We hope you've enjoyed CULTOBER's cultertainment recommendations! Nobody asked her to do the hard work of compiling 45 shows, movies and documentaries to keep you entertained and informed but y'all know she's here to give you what you didn't know you wanted or needed!

In our last recommendation episode, Ash and Apostate Alex, from Ash and Alex Do Scientology, talk about culty movies that they love and why!
For links to all of the shows that Ash recommended, and where you can stream them, click here!


Find Previous Director of Public Book Sales at the Church of Scientology London, Apostate Alex, on his YouTube channel! Follow his anti-Scientology advocacy work on his on Scientology Business and find everything else Alex on his main website!

The video version of our interview with Sarah Edmonson from A Little Bit Culty podcast is available now on Alex's channel and the audio version will be out soon here!


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-Audio editing by Dallas Hernandez.

We've been talking about Christian Nationalism quite a bit recently as we've been discussing Christian fundamentalism and other related topics. It got us to thinking about why people think and behave the way that they do, and the answers that we found in the doc were surprisingly deep and pretty heart-wrenching.

"White Right: Meeting the Enemy is a 2017 documentary directed by Deeyah Khan. Deeyah travels to the United States to meet with some of the country's most prominent neo-Nazis and white supremacist leaders to seek to understand the personal and political reasons behind the apparent resurgence of far-right extremism in America. She made the film after being interviewed on TV about multiculturalism for which she received many threats and hate speech on social media." - Wikipedia


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-Audio editing by Dallas Hernandez.
-Sources:

• Watch for FREE here
• https://vimeo.com/661484608

kan

TW: sexual assault and child sex abuse.


-Join us for as little as $5 a month on Patreon!
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-Audio editing by River Innes.
-Sources:

• https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/books/q-and-a/a41047/growing-up-quiverfull-interview/
• https://www.npr.org/2009/03/25/102005062/in-quiverfull-movement-birth-control-is-shunned#:~:text=The%20movement%2C%20called%20Quiverfull%2C%20is,the%20right%20number%20of%20children.
• https://breakingblue.org/3342/uncategorized/the-quiverfull-movement-the-scary-truth/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Yates#cite_note-spencer-25
• https://web.archive.org/web/20170202131231/http://www.parkdietzassociates.com/files/Report_of_Dr._Park_Dietz_re._Andrea_Yates__2002.pdf
• https://www.ranker.com/list/rules-and-rituals-from-quiverfull-christian-movement/kathy-benjamin
• https://time.com/3918215/modesty-culture-rape-culture/
• https://www.rawstory.com/2016/05/duggar-cult-founder-plans-kansas-retreat-to-set-up-arranged-marriages-for-teen-girls/
• https://paulwilkinson.wordpress.com/2016/05/09/meet-evangelical-vaughn-ohlman-ranker-coms-worst-person-of-the-week/
• https://www.salon.com/2016/05/06/arranged_marriages_in_the_u_s_kansas_fundamentalist_group_tied_to_duggars_tries_to_get_teens_hitched/
• https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/a39980043/what-is-quiverfull-our-father/
• https://www.quiverfull.com/birth_control/dangersofvasectomy.html

Tristan Redman is a journalist who doesn’t believe in ghosts. But weird things happened in his teenage bedroom – weirder than normal. When, years later, he discovers subsequent occupants of his family home say they have been visited by the ghost of a faceless woman, he’s curious. It just so happens that the house Tristan grew up in is right next door to the house where his wife’s great grandmother, Naomi Dancy, was murdered – killed by two gunshots to the face. Could there be a connection? Tristan decides to investigate and soon finds himself where no son-in-law should ever be: delving deep into his wife’s family history asking questions no-one wants answered. Wondery and Pineapple Street Studios present Ghost Story — a seven-part podcast series about family secrets, overwhelming coincidence, and the things that come back to haunt us.

Follow Ghost Story on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of Ghost Story ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus. Listen HERE now!

This week, Ash is joined by Roberta Blevins of the Life After MLM podcast, and the Amazon Prime docuseries LulaRich! Roberta Blevins is a former Hun, who left the MLM world in 2017 and began publicly educating and speaking out against it. In her time in MLM, she was involved as a consultant for 3; It Works!, LuLaRoe and Modere, and a customer of many. Since leaving MLM, she has educated herself on the systemic structure of the business model, the psychological manipulation, the seedy underbelly and governmental ties, the cult indoctrination, and the history of Multi Level Marketing. She educates daily on TikTok, and podcasts in her "free time", talking to the survivors and victims of these commercial cults, disguised as the quickest route to the American Dream. Keep up to date with her on Instagram!

Roberta catches Ash up on alll of the Billy McFarland (DumpsterFyreFest) dirt! And Ash gives Roberta cultertainments recs on some of her favorite culty and scammy docs and shows.

For links to all of the shows that Ash recommended, and where you can stream them, click here!


-Join us for as little as $5 a month on Patreon!
-We have super fun merch, go take a look!
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-Audio editing by Gaytrice Perdue.

This week Fallon summarizes the second episode of Shiny Happy People, "Growing Up Gothard". In this episode, "as IBLP's homeschooling empire grows, it becomes clear that patriarchal, abusive authority is at the core of Bill Gothard and Jim Bob Duggar's power." - Amazon Prime

Ash then talks to Fallon about the IBLP's official child abuse manual, To Train Up a Child. Authored by Michael and Debi Pearl, the book has led to the death of at least three children. The purpose of the book is to break a child's will from infancy so they never become unruly.

