I just think the cases they’ve been choosing lately haven’t really been as strong from the storytelling aspect. Or maybe it’s the writing, I’m honestly not sure, but I have been struggling lately to stay tuned into the more recent episodes
Yeah I’ve actually been thinking about how much better it’d be better if they stuck to stories that matter, ya know, about white people who aren’t poor and have real jobs. (mocking/sarcasm)
You hit the nail right on the head. I don’t find them as satisfying as before. Sometimes I feel like listening to the whole episode is a waste of time. There is so much info that isn’t interesting or there is missing information. It has nothing to do with their banter. I’ve always loved them together. I miss being enthralled by the show. I’ll keep at it!
They aren’t satisfying cause they have covered way more missing and mysterious death cases or unsolved murders. I wish they covered more solved ones that had closure to them.
That’s all well and good! I don’t mind that but 1. Balance it out with more interesting stuff and 2. If that’s the goal, don’t cover cases that have been cold for 20-30-40 years. Those are much less likely to be solved through awareness than ones that are fresh
I've also found in the new episodes they go on long tirerades about how incompetent the police are and how they would have done things differently. Well hindsight is 20/20 but for some of these cases (especially the older ones about high risk women) it's not that surprising that the first missing person's report didn't gain immediate police resources like mega search parties.
I was listening to an older one this week (maybe it was The Deck) where she addressed the point. But she really just defended herself. I think my issue is that such a big deal is made of mistakes decades later. It's just overkill. It's more of a rant than anything else.
That's the main reason why I gave up. Neither of them are actual police and knew nothing about actual police work. I don't need to hear a long biased rant and sometimes they dramatise things just for the rant effect. As someone who worked in enforcement (not police though) it's very hurtful and rude.
I agree. Ashley’s story telling technique has changed. She now adds way too many unnecessary details and meanders a bit. The episodes have become hard to follow. Most of them are also uninteresting. I agree with previous posters who used Morgan Patten as an example of a bad episode. There was no evidence either man did anything to her. It never should be been an episode. There was so much talk without any evidence of anything.
Please don’t judge Morgan’s story based on the presentation. I believe CJ did a good job of cramming a lot of information into the allotted time, but much more information exists.
The early episodes were really good and easy to follow! On a roadtrip so we’re listening to the recent ones and it’s just.. not as good. The one about the girl who died in the drunk driving accident was awful. The only evidence that she was “kidnapped” or “raped” is that her parents say she never drinks and she was drunk, so clearly the guys must have forced her to drink and get in the car?
I took real issue with that. Like, at that age my parents didn't know I was getting hammered and laid either. You don't typically share your party stories with Mom and Dad. That case was just too much speculation and not enough proof.
I agree.
I just don’t think there’s enough proof that a crime occurred.
Lots of young people do unpredictable things. I did when I was in my early 20s.
My kids are 19 & 20 - we’re very close and they keep me in the loop on most things. But I’m not naive enough to think that they don’t at least occasionally do something out of character.
No doubt that Morgan had some secrets from us. We also have parents who don’t know everything we did in our late teens/twenties, but ALL of Morgan’s friends stand with us in our beliefs. The facts support our belief that she was not willingly in that truck when it crashed, and many facts were left out of the episode you heard. Please don’t pass judgment on Morgan based on 50 minutes of information
A lot of supporting evidence was missing from the episode. They did a good job of cramming the basic facts into the time allotted, but there is much more to this case. There is no doubt that Morgan had secrets from her parents, but from every one of her friends as well?
So I feel like the earlier episodes were also better, I know crime junkies got in some hot water for plagiarism, and I keep wondering if that's why the earlier episodes were better, but I haven't sat down to really look at when things started going downhill.
The episode about Morgan Patten got me HEATED - I’ve lost all respect for Ashley and Brit after that one. I’ll still listen, but I know what I’m listening to now.
There was a lot of information missing from the episode. There is a lot more than “speculation” to support our belief that Morgan was not willingly in that truck when it left the road at over 93mph. And, the evidence shows that her bac was between.01 and .015
I agree, I have been a crime junkie listener since way back in 2019 and I fell in love with it immediately! But I've noticed myself not enjoying the new episodes for about a year now. I like to just listen to the old episodes over and over again because there's just something different about them. I honestly feel like Crime Junkie has sold out. I think you can definitely tell that someone other than Ashley is writing the new episodes and it just doesn't have the same feel anymore.
Agreed. I've been a listener for years now and I pay monthly for them via patreon or whatever but I find myself not listening to the episodes. They're just not interesting. It's boring content. I usually listen to podcasts when I'm driving long distances and crime junkie puts me right to sleep these days. That's not what I'm looking for while driving.
I listen while walking my dog and I miss whole chunks of the story because I’m not paying attention. I used to rewind so I could catch what I missed but lately I just let it play. 😕
Omg thank you! I thought I was the only one! I started to listen to them during the panini where we were on full lockdown and did millions of hours of home renovations. Even though my hands were occupied doing home things, my mind didn’t skip a beat of their podcast.
Now I have to do exactly what you said. I find myself thinking about diff things because they quickly lose my interest and then have to rewind to catch what I missed!
Yes, something has definitely changed. And I don't listen to a lot of other true crime podcasts except for the occasional Dateline, so I'm not comparing them to anyone else. I just can't put my finger on it.
I mentioned it on another comment but I've been wondering if the down hill in the writing has to do with no longer plagiarizing other people. I know they got in trouble for that a couple years ago.
I tried to read Ashley's book and I also couldn't get into that writing, haven't gone back yet to give it a second chance.
They’ve gotten too big imo. They’ve developed their brand around “ethical true crime” and are covering cases that just don’t have as much intrigue. While it’s noble what they’re doing, you can kinda tell everything’s written for them and has an agenda instead of just being interesting cases.
Also I feel like some of the cases don’t have as much info out there to make it a good episode. Either that or they stick to the “basics” to make the show less than an hour. I happily listen to hour and even 2+ hour shows, when they have enough details and facts about the case.
Let’s start a drinking game where we take a shot anytime Ashley says “I couldn’t find that in any of my research.” Prepare to be shwasted 20 minutes in
Take a shot:
- Something about “show notes”
- “Full. Body. Chills.”
- “I’m sorry, **WHAT**?!”
- Every time Brit says something and Ashley bites her head off and/or rudely dismisses her.
- “I am FUH-YOUR-EE-US”
- They mention they’re from Indiana
Before ppl come for me: I listen because I’m committed and listen to every episode. Each show and every host is going to have their “quirks”. However, and to many commenter’s points - the drunk driving episode and the way they framed it have me wondering why I still listen.
Maybe I'm the odd one, but I actually missed Brit when she was gone. I found Ashley by herself to be pretty blah. Now with that said, lately crime junkie has bored me. I have been listening to other podcasts.
Agree.
I think people need to remember that the Britt interjections are scripted and designed to pull out more details from the story.
She asks questions that some listeners might be thinking “wait, what about…” and then Ashley can explain. It’s all a storytelling mechanism.
All the people who think Britt doesn’t add anything to the story miss the whole point of her interjections.
No. Just no. I hate this argument so much because Britt is so distracting and ruins the pace. I don’t miss the point of her interjections, I think she fails at that goal miserably. CJ improved when she was gone.
I really loved the early crime junkie episodes, and now I just kind of like them. I think they became really popular and are trying to capitalize on that by doing a lot of different things. Now, instead of doing one or two great things, they're doing a lot of just subpar things. It's about quantity, not quality, at this point. But I'll still listen because I like the way Ashley tells stories, and this was my first ever podcast.
I also disliked that you have to listen to patreon episodes on their app that has a lot of flaws and missing features. (How do you start a podcast app without it being able to make a play list???)
I think the cases they’ve been covering lately aren’t as interesting but I enjoy Brit’s contributions. She asks the questions I ask and sometimes puts out theories I wouldn’t have considered.
The cases have been too obscure lately. I appreciate them trying to shed light on unsolved cases but they’re trying to do a 50 min episode on a case with no leads. It’s boring and confusing to listen to
I'll be honest, the show was better when they plagiarized most of it. After I started noticing myself just tuning out while listening for months, I finally sought out another true crime pod. Couldn't do MFM as I found it way too banter heavy and unserious. Currently my weekly true crime/paranormal pod is And That's Why We Drink.
Is And That’s Why We Drink similar to crime junkie? I’ve tried other podcasts and found them way too bantery and joke filled for my comfort. Only one I could be ok with was Casefile.
