Molly Bloom’s ‘Torched’ examines Olympics scandals, controversies, and redemption stories
The 2022 Winter Olympics kick off on February 4, and we’re getting a head-start with Olympic-themed podcasts. The stakes are high, the pressure is on, and the athletes are ready to compete in what could be the greatest or worst career-defining moments of their Olympic lives – sometimes including irreversible decisions within their power to gain an advantage. Molly Bloom hosts “Torched,” a podcast uncovering scandals, issues, and redemption surrounding the Olympics.
Stream the series in any order to hear episode-specific narratives, averaging 40 minutes long. Before podcasting, Molly was an ambitious skier focused on Olympic training for over ten years before sustaining injuries. This accident led Molly to professional poker playing and running the world’s largest tournaments.
If you’re familiar with Molly’s story as detailed in her book, Molly’s Game: The True Story of the 26-Year-Old Woman Behind the Most Exclusive, High-Stakes Underground Poker Game in the World, you’ll know that the mob and federal agents were after her. In “Torched,” Molly has “traded in her chips for a pen and a microphone” to unpack instances that went wrong at specific Olympic events and learn from athletes, coaches, and more about their experiences.
The first episode covered 1972’s basketball court scandal in Munich’s summer games that led to a wider controversy that floated conspiracy theories. During the final seconds of the gold medal game between the Soviet Union and the US, the Soviets led by one point. The US’ Doug Collins scored the first of two free-throws, and the game was tied.
US scored the second shot and was now ahead 50-49. The Russians had the ball for three shots, the game resumed, and then it was stopped by the ref’s whistle. The clock was turned back three seconds, and Soviet Union player Aleksander Belov scored a layup. The game was over. The US felt cheated and did not receive a gold medal, breaking their Olympic gold medal-winning streak since 1936. This episode also shares info about an alleged bank vault in Switzerland that stores 12 gold medals not granted to players.
This season, listeners will hear Olympian Greg Louganis’ literal and figurative dives into infamy. In 1976, Soviet Fencer Boris Onischenko attempted to cheat in a fencing match and was disqualified. Later on, you’ll hear about the illegal device that was strategically placed inside his épée to mess with the electronic scoring system.
This series is brought to you by FilmNation Entertainment. To hear more sports scandals in season one of “Torched,” tune in for new, weekly episodes.
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