TW: HEAVY child abuse of all kinds.


-Join us for as little as $5 a month on Patreon!
-We have super fun merch, go take a look!
-We'd love to see you in our Discord, come hang out!
-Research assistance by Peggie Brott.
-Audio editing by Ophelia Stone.
-Sources:

• Nogreaterjoy.org
• Marilyn Honig- Coffee, Cults, and Craftsl
• “Child ‘training’ book triggers backlash”
• “Did Hana’s parents ‘train’ her to death?”
• “Preaching in virtue of spanking, even as deaths fuel debate”
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Lydia_Schatz
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Hana_Grace-Rose_Williams#:~:text=Hana%20Grace%2DRose%20Williams%20
• http://poundpuplegacy.org/node/53001

Follow MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge the first 8 episodes, early and ad-free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today.

The human body is a miracle. But when it’s not working, it can be the stuff of nightmares. On this new series from master storyteller MrBallen, we’re sharing medical horror stories and diagnostic mysteries that are surgically calibrated to make your blood run cold.

From bizarre, unheard-of diseases and miraculous recoveries to strange medical mishaps and unexplainable deaths — you’ll never hear the phrase “heart-stopping” in the same way again. MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries is a first of its kind collaboration between MrBallen and Wondery, the award-winning company behind Dr. Death. Listen Here Now!

Hope you're having the spookiest Friday the 13th during this here first annual CULTOBER! This week Ash and some of the TSFU crew are living it up in Miami! We are going to a haunted house, but everyone except Ash is a baby and doesn't wanna visit Robert 😆 (or they just don't want to drive 7 hours to Key West but whatevs)...

For the rest of the month, Ash will be doing cultertainments recs with various guests. This week, Ash gives Ali recommendations on awesome culty TV shows!

For links to all of the shows that Ash recommended, and where you can stream them, click here!


-Join us for as little as $5 a month on Patreon!
-We have super fun merch, go take a look!
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-Audio editing by Dallas Hernandez.

"The New F Word" is a sort of hybrid between "TSFU Presents" and "Binge or Bust?", where Ash and co-host Fallon Morey watch and discuss the Amazon Prime docuseries, "Shiny Happy People", about the Duggar family, their TLC show "16, 17, etc. Kids and Counting", the charismatic leader that they follow, Bill Gothard (a Fundamentalist Christian, aka "Fundie", minster), Christian Fundamentalism and topics identified in the series that they felt needed further exploring.

This week Ash summarizes the first episode of Shiny Happy People, "Meet the Duggars". In this episode, "the shiny facade of America's favorite giant family, and the ministry that guided their conservative values, is shattered, revealing a troubling reality underneath." - Amazon Prime

Fallon then tells Ash about "freak shows", and how, when and why they started. She also expands on Sociology Professor and Author Danielle Lindeman's idea that, "TLC is the home of many of today’s 'modern day freak show' programs". And the gals discuss why the network is so problematic... aside from the Duggars and their shows.

For the full context, make sure to listen to the first two episodes of the series first:
The New F Word- Ep. 1: Christian Fundamentalist Influencers with Lindsey Williams
The New F Word- Ep. 2: The C, N, F and E Words with Katherine Spearing


-Join us for as little as $5 a month on Patreon!
-We have super fun merch, go take a look!
-We'd love to see you in our Discord, come hang out!-
-Follow us on Instagram and Twitter!
-Audio editing by Ophelia Stone.
-Sources:

• https://the-artifice.com/the-modern-freak-show/
• https://variety.com/2012/tv/news/is-reality-tv-the-modern-day-equivalent-of-the-sideshow-act-9092/amp/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_programs_broadcast_by_TLC
• https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/01/the-profound-lack-of-empathy-in-my-husbands-not-gay/384414/
• https://www.thelist.com/176765/the-untold-truth-of-kids-by-the-dozen/
• What happened to educational television: The story of the Learning Channel https://hackeducation.com/2015/05/30/the-learning-channel
• https://deadline.com/2014/07/tlc-unveils-new-brand-campaign-and-tagline-808180/
• https://ew.com/article/2014/10/21/tlc-reality-show-answered-prayers/
• History of TLC, From Learning Channel to Honey Boo Boo (businessinsider.com)
• The Story Of The Real Tom Thumb Is More Disturbing Than We Thought (msn.com)

In its fifth season, TSFU Presents centered around the world's most terrifying dolls. CULTOBER seemed like a really appropriate time to re-release these little devils out into the world, and for y'all to re-familiarize yourself with our behind the scenes team!

In the cold, dark January of this year, Ash was joined by audio editor Gaytrice Perdue and audio editor, researcher and now co-host Ryan Pregent, as they discuss probably the most haunted doll in existence, Robert the Doll! This child sized doll has been cursing people left and right since the early 1900's. Robert was initially owned by a little boy who had a lifelong "friendship" (obsession) with him, and after switching owners a couple of times, he now resides in the Fort East Martello Museum in Key West, FL. There are some rules to follow if you go visit Robert, and if you don't, you could be in for some grave consequences. Robert receives thousands of letters from people apologizing for being disrespectful or not following the rules, begging him to remove the curse.

We have our second annual TSFU team retreat coming up on Thursday 10/12 and we'll be in Miami so we're swinging down to Key West to meet Robert while we're there! Pray for us.


-Join us for as little as $5 a month on Patreon!
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-We have awesome new merch, go take a look!
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-Audio editing by Emma Bowen.
-Research assistance by Emily Springer.