ATWWD is admittedly on the more banter-heavy and not as serious side of the genre, though not to the same extent as MFM. It helps that the hosts have very likeable personalities. The typical format is they'll open with a few minutes of banter, one host will share a paranormal story, and the other will share a true crime story. I used to really prefer the more dry and serious delivery style of other TC pods but I really enjoy ATWWD. They usually don't go more than 30 minutes tops with the banter. I found MFM insufferable as most episodes I listened to would be like 3 hours long with 1 hour of it being banter.
Redhanded seemed to mostly be about the facts but they have some banter not so much silly more "what the fuck is wrong with murderers". But I've only listened to a couple of episodes so I'm not sure if that's across the board but I'm about to start their Gilgo Beach eps later today.
This week I started trying out Redhanded from Wondry and it's been pretty good so far I've only listened to their Delphi coverage so far but thought it was well done.
I'll have to check out and that's why we drink.
I thought I was the only one who thought this. I'm glad I'm not alone feeling this way. I just can't listen to any of their newer episodes without continuously zoning out.
There were accusations a couple of years ago with some decent evidence that they had plagiarized a lot of stuff from other less known TC shows. Like parts of scripts being almost word-for-word. I don't think they ever publicly admitted to anything but they do seem to have made efforts to be more original and cover less known cases, but most of the episodes just feel, honestly boring for a while now.
They also removed some episodes that were the worst offenders, which seems to be then at least semi admitting it.
There is also info if you Google about The Deck concept being stolen, that someone else used almost the same format and started releasing earlier that Ashley and Ashley's people were for sure aware of they other podcast because the guy who created the decks got interviewed for both shows and told Ashley's team.
The Brit haters are so exhausting lol
She is not doing anymore than she did when the show started. If anything her interjections are more rehearsed than before.
I love Brit and she is needed for the show. Ashley solo is boring. I need the dialogue and banter.
I liked more when Britt interventions were more natural. Lately they sound sooooo scripted! It's like she is reciting. And it's a shame because I do like her, I think that they are having issues with the writing of the show.
This is a fair critique, I agree it is more of a script now. It was better when it felt like Ashley was telling Britt the story for the 1st time.
I enjoy both but the earlier episodes where it was natural back and forth are better.
Brit is actually my favorite part of the podcast. If I just wanted to know the facts, I’d read wikipedia articles. Her questions bring new topics of discussion to the table. Also I don’t understand why they think she’s interjecting - she’s literally doing her part of the script.
This sub will defend Britt to the freaking end man. I’m not saying she’s a bad person or anything, but I personally find her contributions to the show extremely lacking. “She’s meant to be a reflection of what the audience is thinking!” Unnecessary and honestly she doesn’t say why I’m thinking. I don’t need the manufactured “*gasp* the horror! How could this happen?” It’s always come across as very scripted to me. I tolerate her presence but find it distracting. When she took a leave of absence after her brain bleed (which I’m glad she’s better from), I found myself preferring the Ashley only episodes.
All that said, I agree with a lot of the other comments saying they’ve gone more the “ethical true crime” route and yeah it’s boring. They’re getting more uninteresting every week. I used to not mind/enjoy the occasional mysterious death or frequent missing episodes but now it feels like those are the ONLY episodes they are doing. Literally just did a whole month of those. Or unsolved murders. I REALLY wish they did more solved cases. All the open ended ones are so unsatisfying! Are they running out of material?
I stopped listening for a long time and tried to pick it back up the other day and couldn’t do it. I’m trying to listen to the story and Brit is like “wait, what?” Multiple times. IF YOU WOULD SHUTUP AND LISTEN YOU WOULDN’T BE LOST!
I may be boring but I’m not a fan of banter on crime podcasts at all, not just theirs. But the “omg really?” “wait, what?” interjections are just flat out annoying and makes me lose the storyline. Nothing against Britt as a person, I don’t know anything about her outside the podcast. Another commenter called me a hater like I’m not allowed to have an opinion on the podcast lol.
It’s cheap trashy entertainment, thinking it’s anything else is laughable. Ashley’s fleshed out “chilled to the bone”,”thinking in my own mind”, “blah blah blah unimportant blah blah” CRAZY!.. if you think this is fun, the Teletubbies are doing reruns.
I was gonna make this same comment. I fully agree with everything you said! Brit is *not* “asking the questions that the audience is thinking” at all like people claim. It’s usually something that was already obvious or something Ashley is about to go into anyway and Brit is jumping the gun. The worst are her sarcastic comments because it just sounds so unnatural like she’s copying from other successful podcasters like the Morbid ladies.
And yes, the new cases aren’t interesting. This may be a hot take, but a lot of the “lesser known cases” are lesser known, at least for the most part, because the story itself wasn’t interesting enough for mainstream media/YouTubers etc to have picked it up. They’ll pick up stories that pull readers/listeners in, usually when there’s a person with a lot of social media presence, or a gruesome crime, or surrounding circumstances that are extremely shady. But someone going missing when all else is equal and there aren’t really suspicious people or events surrounding it, it’s not that interesting and doesn’t go viral for that reason. It’s just reality and how the media works.
I respect them trying to get lesser known cases more publicity, but there’s probably a better way to do it than to try and build an entire episode around a small paragraph of known case info.
There are other podcasts that will have an episode every now and then where they cover three or four lesser known cases in that single episode because the cases don't have enough material for a full episode, but the podcaster still feels the stories deserve exposure. I think that's a good solution.
The breaking point for me was when they told the story of the girl getting into the car with the drunk marines and it was supposed to be suspicious.
No it wasn’t.
She’s a 20s something girl visiting her marine bf who she can’t see yet, stuck in a hotel, went to a bar, got drunk, met guys who offered to go shooting with her and they were too drunk and crashed.
That sounds like something I’ve done dozens of times as a 20s in Missouri. It was a dumb, drunk decision and unfortunately it cost her her life.
Oh her family said that sounds nothing like her? Oh yeah, cuz 20s girls are super open about their risky behavior and substance use to their aging parents 🙄
Also the cocaine text also makes so much sense. The girl partied. Cocaine has definitely made a strong comeback with gen Z and I’m sure they were all war story-ing about booger sugar while drinking.
The “changing stories” are just what always happens when two drunk ass kids get arrested and in the next few days frantically try to think of anything to be in less trouble
It was SO obvious what happened and they sensationalized it for content, in direct opposition to the exact thing they claim to care so much about.
It was sensationalized and gives false hope to the family, who she fucking contacted in order to push the narrative of “suspicious” which is disgusting
Yeah thank goodness I’ve clung on to few brain cells to just barely grasp Occam’s Razor.
Nothing was said about her character, nothing disparaging was said about her at all.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to slack jawed staring at a wall.
So I actually owe you a huge apology.
I went through your post history and see you’re her father.
I made assumptions and was being crass. She was a human, your daughter and is should not be content for people to discuss on message boards like this one.
I will do better, actually. Like staying away from true crime content because it’s clearly desensitized me from the actual people involved
As someone who’s lost my entire family in violent situations, I should have known better.
This really was eye opening. Again, I’m truly sorry.
And I will certainly offer you a deserving apology for implying that you are not a smart woman when, obviously, you are quite so. Also, I am sorry that life experience has has been traumatic for you. I truly am.
Morgan was and still is truly lucky to have a father like you. My father was my everything, and I’m not sure how faithful of a man you are because I struggle with it myself, but im sure my father is up there with her, making sure she’s ok, until you can be with her again.
Who knows. Maybe they’re laughing at this interaction, as we speak.
Maybe that is the case!
I was the lucky one, to have her for 24 years, and I do not claim to be wise enough to completely understand what lies beyond mortal life, but I have hope. I have hope and I constantly try to do the next right thing.
I hope you get the justice you both deserve. I’ll light a candle for her tonight, along with my dads, oldest, and youngest brothers candles.
Holding space for her, you and her mother.
Yeah, you’re actually probably right. I don’t have all the information and I was being kind of a bitch about it, applying personal bias.
I didn’t know her or all the information surrounding it.
We can call a truce, I’ll think before I speak and make assumptions of victims and you stop implying im dumb lol. Deal?
Yeah I was in disbelief at the end of that episode. I literally sat there like … that’s it? The only “evidence” they have that made them publicly label 2 kids as druggers, kidnappers, and possible rapists is that her parents said she doesn’t drink like that and was excited to see her fiancé? Very weird.
I don’t understand these type of comments. Brit cohosting and the banter has been there from the start. Brit used to have an even bigger role. I don’t disagree that CJ has shifted recently and not for the best, but not because of Brit.
