/criminality
We have a website where you can see all past episodes, our TV recommendations, and buy MERCH! https://www.criminalityshow.com/
SOURCES
Religion News Blog
https://www.religionnewsblog.com/8506
Encyclopedia of Arkansas
https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/tony-alamo-4224/
Refinery 29
https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/06/202525/tony-alamo-cult-leader-denim-jackets
The Guardian
NY Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/03/us/obituary-tony-alamo-minister-sexual-abuse.html
People
https://people.com/crime/tony-alamo-child-brides-speak/
Yahoo
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/seeking-sister-wife-becky-ryan-170009446.html
Cheat Sheet
Oprah
https://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/tony-alamos-alleged-child-brides/all
In Touch Weekly
https://www.intouchweekly.com/posts/seeking-sister-wife-are-the-merrifields-still-together/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
“Extreme” really is the only way to describe the ABC show that sometimes blew up old homes to create new ones for deserving families. And sure, carousels and fountains in your home SOUNDS amazing, but when that bus moves on, sometimes families were left with astronomical electric bills and unfinished work in its wake.
Melissa is rolling up her sleeves for today’s story about Extreme Home Makeover, and she cautions you to put on your safety glasses because the show’s host, Ty Pennington’s frosted tips are blinding.
Between a few show reboots due to pending lawsuits and the need to tweak the show’s premise (families going bankrupt after the show wasn’t great for ratings), and Ty’s own brush with the law, this episode is full of nostalgic moments, a heated debate over Ty’s attractiveness, and a very necessary processing of feelings after listening to Tori Spelling’s new podcast.
Here’s what the hosts are watching as of today’s episode:
Melissa: The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys, Peacock
Rebekah: Quiet on Set, MAX
Rebekah gave the following clues for the next episode!
TLC
CULTS
MULTIPLES
We are @criminalityshow on IG/FB + Twitter
We are @criminalitypodcastTikTok on TikTok
You can say hi and tell us what you’re watching: [email protected]
Enjoy the show? Please rate/review then share with a friend because loving REALITY isn’t a CRIME! https://podfollow.com/criminality
We have a website where you can see all past episodes, our TV recommendations, and buy MERCH! https://www.criminalityshow.com/
SOURCES
Sources:
Additional sources available at criminalityshow.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Love may or may not be blind, but six seasons in, Love is Blind contestants should be able to see the writing on the pod wall; this show is a mixed bag of questionable motivation and irresistible mess, served up in a gold goblet.
15 men and 15 women falling in love sight unseen and then committing to marriage in the span of 3 weeks — what could go wrong? A lot if you’re the network, production, or casting company.
There are three active lawsuits against Netflix and their partner production companies ranging from “inhumane working conditions,” to “sexual assault” and “false imprisonment.”
Is this just a case of bruised egos who didn’t get enough screen time, or part of the larger reality reckoning happening in unscripted television?
Listen as Rebekah walks us through some of the more memorable Love is Blind moments, and the accusations against the show and its producers, and then you decide if love — and justice — are blind.
Here’s what the hosts are watching as of today’s episode:
Melissa: Apple Never Fall,, Peacock
Rebekah: Expats, Prime
We are @criminalityshow on IG/FB + Twitter
We are @criminalitypodcastTikTok on TikTok
You can say hi and tell us what you’re watching: [email protected]
Enjoy the show? Please rate/review then share with a friend because loving REALITY isn’t a CRIME! https://podfollow.com/criminality
We have a website where you can see all past episodes, our TV recommendations, and buy MERCH! https://www.criminalityshow.com/
Business Insider
Texas Monthly
Marie Claire
Deadline (Tran Dang and Renee Poche Lawsuits)
https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Dang-love-is-bind.pdf
https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Love-Is-Blind-suit-conformed-copy-1-1.pdf
People
Today
https://www.today.com/popculture/love-is-blind-lawsuit-renee-poche-engagement-explained-rcna132127
Variety
https://variety.com/2023/streaming/columns/bethenny-frankel-bryan-freedman-mark-geragos-reality-stars-1235682247/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In honor of the final episodes of Love Is Blind, Season 6, please enjoy this rRE-PLAY episode about Nick Lachey, “of course. We will be back with a new episode and special guest next week!
Nick Lachey hoped for a red hot career but as Melissa reveals in today's episode, it was only ever lukewarm at best.
