Buckle in and get ready to hear two of the worst Werner Herzog impressions of all time. Not unlike the famous filmmaker, we just couldn’t seem to help ourselves! In his case, however, the self-indulgence comes tethered to a story nominally about Timothy Treadwell, the so-called Grizzly Man who inspired a 2005 documentary by the same name.

What does that 20-year-old cinematic exploration have to do with cults, you ask? Lots! Most of all, we talk about what’s at work when stories (whether told by filmmakers, journalists, or scholars) become projections. “The subject of the dream is the dreamer,” the great Toni Morrison reminds us, so how might we account for distinctions in/of methodology and genre while remaining mindful of their mediators? Digging into that question helps us avoid the perhaps-tempting-but-definitely-inane (or at least none-of-our-business) questions about whether Treadwell had the right or wrong motivations and whether his ex-girlfriend should or shouldn’t listen to an audiotape (Herzog has advice for her). Adjudication and analysis are different, methodologically speaking. What is exceedingly clear in any context, however, is that Mike and Merinda should never attempt voice acting.

Links:

Anderson Cooper podcast All There Is

Cult Favorite Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker episode

Follow us on the socials at @cultfavoritepod.

Special thanks to the REL Digital Lab in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Alabama for production assistance.

The views expressed in this episode are our own as experts and researchers in religious studies and do not represent the University of Alabama.

Theme music produced with Udio.

It is the end of the semester and we here at Cult Favorite are ready for a long winters nap. So, we have a special episode from deep in the Cult Favorite archives that you may not have heard yet. This week we are replaying our episode about Season One of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives from 9/23/2024. And we have a lot more episodes in our back catalog for your long holiday drives and airport layovers. Grab some peppermint cocoa, curl up close to the fire, and give it a listen.

This week, Mike convinced Merinda to watch Secret Lives of Mormon Wives! Luckily, docusoaps offer a neato middle ground between documentaries and reality tv. We talk genre, gender, sexuality, power, audiences, tradwives, the capital of “cute,” and Mormon media. Merinda quotes people she admires. She also describes her Very Strong Feelings about the tendency to reduce/oversimplify complex worlds inhabited by women creating media content. Inasmuch as we should #believewomen, we should also pay serious attention to pop culture by and about women, even (especially?) when it cuts against our comfort zones. We should also, it turns out, make sure to label moving boxes with some degree of nuance. Come hang and follow/subscribe wherever you listen to things. Meanwhile, know this: if you invite us to an important life event, we promise to show up for you. We will also totally tell you if we ever see toilet paper stuck to your shoe. #thatswhatfriendsarefor #cultfavorite #studyreligion

Links:

Sadaf Ahsan’s essay, “Inside the Real Housewives’ Feminism”: https://this.org/2021/11/02/inside-the-real-housewives-feminism/

The LDS Church’s low-key rebuke of the show: https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/commentary-when-entertainment-media-distorts-faith

You’re Wrong About episode “The Tradwife Rises”: https://podcasts.apple.com/si/podcast/the-tradwife-rises-with-sarah-archer/id1380008439?i=1000657221736

How are these shows produced?: https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2021/05/real-housewives-produced-excerpt-from-housewives-brian-moylan/

Real Housewives https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/10/real-housewives-bravo-reckoning

Follow us on the socials at @cultfavoritepod.

Special thanks to the REL Digital Lab in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Alabama for production assistance.

The views expressed in this episode are our own as experts and researchers in religious studies and do not represent the University of Alabama.

Theme music produced with Udio.

What drives someone to risk everything for a calling? In this episode, we dive into The Mission (2023), a gripping documentary that follows the story of John Chau—a young missionary whose journey to reach one of the world’s most isolated communities sparked global debate. We unpack the film’s layered narrative: faith and zeal, cultural boundaries, colonial echoes, and the ethics of evangelism in the 21st century. Was Chau a hero, a cautionary tale, or something in between? Join us for a conversation that’s as thought-provoking as it is challenging.

Follow us on the socials at @cultfavoritepod.

Special thanks to the REL Digital Lab in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Alabama for production assistance.

The views expressed in this episode are our own as experts and researchers in religious studies and do not represent the University of Alabama.

Theme music produced with Udio.