First Two Episodes Dive into Atlantic Public Schools Cheating Scandal Involving 178 High School Teachers

Additional Episodes Explore Marion Jones and the Olympic Doping Scandal, Boxer Luis Resto Who Tampered His Gloves & More

LONDON AND NEW YORK – May 24, 2021 – Acclaimed podcast production house Somethin’ Else, in partnership with Sony Music Entertainment, today debuts “Cheat!,” the new podcast exploring some of the biggest scandals in contemporary history and flawed protagonists at their heart. Hosted by journalist and storyteller Alzo Slade, the series will use some of the most high-profile examples of large-scale frauds, social media cheats, unfaithful lovers and con artists to examine how people cheat and why society is so fascinated by them. The first episode is available now and the second episode will be available tomorrow, Tuesday, May 25. New episodes will be available weekly beginning Tuesday, June 1.

The series’ first two episodes explore the explosive cheating scandal that plagued Atlanta Public Schools in 2009. Additional episodes throughout the season will dive into stories and controversial figures from the worlds of pop culture, business, sports, music, politics:

• Navinder Sarao, the self-taught stock market trader responsible for the US $1 trillion flash crash from his bedroom in Hounslow, UK;
• Boxer Luis Resto, arrested for tampering with his gloves before a big fight;
• Game-show contestant Charles Ingram who coughed his way into winning a million dollars;
• Rudy Kurniawan sold homemade wine for millions;
• Donald Trump and other presidents taking liberties in games of golf;
• $63 million worth of fraudulent paintings being sold by New York’s oldest gallery;
• The doping athlete, Marion Jones, who claimed the title as the fastest woman on earth;
• An amateur sailor, Donald Crowhurst, who lied his way through a yacht race around the world  

Episode 1 (available today 5/24) and Episode 2 (available Tuesday 5/25):

178 High School Cheats

The principal and teachers used razor blades and lighters to steal copies of the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests, which determined whether their schools had met federal standards of achievement, ahead of the exams. They gave their students the correct answers, erased wrong answers and bubbled in the right ones, and generally cheated. A hundred and seventy-eight educators were named in the cheating investigation. Some even went to prison on racketeering charges! Listeners can subscribe to “Cheat!” on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher. For more information on “Cheat!” and all other Sony Podcast shows, follow @SonyPodcasts on Twitter and Instagram.

About Alzo Slade
Alzo is an Emmy award-winning storyteller who has reported on a wide range of topics ranging from President Trump’s border wall to men’s hair weaves. Additionally, Alzo Slade is a professional documentary/fashion photographer and stand-up comedian. He’s also a former professor at The College of New Rochelle in New York where he taught philosophy.

About Somethin’ Else
Somethin’ Else is the UK’s largest independent podcast and audio producer releasing its own podcasts as well as shows for the BBC, Netflix, Audible, Spotify and within their joint global content partnership with Sony Music Entertainment. Its hit shows include David Tennant Does A Podcast With…, The Sun King with David Dimbleby, Power: The Maxwells, How Did We Get Here?, Something Rhymes With Purple, The Immaculate Deception and Unheard: The Fred and Rose West Tapes. In 2020, Somethin’ Else were awarded ‘Best Network’ at the British Podcast Awards, with two of their podcasts also winning top awards. As well as audio, Somethin’ Else also houses significant social media and TV teams producing content for clients such as the BBC, Sky, The BRIT Awards, The Economist and Red Bull.