The Mastercast Marie Tanksley

This week we look at Have Murder Will Travel.
If you'd rather read the reviews, check the show out on Instagram or Twitter. 
Links and sources:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/themastercasthttps://havemurderwilltravel.buzzsprout.com/https://www.instagram.com/havemurderwilltravel/https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/have-murder-will-travel/id1634439656
Have Murder Will Travel - No spoilers! 
This week we’re looking at an American crime show that travels internationally to tell stories from every part of the globe. Like many of its fans, I found this podcast by recommendation from the Morbid podcast, who like me, is a big fan. The true treasure of this pod is its host Valeira Drake who is also a St.Louis based actor and dancer! She is so funny and charming and I love her voice. Some don’t care for her tangents but I think they are hilarious and make the show. She’s just saying what we’re all thinking. I even named my monstera plant after her. So there hasn’t been an episode in a while since May of 2023 actually but Valeria has mentioned on the show before about depression. Let’s just be hopeful and supportive and maybe another episode will bless our feeds soon. There are episodes to burn through though! 43 in fact and I binged all of them in a couple of days. Most are about crimes. There are few disappearances, the rare spooky episodes, and even rarer still a survival story. My favorites are Episode 33: Deadly Cruise Ships: The Disappearance of Tammy Grogan, and Episode 12: Guatemala: Rodrigo Rosenberg although there are too many to name. Usually each episode has a great instagram post with it. When the show was really active they came out once a week. Apple Podcasts has a 4.7/5 with 94 ratings. There is swearing and of course the normal trigger warnings for true crime. 
Similar pods: Location Unknown, Lost in the Woods, Twisted Travel and True Crime. 


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This week we look at The Frankston Murders.
If you'd rather read the reviews, check the show out on Instagram or Twitter. 
Links and sources:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/themastercasthttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-frankston-murders/id1678816681
Transcript:
The Frankston Murders - No Spoilers ! 
From Casefile Presents this gripping podcast looks at the serial murders of three women that took place over seven weeks in a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, a case unfamiliar to most in the US. Its creator and host Vikki Petratis reported on the crime as it was happening and later wrote the best-selling book The Frankston Murders. In this podcast, she speaks with an array of people including family members, police officers, and prison guards to uncover unheard material and new victims stalked before the murders. It is a longer podcast made up of 11 episodes. I honestly usually avoid single-crime podcasts of this length because they tend to use a lot of filler but the pace and layout of this pod was incredible. Informed complete reporting with no repetitive information. It is one of the best-produced podcasts I’ve heard all year and with a rating on Apple Podcasts of 4.7 it’s safe to say I’m not the only one who thinks so. There have been updates in the case as recent as this year which leaves Petretis asking for the listener's help. I do need to give a trigger warning for animal abuse. 
Similar pods: The Detective’s Dilemma, West Cork, and Bowraville


★ Support this podcast ★

This week we look at Bad Seeds.
If you'd rather read the reviews, check the show out on Instagram or Twitter. 
Links and sources:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/themastercasthttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bad-seeds/id1680791653
Transcript:

If you’re a true crime fan who loves plants, this might be your new favorite podcast. From iHeartPodcasts and School of Humans, Bad Seeds looks at what happens when living things become trendy. Every year millions of plants are poached to feed the black market that makes it possible to get whatever variety you’d like with a short trip to the store. Hosted by plant lover, author, and youtuber Summer Rayne Oakes, this podcast looks at the whole purchase process from smugglers to everyday buyers to shed light on the biological, ecological, and cultural exploitation that most who take part in the industry are unaware of. Personally, I had no idea plants were smuggled like animals but as this show explains even cartels are cashing in on the lucrative trade. It’s an intersection of passionate hobbyists and harmful crime that I’m not sure I’ve seen in a lot of other instances. While this information is common knowledge to professionals in the field, this podcast makes it easy to understand the gravity of what is happening to everyone else. For its efforts, it’s been well received with 4.8/5 stars and 149 ratings. The series has 8 parts that are about 32 minutes long and must be listened to in order. 

