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Charles Van Doren was a contestant on the television quiz show Twenty One in 1956. He seemed to know everything - and it made him famous. One writer said: “Like a good American, he fought hard.” But things weren’t as they seemed. Listen to our latest now: buff.ly/xa2vDJh

In 1956, Herbert Stempel and Charles Van Doren competed against each other on a television quiz show called Twenty One. Herbert lost. Then, he started telling people that it had all been rigged. Charles Van Doren said that wasn’t true. Today: buff.ly/xa2vDJh

Charles Van Doren was so popular as a contestant on Twenty One that NBC hired him to give mini-lectures and recite poetry on The Today Show. But no one knew that the quiz show’s producers were feeding Charles Van Doren all his answers. buff.ly/xa2vDJh

In 1955, psychologist Dr. Joyce Brothers won The $64,000 Question by answering a series of questions about boxing — even though the show's producers had tried to stump her. Here she is celebrating with a group of professional boxers. buff.ly/xa2vDJh

“Anyone who went to Action Park understood you could get really messed up going there. It was part of why you wanted to go.” Listen to our new episode now: buff.ly/3gCVgAr

Gene Mulvihill had no experience in theme parks before he opened Action Park, but he still designed most of its rides. Gene’s son once said, “Some people think of my father as a berserk Willy Wonka.” Listen now: buff.ly/Z5jYVm3

Even though comedian Chris Gethard heard stories about people getting hurt at Action Park, he still went there as a kid. Listen to our latest episode now. buff.ly/Z5jYVm3

“There was no help at Action Park. The vibe was that you were on your own, do what you want.” In our latest episode: the story of one the first water parks in the country. Listen: buff.ly/Z5jYVm3

One ride at Action Park was called the Alpine Slide. A newspaper reported, “There is talk that someone got a broken thumb and someone else received a dislocated shoulder." Gene Mulvihill, the creator of the park, said, "It's outrageously fantastic." buff.ly/Z5jYVm3

Join Criminal in Seattle at the Cascade PBS Ideas Festival on 5/31 for a live interview with Amanda Knox. More details and tickets here: buff.ly/HZRO2Fg

Today - a special bonus episode featuring Phoebe and Criminal co-creator Lauren Spohrer, talking about everything from Phoebe’s jangly bracelets to the reason a judge ordered a man to watch Bambi. Listen: buff.ly/SZFftvc

Hear more of our latest Criminal Plus episode by signing up at thisiscriminal.com/plus - use the promo code “JOINUS” for 20% off an annual membership!

Today on Criminal Plus, Phoebe and Lauren get to do something they’ve wanted to do for a very long time – meet some lemurs. Sign up and listen here: buff.ly/8uK3kzt

John Buettner-Janusch was one of the first Americans to study lemurs. He held prestigious faculty positions at Yale, Duke and NYU, before surprising everyone with a series of increasingly bizarre crimes. Listen here: buff.ly/0rqS59O

When John Buettner-Janusch was in prison, he wrote about what he would do when he was released: “I will certainly take the most awful revenge upon certain people. The Greeks are correct: blood is a corrective for many wrongs.” buff.ly/0rqS59O

In the late 1960s, a yogi named Swami Rama came to the United States. His followers believed he could read their minds, visit them in their dreams, and manipulate reality. Shruti Swamy was one of them. New today: buff.ly/g0w8tYe

“The guru might do things that are uncomfortable, that feel damaging, that feel scary — and that's for your spiritual betterment... The idea of a guru means that even if he's doing something you don't understand, you have to trust it." New today: buff.ly/EC1tDlO

In the early 1970s, scientists studied yogi Swami Rama’s claim that he could control his body with his mind — and at one point, he demonstrated that he could make his heart stop pumping blood. New today: buff.ly/EC1tDlO

When Shruti Swamy was growing up in Palo Alto, her parents practiced yoga and meditation under the guidance of a guru. She told us, "Knowing everything I know now, I would never enter into a relationship where I gave somebody that much power over me." buff.ly/EC1tDlO

Swami Rama became Shruti Swamy’s guru when she was 9 years old. Decades later, Shruti started looking into accusations against him. Listen to our latest: buff.ly/EC1tDlO