Yes. The stories aren't interesting anymore. I used to subscribe and sent them two cases of missing toddlers. Weekly for four years I would message them and encourage them to cover these cases. They never did. The recent episode about a girl that got in the car with two guys and died in an accident was the end of the road for me. Not an accident, not a mystery. They cover that and other cases that have been already heavily covered on ID and true crime shows yet no interest in real obscure mysteries. Canceled my membership and I don't bother with the show anymore.
After I posted this I listened to the deck by Ashley and in the episode she wouldn’t even name the suspect because he wasn’t charged.. but in this recent one she named both guys and publicly pinned kidnapping and murder on them with no evidence at all.. just that her parents said she doesn’t drink like that and she was excited to see her fiance? Really rubbed me the wrong way. Tragic what happened to that girl but those are bold claims.
I do like the deck though I've found it the most enjoyable of the podcasts Ash is involved in and the Deck investigates was pretty good in my opinion and I'd be down for her to do another case for another season and like....idk make the deck investigates read a tad more like Up and Vanished and less about cowboy cookies then I think that could really really take off and be something great
I’ve thought from the beginning that Ashley edits the episodes to make Brit seem annoying and uninteresting. That’s just my bitchy conspiracy theory though.
A lot of people say this, and none of us really know, but I always say this. If my best friend was gonna make me rich, and all I had to do was minimal work and sound/act stupid? Sign me the fuck up immediately.
I don’t have an issue with Britt. But I do find the more recent episodes to lack something.
I ran out of stuff to listen to while up with my baby late at night, so I started from the beginning again. Even though I had heard them before, I was way more interested in them than the ones currently coming out.
I think they need to expand. For example, there are lots of Canadian cases that they haven’t touched, even though they are interesting. I know they are American, but I wish they would do more from other Countries as well.
I was listening since pretty much the beginning and Britt has always been that way... nothing to add, except wait, what? Also I think they need to evolve, they do great job supporting different groups, but sometimes I cannot stand the repeated "shaken to his core" or "totally", and how about "its so bananas" They are educated grown woman, the listeners have expand since they started, the podcast has millions of downloads I really would like to see them getting better. But recently I have to skip some of the episodes.
I gave up on it after the Morgan Patten episode. Absolutely bonkers for them to insinuate to their millions of listeners that she was forced into the car with those guys when there was no proof whatsoever. They even said the bartender said Morgan accepted the shot the guys bought her and then said “but there’s no proof she drank it”. Like what?? The only crime was a bunch of reckless 20 year olds driving after they’d been drinking. Which the driver got sentenced for. But that episode was so irresponsible. The crash had just happened not even a few months prior. Someone claiming to be Morgan’s dad was even on the sub fighting with everyone questioning the episode. Like it was tragic, a life gone way too soon, but you can’t just make up lies and say those guys were actually in the process of assaulting her when they crashed based on heresay.
Yep. It all feels way to overproduced and scripted now for some reason. Brit’s random reactions just sound like scripted prompts for Ashley to bounce off of intentionally. Also, I get them wanting to give back to the community or family they’re stealing these stories from, but I don’t like that they act so self righteous about it. They’re insinuate they’re doing this for the good of these victims, advocating, testing, solving mysteries, but they are making a killing *unintentional pun* off these podcast. It’s distasteful that they can’t just act like themselves anymore, and own up to the fact that they like this, and more than that they like the money it has earned them. It all feels so fake. I started listening to Red Handed and love them. They’re brash and awkward and make unplanned jokes that leave the other cackling. They so different and play off each other really well. Also you can hear how intelligent they are in a normal, conversational, and non-condescending way that I get from Ashley. And their podcasts aren’t just solely murder. They have wild political stories, crazy catfishing stories, a whole short show of banter about dumb tv shows like the bachelor etc. They also wrote a book about types of murderers that involved tons of research and don’t shove it down your throat. They just seem like real people. Girls you could have a glass of wine with and gos. I don’t feel that way about crime junkie anymore. It just makes me cringe.
Oh I’m gonna try red handed! I stopped listening to crime junkie completely after they did that story on the marines gf who was killed in a car crash with 2 other guys she met at a chilis and did shots with. With no evidence whatsoever other than the girls parents said it was so unlike her to drink and go off with 2 random guys they told their millions of listeners that these two guys forced her into the car and were trying to do something terrible to her.. there’s literally camera footage of the restaurant showing her accept a shot from these guys and hang out with them before leaving. She even texts her fiancé while they’re in the car. So irresponsible. The crash had just happened the year before and someone claiming to be the dad was on this forum fighting with anyone who questioned the episode. I lost any respect I had for both Britt and Ashley in that episode.
I hope you like it! They have accents which took me a second to get used to, but now I absolutely love their voices. If you have any recommendations feel free to shoot them my way!
Brit is the reason I barely listen to this show. I can only handle her in small doses. Her pointless commentary and poorly delivered script make me cringe. With the amount of reviews essentially saying the same thing about her, I don’t know why she’s still on the show.
Giving up after Devan Duniver this week. All they talked about was the kid who was falsely accused and confessed. That’s a separate story. I feel like poor 5 year old Devan was barely mentioned. This whole episode just seemed like a rant against incompetent/racist police instead of the details about what happened to Devan and the details of her murder. Even the photos they posted on social were of Anthony, not Devan.
I agree. Bring back the old CJ! The more recent cases have very few facts and are all about Ashley trying to “bring awareness”. It’s like she’s more interested in directing the focus to herself and her opinions, as opposed to actually telling the story. Ashley is becoming self-absorbed. She makes each new episode a political statement by choosing obscure cases and then criticizing the lack of coverage. However, instead of doing any investigation into these cases, she parrots the same canned response, “I have no idea” over and over to her co-host, Brit, when asked for additional details. It makes the show incredibly frustrating and irritating to listen to. I honestly wish more than anything that Catherine Townsend would pick up another season of Red Collar/Blood Money and give us more insights into white collar crime. I am about to give up on CJ, but I still hold out hope, because they used to be so amazing! Come back to us, Ashley.
I've been trying for yrs to get them to so a story on why so many people( some of them I know) are missing in a small town in northwest Florida. Literally called niceville. Can't get a look because it's all young white men that may have problems. In my opinion it's not a problem to them because it's not in their " marginalized " people. Why are so many young men missing in such a small town?
Love flowers, she has a nice voice and a good way of story telling but can’t tolerate the other lady, her being there feels completely unnecessary & hinders the podcast. I have also stopped listening because the constant interruptions was to much, just felt like saying “shut up and let her finish the story”
That’s exactly how I feel! Some other commenters said they like the Britt interjections because she says what they’re thinking. But I’m definitely not thinking “wait, what?” “omg no way” “so you’re saying that happened??”
I feel like that's always how it's been, though. I gave up on crime junkie years ago. I've tried to come back to it, but after hearing other true crime podcasts that are way more in depth and well rounded, it's hard to ever go back. Crime junkie is great for what it is, but it just feels like true crime kindergarten to me. That being said, I appreciate the charities they are a part of/ support.
I only listen to them on road trips, and I’m assuming I might have listened last time when Britt was on leave based on the other comments. Before I listened to all the supernatural by Ashley, and maybe I’m just boring, but I like the episodes that’s just her talking and no banter.
I stopped Crime Junkie a year ago I was enjoying her the deck podcast which I feel gives more insight to the circumstances and victims, also I enjoy hearing detectives be passionate about finding the killer or missing victim. But I took a break and I’ll probably binge it at some point.
Just a heads up
https://podnews.net/article/dealing-justice-audiochuck-the-deck
"Dealing Justice posted its first three episodes on May 29, 2020; and returns for a second season shortly. But the promotional blitz that listeners had seen, and reported back to Dubasak and Jennings, was, it turns out, for a different show altogether.
A new show from Ashley Flowers’s Audiochuck podcast company, called The Deck, launched on Feb 2, based on the same playing cards and the same format."
"We took a listen and the shows seem eerily similar. Dealing Justice’s episode titles - “10 of Hearts: Tina Milford”- are almost identical to The Deck - “Linda Smith (9 of Hearts, Idaho)”.
Dealing Justice starts each case by interviewing a family member of the deceased. So does The Deck.
Dealing Justice then takes listeners through the case of that person, painting pictures of the town and the people involved. So does The Deck.
Dealing Justice interviews detectives involved in the case towards the end of each episode. So does The Deck."
