In 2014, Elizabeth Holmes was hailed as the youngest female billionaire in America, promising to revolutionize healthcare with her blood-testing company Theranos. With just a drop of blood from a fingerprick, she claimed her Edison machines could run hundreds of tests faster and cheaper than traditional labs. But behind the black turtlenecks, deep voice, and Steve Jobs comparisons was one of the biggest frauds in Silicon Valley history. The technology never worked, patients received dangerous false results, and investors lost over $900 million. Holmes and her business partner Sunny Balwani were both convicted of fraud, with Holmes sentenced to over 11 years in prison, where she remains today still claiming her innocence.

We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's this:

Bad Blood by John Carreyrou - The definitive book on the Theranos scandal (2018)

Elizabeth Holmes Wikipedia page - Complete biography and timeline

United States v. Elizabeth A. Holmes Wikipedia page - Full trial details and verdict

Sunny Balwani Wikipedia page - Holmes' co-defendant and former partner

BBC News coverage - "Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes loses fraud appeal" (2025)

People Magazine prison interview - Elizabeth Holmes breaks her silence from prison (2025)

People Magazine current status - "Where Is Elizabeth Holmes Now?" (2024)

The Dropout Hulu series - Amanda Seyfried's Emmy-winning portrayal (2022)

The Inventor HBO documentary - "Out for Blood in Silicon Valley" trailer (2019)

ABC News documentary series - "The Story of Elizabeth Holmes, Theranos" complete coverage

Just The Gist is a Just The Network production. Executive Produced and hosted by Rosie Waterland. Produced and edited by James Joseph. Additional production support by Kate Leaver and Hayley Staveley, along with Acast legends Guy Scott Wilson and Simon McDermott. Production Assistant: Pocket

Looking for Breakin’ Nooz? It drops on every Tuesday, along with a whole lot of other bonus audio, video and behind the scenes content, which you can access for just a couple of bucks via the Just The Gist Patreon or Apple Subscriptions.

Follow Just The Gist on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube @JustTheGistPodcast and Rosie at @RosieWaterland

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In 1912, four-year-old Bobby Dunbar vanished during a family fishing trip to Swayze Lake in Louisiana, sparking a massive eight-month search. When authorities found a boy matching Bobby's description in Mississippi with traveling handyman William Walters, the Dunbar family claimed him as their son. But another woman, Julia Anderson, recognised the boy's picture in the paper and insisted he was actually her son Bruce. After a sensational trial, the court awarded the child to the Dunbars, and he lived his entire life as Bobby Dunbar. But nearly a century later, DNA testing revealed the shocking truth.

We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's this:

Disappearance of Bobby Dunbar Wikipedia page - Complete case details and DNA revelation

This American Life episode - "The Ghost of Bobby Dunbar" comprehensive investigation (2008)

This American Life transcript - Full episode transcript with all details

Medium retrospective - "The Disappearance of Bobby Dunbar: The story of the missing boy who was replaced with another" (2020)

Newspapers.com clipping - "But where is Bobby?" vintage newspaper coverage (2019)

A Case for Solomon book - Tal McThenia and Margaret Dunbar Cutright's definitive account (2012)

BuzzFeed Unsolved episode - "The Bizarre Disappearance of Bobby Dunbar" (2018)

History by Day analysis - "Who Was Bobby Dunbar? A Century-Old Case Finally Solved"

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Remembered for being one of the most famous murderers of the 20th century, there's not many people who don't know about Charles Manson and the Sharon Tate/LaBianca murders. But it tends to be one of those topics everybody assumes they know everything about, until they hear the bizarre details. Did you know that Manson didn't actually kill movie star Sharon Tate himself, or any of the victims that 'The Manson Family' are most known for slaughtering? Or that Charles Manson was good friends with The Beach Boys, to the point where one of his songs even ended up on one of their albums? Or that the public were so fascinated with him that he was put on the cover of Rolling Stone?

