You Can’t Make This Up

It’s clear that Simon is a criminal mastermind. But that level of skill requires practice, and a certain amount of pathology. In this episode, Felicity and Bernadette try to understand the mind – and methods – of the Swindler. We hear from an old friend - patient zero if you like - who knew Simon before he was The Prince of Diamonds.The Making of a Swindler is a companion to the documentary, The Tinder Swindler, now on Netflix. The Making of A Swindler is produced by RAW and NETFLIX.Presenters: Bernadette Higgins, Felicity MorrisProducers: Bernadette Higgins, Felicity MorrisSeries Producer: Georgina SavageExecutive Producer: Deborah DudgeonResearcher: Lucy BarnesSound Design: Emma BarnabyOriginal Score: Jessica JonesJunior Production Assistants: Rowan Lee-Potter, Shemsije ZeqiriProduction Executive: Nageena AhmedRaw’s Head of Podcasts is Sarah Harris, and the Head of US Production is Kate Leonard-Morgan

Wherever he went, Simon Leviev’s entourage would follow. A carefully curated supporting cast – his business partner, his driver, his security guard and more – created an air of glamour and legitimacy. But who were these people? Were they in on the scam? Or were they victims of his lies, as much as the women Simon swindled? In this first special episode, we look into the theater of Simon. The Making of a Swindler is a companion to the documentary, The Tinder Swindler, now on Netflix. The Making of A Swindler is produced by RAW and NETFLIX.Presenters: Bernadette Higgins, Felicity MorrisProducers: Bernadette Higgins, Felicity Morris Series Producer: Georgina SavageExecutive Producer: Deborah DudgeonResearcher: Lucy BarnesSound Design: Emma BarnabyOriginal Score: Jessica JonesJunior Production Assistants: Rowan Lee-Potter, Shemsije ZeqiriProduction Executive: Nageena AhmedRaw’s Head of Podcasts is Sarah Harris, and the Head of US Production is Kate Leonard-Morgan

SPOILERS AHEAD! Today Rebecca talks with the director and producer of the hit documentary, The Tinder Swindler.  Felicity Morris and Bernadette Higgins talk about how they wanted to focus on the women behind this story and the sophisticated nature of the con. They also explain why it can be so hard to prosecute swindlers like Simon. Plus, they introduce the upcoming You Can't Make This Up series, The Making of a Swindler. Stay tuned as we go even deeper behind this unbelievable story in a special 3 part series running over the next two weeks. 

In this week's episode we take a closer look at a Netflix documentary podcast, 'The Last Movie Ever Made.' This podcast is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the Netflix film 'Don't Look Up.' Today we have the film's Co-Producer and Podcast contributor, Staci Roberts-Steele speaking with our host, Rebecca Lavoie.The production of the film's fictional global emergency was upended by a real-life global emergency that we all are very familiar with. 'The Last Movie Ever Made' podcast takes us inside the bubble as filmmakers invent a new way of shooting a motion picture during the global pandemic, COVID-19.After the interview, you will hear a full podcast episode of 'The Last Movie Ever Made.' Much of the audio in the podcast is recorded guerilla-style on phones by the crew, with commentary from the film's many stars on how life imitated art. If you like You Can’t Make This Up, please rate and review our show. Thanks for listening!

SPOILERS AHEAD!Today on You Can't Make This Up, we are talking about the highly anticipated season 2 of Cheer on Netflix. If you haven't watched it yet, Cheer season 1 followed all the ups and downs (literally) of Navarro College's competitive cheer squad as they worked to win a coveted national title.In season 2, we reconnect with the Navarro College Cheer Squad, meet some new and incredibly talented Trinity Valley College Cheerleaders, experience the hardships they all endured over the past two years, and see the teams battle it out at the Daytona Cheer Competition of 2021!In this episode, our host Rebecca Lavoie speaks with special guest, Director Greg Whiteley of seasons 1 & 2 of Cheer.If you like You Can’t Make This Up, please rate, and review this show (and of course share it with friends). Thanks for listening!

