For 20 years, Canadian sailor Lawrence Lemieux chased perfection on the water. He slept in vans. He drained his savings. He dedicated his life to a single goal: standing on an Olympic podium. At the 1988 Games in Seoul, that dream was finally within reach. Then, in the chaos of a brutal race, he was forced to make a split-second decision. It would cost him his shot at a medal, and forever change his life. 

Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English
Written by Mike Smeltz
Senior Producer is Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design by Jonathan Washington
Mixing and Mastering by Josh Fisher
Social Clips by Yarberry Media
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Executive Producer is Jason English

For 20 years, Canadian sailor Lawrence Lemieux chased perfection on the water. He slept in vans. He drained his savings. He dedicated his life to a single goal: standing on an Olympic podium. At the 1988 Games in Seoul, that dream was finally within reach. Then, in the chaos of a brutal race, he was forced to make a split-second decision. It would cost him his shot at a medal, and forever change his life.&nbsp;
Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English Written by Mike Smeltz Senior Producer is Josh Fisher Editing and Sound Design by Jonathan Washington Mixing and Mastering by Josh Fisher Social Clips by Yarberry Media Original Music by Elise McCoy Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla Executive Producer is Jason English

On the Very Special Episodes podcast, we tell one incredible story each week. Stranger-than-fiction tales about normal people in extraordinary situations. Stories that make you say, “this should be a movie.” Follow Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English down a different rabbit hole every Wednesday.

On the Very Special Episodes podcast, we tell one incredible story each week. Stranger-than-fiction tales about normal people in extraordinary situations. Stories that make you say, “this should be a movie.” Follow Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English down a different rabbit hole every Wednesday.

Very Special Episodes

Taking On Water

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/05fd66b4-9b04-4275-a7dc-b3fb017e5882/transcript

Long before the NCAA Basketball Tournament became a billion-dollar business, there was a massive betting pool run out of a neighborhood bar on Staten Island. The Irish pub’s $10 game handed out million-dollar prizes and drew players from around the world. But when the pool got too big, it threatened to bring down the bar where it all began.

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Hosted by Zaron Burnett, Dana Schwartz, and Jason English
Written by Zaron Burnett
Senior Producer is Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design by Jonathan Washington
Mixing and Mastering by Josh Fisher
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Executive Producer is Jason English

Long before the NCAA Basketball Tournament became a billion-dollar business, there was a massive betting pool run out of a neighborhood bar on Staten Island. The Irish pub&rsquo;s $10 game handed out million-dollar prizes and drew players from around the world. But when the pool got too big, it threatened to bring down the bar where it all began.
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Hosted by Zaron Burnett, Dana Schwartz, and Jason English Written by Zaron Burnett Senior Producer is Josh Fisher Editing and Sound Design by Jonathan Washington Mixing and Mastering by Josh Fisher Original Music by Elise McCoy Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla Executive Producer is Jason English

Bar Trivia: How a Staten Island Pub Made College Hoops History

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/bb7f62ae-5b57-4ac9-9fca-b42301778242/transcript

In honor of April Fools' Day, Zaron Burnett digs into a persistent legend surrounding VSE regular Richard Nixon. With a little help from his pops, Zaron ventures into smoky clubs to unpack a bizarre tale of jazz, drugs, and politics.

After the episode, Dana talks about her upcoming book, The Arcane Arts. Zaron discusses his role in a recent Jordan Peele documentary, and Jason reveals his real name for the first time on this podcast.

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Hosted by Zaron Burnett, Dana Schwartz, and Jason English
Written by Zaron Burnett
Senior Producer is Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design by Chris Childs
Additional Editing by Mary Dooe
Mixing and Mastering by Josh Fisher
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Executive Producer is Jason English

In honor of April Fools' Day, Zaron Burnett digs into a persistent legend surrounding VSE regular Richard Nixon. With a little help from his pops, Zaron ventures into smoky clubs to unpack a bizarre tale of jazz, drugs, and politics.
After the episode, Dana talks about her upcoming book, <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/771398/the-arcane-arts-by-s-d-coverly/">The Arcane Arts</a>. Zaron discusses his role in a recent <a href="https://www.peacocktv.com/blog/peacock-high-horse-the-black-cowboy-release-date">Jordan Peele documentary</a>, and Jason reveals his real name for the first time on this podcast.
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Hosted by Zaron Burnett, Dana Schwartz, and Jason English Written by Zaron Burnett Senior Producer is Josh Fisher Editing and Sound Design by Chris Childs Additional Editing by Mary Dooe Mixing and Mastering by Josh Fisher Original Music by Elise McCoy Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla Executive Producer is Jason English

Richard Nixon and the Magic Suitcase

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/7be5c8ce-6393-4aa8-bc14-b41e01696266/transcript

On a quiet morning in Hawaii, cell phones across the islands lit up with a text message that felt impossible — a ballistic missile was inbound, and this was not a drill. For 38 minutes, hundreds of thousands of people believed they were living their final moments. This is the real story of what happens when ordinary folks are forced to confront the end of everything, all at once.

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Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English
Written by Jake Rossen
Senior Producer is Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design by Chris Childs
Additional Editing by Mary Dooe
Mixing and Mastering by Josh Fisher
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Social Clips by Yarberry Media
Executive Producer is Jason English

Get your very special questions in for our next mailbag! You can reach us at veryspecialepisodes@gmail.com.

On a quiet morning in Hawaii, cell phones across the islands lit up with a text message that felt impossible &mdash; a ballistic missile was inbound, and this was not a drill. For 38 minutes, hundreds of thousands of people believed they were living their final moments. This is the real story of what happens when ordinary folks are forced to confront the end of everything, all at once.
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Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English Written by Jake Rossen Senior Producer is Josh Fisher Editing and Sound Design by Chris Childs Additional Editing by Mary Dooe Mixing and Mastering by Josh Fisher Original Music by Elise McCoy Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla Social Clips by Yarberry Media Executive Producer is Jason English
Get your very special questions in for our next mailbag! You can reach us at <a href="mailto:veryspecialepisodes@gmail.com">veryspecialepisodes@gmail.com</a>.

10 Minutes to Live: Hawaii's Text Message Fiasco of 2018

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/b3180500-665b-46db-83ab-b41700e1b1fc/transcript

Taking On Water

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