It's a famous story that's been told a gazillion times, but there's way more crazy 'impress your friends at a dinner party' details in this one than you think.

We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's this:

The AMAZING 'Charles Manson's Hollywood' series of the 'You Must Remember This' podcast by Karina Longworth: http://www.youmustrememberthispodcast.com/episodes…

This bestselling book considered one of the definitive texts about it all:

'Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson' by Jeff Guinn: https://www.amazon.com.au/Manson-Life-Times-Charle…

'Helter Skelter' by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry - probably the most famous book about Manson, written by the lawyer who prosecuted him:

https://www.amazon.com/Helter-Skelter-Story-Manson…

The Rolling Stone cover story from 1970 'Charles Manson: The Incredible Story of the Most Dangerous Man Alive': https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/…

Charles Manson's first televised prison interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbW0agGFv88

Just The Gist is a Just The Network production. Executive Produced and hosted by Rosie Waterland. Produced and edited by James Joseph. Additional production support by Kate Leaver and Hayley Staveley, along with Acast legends Guy Scott Wilson and Simon McDermott. Production Assistant: Pocket

Looking for Breakin’ Nooz? It drops on every Tuesday, along with a whole lot of other bonus audio, video and behind the scenes content, which you can access for just a couple of bucks via the Just The Gist Patreon or Apple Subscriptions.

Follow Just The Gist on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube @JustTheGistPodcast. Follow Rosie in all the places at @RosieWaterland

Want to give us a SuGISTion? Email us at hello@justthegist.com.au

Don’t forget to follow and give us 5 stars, which means something apparently!

Thank you, as always, for Gistening. Now go say something impressive at a dinner party.

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It was supposed to be the biggest streaming service the world had ever seen. Launched in 2020 by industry heavyweights Jeffrey Katzenberg (the former head of Dreamworks) and Meg Whitman (former CEO of Ebay), Quibi was expected to end up bigger than Netflix and Youtube combined. It had two billion dollars invested in it and the biggest talent in the world - everyone from Reese Witherspoon to Steven Spielberg - was making shows for it. Yet just six months after launching, the streamer shut down, becoming the second biggest start-up failure in history - behind only Theranos. So what the hell happened to Quibi - the biggest streaming service you’ve never heard of?

We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's this:

Quibi Wikipedia page - Complete company history and timeline

The Wall Street Journal investigation - "Quibi Was Supposed to Revolutionize Hollywood. Here's Why It Failed" (2020)

The Verge's comprehensive breakdown - "11 reasons why Quibi crashed and burned in less than a year" (2020)

Deadline's exclusive shutdown interview - Jeffrey Katzenberg & Meg Whitman detail decision to shut down (2020)

Forbes analysis - "The Fatal Miscalculation That Doomed Katzenberg And Whitman's Streamer" (2020)

NBC News post-mortem - "A look at why Quibi failed so soon after launching" (2020)

BBC behind-the-scenes report - "Quibi: Why did the video app go so wrong?" (2020)

The Guardian's cautionary tale - "They built it, but people did not come: the cautionary tale of Quibi" (2020)

Entrepreneur's marketing analysis - "What Can Marketers Learn From Quibi's Failure?" (2020)

The Media Moment's post-mortems - "What Went Wrong For Quibi: The Post-Mortems" (2020)

Quibi Super Bowl commercial - The expensive ad that confused everyone (2020)

Just The Gist is a Just The Network production. Executive Produced and hosted by Rosie Waterland. Produced and edited by James Joseph. Additional production support by Kate Leaver and Hayley Staveley, along with Acast legends Guy Scott Wilson and Simon McDermott. Production Assistant: Pocket

Subscribe to The Gistener Club on Just The Gist Patreon or Apple Subscriptions.

