"WTOP's American Nightmare Series" is a podcast covering true crime stories in the Washington D.C. region.
Season 3, "Unknown Subject": For 9 years, he terrorized women across the DC region. Breaking into homes and raping his victims before killing a brilliant scientist near the gates of Georgetown University in 1998. And then, it all stopped. Had he died? Was he locked up? Before the FBI would name him the infamous Potomac River Rapist, detectives simply called him their "unknown subject" for years. A man whose DNA linked him to multiple crime scenes but whose name and face remained a mystery to police. For nearly three decades, detectives had no idea who he was until a bike cop named Smugs began connecting the dots.
Season 2, "Murder in a Safe Place," investigates the vicious rape and murder of 50-year-old nurse Sherry Crandell inside the DC-area hospital where she worked. Her murder has mystified not only the police, but her family and the community for the past two decades. Police have DNA evidence and fingerprints - even a witness to the attack - but no suspect. In "Murder in a Safe Place," veteran DC reporter Paul Wagner tells a story that, by the final episode, will have you thinking there may be a chance for justice after all.
Season 1, "22 Hours: An American Nightmare," hosted by WTOP award-winning reporters Megan Cloherty and Jack Moore was named the No. 2 Podcast of the Year by The Associated Press and was listed among Apple Podcasts' Most Popular New Shows of 2019. "22 Hours: An American Nightmare" chronicles the case that became known nationwide as the "DC Mansion Murders" - the horrific killing of a DC power couple, their 10-year-old son, and housekeeper - in a way no one has covered it before.
Fine dining is all about precision, artistry, and luxury on the plate?but behind those kitchen doors, the pressure, hierarchy, and chaos tell a very different story.
This week, we sit down with Chef Amber Evans, who opens up about the unspoken rules of the industry, the reality of life inside a Michelin-starred kitchen, and the moment she realized she had become the very thing she once feared. Could it be that she had been in ? a cult?
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Follow Chef Amber for mouth-watering content! @chefamberevans
Follow us for more culty content: @wasiinacult
Have you ever worked in a high-pressure, high-control environment that blurred the lines between passion and exploitation? Or maybe you?ve broken free from a system that demanded your total devotion? We?d love to hear your story?email us at info@wasiinacult.com
Want ad-free episodes? Support us on Patreon and help fund our de ep dives into the culty corners of everyday life?because sometimes, the things we accept as 'normal' deserve a second look.
Crystal was born into a world where women obeyed, children served, and questioning authority was a sin. Raised under the oppressive rule of the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP)?yes, the same Christian fundamentalist cult as the Duggars, ?Shiny Happy People??she spent her youth cleaning toilets, raising her mother?s children, and being prepped for a life of submission.
But Crystal had other plans.
This is the ultimate rags-to-riches story. She didn?t just escape the cult?she obliterated every expectation it had for her. From eating half-eaten Snickers bars out of the trash to becoming a wildly successful entrepreneur, from being promised to a 30-year-old man at 15 to discovering (in the most hilariously ways possible) that she really enjoys sex?Crystal?s life is nothing short of jaw-dropping.
At times hilarious, at others absolutely heart-wrenching, Crystal shares with raw honesty how indoctrination shapes identity, how control distorts self-worth, and how breaking free comes at a cost. But she also proves that no matter how deep the conditioning, you can defy every expectation, reclaim your power, and build a life beyond your wildest dreams.
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You can find Crystal Ball on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn
Follow us for more culty content: @wasiinacult
Have your own story about high-control groups, or breaking free from an oppressive system? Email us at info@wasiinacult.com ?we?d love to hear it.
Want ad-free episodes? Support us on Patreon and help fund our cult-unmasking, truth-telling, freedom-fighting journey.
There was no commune. No matching robes or group chants. A charismatic leader? Yes. But no room full of followers. This is a story about a cult of one ?  a lesser-known, yet perhaps more common, type of cult.
When Alex first met her college advisor, she thought she?d found a mentor?someone brilliant, charismatic, and seemingly invested in her success. But behind the charm lay something much darker. Slowly, methodically, he pushed boundaries under the guise of guidance and concern?first emotionally, then physically?until she was isolated from friends and family, no longer trusting her own judgment.
In today?s episode, we explore how one-on-one cults operate using the same tactics as larger cults?love-bombing, coercion, and manipulation?but in the intimate, hidden space between just two people.
