The Criminality podcast combines true crime and reality TV. The hosts of the show are Rebekah and Melissa. Both have experience with other true crime and criminal justice podcasts.
Ever since The Real World introduced the format to the US, reality TV has grown in popularity. Half of Americans watch at least one show. Docusoaps are one of the major subgenres. Shows like Real Housewives and The Kardashians follow the lives of the wealthy. Drama is what generates engagement, so there's always plenty of it. It seems inevitable that the participants' behavior is sometimes criminal. When that happens, podcast hosts Melissa and Rebekah love to gossip about it.
Every episode of Criminality focuses on one reality TV participant. "Mama June: Honey BOO HOO" is about the mother and daughter duo in Toddlers and Tiaras. The pair was so popular with viewers that they got their own show, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. In this exposé, the cohosts question her parenting skills and choice of partners. Another episode is about Jon and Kate Plus 8. The show started as a cute family portrait. It soon devolved into an inside view of a divorce, acrimonious custody battles, and a bizarre infatuation with the Ed Hardy brand. Rebekah and Melissa can't seem to decide whether Jon or Kate is the worse person.
Melissa and Rebekah also like to examine newer shows. Darcey & Stacey is a show borne from 90-Day Fiancé. The cohosts think that Darcey's taste in men is abysmal. In a Storage Wars episode, they have trouble disguising their glee at Dave Hester's legal woes. At the end of each episode, Rebekah invites podcast listeners to guess the subject of the next one. She provides them with three clues. For example, "MTV," "French bulldogs," and "Gucci" are the clues to a Lady Gaga episode.
People who love reality TV might appreciate all the dirt on the shows' participants. The podcast cohosts' occasional disagreements keep things interesting and great for light listening. New Criminality episodes arrive on an intermittent basis.
Episodes