The Big Flop

When Jen Shah fled a Bravo filming location minutes before federal agents arrived, her castmates thought the cops might be strippers. They weren't. Instead, they were there to bust a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme that would send this Shah-mazing housewife from designer ski wear to prison jumpsuits.

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Bernie Madoff wasn't just good at making money disappear—he was a master at making people believe in financial magic. But when the 2008 financial crisis hit, his house of cards came tumbling down, revealing the largest Ponzi scheme in history and leaving everyone from Kevin Bacon to cancer research charities holding the bag.

Brent Pella (Wildin’ Out, Good Trip) and Joey Dardano (The Method, Help from a Hypocrite) join Misha to do an in-depth accounting of the Bernie Madoff story

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In the '90s, Jenny Craig wasn't just selling frozen meals – she was selling the American dream, one tiny chocolate cheesecake at a time. But between shady advertising claims, the Fen-Phen crisis, and a jaw injury that silenced their spokeswoman, this weight loss queen discovered that even the most carefully counted calories couldn't save her empire from crumbling.

Ronald Young Jr. (Weight for It) and Emmy Blotnick (The English Teacher, Bust Down) join Misha to shed some light on the many missteps of this dieting heavyweight.

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In 2004, backup dancer Kevin Federline hit the relationship jackpot when Britney Spears spotted him at an LA club. Two years, two babies, and one reality show later, K-Fed decided being Mr. Spears wasn't enough – he wanted to be Hip Hop royalty. But when his rap career tanked faster than his marriage, even Richard Branson and a truck covered in pennies couldn't save this wannabe rapper's career.

Alex Falcone (Portlandia) and Robby Hoffman (Hacks, Dying for Sex) join Misha to learn how K-Fed went from bustin’ a move to just plain busted

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Listen to The Big Flop on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/the-big-flop/ now.

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Celebrity spit parties, Met Gala appearances, and dreams of personalized medicine made 23andMe the hottest thing in biotech. Anne Wojcicki’s DNA tests promised to unlock the secrets of our genes – and maybe cure some diseases along the way. But when hackers exposed millions of users' genetic data, not even Richard Branson could save Anne from becoming another Silicon Valley casualty. 

Kevin Sullivan and Laura Peek join Misha to understand the building blocks of 23andMe's demise.

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Before there was Facebook, there was MySpace – and Tom Anderson was everyone's first friend. With his iconic profile pic and revolutionary platform, Tom turned social media into a cultural phenomenon. But when corporate suits came calling with fat checks and even bigger expectations, Tom went from being everyone’s first friend to the internet’s first cautionary tale. 

Erika Ishii and Brennan Lee Mulligan (Dimension 20, Dropout.tv) join Misha to get the lowdown on how Tom from Myspace fell out of everyone’s top 8.

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In the early 2000s, American Apparel was the coolest kid on the block, slinging ethically-made tees and scandalous billboards. But founder Dov Charney's penchant for office orgies and nude photoshoots proved too spicy for Wall Street, turning his sweatshop-free dream into a nightmare of lawsuits, bankruptcy, and one very public walk of shame.

Sasheer Zamata and Jared Goldstein join Misha to uncover the almost naked truth behind American Apparel.  

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The Hamburglar was just a mascot, but Jerome Jacobson was the real deal - a McDonald's security chief who pulled off the ultimate inside job. While millions of Americans peeled game pieces hoping for a miracle, this master manipulator was turning Big Macs into big bucks, orchestrating a multi-million dollar fraud. Discover the supersized story of how one man's greed turned America's favorite promotion into the biggest McFlop in fast-food history.

Ify Nwadiwe and Beth Stelling, join Misha to get salty about the McDonald’s Monopoly game.

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Rachel Dolezal built a life for herself as a teacher, a civil rights advocate, and a leader in her local NAACP chapter. There was just one problem: She built it all on a foundation of lies—and the biggest lie of all was about her race. When a local news crew discovered her secret and called her out in front of cameras, it all came crashing down on a national scale.

Naomi Ekperigin and Andy Beckerman (Couples Therapy) join Misha to break down the many lies of Rachel Dolezal—and there are a lot!

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At 2:30AM on Thanksgiving night 2009, Tiger Woods, one of the most famous athletes in the world, drove his car into a tree outside his neighbor’s house. This bizarre accident set off a chain of events that exposed Tiger’s secret affairs to the world and wound up wrecking more than his Escalade: It wrecked his marriage, and almost totaled his career.  

Brooke Siffrinn and Aricia Skidmore-Williams from Even the Rich join Misha to tee off on the salacious scandals of Tiger Woods.

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Listen to The Big Flop on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/the-big-flop/ now.

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