Similar pods: In Defense of Plants, Big Sugar, Field Trip


★ Support this podcast ★

This week we look at Food, We Need To Talk.
If you'd rather read the reviews, check the show out on Instagram or Twitter. 
Links and sources:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/themastercasthttps://www.foodweneedtotalk.com/https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/food-we-need-to-talk/id1490621476
Transcript:
Hey Pod lovers. I’m your host Marie and  If you’re joining us for the first time: Welcome! The Mastercast is a podcast recommendation show that brings you a brand new non-spoiler binge-worthy review every week of the best podcasts in a short and sweet 2-3 minute summary on everything you could want to know, from the number of hosts to on average how long you can expect each episode to be. New episodes come out every Monday. You can find the week’s other reviews on the show’s social on Instagram @themastercast and Twitter @mastercastpods. If you like what you hear and want to help out with this independent show you can find me on Buy me a coffee by searching The Mastercast. I’d really appreciate it. This week’s review is on
Food We Need To Talk - No Spoilers! 
This is a health podcast unlike any other. It really sucks to be despite to find facts and have to sift through clutter, hype, and misinformation. I’ve tried so many and it seems like everyone has a doctor from a prestigious school saying the opposite of what the last one said. I still don’t know who to trust but over time I’ve come to believe common tips from trustworthy sources. This is one of the sources I’ve come to trust. Since saying it’s science-based doesn’t mean much, I’ll just say I really think you should give this one a try. It was started in 2019 by Juna Gjata, a Harvard graduate in Cognitive Neuroscience and Evolutionary Psychology and a minor in Music, and Dr. Eddie Phillips who has a long list of credentials. In every episode, they pick a topic such as genetics, stress, and exercise and speak to each other and experts on it. I love shows that take information and make them into beautiful tiny documentaries about everything you need to know and this show does it very well. Another thing that makes the show so relatable is how Juna sprinkles little bits of her experience throughout the episode and shares thoughts and questions I’ve heard everyone I know have. Produced by PRX, the show has a rating on Apple Podcasts of 4.7/5 with 1,800 ratings. Episodes used to come out biweekly but now come out once a week on Mondays. They’re on average about 40 minutes long which makes it easier to capture all the information without being overloaded. I still really enjoy listening to the episodes twice, once to hear and think about what’s said and another to better remember it. Also super helpful are the transcripts for every episode that can be found on their website. It really helps to look up the information mentioned. You can tell the pod is a little scripted but it’s barely noticeable. My favorite episodes so far have been “Doomed If You Diet, Doomed If You Don’t” and “This Is Your Brain On Cheesecake.” There have been accusations of harmful diet rhetoric but not only do I not feel this way, I think it’s bluntly false. This show makes you feel like it’s okay to mess up but with the correct information, you can make healthier choices for YOU. It tells you all the things you need to hear that are hard for you to believe but are true. 
Similar pods: Huberman Lab, Life Kit: Health, Making Sense with Sam Harris 
All right, guys, that’s all for this week but remember if you want to see the cover art, sources, or the written transcript for this episode be sure to check out the show notes. You can also send us an email at themastercastpodlist@gmail.com. There you can tell us if you have music you would like played on the show or submit a podcast to be recommended. This week’s music came from Universal Music Productions because I forgot to find an artist for this week. Remember to share the show with the pod lovers in your

This week we look at Hillside: The Investigation and Trial of the Hillside Strangler.
If you'd rather read the reviews, check the show out on Instagram or Twitter. 
Links and sources:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/themastercasthttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hillside-the-investigation-and-trial/id1623494682http://www.hillsidepodcast.com/https://rephonic.com/podcasts/hillsidehttp://www.josephrodota.com/
Transcript: 
Hey Pod lovers. I’m your host Marie and  If you’re joining us for the first time: Welcome! The Mastercast is a podcast recommendation show that brings you a brand new non-spoiler binge-worthy review every week of the best podcasts in a short and sweet 2-3 minute summary on everything you could want to know, from the number of hosts to on average how long you can expect each episode to be. New episodes come out every Monday. You can find the week’s other reviews on the show’s social on Instagram @themastercast and Twitter @mastercastpods. If you like what you hear and want to help out with this independent show you can find me on Buy me a coffee by searching The Mastercast. I’d really appreciate it. This week’s review is on
Hillside: The Investigation and Trial of the Hillside Strangler
Between October 1977 and February 1978 Los Angeles, California witnessed a group of serial killings that would leave 10 women assaulted and murdered in just a year. Due to many of the bodies being discovered among the city’s surrounding hills, the linked murders were named by the media as the “Hillside Stranglings.” Since the crime and its record-long trial which lasted two years and two days, countless documentaries, books, films, and podcasts have been made about it. This 2022 show from Last 5 Percent Media uses narrative as well as interviews with family members of the victims, lawyers, prosecutors, jurors, and investigators to give a fascinating but respectful look at the case. I really appreciated that host and author Joseph Rodota gives a warning about the outdated language used in older recordings as well as graphic content warnings. The podcast has 4.9 stars on Apple Podcasts with 64 ratings. There are 10 episodes in the series, all about 39 minutes on average. My only critique would be there is music playing in the show when there shouldn’t be. It just plays quietly in the background for most of the time. 
Similar pods: The Clown and The Candyman, Mind of a Monster: Aileen Wuornos, and Atlanta Monster 
All right, guys, that’s all for this week but remember if you want to see the cover art, sources, or the written transcript for this episode be sure to check out the show notes. You can also send us an email at themastercastpodlist@gmail.com. There you can tell us if you have music you would like played on the show or submit a podcast to be recommended. This week’s music came from Universal Music Productions because I forgot to find an artist for this week. Remember to share the show with the pod lovers in your life and tune in next Monday. Thanks for listening.


