"Over the course of our first season, we will tell the stories of eight cheating scandals, both in and outside of sports. That is the first task of each episode anyway; the more interesting part of the show, the thing that makes it special and makes me feel especially proud of our work, is that each cheating scandal is also a window into something larger."
"People are always going to be into stories about powerful people doing bad stuff, though I found myself mildly frustrated with the somewhat simplistic framing put around many cheating stories. The reasons why someone would break the rules are often simplified into the bottomless search for competitive advantage. In reality these moments offer a rare glimpse behind the fiction being sold to the public by seemingly powerful institutions like the NBA, big-time chess, or The Bachelor."
The first episode premieres October 21. The first season chronicles eight cheating scandals in and outside of sports. Each episode reconstructs a scandal and uses it as a lens to examine power, competitive frameworks, and where lines of tension form. Episodes demonstrate that understanding why and how people break rules reveals institutional priorities and hidden narratives. The show resists simplistic framings that reduce cheating to mere competitive gain and instead invites guests to peel back institutional façades. Case studies include higher-education admissions, elite sport doping, and cultural institutions from the NBA to big-time chess and reality TV.
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