As the frontman of the boy-band, 98 degrees, Nick longed for a solo career that would take him to the next level. Meanwhile his future wife, Jessica Simpson, was desperate to step out of Britney and Christna’s shadows. This would be a marriage made in heaven — or at least on MTV’s reality show, “Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica.”
Though Nick’s body temperature was normal, it seems there was a white hot rage that boiled beneath his frosted tip surface, and he directed it at unsuspecting people which got him into some legal and criminal trouble.
Tune in for some iconic reality show moments and to hear Melissa and Rebekah’s rating of boy bands from the 90’s and early 00’s.
Here’s what the hosts are watching as of today’s episode:
Melissa: Seeking Brother Husband, TLC
Rebekah: How to Get Rich, Netflix
We are @criminalityshow on IG/FB + Twitter
We are @criminalitypodcastTikTok on TikTok
You can say hi and tell us what you’re watching: [email protected]
Enjoy the show? Please rate/review then share with a friend because loving REALITY isn’t a CRIME! https://podfollow.com/criminality
We have a website where you can see all past episodes, our TV recommendations, and buy MERCH! https://www.criminalityshow.com/
Episode Sources:
YOUTUBE:
POP MATTERS:
https://www.popmatters.com/newlyweds-2496225866.html
NEWSPAPERS.COM:
https://www.newspapers.com/image/144908179/?terms=nick%20lachey&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/758879056/?terms=nick%20lachey&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/758879056/?terms=nick%20lachey&match=5
https://www.newspapers.com/image/859026170/?terms=nick%20lachey&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/942936201/?terms=nick%20lachey%20arrest&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/942936201/?terms=nick%20lachey%20arrest&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/449223612/?terms=nick%20lachey%20arrest&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/765751725/?terms=nick%20lachey%20arrest&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/664856563/?terms=nick%20lachey%20arrest&match=1
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY:
https://ew.com/article/2013/10/25/melissa-joan-hart-clarissa-explains-it-all/
WEB ARCHIVE:
https://web.archive.org/web/20081029072640/http://www.flakmag.com/tv/nickandjessica.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20081029072640/http://www.flakmag.com/tv/nickandjessica.html
TMZ:
https://www.tmz.com/2012/12/03/nick-lachey-kicked-out-chargers-bengals-game-video/
https://www.tmz.com/2012/12/04/nick-lachey-accuser-nfl-san-diego-chargers-choked-bitch/
PEOPLE:
https://people.com/celebrity/vanessa-minnillo-nick-lachey-get-married/
DAILY MOTION:
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x99d71
CONTACT MUSIC: https://www.contactmusic.com/vanessa-minnillo/news/minnillo-embarrassed-by-lohan-pictures_1038496
BUSTLE:
US MAGAZINE: https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/pictures/jessica-simpson-nick-lacheys-quotes-about-their-failed-marriage/
FAME:
https://www.fame10.com/entertainment/9-things-you-didnt-know-about-98-degrees/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
ALL ABOARD as Melissa takes us on our very first Below Deck Deep Dive! Whether you’re a hardcore yachtie, or simply aware the show exists, this is a voyage you won’t want to miss — chock full of oceanfront drama.
There’s always filled boat romances on Below Deck, but in today’s story, Kate Chastian — our complicated chief stew — finds herself in a violent situation with her partner that is less Below Deck and more COPS. (We have some body cam audio). But is she the aggressor or the victim? Listen and draw your own conclusion.
Come for the Below Deck tea, stay for a special audio cameo from one of our favorite podcasting friends!
We have a special co-host next episode and we’ll discuss a TLC show that centers on a LARGE family in Utah… and then Arizona. Any guesses? HA.
Here’s what the hosts are watching as of today’s episode:
Melissa: 51 Part viral video “Who the Bleep Did I Marry?”, TikTok
Rebekah: The Hustler and the Housewife Part 2, HULU
Follow us on social media! We are @criminalityshow on IG/FB + Twitter, but mostly just IG. TikTok @criminalitypodcasktiktok
You can say hi and tell us what you’re watching: [email protected]
Enjoy the show? Please rate/review then share with a friend because loving REALITY isn’t a CRIME! https://pod.link/criminality
Check out our website and new holiday MERCH: https://www.criminalityshow.com/criminality-shop
Sources:
Remaining sources are available on criminalityshow.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Fasten your shoe laces (and bolt your table to the floor if you’re prone to flipping them), because Rebekah is taking us around the world, but mostly to Missouri for this “rule breaking” and triumphant story.