This is a chilling tale of how a trusted authority figure became a master manipulator, pulling the strings until Alex?s world was no longer her own. It?s a stark reminder that sometimes the most dangerous cult leader isn?t the one standing on a stage?but the one sitting across from you, offering a warm smile and a seemingly harmless invitation to talk.
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Follow us for more culty content: @wasiinacult
Got a story about manipulation, power dynamics, or your own cult of one? Email us at info@wasiinacult.com
Want ad-free episodes? Support us on Patreon and help fund our cult-unmasking, truth-telling, boundary-protecting journey.
What happens when your dreams of becoming a therapist are unexpectedly dashed and a TIkTok astrologer promises to solve all your problems? Meet Taylor Marie, who found herself in an online cult that claimed to have "the only astrology system that works." Led by a charismatic married couple, this group charged outrageous prices for "life-altering" astrology readings, promised entrepreneurial and personal success, and preached that all other astrologers were frauds.
Taylor?s story is a cautionary tale about online communities, manipulation, and the dangerous power of social media cults. In this episode, she shares how she got entangled in the group, how it slowly consumed her life (and bank account), and the toxic breaking point that forced her to see the truth and get out. Her exit isn?t pretty ? the leaders fought back with lawsuits, public smears, and astrology-based threats.
But today, Taylor has reclaimed her power, faced the fear-mongering from the cult head on, and found her true purpose?one that wasn?t predicted by a TikTok ?guru.?
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Follow Taylor?s NEW account: @taylormarietherapy
Follow us for more culty content: @wasiinacult
Got a story that?ll make us say, ?The stars did NOT see that coming?? Email us at info@wasiinacult.com ?we promise we won?t charge $555 for it.
Want ad-free episodes? Support us on Patreon and help fund our cult-unmasking, truth-telling, astrology-free-but-still-fun journey.
When the pandemic hit, Aaron found himself isolated and searching for community. So when he discovered an online occult group, he thought he?d finally found his spiritual people. What he didn?t expect? Signing an NDA, pledging allegiance to a self-proclaimed ?Master,? and being told he was destined for an apocalyptic battle? alongside seven ancient space dragons.
At first, the group felt like a place of deep discussion, curiosity, and meaning. But as the leader?s grip tightened, so did the demands for obedience. And when the leader finally revealed his true agenda?a disturbing spiritual ?shadow ritual,? Aaron realized he wasn?t just in a mystical study group?he was in a full-blown cult.
So how did he go from believer to whistleblower? Listen now, because?like we always say?you can?t make this shit up.
LINKS:
Find Aaron?s anti-cult shared profile page:Â Â https://www.facebook.com/Michelle.rugsby
And the group email: holybullcrapclub@gmail.com
Follow us for more culty goodness: @wasiinacult
Got a story that?ll make us say, ?Wait? WHAT?!? Spill the tea at info@wasiinacult.com ?we promise we won?t make you sign an NDA
Want ad-free episodes? Support us on Patreon and help fund our cult-unmasking, story-telling, snack-buying habits.
In Part 2 of her jaw-dropping story, actress and writer Danielle Nicolet continues to unpack her harrowing experience in a cult disguised as a new-age hypnotherapy practice?led by a woman who shattered families, implanted false memories, and turned lives upside down.
Danielle?s journey resumes as she?s sent back to Ohio to live with her father, forced to leave behind friends, gymnastics, and the group she had come to see as family. But instead of healing, the damage only deepens. Alienated from her dad and entangled in her mother?s unraveling, Danielle finds herself emancipated at just 16, navigating the cutthroat world of Hollywood while still grappling with the scars of her past.
Danielle?s story is one of resilience and transformation. Her ability to turn deep trauma into a life of joy, creativity, and meaning is nothing short of remarkable. She inspires us, and we?re honored to have her share this story with the world for the first time on our show.
LINKS:
Find Danielle: @daninicolet
Follow us: @wasiinacult
Have your own story? Email us: info@wasiinacult.com
You may know Danielle Nicolet as Cecile Horton on the CW?s ?The Flash,? but long before Hollywood, her life was far from scripted. At just ten years old, Danielle?s world was turned upside down when her mother fell under the influence of Judith?a therapist turned guru turned cult leader. Judith used hypnosis to ?recover? memories, shattering families and exploiting Orange County housewives by diagnosing them with multiple personality disorder for her own gain.
