In our society, true crime is something that piques many people’s interests. People are drawn to true crime stories because it gives us insight into the reason people do such horrific acts. By consuming content about true crime, our subconscious desire to solve mysteries is fulfilled, and we are able to speculate about other factors in the crime.

The Something Was Wrong podcast is one of the most popular and successful podcasts dedicated to true crime – Specifically, mysterious and unsolved cases pertaining to relationships. Tiffany Reese hosts Something Was Wrong to specifically explore true crime stories about trauma and recovery from abusive relationships and pivotal life events.

Let’s take a closer look at what you can expect to hear on the Something Was Wrong podcast, as well as how it came to be so successful today.

Hosts Behind Something Was Wrong

The Something Was Wrong podcast is hosted by true-crime lover Tiffany Reese. Based in Northern California, Tiffany Reese is a digital creator and influencer, a body positivity stylist, an abuse survivor, an advocate, and an author.

Reese began professionally writing and styling back in 2012, and in 2016, she even styled three videos for Buzzfeed all centered around body positivity. In 2018, she created and launched her podcast Something Was Wrong which is a true-crime docuseries that focuses on abuse, trauma, and recovery.

Themes and Topics Covered on the Podcast

Throughout each season of Something Was Wrong, a new story is explored with mysterious and shocking twists. Each story centers around something like a shocking life event or an abusive relationship, and there are often themes of trauma, self-discovery, and recovery. Here are 3 examples of different episodes from different seasons that can give you insight into what you can expect to hear on the show.

Season 1, Episode 1: There Were No Red Flags

In the very first episode of Something Was Wrong, we are introduced to Sara who initially thought she was marrying the Christian man of her dreams. However, she explains how one week before their wedding, she learned that something was wrong.

At the beginning of the episode, Sara elaborates on how there were seemingly no red flags at the beginning of the relationship. She explains how looking back at the early stages of the relationship, she could see his abusive tendencies. Both she and others close to her that knew him described him as being too good to be true.

Season 3, Episode 3: Nobody’s Getting In My Head

In season 3 of Something Was Wrong, Tiffany Reese tells us the story of how the Bishops were best friends with both the O’Briens and Johnsons until they realized that something was wrong. In this episode, we are introduced to a woman’s failing marriage and how two people who have been in a relationship for such a long time communicate when things are going wrong.

This episode also focuses on gaslighting, specifically in relationships, and how that affect both victims and others affected by the abuse. Tiffany talks about how gaslighters take advantage of friendships to get what they want, and how gaslighters have narcissistic needs in all types of relationships.

Season 9, Episode 1: Psychic Abilities

Season 9 of Something Was Wrong is unique, as it tells the stories of both Danielle and Kenji. Both of their stories intertwine in a way that has never been discussed on the show before, and this season is definitely one you won’t want to stop listening to.

In this episode, we learn more about Danielle and her story of meeting Ardie, a British medical student that was studying at UCLA on a dating app back in 2011. Initially, their personalities clicked and things were going well. As things progressed, Danielle began to learn interesting things about Ardie such as his psychic abilities and ability to see spirits. She began to question the relationship when, one day, she received a shocking phone call from her sister.

Podcast Reach

Currently, the Something Was Wrong podcast has 174 followers on YouTube, 62.5K followers on Instagram, and is not active on TikTok.

Based on this analysis we estimated that the Something Was Wrong receives 25k – 50k listens each time an episode goes out across Apple, Google, Youtube, and Spotify podcast networks.

Structure and Formatting of the Podcast

Throughout the evolution of Something Was Wrong, the formatting and structure of the episodes and seasons change slightly. In the first couple of seasons, a specific story is dedicated to an entire season. For example, the very first season of Something Was Wrong focuses on a story from a woman named Sara, and how she realized something was wrong with her fiance one week before their wedding.

The next few seasons after this follow the same structure, with a new story premiering with each season. However, when Tiffany gets to around season 5, there are a few episodes sprinkled in that focus on other topics having to do with the same subject matter.

Then, the show returns back to its normal formatting with one story per season. On the Something Was Wrong official website, Tiffany allows listeners to submit their stories for a chance to be featured on the show.

All of the guests that are featured on the show are related to the story in some way whether they’re a victim, a witness, or even someone that is able to give valuable insight or a new perspective to the story. 

Overview

Since 2019, Tiffany Reese has been able to build the Something Was Wrong podcast to be one of the most successful podcasts in both the true crime and relationship space. Through telling listeners’ stories and real-life experiences on the show, Tiffany Reese does an amazing job of connecting and engaging with listeners while still creating a highly entertaining podcast.

Listen to Something Was Wrong on Spotify here.
Listen to Something Was Wrong on Apple Music here.