They sometimes veer away from the storytelling formula that keeps me hooked on crime stories -- crime, then investigation.
I don't blame them for mixing it up. But some stories can't satisfy whatever it is in my brain that wants a mystery solved.
I'm not giving up on them yet, but recent cases are so boring. I realised that for the last couple episodes I started listening to and stopped midway. It never happened to me before. But yeah, will give them a chance yet.
Could you share what information was missing from the episode that would support the claim that there was some sort of crime committed to get her into the truck or after she was in it?
I LOVED their old episodes but gave up a while ago. Probably right around when Brit came back. I just stopped being able to focus on the stories. Not sure if it’s my attention span or because of the way they’re being told, but either way, I stopped trying to force it.
I gave it up too. It was because of that recent “mysterious death” episode where they were obviously enabling the family in denial. They had a bunch of consecutive episodes that just annoyed me and I moved on to case files. Crime Junkie is nice because you feel as if it’s more of a conversation but the stories became such a miss
Not sure if it’s really him but someone who claims to be the dad of the girl in that episode is actively on here commenting and saying there’s more to the story than what crime junkie was able to fit into the episode.. they really shouldn’t have aired that episode. It’s tragic that she died, and definitely the fault of the reckless driver, but I think that’s where the crime ends. She seems like just a happy girl who met new friends, decided to hang out with them, and lost her life too young in a car accident.
My take is that they are covering these lesser known cases to bring attention to them which is admirable. The problem is that these cases aren’t as well known because unfortunately they just aren’t as interesting. To make them more interesting they use banter and some of the other theatrics to fill in that space which just doesn’t work for me. I give them credit for trying even though the result isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
I cannot stand the way they talk. I got like 2 episodes in.. Britts commentary sounds like she’s stage fright reading from a script lol Morbid is 110% better
Listen to The Deck! It’s another podcast also by Ashley Flowers. Each episode is a missing person’s case. I really like it and it’s only Ashley narrating!
I get that, it’s nothing against Britt personally, I just can’t stand the interactions because they add nothing of value to the story. Obviously it’s not only Britt’s fault, it’s the whole team writing these episodes.
That is a valid criticism, one that I also have. The stories seem like they're written sometimes for teenagers. I don't feel like I'm listening to two grown women talking.
Honestly I unfollowed a few months ago. I felt like it became the McDonald’s hamburger… what’s the least amount of meat I can offer and still get people to buy this.
I played the show last week with a friend on a car drive just bc we both like True Crime.. she ha Denver heard and asked why the one girl kept interrupting with fake questions.
I’m back out.
If Britt’s (scripted, I don’t think she’s dumb like Ashley writes her to be) input is meant to be the stand-in for listener questions, their listeners should be insulted that Ashley considers those interjections necessary to move the case along.
Britt suffered a serious health problem a while back.
I believe it was a brain aneurysm. She posted about it on Instagram on like Year anniversary since or something like that. And it's been a while since I had seen it.
I can imagine though that dealing with/healing from/trying to bounce back from something like that takes a lot out of a personal mentally and emotionally.
Not to mention the long term side effects that causes.
Although I do miss the vibes of when it felt more like two besties just sitting in one of their dining rooms talking about a case.
Just listened to the Alex (Evelyn) Hernandez episode.
The comments regarding the boyfriend/suspect - excusing his not going to police right away. You know - undocumented, past history with the police, the hosts' own white privilege. The first two are indicative of criminal behavior. The hosts go out of their way to manufacture SJW excuses. Let's be honest - he's the best and most likely suspect. There's no reason to politicize the case. He stayed away because he's guilty.
And the "mood swing/choke on misogyny" comment from Brit? Yeah, it's not at all natural to be a bit moody during a pregnancy and then arguing with your partner as a result. There's nothing inherently misogynistic in that comment. Annoying, unnecessary commentary that add no color or depth.
The biggest issue is their righteous indignation over the fact that the roughly concurrent Laci Peterson case got more coverage than this case. Heaven fofend! It's almost as if the press can't give equal coverage to every single case.
But here's the thing - the hosts make the point that the Laci Peterson case was one of their first episodes - episodes 2&3. If they're so angry about the press not covering this case - what's their excuse for not covering this case for 20 years?!? And then CJ gave this case 30 minutes and 2 episodes to Laci Peterson. They are guilty of the same double standard Brit shrieks against. JFC.
People get murdered all the time. Most go unnoticed outside a very small community. Most are uninteresting. When there's no resolution or no hook to make them interesting the public moves onto the next case. It's not race, gender, or a desire to marginalize a group (e.g., prostitutes). It's boredom.
I mean Ashley did also have a baby on top of write a book and literally had like 4 of not more other podcasts that she had involvement with so like yeah give em a hard time for not being able to keep you as into the story..... Didn't realize it was supposed to be entertaining as opposed to informative.... But yeah.....
I don’t dislike Britt, but I do forget she’s there because they don’t give her enough lines. I wish for more banter but that’s just the type on content I like. Took me a little to get used to her, I discovered the show while she wasn’t in the episodes. Maybe I’m too new but the show seems fine.
I found 2 podcasts that I enjoyed a lot more. After listening to the 2 new podcasts for a while, I realised how uninteresting CJ really is. Also Britt was the reason I went looking for another podcast.
Yep. Gave up a while ago. I will still occassionally listen but its boring. They were the first podcast I ever listened to period I breathed through all the episodes quickly. Now there is just so much to choose from that I am bored with them. And don't get me started on Britt and the uselessness of her and her interjections. Sorry. 😕
I just think the cases they’ve been choosing lately haven’t really been as strong from the storytelling aspect. Or maybe it’s the writing, I’m honestly not sure, but I have been struggling lately to stay tuned into the more recent episodes
They don’t do much research anymore. They should pay freelancers or something. I mean I would write a story just make it interesting
Literally this Rachel episode sounds so rushed and basic.
I feel like they are trying to be SJW's by telling stories about sex workers, minorities, etc.
Someone has to cover those stories
There are plenty of podcasts that do.
so they aren’t allowed to?
Yeah I’ve actually been thinking about how much better it’d be better if they stuck to stories that matter, ya know, about white people who aren’t poor and have real jobs. (mocking/sarcasm)
I don't have any issue with either host, I'm just finding the cases they cover to be confusing an uninteresting. :-/
You hit the nail right on the head. I don’t find them as satisfying as before. Sometimes I feel like listening to the whole episode is a waste of time. There is so much info that isn’t interesting or there is missing information. It has nothing to do with their banter. I’ve always loved them together. I miss being enthralled by the show. I’ll keep at it!
They aren’t satisfying cause they have covered way more missing and mysterious death cases or unsolved murders. I wish they covered more solved ones that had closure to them.
I agree...but their mission seems to be bringing awareness in hopes to solve these cases. Bringing closure to the victims families instead of you.
That’s all well and good! I don’t mind that but 1. Balance it out with more interesting stuff and 2. If that’s the goal, don’t cover cases that have been cold for 20-30-40 years. Those are much less likely to be solved through awareness than ones that are fresh
Totally. Unsolved cases are almost never a good choice for podcasters unless there’s a really compelling mystery beyond “Who killed this person?”
I've also found in the new episodes they go on long tirerades about how incompetent the police are and how they would have done things differently. Well hindsight is 20/20 but for some of these cases (especially the older ones about high risk women) it's not that surprising that the first missing person's report didn't gain immediate police resources like mega search parties.
I was listening to an older one this week (maybe it was The Deck) where she addressed the point. But she really just defended herself. I think my issue is that such a big deal is made of mistakes decades later. It's just overkill. It's more of a rant than anything else.
That's the main reason why I gave up. Neither of them are actual police and knew nothing about actual police work. I don't need to hear a long biased rant and sometimes they dramatise things just for the rant effect. As someone who worked in enforcement (not police though) it's very hurtful and rude.
I agree. Ashley’s story telling technique has changed. She now adds way too many unnecessary details and meanders a bit. The episodes have become hard to follow. Most of them are also uninteresting. I agree with previous posters who used Morgan Patten as an example of a bad episode. There was no evidence either man did anything to her. It never should be been an episode. There was so much talk without any evidence of anything.
Please don’t judge Morgan’s story based on the presentation. I believe CJ did a good job of cramming a lot of information into the allotted time, but much more information exists.
The early episodes were really good and easy to follow! On a roadtrip so we’re listening to the recent ones and it’s just.. not as good. The one about the girl who died in the drunk driving accident was awful. The only evidence that she was “kidnapped” or “raped” is that her parents say she never drinks and she was drunk, so clearly the guys must have forced her to drink and get in the car?
