Pod Candy - Cults, Crimes & Killers

FLDS Sex Cult

This week on Pod Candy: Cults, Crimes and Killers, Stacey, Dori, and Dr. John Mayer break down Netflix’s Trust Me: The False Prophet, the disturbing four-part documentary about Samuel Bateman and the splintered FLDS community he manipulated after Warren Jeffs was sent to prison. Bateman claimed to be the new prophet, convinced followers that Warren Jeffs was speaking through him, and used faith, fear, sex, and salvation as weapons of control. The episode dives into how he exploited a community already shaped by isolation, obedience, polygamy, and generational brainwashing, and how women and children became currency in his quest for power. Stacey and Dori unpack the documentary’s most shocking moments, from Christine Marie and Tolga’s hidden recordings to Julia’s incredible courage in helping expose the abuse. Dr. John Mayer joins the conversation to explain coercive control, groupthink, indoctrination, and why people born into systems like the FLDS often cannot see a way out until one small crack of doubt appears. This is an emotional, disturbing, and powerful episode about false prophets, survival, and the women who risked everything to tell the truth. Please listen with care.

Bob Barker's Beauties Brutalized

In this episode of Pod Candy: Cults, Crimes and Killers, Stacey, Dori, and Dr. John Mayer pull back the curtain on one of television’s most beloved figures: Bob Barker. For decades, The Price Is Right projected bright lights, big prizes, and wholesome Americana — but behind the scenes, former models and staff described a workplace marked by control, sexism, racism, lawsuits, and unchecked power. Our hosts discuss the disturbing allegations explored in the documentary, including the treatment of the “Barker's Beauties,” the toxic culture backstage, Barker’s public image as America’s friendly game show host, and the darker claims that challenged that carefully protected legacy. Dr. John Mayer adds a psychological lens, examining how fame, narcissism, and a lack of boundaries can create a culture where abuse of power is allowed to thrive. It’s a conversation about nostalgia, betrayal, celebrity image-making, and what happens when the person America trusted on screen may have been very different offstage.

Urine Drinking Yoga Cult

You sign up for yoga hoping for clarity, healing, maybe even a little enlightenment. But what happens when that search for peace leads straight into control, coercion, and something much darker? In this episode of Pod Candy, Stacey, Dori, and Dr. John dive into Twisted Yoga, the Apple TV+ documentary about controversial spiritual leader Gregorian Bivolaru and the international yoga movement that former members say became a system of manipulation, sexual exploitation, secrecy, and abuse. The conversation unpacks how “spiritual growth” can be weaponized, why people stay when their instincts are screaming, and how money, fear, isolation, and the promise of transformation can keep people trapped. From tantric “initiations” and surrendered passports to cult-like loyalty, cognitive dissonance, and Dr. John’s take on fear as control, this episode gets into the psychology behind how seemingly empowering communities can become dangerous.

The Subway Guy - Monster Pedophile

In this episode of Pod Candy, Stacey and Dori dive into the disturbing case of Jared Fogle, the former Subway spokesman whose wholesome public image hid a far darker reality. As they revisit the documentary Jared From Subway: Catching a Monster, they break down how an American success story unraveled into a horrifying criminal case involving child exploitation, undercover recordings, and years of hidden abuse. They also examine the woman who risked everything to help expose him, the larger web of people tied to the case, and the failures that may have allowed the abuse to continue. With insights from Dr. John, the episode explores the psychology behind predatory behavior and the devastating impact these crimes leave behind. It’s a furious, emotional, and deeply unsettling conversation about manipulation, power, and the monsters that can hide in plain sight. *Listener discretion advised. Source Documentary: "Jared From Subway: Catching a Monster" on HBO Max.

Murder in Glitterball City

In this episode of Pod Candy, we unpack HBO Max’s Murder in Glitter Ball City, a shocking true crime story set in Louisville’s flashy nightlife scene, where sex, drugs, and a brutal murder collide. Stacey, Dori, and Dr. John break down the twisted relationships, the toxic dynamics, and the courtroom chaos behind a case that feels almost too bizarre to be real. Listener discretion is advised for explicit themes, drug use, and violence.  Source Documentary: "Murder in Glitterball City" on HBO Max