Andrew Jenks Uncovers More Bizarre Mysteries in New Podcast Season
*By Max Godnick*
Why did Dave Chappelle walk away from a $50 million contract and move to Africa? Why do music superstars keep dying at age 27? And did anyone ever get to the bottom of the [Balloon Boy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ8i8coWGyc) hoax?
Documentarian Andrew Jenks's podcast, "What Really Happened?" is returning for a second season to answer those questions and more of pop culture's most confounding mysteries. The show's first season focused on other bizarre events like Chris Christie's [Bridgegate](https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/christie-bridge-scandal/bridgegate-scandal-ex-christie-allies-bill-baroni-bridget-kelly-get-n739941) scandal, Michael Jordan's early retirement, and Britney Spears's very-public breakdown and head-shaving incident in 2007.
"I'm trying to tell the best campfire story that I can," Jenks said Wednesday in an interview on Cheddar.
The filmmaker gained fame as host of MTV's "World of Jenks" and as the director of a handful of ESPN documentaries, including "The Zen of Bobby V" and the 30 for 30 short "Posterized."
He said the idea for his podcast came while he developed a documentary about Muhammad Ali reportedly talking a man out of suicide in 1981.
That film never came to fruition, but the strong idea caught the attention of Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson and his production company Seven Bucks.
"The Rock likes things big," Jenks said, noting that it was Johnson who suggested the idea might work best in a podcast format.
"You don't say no to what The Rock thinks."
The idea proved to be a hit, and eventually the show landed at #1 on the Apple Podcast charts.
In the second season premiere, Jenks explores the rationale behind Venus Williams [forfeiting](https://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/18/sports/tennis-serena-williams-wins-as-the-boos-pour-down.html) a 2001 match against her sister Serena just four minutes before it was scheduled to take place. The incident caused some to speculate that the pair's father Richard orchestrated the whole thing to manipulate the results of the tournament.
"It's B.S.," Jenks said of the conspiracy theory. "She was injured."
Another episode unpacks the sudden [hearing issues](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/01/science/sonic-attack-cuba-microwave.html) that American diplomats stationed in Cuba began experiencing in 2016. Commonly described as "sonic attacks," the phenomenon led to the medical examination of 21 U.S. officials and prompted Jenks to interview neurologists, members of the CIA, the Cuban Ambassador, and acoustic weapons experts.
"A 'sonic attack' is a fabricated, made-up term that scientists have historically always dismissed," he said.
Jenks would not reveal what (or who) he believes to be the true culprit ー but he did offer a clue.
"When it smells and kind of acts and looks like Vladimir Putin, a lot of the time, it is Vladimir Putin."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/andrew-jenks-solves-worlds-greatest-pop-culture-mysteries).
Jack Miller, Head of Trading at Baird, joined Closing Bell to break down how the Securities and Exchange Commission's proposals would change the landscape for individual investors, as they face stiff opposition from brokerages like Robinhood.
Robotics automation technology company Symbotic made its market debut on the Nasdaq via a SPAC merger with SVF Investment Corp. 3, a special purpose acquisition company sponsored by an affiliate of SoftBank Investment Advisers. Symbotic rang the Opening Bell at the Nasdaq to celebrate the occasion this morning. Its debut on Wall Street comes amid an urgent need for logistics solutions, as it aims to reimagine supply chains with its A.I.-powered robotic and software platform. Tom Earnst, CFO of Symbotic, and Vikas Parekh, managing partner at Softbank Investment Advisors, join Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
The critically acclaimed film "The Northman" is now available on Peacock, DVD, and Blue Ray, and director Robert Eggers joined Cheddar News to discuss the process of getting everything right about his brutal drama. “Me and my collaborators were working with some of the finest Viking historians and archaeologists in the field when we were making this," he said. "So the material, culture, and the spiritual world is you know, the best attempt at historical accuracy."
Catching you up on today's top entertainment stories with Julia Garner of "Inventing Anna" has been considered as a front runner for the upcoming Madonna biopic, a "Joker" sequel has been confirmed, and Matthew McConaughey visited the White House to speak on the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting, and more.
Meta announced its plans to join the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. This is leaving businesses and customers wondering what the tech giant has in store for the event. Nicola Mendelsohn, the vice president of the global business group at Meta, joined Cheddar News to preview what the tech giant will discuss at this year's festival. "We're going to be showcasing more about reels. We're going to be talking about our commerce solutions, are messaging solutions, and of course, the method of us speaking of new ways to kind of connect with customers," she said.
On today's episode of On The Job: Cheddar gets a look at how the salon and beauty industry has pivoted throughout the pandemic; Mark Brim, President of Aquent's Recruiting Division Vitamin T, breaks down how remote work has transformed hiring and recruiting process across the board;
Julie Bauke, President & Chief Career Strategist at The Bauke Group, breaks down why companies are being 'ghosted' by new hires, and what repercussions can come from this.
Mark Brim, President of Aquent's Recruiting Division Vitamin T, joins On The Job to discuss how remote work has transformed hiring and recruiting process across the board, and the latest trends surrounding remote hiring across the globe.
Miami's real estate market has boomed since early 2020, thanks to an overall strong housing market, remote work, and no income tax as incentives. The city is preparing to welcome even more residents as people relocate to warmer climates to work from home. Garrett Derderian, director of market intelligence at SERHANT, joined Cheddar to discuss the Magic City's red hot market.
