Scandal Water

If you’re familiar with “Scamanda,” you know the real heroes of the story: Lisa Berry, the brave whistleblower who shared her belief that former neighbor Amanda C. Riley was faking cancer; Nancy Moscatiello, the journalist who doggedly pursued the investigation despite the lawsuit filed against her; and Aletta, the long-suffering ex-wife of Amanda’s husband, who was subjected to character assassin...

Amanda C. Riley– better known as “Scamanda”–is the woman who faked terminal cancer for 9 years, swindling countless kind-hearted supporters out of money and services.  Nancy Moscatiello is the TV producer and journalist whose dogged investigation ultimately led to Amanda’s arrest and conviction.  And Nancy tells us all about it in this fascinating interview! What circumstances led Nancy to create...

Hey, you guys! In honor of its 40th anniversary, we’re revisiting the beloved 80s adventure classic “The Goonies!”   What experience from Steven Spielberg’s own life inspired the idea for “The Goonies? Where are the cast members now? What elaborate prank did Steven Spielberg and the child actors play on director Chris Columbus? And how do the original cast members feel about the rumored sequel? We...

Known as America’s first ghost story, Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” has been adapted by the likes of Disney, Tim Burton, and Scooby Doo. And just in time for Halloween, we too revisit the timeless classic that turned the Headless Horseman into an American legend. How did a pandemic play a role in Washington Irving’s creation of the creepy tale? On what real-life men was the cha...

Was it the creepy monsters? The alien abductions? The government conspiracy? The chemistry between Mulder and Scully? What IS it that fans love so much about “The X-Files?”  All of the above– and we touch on every one of these points in this lively podcast! What inspired Chris Carter to create the show? In what ways was “The X-Files” groundbreaking? How does Gillian Anderson feel about being assoc...

On November 24, 2016, a woman who’d been missing for 22 days, Sherri Papini, was spotted by a trucker on the side of the road, wearing chains and screaming for help. Upon examination, the beautiful wife and mother of two was discovered to be emaciated, her body showing signs of terrible abuse, including a brand on one shoulder.  For years investigators tried to find the kidnappers, two Hispanic wo...

Celebrate good times, come on… It’s a celebration! 🎶🎉 Scandal Water has hit 200 episodes and to mark this momentous event, you’re invited to an awards party! Which episode would you choose for the “Ugly Duckling Award?” How about “The Oscar Goes to…,”  “Most Intriguing Interview,” or the “You’re Ridonculous” title?  Join the fun as Candy and Ashley stroll down memory lane by discussing a few ear...

To the people who read her blog and attended her church, Amanda C. Riley was a beautiful, young wife and mother who managed to live her life with hope and faith even as she was dying of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. But who was the real Amanda?  The story of how this beguiling woman deceived and betrayed countless supporters, including many of her closest friends, is so compelling, Charlie Webster’s 2023 “S...

How do you stop a woman who has successfully faked terminal cancer for 9 years and swindled her kind-hearted supporters out of more than $100,000 in online donations alone? That’s the focus of this Part 2 episode on infamous scammer Amanda C. Riley, better known as Scamanda. What impact did Amanda’s scam have on some of her victims, including Cory’s ex-wife Aletta? How did Amanda try to block jour...

In the 18th century, the term ‘scandal water’ was coined to refer to tea, as people would often enjoy a juicy bit of gossip as they lingered over their daily cuppa. Now you have the chance to listen in each week as Candy and Ashley ‘spill the tea’ about a compelling story from the entertainment world - from classic TV, to blockbuster movies, to true crime docuseries, to Broadway shows, and everyth...

As a special treat, each week in August, while Candy and Ashley are on break, they are releasing a minisode, bonus content usually reserved for their friends on Patreon or Buy Me a Coffee. While the last three episodes have been previously released, this week’s episode is brand new!  If you listened to our episode on “Unforgiven,” you heard us ask for a super-fan to come talk to us about their lov...

Season 5 begins in September, but rather than going dark during August, we thought we’d offer you a peek behind the scenes by sharing one of the perks usually reserved for our Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee Members.  In this minisode, we make it personal, discussing all manner of disasters from real-life Good Samaritan videos to our own brushes with natural events, and the disaster movies we’ll never...

Season 5 begins in September, but rather than going dark during August, we thought we’d offer you a peek behind the scenes by sharing one of the perks usually reserved for our Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee Members. For 12 seasons, the charming but shrewd Jessica Fletcher kept her lovely hometown of Cabot Cove safe, despite the bodies piling up around her like firewood. In this fun minisode, we discu...

