Happy Spooky Season, everybody! Amelia kicks it off this year with her story about the very abandoned--and most likely VERY haunted--Lake Shawnee Amusement Park in West Virginia...and describes her epic foray into early-2000s reality TV. Plus, she and Scotty talk a bit about the new season of "Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story" on Netflix, and discuss how most serial killers are, in the end, really not all that interesting.

To see Amelia be an absolute dork on television, check out her 2005 episode of "The Scariest Places on Earth" (available on Apple TV): https://tv.apple.com/us/episode/urban-legends-ii/umc.cmc.30n5t8q7po3tg20cgutm71drq?showId=umc.cmc.2bh0znuyyujw680u40po1101

The recent series "Furious" has been a huge critical and commercial hit for Hulu. Amelia and Scotty do a dive dive into the show and talk about its superlative performances, the balance of humor and darkness, its handling of difficult subject matter, and more.

CONTENT WARNING: This episode features discussions of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and human traffficking.

SPOILER WARNING: Heavy spoilers start at 39:00 into the episode.

Human trafficking resources:

• https://polarisproject.org

• National Human Trafficking Hotline: 888-373-7888

https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en

Inspired by Amelia's story about the "Killing All the Right People" episode of "Designing Women," Scotty considers the phenomenon of the Very Special Episode, from its inception in the 1970s through its long (and often absurd) evolution. He and Amelia look back at a four different Very Special Episodes across several TV shows -- from arguably the best to the undisputed worst.

CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses depictions of sexual assault, child abuse, substance abuse, and mental illness.

In 1985, aspiring actor Robert Harling's sister Susan passed away. Harling decided to process his grief through writing about it. Just a few years later, an entire Southern town and a Hollywood film crew rallied together to honor her memory. Amelia takes Scotty through the making of 1989's "Steel Magnolias."

WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for the play and the movie.

The 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Bethel, NY, has gone down in history as one of the most iconic concerts in history, and stands as perhaps the central event of the late 1960s. Thirty years later, original producer Michael Lang tried to recapture the magic...and provoked disaster. This week, Scotty tells Amelia the dark, quasi-apocalyptic story of Woodstock '99.

CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses violence, misogyny, and sexual assault.

Welcome to Sugarbaker & Associates! Amelia takes Scotty through the early years of the AIDS epidemic, and talks about how the sitcom "Designing Women" tackled the crisis head-on in one of '80s television's most groundbreaking and celebrated episodes.

CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses the anti-gay prejudice that was prevalent at the time, and necessarily refers to some homophobic language.

FULL DISCLOSURE: We know that Scotty promises a link to our upcoming YouTube channel. He's still working on it. Sorry. It will be up next time!

They're BAAAAAACK! After an unexpectedly long hiatus, The Weirdest Thing finally returns to your ear holes. In this episode, Scotty and Amelia celebrate the 40th anniversary of Stephen King's "IT" by delving into the strange history of "evil clowns": where do they come from, why are they so scary to us, and do they exist in real life? Spoiler...yes, they do.

Welcome to a very special episode of The Weirdest Thing Podcast! Burlesque performer and producer Frisky Business joins Amelia and Scotty to talk about the upcoming New Mexico Burlesque Festival (February 12-14 a the historic Kimo Theatre in Albuquerque). Frisky talks about the history of burlesque, discusses their own journey from being a fan to becoming performer, and the three cover topics like inclusivity, rebelliousness, and imagination in this unique art form.

Follow Frisky on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/friskybusinessxo/

For more information on the New Mexico Burlesque festival--including workshops and the lineup--go to https://nmbfproductions.com

Follow the New Mexico Burlesque festival on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/nmburlesquefestival/

For more information on the history of burlesque, check out the Burlesque Hall of Fame at https://burlesquehall.com

Check out Cleveland based performer/burlesque educator Bella Sin at http://www.bellasincle.com