Ryan Ferguson is not merely an author, podcast host, and former Amazing Race 3rd Place winner; he is also an exoneree whose remarkable story captured national attention. While his appearances on two reality shows garnered recognition, it was the events of 2003 that truly thrust him into the spotlight.
Oh, and the Holderness Family makes an appearance in the story.
Melissa gave the following clues for next episode:
Towels
Traitor
Tips
Here’s what the hosts are watching as of today’s episode:
Melissa: Curb Your Enthusiasm, MAX
Rebekah: Farmer Wants a Wife, Hulu
Follow us on social media! We are @criminalityshow on IG/FB + Twitter, but mostly just IG. TikTok @criminalitypodcasktiktok
You can say hi and tell us what you’re watching: [email protected]
Enjoy the show? Please rate/review then share with a friend because loving REALITY isn’t a CRIME! https://pod.link/criminality
Check out our website and new holiday MERCH: https://www.criminalityshow.com/criminality-shop
Sources:
CBS
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ryan-fergusons-fight-for-freedom/
ABC
https://abcnews.go.com/US/murder-convict-freed-case-unravels/story?id=20207994
Entertainment Weekly
https://ew.com/tv/the-amazing-race-season-33-cast/
Mid Missouri news
https://www.komu.com/news/midmissourinews/Chuck-erickson-released-from-prison-after-serving-nearly-20-years-for-kent-heitholt-murder/article_26c2f4aa-9034-11ed-b341-9bdec775b490.html
KOMU.com
Amazing Race YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a76HmSuUGbA
Holderness Family YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kjoUjOHjPI
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
A CRIMINALITY episode about the Amish? What could be criminal about this peaceful, private population who live off the land and eschew modern technology? Nothing. But no community is immune to the lure of making it on reality tv, and TLC’s Breaking Amish is living proof.
Melissa is going to break down the difference between mennonite and Amish, illuminate the origin of the title “Amish” itself, but mostly she is going to introduce to a handful of formerly Amish young adults with dreams that led them off the farm and into some trouble.
From addictions to adoptions, illegal acts to the illuminati, we’ll learn once again that the lines between reality and entertainment are blurred and that when it comes to these amish, there might be less breaking and more faking.
Melissa gave the following clues for next episode:
Race
Missouri
MTV
Here’s what the hosts are watching as of today’s episode:
Melissa: American Nightmare, Netflix
Rebekah:True Detective, MAX
Follow us on social media! We are @criminalityshow on IG/FB + Twitter, but mostly just IG. TikTok @criminalitypodcasktiktok
You can say hi and tell us what you’re watching: [email protected]
Enjoy the show? Please rate/review then share with a friend because loving REALITY isn’t a CRIME! https://pod.link/criminality
Check out our website and new holiday MERCH: https://www.criminalityshow.com/criminality-shop
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpW1Sso_ir8
https://www.facebook.com/BreakingAmishTheTruth
https://macleans.ca/culture/television/a-beginners-guide-to-breaking-amish/
https://www.npr.org/2006/06/07/5455572/rumspringa-amish-teens-venture-into-modern-vices
https://www.intouchweekly.com/posts/return-to-amish-sabrina-burkholder-kids-children-family/
https://www.intouchweekly.com/posts/sabrina-return-to-amish-2017-134175/
https://radaronline.com/celebrity-news/sabrina-burkholder-jail-drugs-return-to-amish/
https://www.intouchweekly.com/posts/return-to-amishs-sabrina-transformation-before-after-recovery/
https://www.intouchweekly.com/posts/breaking-amishs-sabrina-burkholder-and-jethro-nolt-split/
https://www.distractify.com/p/what-is-jeremiah-job-return-to-amish
https://www.distractify.com/p/jeremiah-raber-biological-father
https://soapdirt.com/return-to-amish-jeremiahs-dad-was-murdered-by-his-aunt-heres-why/
https://www.reddit.com/r/BreakingAmish/comments/185ndme/jeremiah_and_carmela_update/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Ringing in the new year with a story about a girl who loves a good party! Rebekah is tackling A list movie star turned tabloid party princess, Lindsay Lohan. But we aren’t mean girls, so we are giving our Li-lo the fair shot she deserves.
