Set in 2010 and spanning six seasons (two of which are available to watch now on demand), the series turned popular podcast lifts the lid on everyday people who wonder just who the (bleep) they married. The unfortunate victims share how blissfully unaware they were of the hideous secrets their former spouses were hiding, including double lives, fraud, and in some cases, murder.
Each 22-minute-long episode uses a mixture of real-life footage and dramatisation and takes viewers on a journey that evolves from sweet love and marital bliss to alarming red flags, until ultimately each heinous crime is eventually exposed, resulting in devastating consequences for the victims that survived physically and emotionally to tell the tale.
Take the absolutely WILD story of Mary Jo Buttafuoco. She met super buff class clown and future husband Joey Buttafuoco in high school. The couple had two kids and weathered their fair share of marital woes, including Joey’s crippling cocaine addiction.
In a twist no one saw coming, Mary Jo’s life changed forever on May 19th, 1992, when a teenage girl, later revealed to be Joey Buttafuoco’s underage lover Amy Fisher, showed up to the family house and shot Mary Jo at point blank range right near her temple.
Miraculously, she survived, but life would never be the same again after finding out that her beloved husband Joey was, in fact, a monster.
Then there’s the story of Colorado man Joe Wood, one of only a few men who share their story in the series. Joe met charming young Shauna at the mall, and they married soon after. It didn’t take long for the lies and manipulation to begin.
Shauna announced her pregnancy, making Joe believe it was his, until a doctor’s appointment showed that dates did not match up, and the baby was in fact conceived months before the two met. She also took over Joe’s bank account, which later left him in serious financial trouble. He later found out from Shauna’s mother that Shauna was a seasoned con artist, who targeted vulnerable men with limited family ties.
Joe filed for an annulment only four months after their wedding, however he soon realised he would be dealing with the consequences of Shauna’s actions for years to come.
Mary Jo and Joe’s stories, sadly, expose the horrifying realities of thousands of victims who live with abusive, lying, and manipulative assailants. This show will not only leave you shaking your head in shock horror but will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about your very own partner.