SPOILERS AHEAD!Today on You Can't Make This Up, we are talking about the highly anticipated season 2 of Cheer on Netflix. If you haven't watched it yet, Cheer season 1 followed all the ups and downs (literally) of Navarro College's competitive cheer squad as they worked to win a coveted national title. Now season 2 is picking up right where the first season left off, and it's as binge-able as ever.Today our host Rebecca Lavoie speaks with a VERY special guest from the series, Head Coach Vontae Johnson of Trinity Valley Community College Cheerleading squad!If you like You Can’t Make This Up, please rate, and review this show (and of course share it with friends). Thanks for listening!

It's a New Year with new & exciting content coming your way!Next up on You Can't Make This Up, we are talking about the highly anticipated Cheer Season 2, coming to Netflix on January 12th. If you haven't watched yet, Cheer Season 1 followed all the ups and downs (literally) of Navarro College's competitive cheer squad as they worked to win a coveted national title. Now season 2 is picking up right where the first season left off, and it's as binge-able as ever.Our host Rebecca Lavoie will be interviewing some VERY special guests from the series next week, and we want to hear from you before then! If you have thoughts or questions to share about Cheer, tweet Rebecca, @reblavoie, and she might just ask your question to one of our guests on the next episode! Stay tuned!  

We are looking back on one of your favorite You Can't Make This Up episodes of the year. In February of 2021, the docu-series 'Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel' was released on Netflix. Our host Rebecca Lavoie interviewed director and executive producer, Joe Berlinger, about the anthology series 'Crime Scene', the disappearance of college student Elisa Lam, and the notorious Cecil Hotel located in downtown Los Angeles.The second season of the acclaimed documentary series 'Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer' is out now on Netflix. The anthology series 'Crime Scene' unpacks the ways in which certain locations can become accomplices to the crimes that take place in them, with each season tackling a new location tied to a dark past.In December 1979, firemen responded to a blaze at a disreputable hotel in Times Square. What they found in the room sparked a manhunt for Richard Cottingham, a prolific serial killer who hid in plain sight among the people of Times Square. The series takes viewers deep into the investigation, laying out the social and systemic forces in a near-lawless area that allowed Cottingham’s horrific crimes to go unnoticed for far too long.If you have a favorite documentary from 2021 or a favorite You Can't Make This Up podcast episode, tweet our host @reblavoie your thoughts.Thanks so much for listening to today's episode & all this past year. 2021 wouldn't have been the same without you. We can't wait to share more about your favorite real-life stories shown on Netflix in 2022!

This week, we are looking back on some of your favorite 'You Can't Make This Up' episodes of 2021. Today we are throwing it back to our interview with the editor, writer, and producer of Operation Varsity Blues, Jon Karmen, and the film's director and producer, Chris Smith.You may have heard a lot about the 2019 college admission scandal, but you haven’t heard everything yet. Operation Varsity Blues goes beyond the celebrity-driven headlines with real conversations from FBI wiretaps. The film offers a rare glimpse of the man at the center of the scandal, Rick Singer, and the methods he used to help his wealthy clients cheat a system already designed to benefit the privileged.If you have a favorite Netflix documentary from 2021 or a favorite You Can't Make This Up podcast episode, tweet our host @Reblavoie your thoughts. Thanks for listening!

In today’s special episode, we take a look back at some of our favorite 2021 documentaries, unscripted series, and more from Netflix. We are talking about a large variety of titles so come with your ears open; from “Cocaine Cowboys'' and “Britney vs Spears” all the way to "Tick, Tick... Boom!" and even "Selling Sunset." This is not your average, You Can't Make This Up episode.Today our host, Rebecca Lavoie speaks to some friends from some of your other favorite Netflix podcasts and asks them what titles they couldn’t get enough of this year. We’ll hear from Krista Smith from the podcast “Present Company" and Scottie Beam and Sylvia Obell from the “Okay, Now Listen” podcast. But first, we’re off to London for our favorite Netflix UK watchers, as we welcome Tolani Shoneye & Gena-Mour Barrett from the "10/10 (Would Recommend)" podcast.If you like “You Can’t Make This Up,” please rate, and review this show (and of course share it with friends)! Thanks for listening & See you in 2022!And here are links to all of the shows mentioned in today's episode:Tolani Shoneye and Gena-mour Barrett Nail Bomber: Manhunt Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami Britney vs Spears Krista Smith Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel Cheer Formula 1: Drive to Survive Lead Me Home Tick,Tick...Boom Sylvia Obell and Scottie Beam Selling Sunset In Our Mother’s Gardens Love is Blind High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America