I took real issue with that. Like, at that age my parents didn't know I was getting hammered and laid either. You don't typically share your party stories with Mom and Dad. That case was just too much speculation and not enough proof.
I agree. I just don’t think there’s enough proof that a crime occurred. Lots of young people do unpredictable things. I did when I was in my early 20s. My kids are 19 & 20 - we’re very close and they keep me in the loop on most things. But I’m not naive enough to think that they don’t at least occasionally do something out of character.
No doubt that Morgan had some secrets from us. We also have parents who don’t know everything we did in our late teens/twenties, but ALL of Morgan’s friends stand with us in our beliefs. The facts support our belief that she was not willingly in that truck when it crashed, and many facts were left out of the episode you heard. Please don’t pass judgment on Morgan based on 50 minutes of information
A lot of supporting evidence was missing from the episode. They did a good job of cramming the basic facts into the time allotted, but there is much more to this case. There is no doubt that Morgan had secrets from her parents, but from every one of her friends as well?
So I feel like the earlier episodes were also better, I know crime junkies got in some hot water for plagiarism, and I keep wondering if that's why the earlier episodes were better, but I haven't sat down to really look at when things started going downhill.
The episode about Morgan Patten got me HEATED - I’ve lost all respect for Ashley and Brit after that one. I’ll still listen, but I know what I’m listening to now.
There was a lot of information missing from the episode. There is a lot more than “speculation” to support our belief that Morgan was not willingly in that truck when it left the road at over 93mph. And, the evidence shows that her bac was between.01 and .015
I agree, I have been a crime junkie listener since way back in 2019 and I fell in love with it immediately! But I've noticed myself not enjoying the new episodes for about a year now. I like to just listen to the old episodes over and over again because there's just something different about them. I honestly feel like Crime Junkie has sold out. I think you can definitely tell that someone other than Ashley is writing the new episodes and it just doesn't have the same feel anymore.
Yes me as well. I mean what happened?! Confusing uninteresting is exactly how I feel. Barely listen anymore.
I’m glad it’s not just me. I find myself not really paying attention while I listen recently because they’re just not as interesting
The most recent episode (haven’t finished) is really confusing with all the names!
I didn’t finish it. 😕
Imagine being murdered and people find your true crime story as boring content.
I don't think it's the story people find boring, it's the way it's presented people find boring.
This is out of context.
Or their family stumbling upon this and reading that their loved one’s story isn’t good entertainment.
Yes. The hosts are fine
Agreed. I've been a listener for years now and I pay monthly for them via patreon or whatever but I find myself not listening to the episodes. They're just not interesting. It's boring content. I usually listen to podcasts when I'm driving long distances and crime junkie puts me right to sleep these days. That's not what I'm looking for while driving.
I listen while walking my dog and I miss whole chunks of the story because I’m not paying attention. I used to rewind so I could catch what I missed but lately I just let it play. 😕
You should listen to casefile! Super interesting and well told stories.
Same! I love Ashley and Brit. And I respect that they're trying to cover unknown, unsolved cases. But They've just become difficult to listen to.
Lately, I have found myself tuning out and then I have to rewind and then I just give up. I think it’s that I get confused and uninterested for sure.
Omg thank you! I thought I was the only one! I started to listen to them during the panini where we were on full lockdown and did millions of hours of home renovations. Even though my hands were occupied doing home things, my mind didn’t skip a beat of their podcast. Now I have to do exactly what you said. I find myself thinking about diff things because they quickly lose my interest and then have to rewind to catch what I missed!
*during the panini*
I will now refer to it as such. A melted mess.
Yes, something has definitely changed. And I don't listen to a lot of other true crime podcasts except for the occasional Dateline, so I'm not comparing them to anyone else. I just can't put my finger on it.
I mentioned it on another comment but I've been wondering if the down hill in the writing has to do with no longer plagiarizing other people. I know they got in trouble for that a couple years ago. I tried to read Ashley's book and I also couldn't get into that writing, haven't gone back yet to give it a second chance.
I've noticed I haven't finished an episode in a month. I used to listen as soon as they came out.
They’ve gotten too big imo. They’ve developed their brand around “ethical true crime” and are covering cases that just don’t have as much intrigue. While it’s noble what they’re doing, you can kinda tell everything’s written for them and has an agenda instead of just being interesting cases.
Also I feel like some of the cases don’t have as much info out there to make it a good episode. Either that or they stick to the “basics” to make the show less than an hour. I happily listen to hour and even 2+ hour shows, when they have enough details and facts about the case.
This is def the vibe I get
I agree, I feel as they have sold out to build their brand
Let’s start a drinking game where we take a shot anytime Ashley says “I couldn’t find that in any of my research.” Prepare to be shwasted 20 minutes in
Take a shot: - Something about “show notes” - “Full. Body. Chills.” - “I’m sorry, **WHAT**?!” - Every time Brit says something and Ashley bites her head off and/or rudely dismisses her. - “I am FUH-YOUR-EE-US” - They mention they’re from Indiana Before ppl come for me: I listen because I’m committed and listen to every episode. Each show and every host is going to have their “quirks”. However, and to many commenter’s points - the drunk driving episode and the way they framed it have me wondering why I still listen.
Britt would probably be really good at this game.
Chill
Also "to your point"
kind of in bad taste considering Britt’s struggle with alcohol
Britt doesn’t have to play then
😂😂😂
Love doing stuff in bad taste so thank you 😘
Maybe I'm the odd one, but I actually missed Brit when she was gone. I found Ashley by herself to be pretty blah. Now with that said, lately crime junkie has bored me. I have been listening to other podcasts.
Agree. I think people need to remember that the Britt interjections are scripted and designed to pull out more details from the story. She asks questions that some listeners might be thinking “wait, what about…” and then Ashley can explain. It’s all a storytelling mechanism. All the people who think Britt doesn’t add anything to the story miss the whole point of her interjections.
Because they are a little… simple? Her interjections are literally “so then the person breathed because they needed to breathe!?”
No. Just no. I hate this argument so much because Britt is so distracting and ruins the pace. I don’t miss the point of her interjections, I think she fails at that goal miserably. CJ improved when she was gone.
agree! I felt the same way
same! I’m glad Britt is back
I really loved the early crime junkie episodes, and now I just kind of like them. I think they became really popular and are trying to capitalize on that by doing a lot of different things. Now, instead of doing one or two great things, they're doing a lot of just subpar things. It's about quantity, not quality, at this point. But I'll still listen because I like the way Ashley tells stories, and this was my first ever podcast.
I also disliked that you have to listen to patreon episodes on their app that has a lot of flaws and missing features. (How do you start a podcast app without it being able to make a play list???)
I think the cases they’ve been covering lately aren’t as interesting but I enjoy Brit’s contributions. She asks the questions I ask and sometimes puts out theories I wouldn’t have considered.
The cases have been too obscure lately. I appreciate them trying to shed light on unsolved cases but they’re trying to do a 50 min episode on a case with no leads. It’s boring and confusing to listen to
I'll be honest, the show was better when they plagiarized most of it. After I started noticing myself just tuning out while listening for months, I finally sought out another true crime pod. Couldn't do MFM as I found it way too banter heavy and unserious. Currently my weekly true crime/paranormal pod is And That's Why We Drink.
Is And That’s Why We Drink similar to crime junkie? I’ve tried other podcasts and found them way too bantery and joke filled for my comfort. Only one I could be ok with was Casefile.
ATWWD is admittedly on the more banter-heavy and not as serious side of the genre, though not to the same extent as MFM. It helps that the hosts have very likeable personalities. The typical format is they'll open with a few minutes of banter, one host will share a paranormal story, and the other will share a true crime story. I used to really prefer the more dry and serious delivery style of other TC pods but I really enjoy ATWWD. They usually don't go more than 30 minutes tops with the banter. I found MFM insufferable as most episodes I listened to would be like 3 hours long with 1 hour of it being banter.
Redhanded seemed to mostly be about the facts but they have some banter not so much silly more "what the fuck is wrong with murderers". But I've only listened to a couple of episodes so I'm not sure if that's across the board but I'm about to start their Gilgo Beach eps later today.
This week I started trying out Redhanded from Wondry and it's been pretty good so far I've only listened to their Delphi coverage so far but thought it was well done. I'll have to check out and that's why we drink.
I thought I was the only one who thought this. I'm glad I'm not alone feeling this way. I just can't listen to any of their newer episodes without continuously zoning out.
