The Juggalette

Every summer for the past seven decades, 50 high school seniors—one from every state—descend on Mobile, Alabama to take part in one of the country’s most lucrative scholarship competitions for teen girls. The Competition takes you behind the scenes of the Distinguished Young Women (DYW) program, and follows seven girls as they experience the highs and lows of competing for two weeks, away from home and under the most high-stress circumstances. Some girls enter for the money, some for prestige. All of them are used to being the best and the brightest. But only one will walk away with the top prize. Host Shima Oliaee (Dolly Parton’s America, Pink Card) was Nevada’s contestant in 2001. More than 20 years later, she returns to Alabama as a judge. What can two weeks with 50 of the country’s most ambitious teens tell us about girlhood in America? Listen to The Competition on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes early and ad-free right now on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts. Start your free trial by visiting http://wondery.fm/TC_Infamous now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As some students hear back from colleges this spring, Vanessa and Natalie dig deeper into the admissions hysteria, obsession, and scandal. The Varsity Blues case might have cracked open an illegal underworld of corrupt deals—but there are plenty of perfectly legal ways privileged parents bend the system to their will. Think test prep, tutors, and college coaches who charge hundreds of thousands of dollars to text kids reminding them to turn in their math homework. Today, Vanessa talks to Sarah Bernstein, playwright, college essay writing coach, and author of the New York Times story, “Elite College Admissions Have Turned Students Into Brands.” Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Infamous show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you get your podcasts. A Campside Media & Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2019, a case called Varsity Blues cracked open college admissions, revealing a nexus of corrupt athletic coaches and celebrity parents willing to spend hundreds of thousands to guarantee their children spots at top schools. At the center of the scandal was a shady, smooth-talking con-artist named Rick Singer, primed to take advantage of parents’ insecurities, fears, and ambitions for their children. In this episode, Vanessa talks with Eric Rosen, the prosecutor in the Varsity Blues case, about the juicy details—from finding Singer to wire tapping his phone—and reflects on what this case tells us about U.S. colleges and the admissions process today. Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Infamous show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you get your podcasts. A Campside Media & Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the 90s, you couldn’t escape rapper and record executive Sean Love Combs (aka Puff Daddy or P. Diddy) and his hit songs like “It's All About the Benjamins.” Now Combs is back in the spotlight, but for far darker reasons: a series of sex trafficking and abuse claims. This week, we’re delving into Combs’s decades-long relationship with the late Kim Porter, a model, singer, and actress. Vanessa speaks to Porter’s close friend, who remembers the couple’s fraught dynamic and what she says were warning signs of Combs’s alleged controlling, vindictive, and erratic behavior. Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Infamous show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you get your podcasts. A Campside Media & Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While Natalie and Vanessa were researching Meghan Markle, another royal scandal took over the internet. Kate Middleton disappeared from public view, unleashing a flood of speculation and conspiracy theories, only to reappear with the shocking and emotional revelation that she has a cancer diagnosis. Natalie and Vanessa chat with Anna Pasternak, a fantastic biographer who profiled the Duchess of Cambridge in a controversial Tatler piece, and look at the complex relationship between the press and the monarchy in Great Britain. Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Infamous show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you get your podcasts. A Campside Media & Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The only family that might be messier than Megan Markle’s? Her husband’s. This week, we’re diving into the royals, and how the firm’s staid, slow, and highly invasive rules clashed with Meghan’s swift, go-getter, Hollywood style. Plus, we’ll tell you about the time Meghan promised to do the calligraphy for journalist Justine Harman's wedding invitations. Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Infamous show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you get your podcasts. A Campside Media & Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With Kate Middleton's "disappearance" in the headlines, we investigate another Princess who absconded: Meghan Markle. But the real question is, who is Meghan? Is she a fearless advocate speaking out against an antiquated institution? Or an opportunist obsessed with managing her public image? Or…both? This week, we’re investigating Meghan’s complicated, layered family drama, from public conflict with her half-sister Samantha to her dad’s staged paparazzi photos. Vanessa gives us the inside scoop based on her reporting on Meghan for Vanity Fair and The Cut. Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Infamous show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you get your podcasts. A Campside Media & Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did Lindsay Lohan go from starring alongside Meryl Streep and Jamie Lee Curtis to doing court-ordered community service at the LA county morgue? Vanessa and Natalie are joined by journalists Evgenia Peretz and  Brennan Kilbane, and photographer Jill Ishkanian, to trace Lindsay’s rise, fall, and the cycle of screwups and comeback attempts she’s been on ever since. Could a Lohanaissaince finally be upon us? Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Infamous show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you get your podcasts. A Campside Media & Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Before Harvey Weinstein’s serious crimes were exposed to the public, he was simply known for being a successful — and notoriously volatile — film producer. When journalist Andrew Goldman attends the same ritzy event as Harvey, an altercation turns into a full-on fistfight. In his hilarious telling of the unbelievable true story, Goldman reflects on the disturbing ways powerful people have wielded control over the media. Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Infamous show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you get your podcasts. A Campside Media & Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In an age where we’re all defined by our digital presence, social media savvy can be a kind of superpower. This week, Vanessa interviews Caroline Calloway, the scammer sensation who spent her pandemic trying to bounce back from a viral article that convinced the world she was a hack. (But maybe also made her famous?) Vanessa also introduces us to Peter Bogner, who was in a lengthy back and forth with reporters over issues with a Covid database. Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Infamous show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you get your podcasts. A Campside Media & Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices