Hope you’re all doing well, keeping it cool, and staying far away from places that require you to request permission to go to the bathroom from 11 people. Yep, you read that right – welcome to this week’s episode on the Elan School, a so-called "therapeutic" boarding school that could have doubled as the training ground for your nightmares.

Picture this: the isolated woods of Maine, where trees outnumber people, and “rehabilitation” was synonymous with psychological warfare. The Elan School promised troubled teens a second chance, but its methods were straight out of a dystopian novel – think forced labour, humiliation, and bizarre punishments that would make even the most hardcore reality TV producer blush. Ever heard of “The Ring”? It’s not just a movie. At Elan, students were actually pitted against each other in what can only be described as "Fight Club for Teens."

The school operated in total secrecy for decades, and it only closed after the digital age finally gave former students a voice. Could something like this happen again?

Sources

2017 The Last Stop - about the Elan school for behavioural Modification surrounded in controversy

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/police-looking-into-claim-linking-82-death-forced-fighting/

https://www.sunjournal.com/2016/03/13/family-asks-really-happened-phil-elan-school/

https://www.sunjournal.com/2011/03/23/elan-school-closing-web-campaign-shut/

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/good-news-bad-economy-kil_b_162696

https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueCrime/comments/qdd8zu/1993_murder_of_17_yo_dawn_birnbaum/

https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Dawn_Birnbaum

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2003/01/a-miscarriage-of-justice/304759/

Duck in a Rincoat by Maura Curley

https://web.archive.org/web/20081204131734/http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/070325elan.html

Let’s look at the twisted tale of Rurik Jutting, a high-flying banker with a dark secret. Spoiler alert: This guy’s career pivot took "dramatic life change" to a whole new level, and not in a "follow your passion" kind of way.

We’ll take you through the shocking crimes, the trial that rocked Hong Kong, and explore what happens when a life of privilege crashes headfirst into a spiral of madness.

But after all that grimness, we wrap things up with what you’ve really been waiting for—YOUR dating advice! Let’s be honest, we need help.

Or hey, if you're brave enough, slide into our DMs with your best dating pitch. Because why not? At this point, we’ll take either: a killer date (pun intended) or killer advice. 💀❤️

In this episode, Dee takes Emma on a wild ride through the infamous Broadmoor Prison, the UK's most notorious high-security psychiatric hospital. But don’t worry, we manage to sneak in a lot of laughs between the dark history lessons. Here’s a taste of what’s coming up:

From Lunatics to Rhubarb: Society's view of mental health has changed so much over time, from locking people away forever to, uh, prescribing rhubarb. Rhubarb! Can it cure a broken mind? Spoiler: probably not.

Idiots vs. Imbeciles: Dee attempts to explain the very important distinction between an idiot and an imbecile, leaving Emma wondering if she's accidentally dated both. (Haven’t we all?)

Spoon-fed Nightmare Fuel: Someone at Broadmoor once ate a brain. With a spoon. Bon appétit? Emma's still recovering from this revelation, and Dee's taking notes in case they run out of snack ideas at their next Christmas Crimes event (10th & 11th December at Brewery Market, FYI. More info to follow).

The Jimmy Savile, Yorkshire Ripper & Frank Bruno Triangle: What do these three have in common besides being questionable dinner guests?

Broadmoor for Sale?!: It’s official – Broadmoor is up for sale! Who’s buying? Emma suggests it could make a trendy Airbnb if you don’t mind the ghost of Jack the Ripper roaming the halls. Speaking of which, did he end up there? Tune in for our conspiracy theory of the week!

Why Won’t You Date Us?!: As always, we’re closing out with more applications to date us (the romantic kind, not the forensic kind). Why are they so few and far between? Is it because we talk too much about brains and murder? Sigh

Buckle up – this episode is a twisted mix of crime, history, and… well, rhubarb!