In this three-part true-crime style podcast, Jodi Walker unpacks one of the biggest pop culture moments of 2023: Scandoval. A reality TV scandal so unbelievable that it dominated the zeitgeist, revived a dying franchise with an unexpected jolt to the Bravo ecosystem, and generated hundreds of conspiracy theories, thousands of podcast episodes, and millions of dollars in revenue for the very people it also harmed. It’s the story of an affair carried out under the noses of not just a deeply strange and incestuous friend group, but also a notoriously ravenous reality TV fan base, made all the more hungry by the rare opportunity to play detective in real time.
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In this three-part true-crime style podcast, Jodi Walker unpacks one of the biggest pop culture moments of 2023: Scandoval. A reality TV scandal so unbelievable that it dominated the zeitgeist, revived a dying franchise with an unexpected jolt to the Bravo ecosystem, and generated hundreds of conspiracy theories, thousands of podcast episodes, and millions of dollars in revenue for the very people it also harmed. It’s the story of an affair carried out under the noses of not just a deeply strange and incestuous friend group, but also a notoriously ravenous reality TV fan base, made all the more hungry by the rare opportunity to play detective in real time.
Scandoval wasn’t exposed in a vacuum; no, it broke four episodes into an ongoing season of 'Vanderpump Rules.' Armed with a surprisingly accurate timeline born of Reddit posts, Instagram stories, and podcast clues, reality TV viewers spent the next 10 weeks watching Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss start an affair behind the backs of 'VPR' producers and directly in the face of several friends, plus millions of fans. The hunt for Season 10 easter eggs led to bombshell ratings for a previously waning franchise, and a gold rush for anyone even tangentially related to the scandal. And it all culminated in a three-part reunion that finally answered HOW Scandoval happened, but still left us asking one final question: WHY?
Host: Jodi Walker
Producers: Kaya McMullen, Andrew Gruttadaro, and Vikram Patel
Sound Design: Kaya McMullen
Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville
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An American Scandoval
In this three-part true-crime style podcast, Jodi Walker unpacks one of the biggest pop culture moments of 2023: Scandoval. A reality TV scandal so unbelievable that it dominated the zeitgeist, revived a dying franchise with an unexpected jolt to the Bravo ecosystem, and generated hundreds of conspiracy theories, thousands of podcast episodes, and millions of dollars in revenue for the very people it also harmed. It’s the story of an affair carried out under the noses of not just a deeply strange and incestuous friend group, but also a notoriously ravenous reality TV fan base, made all the more hungry by the rare opportunity to play detective in real time.
