Oct 21, 20261h 13m
What justifies calling something a conspiracy, What is "conspiracy" really shorthand for, and How does the term "conspiracy" function for people? In this episode, Mike and Merinda use the documentary Crack: Cocaine...
tv
Cult Favorite
Hosted by Merinda Simmons and Mike Altman · tv · EN
About this Podcast:
A podcast about all of those cult documentaries you love to binge watch. We are two religious studies professors that are curious about our current cult documentary streaming era. What stories do these shows tell and what do they tell us about ourselves? Hosted by Merinda Simmons and Mike Altman
Pitch Analysis
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Contact path
Verified email
Booking probability
33%
Guest openness
Selective
80/100
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Signup to Generate a PitchQuestions about Cult Favorite
What is Cult Favorite about?
A podcast about all of those cult documentaries you love to binge watch. We are two religious studies professors that are curious about our current cult documentary streaming era. What stories do these shows tell and what do they tell us about ourselves? Hosted by Merinda Simmons and Mike Altman
Who hosts Cult Favorite?
Cult Favorite is hosted by Merinda Simmons and Mike Altman. The show has published 63 episodes to date.
What has Cult Favorite covered recently?
Recent episodes include "Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy (Netflix, 2021)" (21 October 2026, 73 minutes), "Bring Me the Beauties (HBOMax, 2026)" (24 September 2026, 60 minutes), and "Trust Me: The False Prophet (Netflix, 2026) RELAUNCH WEEK!" (9 September 2026, 57 minutes).
How often does Cult Favorite publish?
Cult Favorite publishes roughly every two weeks, with episodes averaging 66 minutes across 63 episodes.
How hard is it to get booked on Cult Favorite?
Booking probability for Cult Favorite is 33%, and the host is rated Selective on guests. Cult Favorite requires a Pod Score of 80 or higher. Cult Favorite's contact route on record: verified email.
Who should pitch Cult Favorite?
The strongest fits for Cult Favorite are Religion & Faith. Cult Favorite has a tv audience.
About the host
Merinda Simmons and Mike Altman hosts Cult Favorite, a tv podcast with 63 episodes published.
Verified host email: ████████@████.comSign in to unlock →
Recent episodes
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Episode #57
Bring Me the Beauties (HBOMax, 2026)
Sep 24, 20261 hourMerinda and Mike dive into the documentary chronicling Eternal Values, the New York new age group built around self-styled guru Frederick von Mierers — and the model, Hoyt Richards, who spent years inside it. It starts...
- Sep 9, 202657 min
It's relaunch week here at Cult Favorite! You might notice some changes and some new things as we roll into the fall. So keep checking in! On this episode we discuss the summer's biggest "cult documentary," Trust Me...
Cult Favorite
What Reddit says about "cult documentaries"
Aug 13, 202650 minIn our final episode of our summer mini-series, Merinda and Mike discuss how people online are thinking about the "cult documentary" genre. What do the ways people talk about "cult docs" tell us about how the term...
Episode #54
How NOT to talk about "cults"
Jul 15, 202648 minWe have another episode in our summer series of meta conversations about cults, cult documentaries, and the cult discourse of our current moment. This time we talk about some of the very unhelpful terms that get used to...
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Cult Favorite
From the Archives: Ep. 17 Escaping Twin Flames
Jul 1, 20261h 3mWe are diving back into the archives again this summer while Mike goes surfing and Merinda is writing and conferencing. We take you back to the first year of our show in November 2024 and this episode reviewing...
- Jun 17, 20261h 18m
We are back with a new episode in our summer series of meta conversations about "cult documentaries." In this episode Mike and Merinda ask: 1. What is the basic formula of a cult documentary and what makes it effective...
Jun 8, 202658 minMerinda and Mike are enjoying summer vacation but we don't want to leave you with nothing for your ears. We have a lot of new listeners so we are dropping this deep cut from the Cult Favorite vault. You might have...
Episode #52
What does the word "cult" do?
May 14, 20261h 8mFollow us on the socials at @cultfavoritepod. Special thanks to the REL Digital Lab in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Alabama for production assistance. The views expressed in this episode are...
Episode #51
The Cult Documentary Era
Apr 27, 202659 minThis week we are taking a break from all of those cult documentaries you can’t stop binge watching to have a conversation about our journey so far and where we are going. We have a lot of new listeners so we want to...
Episode #50
Twisted Yoga (2026, Apple TV+)
Apr 13, 20261h 4mPut your brain in Warrior 2 and join us for a conversation about the new documentary series Twisted Yoga on Apple TV+ (in which Gregorian Bivolaru assaults women in the name of divine transmogrification at yoga...
Episode #49
Fake Famous (2021, HBOMax)
Mar 30, 20261h 1mFollow us on the socials at @cultfavoritepod. Special thanks to the REL Digital Lab in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Alabama for production assistance. The views expressed in this episode are...
Episode #49
Marjoe (1972)
Mar 16, 20261h 12mhttp://www.sarahkernochan.com/documentaries/index.html https://www.vice.com/en/article/marjoe-director-sarah-kernochan-talks-about-her-incredible-doc-on-the-evangelical-conman-456/ Follow us on the socials at...
Episode #47
Kumare (2011, Kino Lorber)
Mar 2, 20261h 1mThis week, we dive into Kumaré, in which Vikram Gandhi fashions a social experiment that turns into a journey of self-discovery...or something. Topics include but are not limited to: guru persona as ideological...
Feb 9, 20261h 2mFollow us on the socials at @cultfavoritepod. Special thanks to the REL Digital Lab in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Alabama for production assistance. The views expressed in this episode are...
Jan 28, 20261h 13mFollow us on the socials at @cultfavoritepod. Special thanks to the REL Digital Lab in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Alabama for production assistance. The views expressed in this episode are...
Episode #44
Grizzly Man (2005)
Jan 12, 20261h 22mBuckle in and get ready to hear two of the worst Werner Herzog impressions of all time. Not unlike the famous filmmaker, we just couldn’t seem to help ourselves! In his case, however, the self-indulgence comes tethered...
Dec 29, 20251h 13mIt is the end of the semester and we here at Cult Favorite are ready for a long winters nap. So, we have a special episode from deep in the Cult Favorite archives that you may not have heard yet. This week we are...
Episode #43
The Mission (2023)
Dec 15, 20251h 16mWhat drives someone to risk everything for a calling? In this episode, we dive into The Mission (2023), a gripping documentary that follows the story of John Chau—a young missionary whose journey to reach one of the...
Episode #42
My Scientology Movie (2015)
Dec 1, 20251h 16mThis week, we hop into a car Louis Theroux is driving, but we have questions about his vehicular management...or at least about his playlist choices. Luckily, we’ve saved a seat for the insider/outsider problem, and...
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