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In 2012, a six-year-old beauty pageant contestant named Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson became America's most controversial reality TV star, thanks to her 'Go-Go Juice' and brilliant catchphrases like "A dollar makes me HOLLAR (Honey Boo Boo Child)!" What started as an appearance on TLC's Toddlers & Tiaras turned into the phenomenon reality show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, following Alana's entire family in rural Georgia - including Mama June Shannon, Sugar Bear, Chickadee, Chubbs and Pumpkin. But behind the viral memes and record-breaking ratings was a dark story of family dysfunction, drug addiction, and financial abuse. The show was abruptly canceled in 2014 amid major family scandals that shocked America. Now in her twenties, Alana Thompson has narrated a revealing 2025 Lifetime movie called 'I Was Honey Boo Boo', exposing the disturbing truth about what really happened behind the cameras - and where everyone in the infamous Honey Boo Boo family has ended up today.

CW: This episode includes some brief discussion (without any detail) of sexual abuse.

We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's this:

This article from The Hollywood Reporter

Here Comes Honey Boo Boo review from The A.V. Club

This article from Los Angeles Times

Here Comes Honey Boo Boo Wikipedia page

Shannon family Wikipedia page

Ask Dr. Drew podcast

Alana's recent interview on Barely Famous Podcast

Alana's TikTok

Lifetime's 2025 biopic

Just The Gist is a Just The Network production. Executive Produced and hosted by Rosie Waterland. Produced and edited by James Joseph. Additional production support by Kate Leaver and Hayley Staveley, along with Acast legends Guy Scott Wilson and Simon McDermott. Production Assistant: Pocket

Looking for Breakin’ Nooz? It drops on every Tuesday, along with a whole lot of other bonus audio, video and behind the scenes content, which you can access for just a couple of bucks via the Just The Gist Patreon or Apple Subscriptions.

Follow Just The Gist on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube @JustTheGistPodcast. Follow Rosie in all the places at @RosieWaterland

Want to give us a SuGISTion? Email us at hello@justthegist.com.au

Don’t forget to follow and give us 5 stars, which means something apparently!

Thank you, as always, for Gistening. Now go say something impressive at a dinner party.

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On October 15, 2009, the world watched in horror as a homemade helium balloon shaped like a flying saucer drifted across Colorado skies with six-year-old Falcon Heene allegedly trapped inside. The "Balloon Boy" saga captivated millions for hours until the balloon landed empty and Falcon was found hiding in his family's attic. But when little Falcon told CNN "we did this for the show," the story took a dramatic turn. What followed was a media frenzy, criminal charges, and years of debate about whether the Heenes staged the whole thing as a publicity stunt or if it was a genuine accident that spiraled out of control.

We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's this:

Balloon boy hoax Wikipedia page - Complete timeline and investigation details

Netflix's Trainwreck: Balloon Boy documentary - The family tells their side of the story (2025)

The Hollywood Reporter interview - "But What if 'Balloon Boy' Wasn't a Hoax?" (2025)

People Magazine update - "Where Is the Balloon Boy Now? All About His Life After the 2009 Hoax" (2025)

TIME Magazine analysis - "The True Story Behind 'Trainwreck: Balloon Boy'" (2025)

ABC News 10-year retrospective - "'Balloon Boy's' family discusses life 10 years after incident" (2019)

Medium retrospective - "Let's Revisit Balloon Boy. A hoax we'd no longer believe" (2021)

Netflix trailer - Official Trainwreck: Balloon Boy trailer (2025)

Just The Gist is a Just The Network production. Executive Produced and hosted by Rosie Waterland. Produced and edited by James Joseph. Additional production support by Kate Leaver and Hayley Staveley, along with Acast legends Guy Scott Wilson and Simon McDermott.

Looking for Breakin’ Nooz? It drops on every Tuesday, along with a whole lot of other bonus audio, video and behind the scenes content, which you can access for just a couple of bucks via the Just The Gist Patreon or Apple Subscriptions.