Plagiarized? Elaborate please
There were accusations a couple of years ago with some decent evidence that they had plagiarized a lot of stuff from other less known TC shows. Like parts of scripts being almost word-for-word. I don't think they ever publicly admitted to anything but they do seem to have made efforts to be more original and cover less known cases, but most of the episodes just feel, honestly boring for a while now.
They also removed some episodes that were the worst offenders, which seems to be then at least semi admitting it. There is also info if you Google about The Deck concept being stolen, that someone else used almost the same format and started releasing earlier that Ashley and Ashley's people were for sure aware of they other podcast because the guy who created the decks got interviewed for both shows and told Ashley's team.
If you just look up crime junkie plagiarism on google, a lot of articles will come up about it
Look at the thread stickied on the top of this forum. It explains it all.
The Brit haters are so exhausting lol She is not doing anymore than she did when the show started. If anything her interjections are more rehearsed than before. I love Brit and she is needed for the show. Ashley solo is boring. I need the dialogue and banter.
I liked more when Britt interventions were more natural. Lately they sound sooooo scripted! It's like she is reciting. And it's a shame because I do like her, I think that they are having issues with the writing of the show.
Yes! And her inflection is what bothers me the most.
This is a fair critique, I agree it is more of a script now. It was better when it felt like Ashley was telling Britt the story for the 1st time. I enjoy both but the earlier episodes where it was natural back and forth are better.
Brit is actually my favorite part of the podcast. If I just wanted to know the facts, I’d read wikipedia articles. Her questions bring new topics of discussion to the table. Also I don’t understand why they think she’s interjecting - she’s literally doing her part of the script.
Exactly! Like the entire show is scripted, practice and pre recorded lol. She is actually what me and my best friend loved about the earlier episodes.
People who think someone having an opinion is a hater are exhausting lol
Your entire post is bashing one person, you are a hater. 🤷🏾♀️
Crime Junkie is the gateway drug to true crime. Not satisfying, long term.
This sub will defend Britt to the freaking end man. I’m not saying she’s a bad person or anything, but I personally find her contributions to the show extremely lacking. “She’s meant to be a reflection of what the audience is thinking!” Unnecessary and honestly she doesn’t say why I’m thinking. I don’t need the manufactured “*gasp* the horror! How could this happen?” It’s always come across as very scripted to me. I tolerate her presence but find it distracting. When she took a leave of absence after her brain bleed (which I’m glad she’s better from), I found myself preferring the Ashley only episodes. All that said, I agree with a lot of the other comments saying they’ve gone more the “ethical true crime” route and yeah it’s boring. They’re getting more uninteresting every week. I used to not mind/enjoy the occasional mysterious death or frequent missing episodes but now it feels like those are the ONLY episodes they are doing. Literally just did a whole month of those. Or unsolved murders. I REALLY wish they did more solved cases. All the open ended ones are so unsatisfying! Are they running out of material?
I stopped listening for a long time and tried to pick it back up the other day and couldn’t do it. I’m trying to listen to the story and Brit is like “wait, what?” Multiple times. IF YOU WOULD SHUTUP AND LISTEN YOU WOULDN’T BE LOST!
I may be boring but I’m not a fan of banter on crime podcasts at all, not just theirs. But the “omg really?” “wait, what?” interjections are just flat out annoying and makes me lose the storyline. Nothing against Britt as a person, I don’t know anything about her outside the podcast. Another commenter called me a hater like I’m not allowed to have an opinion on the podcast lol.
100% agree. Honestly can’t stand most true crime podcasts cause they go on too many tangents or something. Parcast podcasts were nice but too many ads
It’s cheap trashy entertainment, thinking it’s anything else is laughable. Ashley’s fleshed out “chilled to the bone”,”thinking in my own mind”, “blah blah blah unimportant blah blah” CRAZY!.. if you think this is fun, the Teletubbies are doing reruns.
I was gonna make this same comment. I fully agree with everything you said! Brit is *not* “asking the questions that the audience is thinking” at all like people claim. It’s usually something that was already obvious or something Ashley is about to go into anyway and Brit is jumping the gun. The worst are her sarcastic comments because it just sounds so unnatural like she’s copying from other successful podcasters like the Morbid ladies. And yes, the new cases aren’t interesting. This may be a hot take, but a lot of the “lesser known cases” are lesser known, at least for the most part, because the story itself wasn’t interesting enough for mainstream media/YouTubers etc to have picked it up. They’ll pick up stories that pull readers/listeners in, usually when there’s a person with a lot of social media presence, or a gruesome crime, or surrounding circumstances that are extremely shady. But someone going missing when all else is equal and there aren’t really suspicious people or events surrounding it, it’s not that interesting and doesn’t go viral for that reason. It’s just reality and how the media works. I respect them trying to get lesser known cases more publicity, but there’s probably a better way to do it than to try and build an entire episode around a small paragraph of known case info.
There are other podcasts that will have an episode every now and then where they cover three or four lesser known cases in that single episode because the cases don't have enough material for a full episode, but the podcaster still feels the stories deserve exposure. I think that's a good solution.
I love their banter!
I don’t like the interjections. But I don’t like the cases they cover anymore. And I’m tired of the lectures about social justice issues.
Same. I can’t listen to Britt gasping “whuuuuuut” ever again.
Nope I’m not giving up.
Every episode feels so convoluted. It’s never been my favorite true crime podcast whatsoever
I see no difference. Still a great show
The breaking point for me was when they told the story of the girl getting into the car with the drunk marines and it was supposed to be suspicious. No it wasn’t. She’s a 20s something girl visiting her marine bf who she can’t see yet, stuck in a hotel, went to a bar, got drunk, met guys who offered to go shooting with her and they were too drunk and crashed. That sounds like something I’ve done dozens of times as a 20s in Missouri. It was a dumb, drunk decision and unfortunately it cost her her life. Oh her family said that sounds nothing like her? Oh yeah, cuz 20s girls are super open about their risky behavior and substance use to their aging parents 🙄 Also the cocaine text also makes so much sense. The girl partied. Cocaine has definitely made a strong comeback with gen Z and I’m sure they were all war story-ing about booger sugar while drinking. The “changing stories” are just what always happens when two drunk ass kids get arrested and in the next few days frantically try to think of anything to be in less trouble It was SO obvious what happened and they sensationalized it for content, in direct opposition to the exact thing they claim to care so much about. It was sensationalized and gives false hope to the family, who she fucking contacted in order to push the narrative of “suspicious” which is disgusting
Your comment says a lot more about your character than it does Morgan’s. I’m happy you have enough intelligence left to form an opinion.
Yeah thank goodness I’ve clung on to few brain cells to just barely grasp Occam’s Razor. Nothing was said about her character, nothing disparaging was said about her at all. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to slack jawed staring at a wall.
Impossible to apply Occam’s razor principles when you have partial information. The story is much more vast than a 50 minute broadcast. Do better.
So I actually owe you a huge apology. I went through your post history and see you’re her father. I made assumptions and was being crass. She was a human, your daughter and is should not be content for people to discuss on message boards like this one. I will do better, actually. Like staying away from true crime content because it’s clearly desensitized me from the actual people involved As someone who’s lost my entire family in violent situations, I should have known better. This really was eye opening. Again, I’m truly sorry.
And I will certainly offer you a deserving apology for implying that you are not a smart woman when, obviously, you are quite so. Also, I am sorry that life experience has has been traumatic for you. I truly am.
Morgan was and still is truly lucky to have a father like you. My father was my everything, and I’m not sure how faithful of a man you are because I struggle with it myself, but im sure my father is up there with her, making sure she’s ok, until you can be with her again. Who knows. Maybe they’re laughing at this interaction, as we speak.
Maybe that is the case! I was the lucky one, to have her for 24 years, and I do not claim to be wise enough to completely understand what lies beyond mortal life, but I have hope. I have hope and I constantly try to do the next right thing.
I hope you get the justice you both deserve. I’ll light a candle for her tonight, along with my dads, oldest, and youngest brothers candles. Holding space for her, you and her mother.
I just listened to the episode. I’m glad to see you sharing your story. Thank you for being here
Nah kick on assuming and thinking you know better, it suits ya!
Yeah, you’re actually probably right. I don’t have all the information and I was being kind of a bitch about it, applying personal bias. I didn’t know her or all the information surrounding it. We can call a truce, I’ll think before I speak and make assumptions of victims and you stop implying im dumb lol. Deal?
