Radio Rental – Episode 89 (September 5, 2025)

Podcast: Radio Rental
Hosts: Tenderfoot TV & Audacy (character hosts: Ricky Lee, Malachi, Terry Carnation)
Main Story Theme: True, real-life horror – a college apartment burglary that is far more unnerving than it first appears

Episode Overview

This episode blends the signature format of Radio Rental—bizarre real-life horror stories set within the quirky, cult-classic-themed video rental store universe hosted by colorful characters—with a particularly chilling main tale: a woman’s seemingly minor apartment burglary unravels into a far deeper and more disturbing case of stalking and obsessive theft.

Main Discussion Points & Story Arcs

1. Setting the Scene (03:22 – 05:18)

• Ricky Lee welcomes listeners, pokes fun at astrological signs, and sets a playful-yet-creepy tone.
• The show transitions into the main story, narrated by the anonymous victim.

2. "I Thought I Locked the Door": The Incident (05:18 – 09:00)

• The narrator, a college student in Baltimore, recalls a Saturday night spent alone in her apartment.
• Comes home after laundry, leaves laundry bin and purse by front door, showers, and goes to bed.
• Notices the front door’s deadbolt is unlocked, attributes it to her own possible forgetfulness, but locks it before bed.
• Discovers her purse and laundry basket missing the next morning. Feels unsettled but assumes a quick "smash and grab" theft.
• Calls police, who label it a burglary but find no forced entry and nothing else obviously missing.
• Narrator feels guilty, believing she left the door unlocked.

Notable Quote

“I had all of these coping mechanisms for trying to remember if I locked the door … I would call friends and neighbors in a panic … I had a ring I would twist three times to remind myself.”
— [Narrator, 12:30]

3. Things Don’t Add Up: The Roommates’ Discoveries (09:00 – 13:00)

• Roommates return, report jewelry, photos, backpack, and textbooks missing from their bedrooms.
• Narrator at first doubts them, convinced the break-in was only a quick entrance, not an invasive search.
• Emotional tension builds as she replays the night, increasingly anxious and self-blaming.

4. The True Horror Revealed: The Yard Sale Room (13:00 – 18:00)

• Police locate the burglar after weeks of investigation.
• Victim and roommates summoned to the police station, expecting to recover wallets, maybe purses.
• Instead find an enormous “yard sale” room filled with meticulously organized personal belongings from multiple victims, all sorted and labeled—jewelry in bags, photos, clothes, IDs.
• Narrator discovers even her unworn, hidden underwear among the recovered items, confirming the thief had entered deep into her bedroom while she slept.

Notable Quote

"I found three that looked familiar. And one of them had a repair line of green stitching that I had done …. This was underwear I had never worn before, that I had tucked in the back of my drawer. So I knew it wasn’t in my laundry basket."
— [Narrator, 16:40]

5. The Stalker’s Method—And the Chilling Truth (18:00 – 21:00)

• Detective explains: the perpetrator had been “casing” women’s apartments for weeks—removing screens, testing locks, watching routines.
• On the night in question, he entered as soon as the narrator went to shower—methodically rifled through bedrooms, gathering deeply personal items, sometimes while the narrator slept.
• The burglar’s own apartment had a “museum” of trophies, sorted by victim, including labeled photos, underwear, and sentimental items.

Notable Quote

“He must have reached over me to get those photos off the wall… this person had a pre-existing record … he was only out on parole a few months before these started happening.” — [Narrator, 20:10]

6. Emotional Fallout & Reflections (21:00 – 21:28):

• Narrator describes profound feelings of nausea, guilt, and paranoia—struggles to trust her memory and surroundings.
• Ultimately attends therapy to process trauma, learns about the limits of personal responsibility versus the determination of stalkers.
• Throws out many reclaimed items, unable to keep them after their violation.

Notable Quote

“The more I found out, the more deeply unsettled I was … I like to think I left a lot of the fear and mistrust there in that apartment when I left.”
— [Narrator, 21:25]

Host Reactions & Episode Wrap-Up

Ricky Lee's Commentary (21:28)

• “Is it just me, or is that story off the wall right there? That’s weirdo beardo right there. Little too much for even old me, Ricky Lee.”
• Humor and shock mixed in classic Radio Rental style, resetting the show's playful horror/comedy tone.

Store Lore Continuation (23:31 – 26:17)

• The meta-narrative of the Radio Rental video store advances: Malachi reveals possible plans to leave in search of Zealon, while Ricky Lee angles to take over store duties, amid plenty of banter and tongue-in-cheek rivalry.

Memorable Moments & Quotes with Timestamps

• [12:30] Coping with paranoia: “I had all of these coping mechanisms… I had a ring I would twist three times to remind myself.”
• [16:40] Horrifying realization: “One of them had a repair line … This was underwear I had never worn before, that I had tucked in the back of my drawer.”
• [20:10] On the stalker’s obsession: “He must have reached over me to get those photos off the wall… this person had a pre-existing record … only out on parole a few months.”
• [21:25] Emotional impact: “The more I found out, the more deeply unsettled I was… I left a lot of the fear and mistrust there in that apartment when I left.”
• [21:28] Ricky Lee’s shocked reaction: “That’s weirdo beardo right there. Little too much for even old me, Ricky Lee.”

Episode Tone & Takeaway

• Atmosphere: Chilling, immersive, with moments of dark humor
• Message: Even “ordinary” crimes can hide terrifying, deeply personal violations; the trauma of losing one’s sense of safety often lasts longer than the loss of property.
• Host Dynamic: Playful banter and gentle comic relief surround a genuinely unsettling tale, keeping with Radio Rental’s unique blend of nostalgia, horror, and comedy.

Chapters & Timestamps

• [03:22] – Host Introduction & Setup
• [05:18] – Main Story: The Night of the Burglary
• [09:00] – Roommates’ Discoveries
• [13:00] – The Police Investigation & Revelation
• [18:00] – The Stalker’s Method
• [21:00] – Emotional Fallout
• [21:28] – Host Commentary
• [23:31] – Radio Rental Store Narrative & Teasers

For New Listeners

This episode delivers a quintessential Radio Rental experience: a jaw-dropping true horror story told firsthand, set against a backdrop of retro-video-store weirdness and offbeat humor, with just enough host banter to leaven the dread. If you ever doubted that a “simple” apartment burglary could be the stuff of nightmares, this story will haunt you.