Season 5 begins in September, but rather than going dark during August, we thought we’d offer you a peek behind the scenes by sharing one of the perks usually reserved for our Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee Members.  In our very first mini-sode, Candy and Ashley spill the tea on one of Marilyn Monroe's most famous photos, the publicity still taken by her friend Sam during a publicity stunt for "The S...

In this lively update episode, Candy and Ashley spill the tea about new developments that occurred after their season 4 episodes aired.  What exciting new projects are in the works for Alicia Silverstone, Kimberly Williams Paisley, and the “Little House on the Prairie” franchise? How is the Biltmore connected to King Tut? What circumstances led to Candy’s brief encounter with a relative of Nate Ba...

Roughly 100 years ago, in Oklahoma, dozens of Osage people were murdered in cold blood in an attempt to steal their wealth and land. That horrific period of time is referred to as the Reign of Terror and is the focus of the true crime book “Killers of the Flower Moon” by David Grann.  In this fascinating episode we compare the 2017 nonfiction book with the 2023 movie, also called “Killers of the F...

When just a glimpse of the famous gunslingers’ silhouette or the phrase “I’m your huckleberry” immediately transports you to the world of “Tombstone” (1993), it’s a pretty sure sign the film is a classic. Featuring a star-studded cast, “Tombstone” is now widely regarded as one of the all-time best Westerns… which is even more impressive considering the massive obstacles the cast and crew faced dur...

The gritty, dark revisionist Western “Unforgiven” is not only widely regarded as one of Clint Eastwood’s greatest works– as both actor and director– but is also one of only 4 Westerns to ever win an Oscar for Best Picture. Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at this classic film, including a brief tribute to legendary Gene Hackman, whose portrayal of ruthless sheriff Little Bill Daggett also earn...

John Wayne brought more than 150 characters to life on film, but it was his turn as the pot-bellied, heavy-drinking, eye-patch-wearing U.S. Marshall Rooster Cogburn in “True Grit” that earned him his only Oscar.  And in this fun episode we revisit the classic 1969 Western “True Grit,” including a brief tribute to The Duke himself. How true did the movie hold to the book on which it was based? What...

To this day, the Chernobyl disaster remains the worst nuclear accident in history… and the 2019 HBO miniseries “Chernobyl” details what happened in disturbing, yet riveting, detail.  In the first episode of this 2-part series on the award-winning “Chernobyl,” Candy and Ashley share a little background on the terrifying incident and discuss the creation of the miniseries.  What is it like to visit...

In 2018, 15 puppies were permitted to leave Chernobyl’s Nuclear Exclusion Zone. They were the first animals or objects allowed to exit that area since the disaster occurred in 1986.  In this final episode of our 2-part series on the “Chernobyl” miniseries, Candy and Ashley discuss the aftereffects of the nuclear accident and the accuracy of the HBO series. Why does the death toll range from 31 peo...

“Armageddon” was not only the highest-grossing film of 1998, but it also earned 4 Oscar nominations. Yet that same flick was named the worst movie of the year by Roger Ebert and nominated for 7 Razzie Awards.  How could a film beloved by so many also receive such harsh criticism? That’s just one of the many points we drill down on in this fun episode on the 1998 blockbuster “Armageddon.” What insp...

Fearless storm chasers, a love triangle, and a flying cow… the 1996 blockbuster “Twister” had a lot going for it.  And in this special double-feature episode, we discuss not only the original film, but also the 2024 standalone sequel “Twisters!” What connection did “Twister” have to “Jurassic Park”? How did the technology developed for the 1996 movie advance filmmaking? In what ways does “Twisters...

It was the 911 call heard around the world. Through countless media releases, we all listened as a man in Utah tearfully described the wounds on the young boy who had shown up at his door asking to be taken to the police… a young boy who, we soon learned, had been horrifically abused by his own mother and her business partner.  For many of us, this was our introduction to the shocking and sad stor...

Ruby Franke’s friend called Jodi Hildebrandt a guru… Ruby’s daughter Shari called her “our family’s very own cult leader.” In Part 2, we continue our 3-part series on the Ruby Franke case, sharing what happened after Ruby and Kevin sought help for their son Chad’s behavior.  How did it impact the family when therapist and life coach Jodi Hildebrandt entered their lives? What incident caused most o...