★ Support this podcast ★

This week we look at Lore.
If you'd rather read the reviews, check the show out on Instagram or Twitter. 
Links and sources:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/themastercasthttps://www.lorepodcast.com/https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lore/id978052928https://www.youtube.com/@lorepodcasthttps://www.unit5.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&ModuleInstanceID=22832&ViewID=5C8B25C6-C8F8-4BD5-923B-8A7C70A93DDA&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=31141&PageID=14927&Comments=true
Transcript: 
Hey Pod lovers. I’m your host Marie and  If you’re joining us for the first time: Welcome! The Mastercast is a podcast recommendation show that brings you a brand new non-spoiler binge-worthy review every week of the best podcasts in a short and sweet 2-3 minute summary on everything you could want to know, from the number of hosts to on average how long you can expect each episode to be. New episodes come out every Monday. You can find the week’s other reviews on the show’s social on Instagram @themastercast and Twitter @mastercastpods. If you like what you hear and want to help out this independent show you can find me on Buy me a coffee by searching The Mastercast. I’d really appreciate it. This week’s review is on
Lore - No Spoilers! 
From Grim & Mild Entertainment and host Aaron Mahnke, this week’s review is on the award-winning podcast Lore. It is proof that history isn’t just events and dates. Myths, legends, folk tales, and creatures are woven throughout our collective history no matter where you are from. In each episode, Mahnke picks one and dives into it, making a snapshot of its culture and psychology. Mahnke isn’t just the host but is also the creator, writer, producer, and founder of its network Grim & Mild Entertainment. For those unfamiliar Mahnke has a distinct, divisive, but much-loved diction. If you find it bothers you, try to listen to only a couple of episodes at a time. I will say that so many people love the show it was adapted for television by Amazon, has a Youtube channel, and Penguin Random House has published it as a three-book set. It won Best of 2015 for iTunes, Best History Podcast for the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards as well as a handful of others. Some schools have even incorporated it into their curriculum. On Apple Podcast the show has 4.6 out of 5 stars with 43K ratings. So far there are 227 episodes available for free everywhere with paid episodes sprinkled in on Apple Podcasts. On average they are about 30-35 minutes long and release about once a week. A note on the factual nature of the show… It's a great starting place. It’s well-researched and it can be hard to get everything into a 30-minute episode. The subjects it covers are also pretty subjective. That being said there have been many times where people have pointed out missed or falsely interpreted parts. I think it’s a great introduction but definitely not the bible. The show’s episode sources page on its website is huge and could be a great place to dig deeper if you’d like. Also, be aware a common complaint of the show is the jarring volume of the ads so sleepy listeners beware. My favorite episodes have been Episode 170: Into the Wild, and Episode 42: In the Bag. While there is no swearing the spooky nature of the show might require discretion for younger listeners. 
Similar Pods: Myths and Legends, Destination Terror, and Let's Talk About Myths, Baby! 
All right, guys, that’s all for this week but remember if you want to see the cover art, sources, or the written transcript for this episode be sure to check out the show notes. You can also send us an email at themastercastpodlist@gmail.com. There you can tell us if you have music you would like played on the show or submit a podcast to be recommended. This week’s music came from Universal Music Productions because I forgot to find an artist for this week. Remember to share the show with the pod lovers in your life and tune in next Monday. Thanks for listening.


★ Suppor