But Judith?s influence didn?t stop with her mother?Danielle herself was pulled into Judith?s orbit. Encouraged to reject modern medicine, she found herself reciting affirmations to cure strep throat and believing the fabricated traumas that demonized her own family.
In Part 1 of Danielle?s story, we follow her journey from gymnastics prodigy in small-town Ohio to navigating the unsettling extremes of 1980s Orange County, an affluent and conservative enclave where she was one of the only Black kids at her school?all while having to cope with a mother who now has eight additional personalities.
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Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with @lumedeodorant and get 15% off with promo code Inacult at Lumepodcast.com/Inacult! ? #lumepod
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LINKS:
Find Danielle: @daninicolet
Follow us: @wasiinacult
Have your own story? Email us: info@wasiinacult.com
In today?s spellbinding episode, Melissa, a self-proclaimed millennial misfit, shares her journey into a Wiccan coven that took a hard left towards culty. Melissa?s tale brews up all the ingredients for a wild cauldron of a story: witchy retreats, trance magic, Norse gods, and even perfume-making. What began as a quest for spiritual identity one day led her down a winding path of manipulation, dashed promises and blind devotion. She follow the yellow brick road, only to discover that the Great and Powerful Oz was just a woman charging $90 a week for unlicensed therapy while dangling the carrot of future financial success through channeling Norse deities.
But fear not?this episode isn?t all toil and trouble. Melissa?s sharp wit and self-awareness make her story as empowering as it is entertaining. Plus, she managed to turn her culty coven experience into a thriving perfume business (fittingly named Sif Sniffs). Proof that even the wildest detours can lead to a magical comeback.
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January is CBD Awareness month! We love our sponsor VIIA Hemp. Try VIIA today! viiahemp.com and use code INACULT!
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LINKS:
Follow Melissa on Instagram @sifsniffs
Melissa?s Perfume Company: Sif Sniffs
Follow us on Instagram/TikTok/FB: @wasiinacult
Have your own story? Email us: info@wasiinacult.com
Today we?re joined by Finrod Jellybottoms, a chosen elf who escaped Santa?s magical workshop. Beneath the candy-striped facade lies a grueling cultic system of manipulation, free labor, and fear-based loyalty. Finrod shares his harrowing journey from a hopeful young elf in Frost Hollow to years of exploitation under Santa?s rule, uncovering the dark truths behind the ?joy? of Christmas and the infamous Elf on a Shelf. We are glad Finrod got out and is able to remind us about the true meaning of Christmas?
Happy holidays everyone! Thank you for your continued support. We?ll be back JAN 13th 2025!!! Until then, stay safe and out of cults!
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We love our sponsor VIIA Hemp. Try VIIA today! www.viiahemp.com and use code INACULT!
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Follow us on Instagram/TikTok/FB: @wasiinacult
Have your own story? Email us: info@wasiinacult.com
In the gripping conclusion to Jeanne Nolan's story, the idyllic facade of Zendik Farm finally shatters. Beneath its promises of revolution and a self-sustaining community lies a darker reality: broken families and devastating power plays. Jeanne recounts her heart-wrenching separation from her baby, the unraveling of relationships under the commune?s twisted rules, and her ultimate escape after 17 long years. Through painful truths and a hard-won sense of clarity, Jeanne forges a new life outside the cult, turning trauma into a legacy of love, family, and a thriving organic gardening business that inspires others to embrace sustainability, growth, and connection? and all in a very healthy and not-at-all culty way of course. This is a story of resilience, transformation, and the extraordinary ability to cultivate beauty from even the darkest of places.
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Jeanne?s incredible business ?The Organic Gardener? https://www.theorganicgardener.net/
And if you want more Zendik, read Helen Zuman?s memoir, ?Mating in Captivity?
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Stop Scooping! With the Littler Robot. As a special holiday offer, Whisker is offering up to $100 off Litter-Robot bundles. AND as a special offer to listeners, you can get an additional $50 off when you go to stopscooping.com/CULT .
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Get holiday gifts here! Quince.com/CULT
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Resist aging at the cellular level, try Qualia Senolytic. Go to Qualialife.com/CULT for up to 50% off and use code ?CULT' at checkout for an additional 15% off.
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Follow us on Instagram/TikTok/FB: @wasiinacult
Have your own story? Email us: info@wasiinacult.com
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