Follow Just The Gist on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube @JustTheGistPodcast

Follow Rosie in all the places at @RosieWaterland

Want to give us a SuGISTion? Tell Rosie to stop singing so much? Email us at hello@justthegist.com.au

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Thank you, as always, for Gistening. Now go say something impressive at a dinner party.

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In the 1960s, Margaret Howe Lovatt became part of a NASA-funded experiment to teach a dolphin named Peter to speak English. What started as groundbreaking interspecies communication research quickly turned into something much more controversial when Margaret moved into a flooded house to live with Peter 24/7 for six months. As Peter reached sexual maturity, their relationship crossed boundaries in ways that would overshadow the entire experiment and become one of the most shocking animal research scandals in scientific history.

We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's this:

The Guardian's comprehensive investigation - "The dolphin who loved me: the Nasa-funded project that went wrong" (2014)

The Atlantic's detailed report - "How A Science Experiment Led to Sexual Encounters Between a Woman and a Dolphin" (2014)

BBC documentary - "The Girl Who Talked to Dolphins" (2014)

BBC documentary clip - "Teaching a dolphin to speak English" footage

Margaret Howe Lovatt Wikipedia page - Complete biography and experiment details

John C. Lilly's book - "Man and Dolphin" - The original research that started it all (1961)

Medium article analysis - "The Girl Who Talked to Dolphins: Watch this documentary if you are into space" (2021)

News18 retrospective - "When The Love Story Of A Dolphin And Woman Made News In The 60s" (2023)

Just The Gist is a Just The Network production. Executive Produced and hosted by Rosie Waterland. Produced and edited by James Joseph. Additional production support by Kate Leaver and Hayley Staveley, along with Acast legends Guy Scott Wilson and Simon McDermott. Production Assistant: Pocket

Looking for Breakin’ Nooz? It drops on every Tuesday, along with a whole lot of other bonus audio, video and behind the scenes content, which you can access for just a couple of bucks via the Just The Gist Patreon or Apple Subscriptions.

Follow Just The Gist on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube @JustTheGistPodcast

Follow Rosie in all the places at @RosieWaterland

Want to give us a SuGISTion? Tell Rosie to stop singing so much? Email us at hello@justthegist.com.au

Don’t forget to follow and give us 5 stars, which means something apparently!

Thank you, as always, for Gistening. Now go say something impressive at a dinner party.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On June 18th, 2023, the OceanGate Titan submersible imploded during a dive to the Titanic wreck, instantly killing all five people on board including CEO Stockton Rush. But this wasn't a freak accident - it was the predictable result of years of ignored safety warnings, with over 30 deep-sea experts telling Rush his experimental carbon fiber design would kill people. The four-day international rescue mission captivated the world, but the violent implosion had scattered the death trap submarine across the ocean floor in milliseconds.

We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's this:

WIRED's exclusive investigation

The New Yorker's detailed report

BBC documentary footage

The Fifth Estate investigation

OceanGate Wikipedia page

Titan submersible implosion Wikipedia page

YouTube analysis

Forbes report

Daily Mail report

New York Post coverage

Just The Gist is a Just The Network production. Executive Produced and hosted by Rosie Waterland. Produced and edited by James Joseph. Additional production support by Kate Leaver and Hayley Staveley, along with Acast legends Guy Scott Wilson and Simon McDermott. Production Assistant: Pocket

Looking for Breakin’ Nooz? It drops on every Tuesday, along with a whole lot of other bonus audio, video and behind the scenes content, which you can access for just a couple of bucks via the Just The Gist Patreon or Apple Subscriptions.

Follow Just The Gist on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube @JustTheGistPodcast

Follow Rosie in all the places at @RosieWaterland

Want to give us a SuGISTion? Tell Rosie to stop singing so much? Email us at hello@justthegist.com.au

Don’t forget to follow and give us 5 stars, which means something apparently!

Thank you, as always, for Gistening. Now go say something impressive at a dinner party.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.