Something Was Wrong – S25 Ep6: "Humiliation Ritual"

Release Date: February 5, 2026
Host: Broken Cycle Media

Episode Overview

This gripping episode dives into the toxic culture and pattern of abuse within the University of Central Oklahoma’s theater department under the leadership of Professor “Cato.” Survivors Miranda, Rhianna, Olivia, and Morgan recount their experiences, detailing how Cato’s grooming, manipulation, and exploitation went unchecked for years. Through powerful personal narratives, the episode explores how authority figures can weaponize mentorship and creative practice to control and harm, and how peer dynamics and secrecy perpetuate abuse.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. First Encounters & Recruitment (03:14 – 10:10)

• Miranda and Olivia recall first meeting Cato — his charm, reputation, and his ability to present himself in the best possible light, especially to newcomers.
  • Miranda (03:14): “He was seen as the coolest professor and the one with the most intense training.”
• Rhianna describes being singled out at recruitment events, noting a pattern of targeting students with less parental presence and grooming them before they even enrolled.
  • Rhianna (05:05): “He actually singled me out during that very first meeting, because I was the only student there without a parent. ...it was a recruitment tool that he used.”

2. Patterns of Grooming, Isolation, and Control (10:14 – 13:03; 15:27 – 17:12)

• Cato used specialized acting methodologies (notably Meisner technique) as tools to push students into emotional vulnerability.
  • Rhianna (10:18): “Maybe Meisner can be effective... but he used it as a tool to get you to experience deep and intense emotion and then control when those emotions happen.”
• He held total departmental control: scholarships, class assignments, trip selections, and created dependency.
  • Rhianna (11:36): “If you needed advisement, if you needed anything... you had to go to Cato.”

3. Gendered Manipulation & Targeted Abuse (12:16 – 13:03)

• Cato focused his attention and manipulation almost exclusively on young female students, neglecting (or mocking) men.
  • Rhianna (12:22): “He really focused in on the young girls that he was educating and abusing. ... He was cruel across the board.”

4. Toxic Peer Dynamics & Humiliation Rituals (15:27 – 20:46)

• Rhianna, Miranda, and Olivia describe theatrical trips and exercises that doubled as humiliation rituals, intentionally breaking down students’ boundaries.
  • Rhianna (17:15): “We developed a show together that was like a clown act. ... I think it was partially a humiliation ritual to, like, get you uncomfortable in front of him and vulnerable.”
• Trips included underage drinking sanctioned by Cato and “open secret” relationships.

5. Sexual Abuse, Coercion & the Complexities of Consent (20:46 – 26:14)

• Miranda details her relationship with Cato: grooming, escalation to sexual acts under emotional and professional duress, and public secrecy.
  • Miranda (24:54): “He would make me give him a blowjob or make me receive oral sex from him while all of my peers were right next door... I thought that I really wanted [these things]. But as time went on... I realized I didn't.”
• Miranda reflects on the emotional confusion caused by grooming, where initial “consent” is tainted by manipulation and coercion.

6. Gaslighting, Competition, and Isolation (26:20 – 36:37)

• Cato fostered competition and animosity between female students, often by promising multiple people the same roles or opportunities, then withdrawing or shifting his favor.
  • Miranda (32:14): “I have such a vivid memory of him making me run the end of the play... so many times in a row... I had to stop and go vomit. That was just a part of the way that he broke down my defenses.”
• He isolated his “favorites” by undermining their friendships and spreading misinformation.

7. Realizations & Breaking the Code of Silence (36:37 – 40:11)

• Rhianna and Morgan connect over experiences of discomfort and harassment, dismantling the “special relationship” narrative and beginning to see a pattern of abuse.
  • Rhianna (37:58): “When Morgan described to me that she had been sexually harassed by Cato, this facade that I had built up shattered.”
• The normalization within the department made disclosures difficult, turning the realization process into an isolating and guilt-ridden journey.

8. Wider Systemic Issues & Institutional Failure (41:18 – 67:00)

• Morgan details how the department culture enabled Cato’s unchecked power: regular underage drinking, inappropriate comments and conduct framed as “teaching,” and repeated targeting of vulnerable students.
  • Morgan (45:03): “I could definitely tell that Cato was not like any other teacher that I had before.”
• Students reflect on the “humiliation ritual” and how Cato manipulated rules (like special access, secret information, and faux-mentorship) to groom and dominate.

9. Looking Back: Red Flags and Lingering Impact (51:09 – 67:00)

• Morgan and others now see grooming signs: imparting “special” information, blurring boundaries, shifting to personal communication channels (Snapchat, text), isolating and controlling, and unpredictable mood swings.
  • Morgan (51:20): “I think the first sign that I would warn people to look out for is the impartment of special information...a way to test and to start to garner trust.”
• The survivors comment on collective denial within the group, gradual awakening to truth, and the trauma's impact on their careers, relationships, and self-worth.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Recruitment and Grooming:
  • Rhianna (05:05): “He kept mentioning how special I was that he had chosen me to partake in this life changing event. ... Now I think about it, I'm like, that's so fucking creepy to say to a 17 year old.”
• On Acting Method as Control:
  • Rhianna (10:18): “He used it as a tool to get you to experience deep and intense emotion and then control when those emotions happen.”
• On Sexual Coercion:
  • Miranda (24:54): “He would make me give him a blowjob or make me receive oral sex from him while all of my peers were right next door... I thought that I really wanted [these things]. But as time went on... I realized I didn't.”
• On Realizing Abuse:
  • Rhianna (37:58): “When Morgan described to me that she had been sexually harassed by Cato, this facade that I had built up shattered.”
• On Patterns of Behavior:
  • Morgan (51:20): “The first sign... is the impartment of special information. Very slowly but methodically inching closer and closer to being more of a friend or a peer... as opposed to having clear boundaries.”
• On Peer Dynamics:
  • Olivia (33:28): “He turned on me again, which he would do frequently. ... But it was different this time. He was very cold and had, like, no interest in the rapport that we had built.”

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Recruitment & Early Grooming: 03:14 – 10:10
• Acting Exercises as Manipulation: 10:14 – 13:03
• Gendered Abuse: 12:16 – 13:03
• Humiliation Rituals and Trips: 15:27 – 20:46
• Miranda’s Account of Escalation: 20:46 – 26:14
• Consent Complexities, Emotional Turmoil: 26:14 – 33:26
• Peer Competition & Isolation: 33:28 – 36:37
• Learning the Truth & Shattered Narratives: 36:37 – 40:11
• Morgan’s Story & Recognizing Red Flags: 42:21 – 57:09
• Description of Systemic Enablement: 57:09 – 67:00

Tone & Language

The episode is deeply personal, raw, and honest. Survivors frequently use candid, sometimes explicit language to convey the depths of their trauma and the insidiousness of the grooming and abuse. The tone alternates between reflective, angry, mournful, and, at moments, hopeful for change and validation.

Conclusion

“Humiliation Ritual” uncovers the mechanisms of abuse in the halls of academia, the long-term impact on survivors, and the urgent need for institutional accountability. The episode is a testament to the courage of those willing to speak out—breaking years of silence, secrecy, and self-doubt.

For resources, content warnings, and more information, visit the Something Was Wrong episode notes.