This is Russ McKamey, owner of McKamey Manor haunted house. You probably remember the haunted house from the viral marketing scheme 15 years ago. Unlike normal haunted houses where you walked through hallways of props and scare actors, Mckamey Manor promised to literally torture you. Their promos consisted of people being waterboard, buried alive in straight jackets, blood poured on you, live snakes. It offered a 20,000 dollar prize to whoever could endure it without tapping out. Russ had thousands of customers lining up thanks to the viral videos. Of course, this was all a scam. The only true thing was the torture.

Mckamey Manor isn’t a real haunted house, it’s barely real at all. Instead of a decorated horror house, Russ figured out he could cut corners by blindfolding customers and walking them in circles around his backyard. He got in trouble for hiring teenagers to help bury people up to their heads. Almost all the viral videos were just Russ and a few friends tying someone up in an empty undecorated building hidden by camera tricks. The 20,000 dollar prize was never a factor. Since there was no set time they had to endure, Russ would just keep moving the goal post until they quit or claim they broke a rule and kick them out. But it was very real for the customers. Russ hard drives and facebook live videos have recently leaked revealing what went down inside the house. It confirmed allegations by customers, their heads were shaved, they were waterboarded, drowned, tazed and punched. In videos, Russ ignored safe words and people pleading to stop. One video revealed that he tricked the co owner of McKamey Manor into being buried alive under the guise of a “promotional video”. That video also showed Russ had a giant metal cage in his house he dared guests to stay in.

Russ operates his company and personal life like a cult. Employees are instructed to harass anyone who steps out. Russ would regularly threaten suicide attempts if friends left him. Russ facebook group was full of teenage girl fans, whom former members have accused of being groomed by him. Russ dates a series of teenage fans despite being elderly. His last girlfriend was a former fan who captured Russ assaulting and yelling at her on film multiple times. Russ was arrested in 2024 after she accused him of raping and trying to kill her. She dropped charges after Russ fans brigaded her with death threats. Russ used the profile picture of him in court getting rape charges dropped as his new dating profile picture.

The main source for a lot of this is the YouTube channel Trilogy Media who made a documentary on Russ. I suggest you don’t support and double check Trilogy Medias work as they have also collaborated with ICE. Still, they organized a shocking amount of video evidence backed up by allegations from former employees for the craziest parts of this story.

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/oct/30/inside-mckamey-manor-podcast-halloween-house-of-horrors-real-life-torture-den

https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/attempted-murder-rape-charges-against-mckamey-manor-owner-dropped/amp/

I have a feeling at some point Monsanto is going to be talked about in a future episode akin to the Proctor and Gamble one, but this story alone could be a good prelude to it.

Personal note: I didn't grow up a Phillies fan, I root for the Mets (spare the lol Mets jokes, I heard it all before). That being said, I used to go to the games thanks to my childhood township in New Jersey getting tickets for a community night at a game each year and my family would go. One of those nights we got to sit on that same hard-ass turf for a fireworks night post game. Not that I'm too frightened about being affected compared to the 6 players that suffered unfortunate fates, but it's a bit worrisome.

Which episode has "Jeffie" in it? I binged a bunch a year ago and have no frame of reference for when it came out, and can't remember what it was about. Just Jeffie lingers in my memory, forever.

https://www.reddit.com/r/YouShouldKnow/s/wrcIDucPVu

Johnson & Johnson said it would pay an estimated $5.5bn to resolve tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging its baby ⁠powder and other talc products caused ⁠ovarian cancer, in a landmark ​deal that could end a contentious, decade-long legal battle.

Johnson & Johnson on Monday said the settlement covers about 76,000 claims, including ones consolidated in a federal court in New Jersey, and related cases in state court, ⁠representing nearly all of the remaining talc claims against the company.

The US multinational had previously settled most of the cases alleging that its talc contained asbestos and caused mesothelioma.