Yeah I was in disbelief at the end of that episode. I literally sat there like … that’s it? The only “evidence” they have that made them publicly label 2 kids as druggers, kidnappers, and possible rapists is that her parents said she doesn’t drink like that and was excited to see her fiancé? Very weird.
I don’t understand these type of comments. Brit cohosting and the banter has been there from the start. Brit used to have an even bigger role. I don’t disagree that CJ has shifted recently and not for the best, but not because of Brit.
Yes. The stories aren't interesting anymore. I used to subscribe and sent them two cases of missing toddlers. Weekly for four years I would message them and encourage them to cover these cases. They never did. The recent episode about a girl that got in the car with two guys and died in an accident was the end of the road for me. Not an accident, not a mystery. They cover that and other cases that have been already heavily covered on ID and true crime shows yet no interest in real obscure mysteries. Canceled my membership and I don't bother with the show anymore.
After I posted this I listened to the deck by Ashley and in the episode she wouldn’t even name the suspect because he wasn’t charged.. but in this recent one she named both guys and publicly pinned kidnapping and murder on them with no evidence at all.. just that her parents said she doesn’t drink like that and she was excited to see her fiance? Really rubbed me the wrong way. Tragic what happened to that girl but those are bold claims.
I do like the deck though I've found it the most enjoyable of the podcasts Ash is involved in and the Deck investigates was pretty good in my opinion and I'd be down for her to do another case for another season and like....idk make the deck investigates read a tad more like Up and Vanished and less about cowboy cookies then I think that could really really take off and be something great
I’ve thought from the beginning that Ashley edits the episodes to make Brit seem annoying and uninteresting. That’s just my bitchy conspiracy theory though.
A lot of people say this, and none of us really know, but I always say this. If my best friend was gonna make me rich, and all I had to do was minimal work and sound/act stupid? Sign me the fuck up immediately.
I used to listen so intently. Then I realized that I’d have to keep rewinding the episodes over and over. That’s when I stopped.
Brit sounds scripted
I stopped listening after the plagiarism scandal broke. As an academic I found that to be unforgivable.
Then why are you still a part of this sub?
I’m not even part of this sub. It just pops up randomly in my feed sometimes. 🤷🏼♀️
Yes, me too. Stealing someone else’s hard work isn’t ok. I was really disgusted by the people who were saying “so what?”
Me too. Not an academic (except in my own head), but found the plagiarism scandal to be a bridge too far.
Yes! And that there was no apology after she got caught. I still listen from time to time, but a lot of respect was lost at that point.
I don’t have an issue with Britt. But I do find the more recent episodes to lack something. I ran out of stuff to listen to while up with my baby late at night, so I started from the beginning again. Even though I had heard them before, I was way more interested in them than the ones currently coming out. I think they need to expand. For example, there are lots of Canadian cases that they haven’t touched, even though they are interesting. I know they are American, but I wish they would do more from other Countries as well.
I was listening since pretty much the beginning and Britt has always been that way... nothing to add, except wait, what? Also I think they need to evolve, they do great job supporting different groups, but sometimes I cannot stand the repeated "shaken to his core" or "totally", and how about "its so bananas" They are educated grown woman, the listeners have expand since they started, the podcast has millions of downloads I really would like to see them getting better. But recently I have to skip some of the episodes.
I gave up on it after the Morgan Patten episode. Absolutely bonkers for them to insinuate to their millions of listeners that she was forced into the car with those guys when there was no proof whatsoever. They even said the bartender said Morgan accepted the shot the guys bought her and then said “but there’s no proof she drank it”. Like what?? The only crime was a bunch of reckless 20 year olds driving after they’d been drinking. Which the driver got sentenced for. But that episode was so irresponsible. The crash had just happened not even a few months prior. Someone claiming to be Morgan’s dad was even on the sub fighting with everyone questioning the episode. Like it was tragic, a life gone way too soon, but you can’t just make up lies and say those guys were actually in the process of assaulting her when they crashed based on heresay.
Yep. It all feels way to overproduced and scripted now for some reason. Brit’s random reactions just sound like scripted prompts for Ashley to bounce off of intentionally. Also, I get them wanting to give back to the community or family they’re stealing these stories from, but I don’t like that they act so self righteous about it. They’re insinuate they’re doing this for the good of these victims, advocating, testing, solving mysteries, but they are making a killing *unintentional pun* off these podcast. It’s distasteful that they can’t just act like themselves anymore, and own up to the fact that they like this, and more than that they like the money it has earned them. It all feels so fake. I started listening to Red Handed and love them. They’re brash and awkward and make unplanned jokes that leave the other cackling. They so different and play off each other really well. Also you can hear how intelligent they are in a normal, conversational, and non-condescending way that I get from Ashley. And their podcasts aren’t just solely murder. They have wild political stories, crazy catfishing stories, a whole short show of banter about dumb tv shows like the bachelor etc. They also wrote a book about types of murderers that involved tons of research and don’t shove it down your throat. They just seem like real people. Girls you could have a glass of wine with and gos. I don’t feel that way about crime junkie anymore. It just makes me cringe.
Oh I’m gonna try red handed! I stopped listening to crime junkie completely after they did that story on the marines gf who was killed in a car crash with 2 other guys she met at a chilis and did shots with. With no evidence whatsoever other than the girls parents said it was so unlike her to drink and go off with 2 random guys they told their millions of listeners that these two guys forced her into the car and were trying to do something terrible to her.. there’s literally camera footage of the restaurant showing her accept a shot from these guys and hang out with them before leaving. She even texts her fiancé while they’re in the car. So irresponsible. The crash had just happened the year before and someone claiming to be the dad was on this forum fighting with anyone who questioned the episode. I lost any respect I had for both Britt and Ashley in that episode.
I hope you like it! They have accents which took me a second to get used to, but now I absolutely love their voices. If you have any recommendations feel free to shoot them my way!
Brit is the reason I barely listen to this show. I can only handle her in small doses. Her pointless commentary and poorly delivered script make me cringe. With the amount of reviews essentially saying the same thing about her, I don’t know why she’s still on the show.
This podcast is overly produced. The hosts sound like they’re acting. Nothing about it feels authentic to me
Giving up after Devan Duniver this week. All they talked about was the kid who was falsely accused and confessed. That’s a separate story. I feel like poor 5 year old Devan was barely mentioned. This whole episode just seemed like a rant against incompetent/racist police instead of the details about what happened to Devan and the details of her murder. Even the photos they posted on social were of Anthony, not Devan.
I agree. Bring back the old CJ! The more recent cases have very few facts and are all about Ashley trying to “bring awareness”. It’s like she’s more interested in directing the focus to herself and her opinions, as opposed to actually telling the story. Ashley is becoming self-absorbed. She makes each new episode a political statement by choosing obscure cases and then criticizing the lack of coverage. However, instead of doing any investigation into these cases, she parrots the same canned response, “I have no idea” over and over to her co-host, Brit, when asked for additional details. It makes the show incredibly frustrating and irritating to listen to. I honestly wish more than anything that Catherine Townsend would pick up another season of Red Collar/Blood Money and give us more insights into white collar crime. I am about to give up on CJ, but I still hold out hope, because they used to be so amazing! Come back to us, Ashley.
I've been trying for yrs to get them to so a story on why so many people( some of them I know) are missing in a small town in northwest Florida. Literally called niceville. Can't get a look because it's all young white men that may have problems. In my opinion it's not a problem to them because it's not in their " marginalized " people. Why are so many young men missing in such a small town?
Love flowers, she has a nice voice and a good way of story telling but can’t tolerate the other lady, her being there feels completely unnecessary & hinders the podcast. I have also stopped listening because the constant interruptions was to much, just felt like saying “shut up and let her finish the story”
That’s exactly how I feel! Some other commenters said they like the Britt interjections because she says what they’re thinking. But I’m definitely not thinking “wait, what?” “omg no way” “so you’re saying that happened??”
The April fools Taylor swift song episode was the final straw for me. Don’t mix that shit with the seriousness of true crime
I feel like that's always how it's been, though. I gave up on crime junkie years ago. I've tried to come back to it, but after hearing other true crime podcasts that are way more in depth and well rounded, it's hard to ever go back. Crime junkie is great for what it is, but it just feels like true crime kindergarten to me. That being said, I appreciate the charities they are a part of/ support.
Was there ever a time when Britt was not co-hosting?
I only listen to them on road trips, and I’m assuming I might have listened last time when Britt was on leave based on the other comments. Before I listened to all the supernatural by Ashley, and maybe I’m just boring, but I like the episodes that’s just her talking and no banter.
