Gretchen Upshaw

Episode 25: Bandit Queen

Rootin’ Tootin’ Belle was the Bandit Queen of the Wild West. Husbands, lovers, guns, and horses, she mastered them all. She was raised proper, but the wild rebel blood ran through her bones. And she would pass down that tenacity and drive… This is the story of Belle Starr and her daughter, Pearl.

Episode 24: Her Royal Wickedness

She was the definition of “Mad Queen.” The daughter of a commoner rose to royalty and preserved her island’s traditions, culture, and sovereignty. But was it really necessary to take 50,000 people on a buffalo hunt? If you’re Ranavalona I: The Female Caligula, then of course! Poison feet, chicken skins, and vomit-inducing nuts are just a taste of this ruthless gal’s Reign of Terror. Meet the Mad Queen of Madagascar!

Episode 23: Scusi! Gucci

She wanted to keep living her name-brand life. Her husband’s family empire was her destiny, so when he decided to sell her world collapsed. But Patrizia believed his family name and fortune was her birthright. Lady Gucci was about to become a Black Widow – though she will always be “the most Gucci of them all.”

Episode 22: Fire in the Hole

This pair of Swashbuckling Dames took to the high seas like Pirate Pros. These fiery cross-dressing women knew their way around a hull and fancied themselves just as dandy as their fellow sea-rovers and privateers. Join us for an episode of Seadogs, Plunders, and Yo Ho Hos!

Episode 21: Mary Not O-Kay

The press couldn’t have created a more twisted story for the tabloids and grocery store checkout lanes. But should we be entertained by the lascivious actions of a woman who preyed on a child? Their forbidden love was on display, even while she served time. Prison was not a deterrent. They resumed their affair when she was released, both times. This is the uncomfortable story of Mary Kay Letourneau.

Episode 20: Been Witched

Before the sexual revolution. Before the Witch’s Guide to Self Care. There was Rosaleen Norton, a self-proclaimed witch. An artist and occultist who pushed Australia’s Christian conservatives to the point of exhaustion with her Pantheistic rituals and dark art. They tried to burn this witch, but nothing could keep Roie from her sex magick and devotion to Pan. Meet the Witch of Kings of Cross and her “Coven From Down Under.”

Episode 19: Me & Mrs. Jones

Mary had a past full of missing husbands, a love of shoplifting, and loads of secrets. But she was just getting started. Her criminal mind was taking her to a much darker place. Did Mary enjoy the pain and grief she put the parents of little Sonny through? Did she mastermind it all on her own? Criminally insane or unjustly accused?

Episode 18: A Legend Never Dies

The legend of Madame Delphine Lalaurie has grown into a pop culture phenomenon. And like most things in pop culture, the line between fact and fiction is blurry. There is no denying that Lalaurie plays a major part in New Orleans’ dark history. But was this complicated woman really as wicked as your ghost tour guide would lead you to believe? Yep! And her story has quite a few twists and turns… 

Episode 17: All is Fair

Laura wore a black dress, a black hat, and a black veil the day she shot her lover in the chest. The courtroom drama sent the press into a frenzy. Feminists were in her corner, but the conservative spectators wanted to see her hang. Who was the real victim in this sordid affair? All is fair in sex, lies, and murder.

Episode 16: A Rumble in the Jungle Part 2

Her contributions to conservation and primatology can not be denied, but Dian Fossey is anything but a hero for many. She has been called the “last white colonizer” and some feel she should be wiped from textbooks. Was Dian Fossey a tyrant and terrorist? Or did she just lose herself in the mists of Rwanda?  Discover the woman who changed the world’s view on conservation, and possibly murdered for her heavy-handed demands.

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