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Douglas Robertson was a teenager when his family set out to sail the world on a yacht. Seventeen months into the voyage, orcas sank the boat in the Pacific. In this ep, Douglas describes 38 days adrift in a small dinghy, surviving on turtle blood and rainwater. Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast Follow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcast This is a Superreal production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russia was a chaotic and hedonistic place in the 1990s. That's when Vijai Maheshwari landed in Moscow and became editor of Playboy Russia. In this subscriber-only episode, he shares a snapshot of Russia in transition and magazine publishing at its glossy peak. Vijai wrote a novel set in the gold rush of post-communist Russia called 'White God Factor'. Check it out here. Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast Follow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcast This is a Superreal production

Rick Hogg was a Melbourne accountant who specialised in minimising tax by fabricating expenses. In 2018, it all imploded and Rick got five years in prison. In this episode, he explains how the scheme worked, why he crossed the line, and what the ordeal taught him about greed. Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast Follow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcast This is a Superreal production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For years, Mark Mongiardo’s family believed he was an alcoholic. Then he lost his dream job and was charged twice for drunk driving, despite not drinking at all. The truth was stranger: Mark has Auto-Brewery Syndrome, a condition where the gut produces its own alcohol. In this subscriber-only episode, we hear Mark’s story — and try to get him his job back. Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast Follow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcast This is a Superreal production

Robert Kerbeck was a broke actor when he stumbled into corporate espionage. His job was to trick low-level employees into divulging company secrets, which he sold for big money. In this episode, he explains what the work taught him about lying and the shortcomings of American capitalism. Check out Robert's book: Ruse Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast Follow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcast This is a Superreal production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When billionaires want a no-limits weekend in Las Vegas, they call Manny Kess. He runs The Kess Group, a concierge service catering exclusively to the ultra-rich. In this episode, Manny reveals how the world’s wealthiest unwind, what they fear, and what they really think about the direction of modern America. Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast Follow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcast This is a Superreal production

Vanessa Mitchell thought she was buying the home of her dreams. Sure, it was a medieval prison for English peasants accused of witchcraft, but it was cute and within her price range. But then her possessions started vanishing and she found a mysterious pool of blood on the floor and three years later she was out, fleeing with her son. This is Vanessa's story of what happened. Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast Follow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcast This is a Superreal production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In early January, police arrested a 34-year-old man named Jonathan Gerlach for stealing human remains from cemeteries. Investigators believe he exhumed parts of more than 100 skeletons, including infants. In this subscriber-only episode, we speak with Yeadon Police Chief Henry Giammarco about Gerlach's motivations. Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast Follow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcast This is a Superreal production

Flor Edwards grew up in the Children of God, an authoritarian sect that taught its followers that the world would end in 1993. In this episode, she reflects on how it felt growing up expecting to die, and how the group responded when the apocalypse never came. Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast Follow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcast This is a Superreal production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s bonus episode, Julian digs into one of the most unsettling behaviors emerging in advanced AI systems: scheming. This is when a model appears compliant on the surface, while quietly pursuing goals the user doesn’t know about. Researchers are seeing this behavior across most advanced systems and no one is entirely sure how to stop it. Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast Follow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcast This is a Superreal production

Lily Rose Lee was 21 when she accepted a ride from her friend’s father. She was 32 when she finally escaped his house, along with two other women. In this episode, Lily recounts what 11 years in captivity did to her body and mind, how she survived, and what she learned about resilience. You can connect with Lily Rose Lee on Facebook Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast Follow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcast This is a Superreal production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greg Abandoned is an urbex YouTuber who visits the world’s most wild and forgotten places. A few years ago, he trekked into the Kazakh desert to explore a secret Russian military facility that houses abandoned space shuttles from the Soviet Union. In this episode, Greg recounts the journey and why he wishes he’d chosen his travel companion more carefully. Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast Follow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcast This is a Superreal production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2015, Jeremy Morris bought a house in Idaho to host the Christmas display of his dreams. Within weeks he was locked in a bitter feud with his neighbours over religious freedom and civil liberties. In this episode, Jeremy tells his side of a very modern American culture war. Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast Follow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcast This is a Superreal production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In February 1982, the body of a wildlife photographer named Carl McCunn was found in northern Alaska. A miscommunication had left him stranded and McCunn had documented his final cold months in a journal. In this episode, journalist Kris Capps walks us through McCunn’s forgotten story, mostly in his own words. Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast Follow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcast This is a Superreal production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1975, Julian’s dad, Ian, spent three months living in the Otways, a stretch of coastal forest in south-east Australia. After telling the story of Carl McCunn, this conversation offers a look at what that kind of isolation feels like, from someone who’s lived it. Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast Follow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcast This is a Superreal production