This episode of Culture Dumps is brought to you by Magic Mind. For 45% off of your order of the new 24 Hour Pack go to magicmind.com/CDJAN

We are back with part one of a new double dump! Ryan and Parks dive into the sensation that was American Gladiators. Forged from longstanding down home competition, an Elvis impersonator and arm wrestling champion take their small town dreams to Hollywood and end up creating one of the most talked about shows of the late 80’s and early 90’s. But behind the all American image, there was turmoil and treachery… 

Mike Diana is the only artist in the history of the United States to be convicted of artistic obscenity. In the early to mid 1990’s Mike’s trial was international news. His story was born out of the ashes of the satanic panic and serial killer craze that held the country, particularly the state of Florida, in its clutches. Mike’s now infamous comic book series “Boiled Angel” landed him in jail and was the catalyst of a multi-decade legal battle, a battle in which Mike would be declared the victor. This is a story unlike any other and is easily one of the most fascinating we have covered on this show.

In our second edition of the banned toys series, Ryan is joined by comedian Liz Hader to reflect on several Barbie mishaps and forgottens. From single mother dolls to NSA threats, this episode has it all. While not all of these dolls were banned, they all call for the proper dump treatment.

On our last dump, we began the saga of Charlie Sheen’s Winning Era, a low yet VERY high point in his lengthy career. After becoming the highest paid actor in television history and also one of Hollywood’s once again most eligible bachelor’s, Charlie found himself drifting back to his old ways, and after a bomb shell 20/20 interview, he reinvented himself to become the Warlock with Tiger’s Blood. Oh, and things come crashing down. Ryan is joined once again by Eric D of Methsyndicate to tell the tale.

Oh to be alive during the great Sheen meltdown of 2011. It was a glorious time for tabloid culture and social media and content hosting platforms. The tale of Charlie Sheen is long and complex with inexplicable ups and downs. Ryan is joined by Eric D of Meth Syndicate to get to the bottom of what was really going on, and they attempt to answer the age old question, “was he actually winning?” 

This is the harrowing conclusion of our two part interview with the icon Vanessa “Daisy” de la Hoya. Vanessa explains the origins of Daisy and tells the true story of “Daisy of Love.” Complete with bed bugs, on camera brawls, love, loss, and plenty more that truly makes this series one of our all time best. Her story is complex and not an easy one to tell so who better to sum it all up than Daisy herself.

The dump gods have smiled upon all of us! This is part one of our interview with the legendary Vanessa “Daisy” de la Hoya, yes, Daisy from DAISY OF LOVE and ROCK OF LOVE. This is a true glimpse into the world of some of the most notorious reality television of all time. As Daisy, Vanessa moved to LA specifically to be on Rock of Love season two.  Her charm, humor, and honesty landed her her very own dating show where a house full of hooligans competed for her love and the rest is history.

Our latest special guest is Jeff Uncapher, an accomplished reality tv producer and director with hundreds of episodes worth of credits under his belt. Jeff specializes in home renovation shows which is a realm of reality tv we have yet to dive into on this show. There’s a lot more to it than just fixing houses, there’s also grizzly bears, on site accidents, and deep personal connections to the folks Jeff and his team aim to please by helping them build their dream homes.

The term “found footage” gets thrown around a lot within the world of media nerddom but our pal Bret Berg is definitely an authority on the subject. Bret and Ryan discuss the many facets of the world of found footage and niche media in general.
*this was originally a patreon exclusive but we decided to make it available for all dumpers!

While the entertainer that came to be known solely as “Gallagher” made his name smashing watermelons, he was actually a fully developed comedic powerhouse, until he wasn’t. Gallagher’s signature bit overshadowed much of his other work, which was, in reality, about 95% of what he did on stage. On this episode we breakdown how a silly melon smashing jester became the target of harsh criticism who was washed away in the changing tide of the times.