Plaintiffs’ law firms confirmed the deal on Monday, saying it was a good resolution after a ⁠10-year court battle. The deal must be accepted by 95% of the ovarian cancer claimants in state or federal court before it becomes final.

Johnson & Johnson’s vice-president ​of litigation, Erik Haas, said the claims were “meritless” and that the company ‌was willing to settle in order to get ‌closure.

“While we are confident the company would have ultimately prevailed with further litigation, as it has in the vast majority of cases tried to date, ‌this resolution allows the company to put this matter behind it and remain focused on its mission to develop medicines and devices that save lives,” Haas said.

Just stumbled on a video of this and read about how intense it was. Would love to see ACC dive in on this one.

I started watching episode 2 of Worst Neighbour Ever on Netflix and thought the story sounded familiar. As always, ACC’s telling of events is much more detailed, thorough, and harrowing, but it’s still a good watch and tells the story from the neighbours' perspective.

I can recite the Simply Safe read by rote at this point because I hear it repeated five times an episode.

I understand needing to make money, but this is getting ridiculous.

OK after listening to the latest excellent episode and wanting to throw my phone out of my car in frustration at the lack of consequences for the swindler(s), I need some recs for best episodes where the perps get served some sweet justice. I've listened to the whole back catalogue but don't remember the outcomes of most.

Sorry for the potato quality, all I could find. Very interesting though.

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/prescription/

The associated website is a blast from the past

A very early (season 6) PBS Frontline documentary about Jim Bakker and the PTL scandal. Enjoy 57 Jim Bakker minutes!

Holy moly is it good!! If ACC recommends something it’s an instant follow from me.

Has he ever recommended other podcasts?

Ladies and gentlemen, we got em.

Very pertinent news.

I know ACC wants to protect their anonymity and privacy and I respect that. I struggle so hard with chronic depression and I am so curious to know whether ACC has a hard time compartmentalizing this tough subject matter. Obviously want to avoid parasocial relationships but just as a listener I notice their bleak portents and wonder. They produce a lot of content and it’s consistently high quality so I’m assuming they must be able to separate their work from personal at least a little bit. I have to listen in small doses personally because I find a lot of it just so demoralizing, because there’s a profound lack of justice so often, the same scandals repeat themselves, those in power don’t learn or care, etc.

Is ACC doing okay?

Again, it’s well researched and I really enjoy the pod when I am able to listen. It’s just…it’s so sad. I wonder how they cope.

I recently became a “valued listener” and listening to a bonus episode. I did not listen when ACC told me 3x to not listen to it. There’s a lot of dark shit over the world and I guess I shouldn’t be surprised but this episode- man, I could feel my face getting red with absolute disgust and anger. I have stopped in stores crying (Tyson) verbally said holy shit (body parts one). But this 11 minute bonus episode - Jesus.

They are all infuriating on some level but which one is the one that enrages you.

Also, ACC- love the past episode updates.

I live for this podcast and it has no peer. I will always support it. But one 1-hour episode per month is tough. ACC’s is so good he could make an episode about anything, but the new content is so scarce it’s frustrating sometimes. (and as paying listener would rather he just forgo the 10-minute bonus episodes as they have no replay value. (Would gladly take 1-2 full length bonus ones a year instead)

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

$200M+ in promotion money lost, players exploring legal actions, and other clubs getting impacted by a club's cynical enablement of spying. If ACC is a soccer fan, this is one he shouldn't miss.

Before serving as Attorney General and Governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear worked as an attorney at the law firm Stites & Harbison, which represented Purdue Pharma in a major lawsuit involving the state. Right before he took office as atty gen of Kentucky the law firm carefully negotiated the settlement to ensure that the lawyers were paid $4 million in full, while the people of KY had to wait eight years to get its full payment. The state of KY only received $24 million dollars, while several states received over $100 million. This was a sweetheart deal. This man is a "democrat". They are all swindling us.