Podcast Summary: And That's Why We Drink — E448: Swimfluencer Celebrations and Microphone Zits

Hosts: Christine Schiefer & Em Schulz
Date: September 7, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Christine and Em kick off with their signature banter before diving into a chilling paranormal time slip case in France and an outrageous true crime story involving a diabolical murder case and wrongful conviction. Along the way, they riff on topics from tour life (and microphone acne!), growing kids, the agony and hilarity of adulthood, and the twists of lesbian-coded historic drama. It’s a wild journey through ghostly encounters and jaw-dropping crime, generously seasoned with their signature humor.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Banter, Beverages, and Life Updates

• Colorful Gatorade Fantasies: The duo riffs on what color Gatorade they'd want dumped on them as "sports celebrities," factoring in allergies and color theory for TV optics. Em prefers blue for aesthetics, Christine chooses red but notes her minor allergy.
  • "I'd be on Sports Illustrated for kids with my big faux pas." — Christine [03:02]
• Swimfluencer Shoutout: Tongue-in-cheek gushing over an up-and-coming “swimfluencer” RJ, who just hit 50K followers.
  • "There's only one naked man I want on my screen, you know." — Em [05:02]
• Tour Update & Microphone Zits: Christine discusses life on tour, sibling bonding, and gritty realities of live shows (microphone-induced acne).
  • "Afterward I get like, I keep hitting my face on it and I get like zits on my chin and I'm like, that's embarrassing ... People are just like constantly talking into." — Christine [05:36]
• Why They Drink This Week:
  • Christine: Her daughter Leona is starting pre-school.
    • “It just goes fast, man ... but it's just a little bittersweet, you know, it's wild.” — Christine [10:56]
  • Em: Suffering the summer heat, cherishing a rare cool day, and wrestling with cortisol-fueled morning nausea.

Segment 1: The Versailles Time Slip — The Moberly–Jourdain Incident

Main Storyteller: Em
[Starts ~17:15]

Summary

A detailed retelling of the infamous 1901 episode in which two British academics, Charlotte Moberly and Eleanor Jourdain, seemingly slip back in time while visiting the gardens of Versailles, claiming eerie encounters with ghostly historical figures—including Marie Antoinette herself.

Key Points & Timestamps

• Setting the Scene: 1901, two distinguished academics, Charlotte and Eleanor, decide to tour Versailles and especially the gardens—including Petit Trianon, once Marie Antoinette's retreat. [22:22]
• The Time Slip Event: Upon straying from their path, the atmosphere shifts—silence falls, sun gives a strange, shadowless glow, and they report melancholy feelings.
  • "They were quoted saying birds stopped singing and leaves stopped rustling. It just became, okay. Very silent." — Em [30:45]
• Uncanny Encounters:
  • Woman doing laundry in slow motion [31:40]
  • Mechanical, silent gardeners in out-of-fashion tricorn hats [32:23]
  • Mannequin-like figures, a sinister man by a kiosk, and a mysterious, melancholic lady sketching in period dress—later deduced to be Marie Antoinette [35:00-40:45]
  • "The expression was evil and yet unseeing." — Em, quoting Eleanor's account [36:37]
• Aftereffects: They reunite with their tour, landmarks have vanished, atmospheric heaviness lingers, both feel sick and disoriented. They keep quiet about the events, only revealing to each other via tentative correspondence a week later. [41:29-44:17]
• Historical Cross-Checking: Later research uncovers historical corroboration:
  • Bridges, cottages, kiosks described by the women found in pre-revolutionary (1780s) maps & drawings, but missing in 1901 [49:27-50:22]
  • Descriptions of clothing and key figures match historical portraits, even citing Marie Antoinette’s diary and seamstress logs—down to the detail of the exact dress. [54:30-55:12]
  • Date significance: Their visit was the anniversary of Antoinette’s fall from grace, when she learned of the impending uprising—August 10. [56:54]
• Ongoing Phenomenon: The area remains notorious for reports of apparitions, time lapses, and sightings of Marie Antoinette each August. [80:01]
• Theories & Skepticism:
  • Mass confirmation bias, reenactment confusion (ruled out), shared hallucination, and even accusations that the women’s close relationship (“homosexual folie à deux”) caused delusional thinking [73:19]
  • Later life: Both women already had separate paranormal claims and mixed personal reputations, adding “mud” to the waters.
• Legacy:
  • They published their account as "An Adventure" under pseudonyms. The story became the subject of films, radio, podcasts, and urban legend. [64:07+]
  • "And that's where this goes because thank God they know how to research... They found maps from 1774, 1783, and 1789 that showed the following. A now removed bridge that they had walked across." — Em [48:56]

Segment 2: The Thing About Pam — The Wild Case of Betsy Faria

Main Storyteller: Christine
[Starts ~87:16]

Summary

Christine unpacks the jaw-dropping saga of Pam Hupp, featuring love-bombing, insurance fraud, a botched frame-job, and how small-town police, an infatuated best friend, and lazy forensics conspired to wrongly convict Russ Faria for the brutal murder of his wife Betsy—while the real mastermind (Pam) left a trail of bodies and jaw-dropping schemes.

