Stories that are too good to be true, because someone is lying. A lighthearted review of real life tales of hoaxes, pranks, scams, shams, and charlatans.
In this episode, we tackle three ridiculous tales. The origin of the building later called the "World's Tiniest Skyscraper". An investor who took Wall Street by storm using the powers of time travel. And the American invention of the bathtub.
Of course, someone is lying in each of these tales.
5 May 2025
Dan DeQuille and His Travelling Stones
This week we explore a prankster who made waves in the 1800s before fading into obscurity. Mark Twain? Oh my god, they were roommates. This story covers silver prospectors, rocks whose love language is touch, and the weirdness of the old west.
10 Mar 2025
The Mysterious Egg in Ong's Hat - The First ARG
Ong's Hat is a real place. But the stories about it aren't. That didn't stop tales about a dimension hopping, scientific, transcendentalist, sadomasochistic cult from spreading across the early internet. This is credited as the first ever ARG and boy, is it weird
17 Feb 2025
The Faux Mellow Yellow
In this week's episode we take a bizarre dive. In the 60s, an underground magazine started a hoax that you could smoke bananas. The rumor spread like wildfire, fueled by pop music and an accidental association with a vibrator. Years later, the same hoax hit a new audience, creating a whole new world for banana lovers..
30 Sept 2024
Stolen Socks and Counterfeit Cricket
In this week's episode, we review some short but curious cases from around the world.
First up from England, two people convinced pub goers to give up their socks for charity. The story is so ridiculous, it leaves Chris speechless.
Then we go to India, where a bunch of people faked an entire cricket league, and managed to profit.
Music by Roger A Martinez
16 Sept 2024
How Lenin Became A Mushroom-A Soviet Prank
Just before the fall of the Soviet Union, a musician and a journalist got together to pull an absurd and confusing prank--convincing people that Vladimir Lenin was a mushroom. How did they get people to believe the former Bolshevik leader was actually fungus? What role did world events play into this hoax being successful? And most importantly, how many mushroom related puns can Chris fit into a half hour?
Join us this week as we explore this weird hoax.
Music by Roger Martinez.
10 Jun 2024
How To Buy a Hockey Team
We all have our dreams. For John Spano, that dream was to own a national hockey team. And he wasn't going to let little facts like not having money get in the way of those dreams. We discuss how he scammed his way into owning the New York Islanders, who at the time had an unfortunate redesign on their logo.
Mellie and Chris aren't sports fans, but you don't have to be to be interested in this weird rabbit hole!
27 May 2024
Disney Hoaxes and Scams
Today we turn our eyes to Disney, looking at how a Texan scammed investors by promising a brand new park, and how ghost videos played into viral marketing in the 2010s. Meanwhile other stories, Chris's Goofy impersonation, and a review of Disneyland's opening day back in 1955.
13 May 2024
The (Fake) Autobiography of Howard Hughes
Clifford Irving and Robert Suskind wanted to write an autobiography of notable reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes, based on one on one interviews and personal papers. So they did. Too bad they never actually met Hughes.
This story is a rollercoaster that somehow got further than anyone could have ever imagined, with fact and fiction becoming intertwined.
The Hoax https://amzn.to/4a4BsNj
The (fake) autobiography https://amzn.to/3ULqQ1k
The Hoax movie starring Richard Gere https://amzn.to/3UNVmIe
Music by Roger A. Martinez
6 May 2024
Weekly World News and the Bat Boy Xtravaganza
On this week's episode, we delve into the history of the most fake publication to grace store shelves in the 90s, the Weekly World News, and the history of its unofficial mascot, BatBoy. How did this tabloid get started, how did it stop publication, where did they get their ideas from. Also, we discuss 80s snack foods and Chris exposes his love of Bigfoot.
29 Apr 2024
MishMash Episode
In a fun break, we are going to explore three small tales. With these stories of treasure hunts, misinformation, and internet, we chat about our thoughts on treasure hunts, ARGs, AI, and internet culture.
Music by Roger A Martinez
22 Apr 2024
The Return of Martin Guerre
Back in medieval France, a family is full of drama. Martin had left his wife and newborn son and disappears. When he returns, he has questions about how his inheritance was spent by his uncle. It ends with the two in court with some outrageous claims that had no legal precedence. The entire village becomes embroiled in the intrigue, in this well documented historic case.
Join us as we explore the story, unravel the truth, do a terrible job with the French language and mispronounce "Martin" in several different ways.
Sources mentioned:
book, The Return of Martin Guerre https://amzn.to/3W906Jl (https://amzn.to/3W906Jl)
The Movie, https://amzn.to/3xExjlD (https://amzn.to/3xExjlD)
15 Apr 2024
The Cardiff Giant Hoax
Join Mellie and Chris in this fascinating episode of Beggar's Belief as they unravel the intriguing tale of the Cardiff Giant, a 19th-century hoax that had an unexpected ripple effect.
From the conception of the idea by George Hull and his cousin, William 'Stubb' Newell, to the meticulous planning and execution of the hoax, this episode covers it all. It offers an insight into the societal beliefs of the period, including the fascination with petrified beings and prehistoric creatures, and sheds light on the large sums of money invested in this elaborate ruse. It further draws parallels with other notable societal trends and beliefs of the time.
The hosts conclude the episode with an insightful reflection on the public's reception of the hoax, provoking thought on how easily one can fall for such a monumental deception.
Listen to the captivating narrative of 'Old Hoaxy', a simple hoax that transformed into a major attraction, and examine its lasting impact on popular folklore, mainstream media and even legal debates. Get ready to dive deep into the extraordinary narrative of the Cardiff Giant, an enduring tale that truly beggars belief.
Music by Roger A. Martinez
8 Apr 2024
The Great Moon Hoax
In this riveting episode of Beggar's Belief, join your hosts, Mellie and Chris, as they dive deep into a peculiar tale that set the world aflutter with tales of lunar discoveries, including 'man-bats' and more.
Step back to 1835 with us and revisit the series of shocking articles published by The Sun newspaper. The supposedly groundbreaking discoveries, attributed to the fantastic telescope said to be used by astronomer Sir John Herschell stirred up a whirlwind of international excitement and curiosity.
The rabbit hole for this tale goes to some strange places, from Edgar Allen Poe to scholars at Yale. Examine the facts, separate truth from fiction, and try to work out what could be real or a lie
1 Apr 2024
The Strange Tale of the McNally Family
Welcome to the first captivating episode of Beggar's Belief, the podcast of hoaxes, pranks, scams, shams and charlatans. The home of stories that are beyond belief because someone is lying. Join hosts Mellie and Chris as they take you back to the year 1921, located in the quaint town of Hammond, Indiana, where an uncanny story revolving around a couple named Frank and Hazel McNally unfolds.
After their marriage, the townsfolk are taken aback when Hazel gives birth to twins, Lauren and Laurene. However, the neighborhood joy soon transforms into bewilderment and apprehension as queries about the infants' wellbeing and Hazel's overprotective behavior lead to unsettling revelations. Tune in as we dissect this perplexing tale that is stranger than any fictitious narrative. Mellie and Chris add their distinctive humor and sharp commentary to this offbeat story, promising an engrossing listen.
Unravel a richly woven tale of calculated deceit, hidden domestic violence, and conforming societal norms which feels like a storyline out of a dark comedy movie, but is actually a little-known slice of history.
Music by Roger A. Martinez
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
2,901
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
14 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 28 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
10
Social presence
0
YouTube
68
Engagement
51
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