Lindsay’s arrests and court appearances read like a broken merry go round, but there are more than one crimes and scandals that pop out and deserve a deeper look. And the reality TV of it all? You likely missed one of Lindsay’s small screen debuts, but you will no doubt be joining Melissa and Rebekah in their Mykonos dance break.
Come for the court room drama, stay for some audio that will leave you wondering if you are awake or in a fever dream.
Melissa gave the following clues for next episode:
Sarasota
Dutch
Rumspringa
Here’s what the hosts are watching as of today’s episode:
Melissa: sMothered, TLC
Rebekah: May/December, Netflix
Follow us on social media! We are @criminalityshow on IG/FB + Twitter, but mostly just IG. TikTok @criminalitypodcasktiktok
You can say hi and tell us what you’re watching: [email protected]
Enjoy the show? Please rate/review then share with a friend because loving REALITY isn’t a CRIME! https://pod.link/criminality
Check out our website and new holiday MERCH: https://www.criminalityshow.com/criminality-shop
Sources:
BOSTON HERALD
https://www.bostonherald.com/2008/01/04/lohan-rehabs-one-swig-at-at-time/
E ONLINE
https://www.eonline.com/news/366957/lindsay-lohan-arrested-for-allegedly-assaulting-woman-at-new-york-city-nightclub
VULTURE
https://www.vulture.com/2020/01/watch-anderson-cooper-andy-cohen-lindsay-lohan-video.html
PEOPLE
https://people.com/crime/lindsay-lohan-accuses-boyfriend-of-trying-to-kill-her-report/
https://people.com/celebrity/lindsay-lohan-speaks-out-on-egor-tarabasov-and-abusive-relationship/
NPR
https://www.npr.org/2023/03/22/1165477713/lindsay-lohan-jake-paul-sec-crypto
THE THINGS
https://www.thethings.com/lindsay-lohan-almost-blew-her-interview-with-oprah/
OPRAH DAILY
NZ HERALD
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/lindsay-lohans-decade-long-fall-from-grace/72HCEUOKUVOEWTLHMQDULWZAHE/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Happy 2024!
In the spirit of all things NEW, check out our VERY FIRST EPISODE, when we launched three years ago in the winter of 2021. Melissa made a splash with the iconic story of Mike SOrrentino and Jersey Shore- if you are new to CRIMINALITY, welcome! This is a great place to start. For our returning listeners, enjoy this stroll down memory lane and we will see you next week with an all new episode! Below are the clues from Rebekah:
VOLKSWAGEN
DUBAI
OPRAH
Melissa invites us to travel back to a simpler time and place. 2009. The Jersey Shore. We fondly remember all that this MTV reality show gave us, but we also learn that Mike Sorrentino encountered the all too often quandary; “Mo Money, Mo Problems.” From failed businesses to tax evasion, Mike found himself in quite a situation.
We are @criminalityshow on IG/FB + Twitter
You can say hi and tell us what you’re watching: [email protected]
Enjoy the show? Please rate/review then share with a friend because loving REALITY isn’t a CRIME! https://podfollow.com/criminality
Episode Sources:
BROBIBLE: https://brobible.com/culture/article/mike-the-situation-sentenced-prison/
THE GUARDIAN: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/aug/17/jersey-shore-situation-abercrombie-fitch
INSIDER: https://www.insider.com/jersey-shore-things-you-didnt-know-2018-6
WEB ARCHIVE: https://web.archive.org/web/20100816124221/http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38646435/ns/today-entertainment
HOLLYWOOD REPORTER https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jersey-shores-situation-earn-5-26940
NJ.COM
https://www.nj.com/entertainment/2010/06/the_situation_releases_rap_tun.html
US MAGAZINE: https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/mike-the-situation-sorrentino-is-engaged-to-lauren-pesce/
https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrities/the-situation/
CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2014/06/17/showbiz/mike-situation-sorrentino-arrest/index.html
BUZZFEED NEWS: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tasneemnashrulla/unpleasant-situation
HOLLYWOOD REPORTER:
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/jersey-shore-star-loses-fitchuation-57975https://ew.com/article/2014/03/31/sorrentinos-the-situation-reality-series/
NZ HERALD:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/a-quick-word-mike-sorrentino/RBRQJSXUIUF37MH3UCCNGBUK2A/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Your feedback is valuable to us. Should you encounter any bugs, glitches, lack of functionality or other problems, please email us on [email protected] or join Moon.FM Telegram Group where you can talk directly to the dev team who are happy to answer any queries.