Too Close to Home Podcast

73: The Yeti, Part 1 - Banana For Scale

While you were trekking up the snow-covered mountains of the Himalayas, you saw a large footprint you couldn't explain... you heard calls that echoed across the peaks... maybe it's a sign of oxygen deprivation, maybe it's a sign of the abominable snowman... the legendary Yeti! A staple of Himalayan and Buddhist folklore, the Yeti has evaded and entranced the eyes of everyone from locals to the conqueror of Mount Everest himself: Sir Edmund Hillary. Brought to you by our very own (self-appointed) Doctor of Cryptozoology, Becky Johnson, PhD, we explore the early mysteries and expeditions involving the Yeti in our very first multi-part cryptid episode!

72: Rasputin and the Romanovs, Part 4 - Stay Out Of Basements

The clock has ticked its last tock for the mad monk of Pokrovskoye and the Romanov dynasty. For the finale of this series, we first discuss the Looney Tunes-like assassination of Grigori Rasputin: a man who just refused to die, and more than you ever wanted to know about the fate of Rasputin's most prized "possession". We then proceed down more somber territory as we cover the imprisonment, tightening chokehold, and execution of the Romanov family. This brutal demise, along with the ridiculous mishaps by the Bolsheviks in an effort to "bury" the truth, marked the true beginning of Soviet Russia.

71: Rasputin and the Romanovs, Part 3 - I’m Just a Sinner

Grab your nearest bottle of Madeira wine, and ready your most touching drunken sermons! In Part 3 of our series, Rasputin goes off the deep end with his drinking habits and theatrical antics. While the powerful and stinky libertine parties, a wedge is being drawn between Rasputin, the populace, the government, and the royal family… one that spells the beginning of the end for the Romanov dynasty.

70: Rasputin and the Romanovs, Part 2 - It’s Always The Woman’s Fault

In part 2 of our series on the controversial history between Rasputin and the Romanovs, we start with Tsarina Alix’s desperate attempts to birth a male heir, and how the canonized Seraphim perhaps worked a miracle to usher the birth of son Alexei: an heir to the royal curse. How will they secure their dynasty in this dark hour? Enter Rasputin, who entranced the royals and populace with his mysticism, rock and roll lifestyle, and peasant ways… but will he be the savior they needed, or an instrument of their ultimate downfall?

69: Rasputin and the Romanovs, Part 1 - How Do You Know Which Orifice?

There lived a certain man in Russia long ago… whether you know him as the subject of a disco hit or the villain of an animated classic, the mysteries surrounding Grigori Rasputin have captured the imagination for over a century. We begin part 1 of this series with a twofold story. In one hand, we discuss the early life of the mad monk and the curious (and stinky) journey that led him to St. Petersburg. In the other, the rise of Czar Nicholas II and the events which led the Romanovs to eventually seek the man himself.

68: Old Ned The Bathtub Head

This is NOT an April Fool’s joke! We are back and ready to spread the sickness, baby! We hope you have missed us as much as we have missed you! For our first episode of 2023, we are keeping things light and warming up the palate for all the madness that will follow; we are discussing the two-dicked Canadian terror of Lake Utopia… a cryptid affectionately known as Old Ned! He has been sighted throughout the past few centuries, but what is Old Ned? A mutation? A basking shark? Grab yourself a hot cup of Timmy Ho Ho’s and enjoy the scoop!

67: The Bigfoot Dating Game

It has been an amazing first year, and we are wrapping up this season of content with some good old-fashioned game show nostalgia... and bigfoot, because that is how we roll! We will break down 4 bigfoot variants' looks, temperaments, hobbies, eating habits, and everything in between. Which one would you choose to be kidnapped by? There is only one way to find out!
From all of us at Too Close To Home, thank you for making our first year as content creators both amazing and memorable. We couldn't do it without your support! Happy Holidays everyone! Here's to you, to us, and to the future S.S. Clutch My Pearls!

66: The Stayner Brothers, Part 2 - The Yosemite Park Slayer

Stephen and Cary may have been brothers, but they were alike in blood only. While one embodied goodness, the brother we are covering in part 2 of this series had wires crossed from the beginning. Exacerbated and awoken from the vast familial and media attention surrounding Stephen, Cary’s murderous tendencies led to a killing spree in 1999 which made him known as the Yosemite Park Slayer.