Being Dead Serious

01/19/2026

🎙️ We’re Still Here (And We’ve Missed You!)

​Hey everyone, it’s time for a "Dead Serious" update. 💀🖤

​We know we’ve been quiet—quieter than a graveyard at midnight—and we wanted to pull back the curtain on why we’ve been away from the mic.
To be honest, life has been "strange and unusual" lately.... more than even the stories we cover.

​First off, Rikki has been navigating the uphill battle of a mysterious autoimmune disease. It’s been a true journey of taking things one day at a time, especially on the days when exhaustion, chronic pain, and migraines make the deep-dive research she loves feel nearly impossible. Between managing her health and pouring every ounce of her remaining energy into opening a new business and of course us both wrangling children, our free time has essentially vanished. (Anyone who has had a 4 year old will understand this!)

​Beyond the schedule, our family has walked through some very unexpected hardships and heartache.
We’ve had to step back to process trauma, focus on our mental health, and learn what it means to heal just a little bit every single day. Life can be cruel and we are trying to overcome and make the best of it.

​It’s wild to think back to when this started. We just thought, "Hey, let's talk about weird but true stuff and hit record!" It was a fun hobby that we considered "date night" and that quickly turned into something so much deeper. We fell in love with this community and the strange corners of history we explore together. But man... doing it right is hard. The research.... the REASEARCH alone is so hard. We don't just look at Wikipedia to tell you stories... we actually do the research. Things you don't realize that take up so much of our time. Not to mention the production and the emotional weight of these stories take a lot out of us. This is not a paid job. We do this for fun... but unfortunately it was starting to feel like a job. Which we NEVER wanted.

But....​We Hear You and of course miss you!

​We think about jumping back in all the time. The outreach from you guys has been unexpected and incredibly powerful. Seeing your messages and knowing you're still out there waiting for us means more than we can say. Thank you for not forgetting us.
​
​We aren't gone.... but we’re still finding our (re)footing.

If you’d like to see us back behind the microphones, give us a "Stay Strange" in the comments or share your favorite episode!
Your support is the fuel we need to get the "Strange and Unusual" engine running again.

​We love you guys.... even if its been silent.

Stay curious, stay safe, and as always....
STAY STRANGE 💀

​

05/18/2025

05/18/2025

Being Dead Serious podcast
Episode 93: The Lovesick case of Carl Tanzler

Alright, buckle up buttercups, because this ain't your grandma's bedtime story.
Prepare to dive headfirst into the bizarre, unsettling, and frankly, slightly unhinged world of Dr. Count Carl Von Cosel.... AKA: just ...Carl Tanzler.
This episode we'll unravel the unbelievable tale of a lovesick (to put it mildly) radiologist who, after his Cuban dream girl Elena Hoyos succumbed to tuberculosis, decided that "goodbye" was just a suggestion.
We're talking grave robbing, co**se preservation attempts that would make even a seasoned taxidermist raise an eyebrow, and a seven-year "roommate" situation that redefines "unconventional."

Join us as we'll explore the questionable science, the even more questionable ethics, and the truly WTF moments that pepper this Floridian gothic horror story.

Was it love? Obsession? A severe misunderstanding of personal boundaries? We'll dissect it all with a healthy dose of dark humor mixed with the occasional nervous and always inappropriate laughter.

Stay Strange 💀

04/20/2025

Being Dead Serious podcast
Episode 92: The Brothers Grimm
is now available.

Get ready for a wild ride with the Brothers Grimm!

This week, we're diving headfirst into their twisted tales.
We'll explore the bizarre world of "The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage," where breakfast plans go hilariously wrong.
Then, we'll meet the quirky couple in "Frederick and Catherine," and see how their cleverness (or lack thereof) gets them into trouble. "Faithful John" will have you questioning the meaning of loyalty, while "Thumbling" proves that size doesn't matter (much).
And brace yourselves with the ever-so-messed-up "The Juniper Tree," a story so dark, it makes the rest of the Grimms' collection look like a Disney movie.

It's a podcast episode packed with laughs, gasps and maybe a few nightmares that will leave you saying , "WTF....these are children's stories?!"

Stay Strange 💀

04/14/2025

Being Dead Serious podcast
Episode 91:
The Strange and Insane Victorian era: Deadly Homes
Is now available.

Tonight we are again covering our favorite crazy time period.... the Victorian era! But this time its all about their hilariously but horrific dangers that were lurking in their 19th-century homes!

Thank you flammable gas lighting (explosions: a feature!), arsenic-laced cleaning products (cleanliness to die for!), and Crinoline dresses (walking fire hazards!)
We don't know how we survived without you!

We'll also gasp at the vibrant yet deadly arsenic wallpaper, the "festive" tradition of candles on Christmas trees (what could go wrong?!), and the truly bizarre practice of using Lysol for feminine hygiene (no.... seriously...totally a thing...).

Join us for a dark but always funny tour of Victorian domestic disasters that will make you appreciate your (relatively) safe modern home!

Stay Strange 💀

04/06/2025

Being Dead Serious podcast
Episode 90: The Gruesome Tale of Fox Hollow Farm
Is now available.

Tonight we're diving deep into the Fox Hollow Farm murders, a massive murderer case that you've never heard of but completely shocked the state of Indiana and the nation.
We'll examine the evidence, the timeline, and the psychological profile of the alleged killer, Herb Baumeister.
But beyond the standard true crime fare, we'll also be exploring a truly unique aspect of this case: the surprisingly frequent and detailed accounts from acquaintances and former associates regarding Baumeister's alleged and rather enthusiastic habit of… irrigating his surroundings....

Join us as we try to figure out if this peculiar behavior offered any clues to his dark psyche.
Why does anyone really need 10 bathrooms?!
Did Herb have a lucky victim OR was he a secret lover?

We'll speculate wildly and probably make some uncomfortable jokes about the damp realities of this case.

Stay Strange 💀