Key Events & Timestamps

• Introducing the Faria Family & Pam Hupp: Betsy and Russ: loving blended family. Betsy’s breast cancer battle. Enter Pam: a seemingly doting (overbearing, love-bombing) coworker and “friend.” [93:51]
  • "People in Betsy's life described Pam as an extremely kind person. They said Betsy is so lucky to have such a doting friend who's always checking up." — Christine [95:17]
• The Murder: Betsy found stabbed over 50 times, knife in her neck. Russ discovers the body, panics, calls 911, but is soon accused—despite an airtight alibi (D&D night, receipts, witnesses, video). [98:27+]
  • "When the police asked us if he thought Betsy was capable of harming herself... she had talked about suicidal ideation in the past. ...Then they find blood on the light switch in Russ and Betsy's bedroom. ... They become certain that Betsy had not died by suicide." — Christine [100:02+]
• Pam's Manipulation and Lies: Pam gives police lurid, unverified stories of Russ’s abuse and a (forged) draft email, paints Betsy as an abused wife, and claims Russ is motivated by insurance. [105:31-108:00]
• The Conviction: Despite the lack of physical evidence and Pam becoming sole beneficiary (4 days before murder), Russ is convicted and sentenced to life—police even claim missing evidence ("camera malfunction") and frame Russ with staged luminol results.
  • "And the judge sentenced him to life in prison without parole." — Christine [124:17]
• The Twist — Pam's True Colors:
  • Immediately cancels the supposed trust for Betsy’s daughters, keeps the insurance ($100K) for herself, and gets a facelift.
    • "Mariah and Leah therefore received not a single dollar of their mother's life insurance money to this day." — Christine [132:04]
  • Russ's defense appeals, evidence about Pam is finally allowed; Russ is acquitted in a bench trial. [137:52]
• Pam’s Attempt to Frame Again — The Gumpenberger Murder:
  • Pam lures disabled man Lewis Gumpenberger to her home (claiming it’s for a Dateline “reenactment”), kills him, fakes a home invasion, plants a “Russ” ransom note. [146:00+]
    • "She concocted a fake murder for hire plot against herself, and then she looked for an unwitting participant to frame." — Christine [155:45]
  • Heroic would-be victim Carol avoids being Pam’s first target by feigning concern over an unlocked door, catching Pam on camera and reporting her. [156:19]
• Pam’s Downfall:
  • Arrested for Gumpenberger’s murder, pleads "Alford" (acknowledges evidence but denies guilt), gets life in prison.
  • Evidence emerges of police misconduct; Russ wins a $2mil settlement.
  • Pam is finally charged with Betsy’s murder; trial set for 2026.
  • "In 2019, Pamela Hup was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder of Lewis Gumpenberger." — Christine [160:07]
• Lasting Impact:
  • The fractured aftermath among Betsy's daughters and Russ; how true crime pop culture (podcast, miniseries, etc.) fails to mend trauma; the irony of Pam pretending to work for Dateline while Dateline investigates her.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "If this weren't such a sick, sad story, it would be laughable at how obvious this is." — Em [108:00]
• "Kill people if you don't want to be arrested for killing people, should be the only rule." — Christine, on Pam’s logic [159:18]
• “Like, for the rest of your life, you would question reality and everything ... You'd have the best icebreaker story but you'd be like... I don't even know if I should say it.” — Christine [81:01]
• "And the lens flares, and the time slips, and the gay rumors—the whole nine yards!" — Paraphrased theme, episode-wide

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Gatorade Sports Banter & Swimfluencer Section: 02:17 – 05:54
• Microphone Stories, Tour Life & Leona Preschool: 05:18 – 12:15
• The Versailles Time Slip (Moberly–Jourdain Incident): 17:15 – 80:42
• Christine's Story: The Betsy Faria / Pam Hupp Case: 87:16 – 164:30

Overall Tone

• Lighthearted, self-deprecating, and irreverent, even as the conversation turns dark and disturbingly true
• Plenty of mutual ribbing, asides, and incredulous "what the...?" outbursts
  • "Do you really call it Ross for Less?" — Em [88:40]
• Willing to tackle difficult emotions—family trauma, wrongful conviction, queer undertones—with respectful candor amid their signature comedic back-and-forth

Final Thoughts

This episode delivers everything “And That’s Why We Drink” fans expect: outlandish true crime, weed-soaked ghost stories, explorations of parenthood, nostalgia, and plenty of off-the-cuff laughs. Both stories—Versailles’ ghostly time slip and Pam Hupp’s crime odyssey—leave the listener reeling, full of chills, and yes, more than a little grateful for wine (and milkshakes).

Need more? Check out @ATWWDpodcast for links, Yappy Hour, and more.
Takeaway: If your “friend” rushes your inheritance paperwork, or if you see Marie Antoinette in the August heat—run, don't walk, and that's why we drink.