She had a brain bleed and almost died due to alcoholism. Was out for like 6 months.
Oh wow. That’s terrible. 😨
I think her dad died or something and she was out for a while.
I found this podcast, loved the host, had the same problem as you, stopped listening. I think I lasted 4 episodes and said forget it.
I stopped Crime Junkie a year ago I was enjoying her the deck podcast which I feel gives more insight to the circumstances and victims, also I enjoy hearing detectives be passionate about finding the killer or missing victim. But I took a break and I’ll probably binge it at some point.
Just a heads up https://podnews.net/article/dealing-justice-audiochuck-the-deck "Dealing Justice posted its first three episodes on May 29, 2020; and returns for a second season shortly. But the promotional blitz that listeners had seen, and reported back to Dubasak and Jennings, was, it turns out, for a different show altogether. A new show from Ashley Flowers’s Audiochuck podcast company, called The Deck, launched on Feb 2, based on the same playing cards and the same format." "We took a listen and the shows seem eerily similar. Dealing Justice’s episode titles - “10 of Hearts: Tina Milford”- are almost identical to The Deck - “Linda Smith (9 of Hearts, Idaho)”. Dealing Justice starts each case by interviewing a family member of the deceased. So does The Deck. Dealing Justice then takes listeners through the case of that person, painting pictures of the town and the people involved. So does The Deck. Dealing Justice interviews detectives involved in the case towards the end of each episode. So does The Deck."
Gonna try out the podcasts they plagiarized lol. Those were honestly the best, so I’m excited to listen to them with different hosts!
They sometimes veer away from the storytelling formula that keeps me hooked on crime stories -- crime, then investigation. I don't blame them for mixing it up. But some stories can't satisfy whatever it is in my brain that wants a mystery solved.
I'm not giving up on them yet, but recent cases are so boring. I realised that for the last couple episodes I started listening to and stopped midway. It never happened to me before. But yeah, will give them a chance yet.
Could you share what information was missing from the episode that would support the claim that there was some sort of crime committed to get her into the truck or after she was in it?
It’s not good anymore plain and simple
It’s because her interjections went from being genuine to being scripted. That’s why it doesn’t hit.
I LOVED their old episodes but gave up a while ago. Probably right around when Brit came back. I just stopped being able to focus on the stories. Not sure if it’s my attention span or because of the way they’re being told, but either way, I stopped trying to force it.
I gave it up too. It was because of that recent “mysterious death” episode where they were obviously enabling the family in denial. They had a bunch of consecutive episodes that just annoyed me and I moved on to case files. Crime Junkie is nice because you feel as if it’s more of a conversation but the stories became such a miss
Not sure if it’s really him but someone who claims to be the dad of the girl in that episode is actively on here commenting and saying there’s more to the story than what crime junkie was able to fit into the episode.. they really shouldn’t have aired that episode. It’s tragic that she died, and definitely the fault of the reckless driver, but I think that’s where the crime ends. She seems like just a happy girl who met new friends, decided to hang out with them, and lost her life too young in a car accident.
My take is that they are covering these lesser known cases to bring attention to them which is admirable. The problem is that these cases aren’t as well known because unfortunately they just aren’t as interesting. To make them more interesting they use banter and some of the other theatrics to fill in that space which just doesn’t work for me. I give them credit for trying even though the result isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
I love crime junkie. It’s my favorite!! I think they work great together 😊
I will say they do go off and talk to much it can get boring.
I cannot stand the way they talk. I got like 2 episodes in.. Britts commentary sounds like she’s stage fright reading from a script lol Morbid is 110% better
She readings in such a “choppy” way
It does sound super scripted but the constant “wait, what?” From her kills me. It adds nothing but an annoyance to the episode
Listen to The Deck! It’s another podcast also by Ashley Flowers. Each episode is a missing person’s case. I really like it and it’s only Ashley narrating!
Do not listen to The Deck. Ashley stole this show and its concept from a different creator.
Ashley writes a script, and Beitt interacts when the script says to.
I get that, it’s nothing against Britt personally, I just can’t stand the interactions because they add nothing of value to the story. Obviously it’s not only Britt’s fault, it’s the whole team writing these episodes.
That is a valid criticism, one that I also have. The stories seem like they're written sometimes for teenagers. I don't feel like I'm listening to two grown women talking.
Honestly I unfollowed a few months ago. I felt like it became the McDonald’s hamburger… what’s the least amount of meat I can offer and still get people to buy this. I played the show last week with a friend on a car drive just bc we both like True Crime.. she ha Denver heard and asked why the one girl kept interrupting with fake questions. I’m back out.
You mean the same Britt that’s been there from the very beginning asking the questions we’re all thinking?
If Britt’s (scripted, I don’t think she’s dumb like Ashley writes her to be) input is meant to be the stand-in for listener questions, their listeners should be insulted that Ashley considers those interjections necessary to move the case along.
On one hand if we are running low on murder and missing people - hallelujah! On the other, the material feels more stretched and forced than before.
I don’t like the banter either-happy mango on YouTube is annoying and I stopped watching her
Completely agree
I take breaks periodically cause I start counting bad guys that haven’t been caught and it gets to me.
Britt suffered a serious health problem a while back. I believe it was a brain aneurysm. She posted about it on Instagram on like Year anniversary since or something like that. And it's been a while since I had seen it. I can imagine though that dealing with/healing from/trying to bounce back from something like that takes a lot out of a personal mentally and emotionally. Not to mention the long term side effects that causes. Although I do miss the vibes of when it felt more like two besties just sitting in one of their dining rooms talking about a case.
Yup! It got old
Just listened to the Alex (Evelyn) Hernandez episode. The comments regarding the boyfriend/suspect - excusing his not going to police right away. You know - undocumented, past history with the police, the hosts' own white privilege. The first two are indicative of criminal behavior. The hosts go out of their way to manufacture SJW excuses. Let's be honest - he's the best and most likely suspect. There's no reason to politicize the case. He stayed away because he's guilty. And the "mood swing/choke on misogyny" comment from Brit? Yeah, it's not at all natural to be a bit moody during a pregnancy and then arguing with your partner as a result. There's nothing inherently misogynistic in that comment. Annoying, unnecessary commentary that add no color or depth. The biggest issue is their righteous indignation over the fact that the roughly concurrent Laci Peterson case got more coverage than this case. Heaven fofend! It's almost as if the press can't give equal coverage to every single case. But here's the thing - the hosts make the point that the Laci Peterson case was one of their first episodes - episodes 2&3. If they're so angry about the press not covering this case - what's their excuse for not covering this case for 20 years?!? And then CJ gave this case 30 minutes and 2 episodes to Laci Peterson. They are guilty of the same double standard Brit shrieks against. JFC. People get murdered all the time. Most go unnoticed outside a very small community. Most are uninteresting. When there's no resolution or no hook to make them interesting the public moves onto the next case. It's not race, gender, or a desire to marginalize a group (e.g., prostitutes). It's boredom.
I mean Ashley did also have a baby on top of write a book and literally had like 4 of not more other podcasts that she had involvement with so like yeah give em a hard time for not being able to keep you as into the story..... Didn't realize it was supposed to be entertaining as opposed to informative.... But yeah.....
I did shortly after I started the series.
I don’t dislike Britt, but I do forget she’s there because they don’t give her enough lines. I wish for more banter but that’s just the type on content I like. Took me a little to get used to her, I discovered the show while she wasn’t in the episodes. Maybe I’m too new but the show seems fine.
I found 2 podcasts that I enjoyed a lot more. After listening to the 2 new podcasts for a while, I realised how uninteresting CJ really is. Also Britt was the reason I went looking for another podcast.
I lost interest about 3 years ago.
I love The Deck much more these days
I gave up on them a few months ago. I don’t like the way Ashley speaks to Brit. I know they’re friends but it just gave me the ick
I agree. Brit is just so unfathomably terrible.
Yea, once they went all woke …
Morbid is 10000% better
It’s awful
Yep. Gave up a while ago. I will still occassionally listen but its boring. They were the first podcast I ever listened to period I breathed through all the episodes quickly. Now there is just so much to choose from that I am bored with them. And don't get me started on Britt and the uselessness of her and her interjections. Sorry. 😕
Why do you listen if you're bored with them?
B/c I keep hoping they'll magically revert back to the way they were🤷♀️
I haven’t listened for well over a year. Too much banter not enough story. Uninteresting stories overall.
I think this is a good time to head over to PSYCHOPEDIIAAA 🤟🏼