159 episodes

Humans are resilient. In our toughest moments, we will fight, we will struggle, and we will triumph...often against the odds. 
In this immersive series from Wondery, host-adventurers Mike Corey and Cassie De Pecol will share thrilling stories of survival. From the daring rescue of a soccer team trapped in an underwater cave in Thailand, to a woman taken hostage by Somali pirates, these stories made headlines around the world. AGAINST THE ODDS will make you feel as though you’re living these experiences with our heroes as they push themselves to their limits.
New episodes come out every Tuesday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. Listen ad-free on Wondery+ or on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or Amazon Music Unlimited subscription.

Against The Odds Wondery

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.8 • 6.6K Ratings

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

Humans are resilient. In our toughest moments, we will fight, we will struggle, and we will triumph...often against the odds. 
In this immersive series from Wondery, host-adventurers Mike Corey and Cassie De Pecol will share thrilling stories of survival. From the daring rescue of a soccer team trapped in an underwater cave in Thailand, to a woman taken hostage by Somali pirates, these stories made headlines around the world. AGAINST THE ODDS will make you feel as though you’re living these experiences with our heroes as they push themselves to their limits.
New episodes come out every Tuesday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. Listen ad-free on Wondery+ or on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or Amazon Music Unlimited subscription.

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

    Buried Alive | Taken

    Buried Alive | Taken

    It’s December, 1968, and 20-year-old Emory University student Barbara Mackle is taken at gunpoint from the Atlanta motel room she’s sharing with her mother. Her two kidnappers drug her and then drive her to a remote spot in the woods outside the city. Their plan? To bury her alive in a coffin-like box while they wait for a half-million dollar ransom from her father, a wealthy real estate developer.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    • 41 min
    Buried Alive | The Box

    Buried Alive | The Box

    Drugged and sick with flu, Barbara Mackle begs her kidnappers not to bury her underground. But soon she’s sealed inside a cramped wooden box, and can hear dirt being shoveled onto the lid. Meanwhile, a mysterious caller to her family’s home outside Miami directs them to a note buried beneath a rock in their front yard. The note confirms their worst fears – Barbara has been kidnapped and will never be found if they don’t pay the ransom.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    • 42 min
    Buried Alive | The Drop

    Buried Alive | The Drop

    This episode comes out for free on 03/26, and is available early and ad-free for Wondery+ subscribers.

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    Barbara’s father, Robert Mackle, has gathered $500,000 in 20-dollar bills into a suitcase. Then, following the kidnappers’ instructions, he goes by himself to the drop site – an abandoned causeway in Miami. But when he gets lost on the way to the site, he begins to worry that the kidnappers will flee before he can deliver the money, leaving his daughter to die.

    Johnstown Flood | The Dam

    Johnstown Flood | The Dam

    It’s May, 30th 1889, and the South Fork Dam in Western Pennsylvania is in danger. After nearly a month of hard rain, eight inches have fallen in one day, filling the lake behind the dam to capacity. And the dam’s owners, the South Fork Hunting and Fishing Club, have cut corners in repairing and maintaining it. It’s threatening to break, which would unleash 20 million tons of water on the people in the valley below, including everyone living in the steel city of Johnstown.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    • 47 min
    Johnstown Flood | Overflow

    Johnstown Flood | Overflow

    Engineer John Parke and a team of workers furiously shovel dirt, trying to shore up the South Fork Dam as it threatens to overflow, amid torrential rains. Parke knows these efforts are their only chance of preventing a terrible flood. He decides he has to warn the towns in the river valley of the imminent danger — but it’s a warning they’ve heard too many times in the past to take seriously. 

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    • 41 min
    Johnstown Flood | Cascade

    Johnstown Flood | Cascade

    Despite the efforts of engineer John Parke, the South Fork Dam does break. The ensuing flash flood sweeps up a vast, moving wall of debris: mud, rocks, trees, fragments of bridges and smashed-up houses. Residents in Johnstown, including Reverend H.L. Chapman and his family, have mere seconds to flee to higher ground as the floodwaters and debris crash into their homes. The lucky ones find themselves clinging to rooftops amid the raging waters, fighting to survive.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    • 40 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
6.6K Ratings

6.6K Ratings

Nat.Yoon ,

Class Assignment Review

Episode 3 | Thai Cave Rescue | Risk

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

This is episode 3 of the 6-part series, which entails the incredible survival story of 12 boys and their soccer coach who, in 2018, after exploring a cave, were trapped due to rainfall. After struggling to look for one I thought was interesting, I found this podcast through a TikTok review. I listened to a random episode, and I instantly knew this one would allure me greatly. The combination of the narration, sound effects, music choices, and detail helps this podcast feel like I’m watching a documentary. This story, in particular, is one I had heard before but never got to do enough research into, so I was excited when I saw that the podcast’s first series was this one in particular.

In the episode “Risk,” the main divers, Rick Stanton and his diving buddy, John Volanthen, and the Thai Navy Seal attempt to dive into the cave to keep going through the chambers to find the boys and their coach. It has been a little over a week, and the students are finally found. But this is only the beginning; the team hadn’t necessarily come up with a rescue plan yet as they “weren’t even supposed to find them,” and they had been in the cave to lay the lines to make it easier to get through. The boys are starving but calm, brave, and grateful for the diver’s arrival. The divers then have to leave, and they and the rest of the rescuers have to come up with a plan on how they’ll be able to rescue the students. The cave is harrowing and very easy to get lost, so they’re unsure if diving them out would be a good plan, but it involves too much risk. They talk about different ideas, like waiting for the rainy season to end so that the water levels get lower, but that would take too long, and oxygen levels are getting low already. Another plan was to attempt to drill the cave from above, but the jagged rocks would make that idea impossible. So, they only have one option: to dive them out through the main entrance, which isn’t a zero-risk option as the Thai government had urged. They continue with this plan and consider how to make it easier for them and the boys. Finally, they decide to sedate them to keep them calm and prevent panic on the treacherous journey through the flooded cave. Before they begin, they give the boys a chance to send their loved ones letters, letting them know they’re okay.

LisaLobes ,

Amazing Show

I stumbled across this podcast and have absolutely binged every episode! The stories are beyond belief, well researched and written, and I love the host! 10/10

Rocket ringo ,

I love this show so dang much.

This show has inspired me to only day hopefully become a hot shot firefighter, that season is the best and is gut-wrenching, sad, and beautiful all at once. I really really love this show and would like to do a co-op with you on my show, the Huntley Hosts Podcast! Take care. First rate podcast! 100/10 recommend. Incredible show.

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