The Con: Kaitlyn's Baby - Podcast Rankings and reviews

The host takes an interesting subject and makes it absolutely hilarious with her brilliant deadpan delivery. I would listen to her reading the phone book.

Good investigative journalism as well as a well-told story. I appreciated the perspective offered about this common type of scam. Also loved the nuanced, respectful, and knowledgeable info about victims (including Vanessa) and the subcultures and economic/post-colonial forces in which the work of scamming thrives.

I appreciate the CBC and their research for podcasts. Care was taken with all of the complicated sides of the story about Janessa and those involved. Fantastic reporting and great interviews. Gained a show follower immediately.

I was so excited to start this podcast and immediately listened to the first few episodes as soon as they dropped, but I found myself bored quickly.

The idea itself is interesting, but each episode feels like it’s about 20 minutes longer than it needs to be, and they don’t seem to really say anything.

It’s a lot of rhetorical questions instead of actual investigation; things like “Was I going down the wrong path? Is the random person who just walked into the bar actually the scammer I was talking to?” etc. It just felt like Carrie Bradshaw asking questions to herself instead of actual content.

Today’s episode, the reveal of Janessa herself, was so tedious that I ended up stopping entirely. If the big moment they’ve been teasing all season is this mundane, then it’s not really worth continuing.

I really wanted to like this podcast, but the storytelling aspect of it is so disjointed. The first few episodes are good, and draw you in. However, it seems that each episode now is just more of the same, with new information promised each week, and never delivered. It reminds me of those online videos where they claim they’re going to pour the paint on the canvas or show you something really amazing, and never do. They just say they’re going to over and over and you’re left waiting for the big reveal.

Ironic that a podcast about scammers is a bit of a scam. As it turns out, the entire quest to find out who the real Janessa is was a bit overblown. Janessa Brazil was one of the largest adult entertainers in the world and was a cohost of a nationally syndicated radio show.

Interesting premise but ultimately a disappointing series.