Scamfluencers - Ballet's Lethal Start-Up | Black Swan, Inc. | Part One

Episode Date: April 11, 2022

What happens when a former ballerina and a shady businessman try to revolutionize the world of dance? Welcome to the Fyre Fest of the ballet world. In this two-episode series, power couple Doug and Ashley Benefield use their money and influence to launch what appears to be a groundbreaking ballet company. One that champions diversity and inclusivity. The only problem is, none of that is true. Because as dancers put their careers on the line for this new company, it all begins to spin out of control — just as Doug and Ashley’s marriage falls apart.Support Our Sponsors!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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MUSIC Sarah. Hey, Sachi. My nemesis! Oh, don't start with that. We're friends. Don't pretend we're like enemies who have a podcast together. But don't you think that's a great marketing tool?

That is. That is. We hate each other. See? I was right. I have a Kuku for Coco Puff story for a very first episode and I am dying to tell it to you. Oh my God. let's do it. Okay, so if I say the words, firefest of the ballet world, what do you think of?

Okay, first of all, I am really jealous I wasn't there, but I guess I'm thinking, you know, ballerinas and they're stranded on an island and there are bad sandwiches, and maybe there's Jaurul or like another wrapper of that era. Am I right? Well it's actually how aggressively wrong you are sometimes but you say it with such zeal. You know you asked me what I thought and I was honest and told you what I was thinking. Okay fair enough. It's a good guess

but this is actually the story of a good idea that went horribly wrong. So let me set the scene for you, okay? I am all ears. So it's December 2016 and the seats at the Pennsylvania ballet are packed with viewers. And they're all here because they're ready for everyone's favorite holiday tradition, the annual production of the Nutcracker. And as the second act begins, a ballerina named Sarah Maroski takes her place on stage for one of the most famous parts of the entire show, the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. And Sarah is like a classic ballerina. She looks like the kind of like little figurine you'd see in a music box. She has big blue eyes and long blonde hair. She looks like a magical woodsy Disney creature except she is super long legs And as the dance begins Sarah beams and she does her pirouettes

But behind how happy she looks on stage her mind is racing because just an hour ago The artistic director barged into her dressing room and fired her Wait, she got fired right before going on stage. Yeah, she did. And the issue is her height, because Sarah is 5'10", and they think that she doesn't look quite right paired with shorter men. And here's the really weird part, even though they don't want her, they still have her go on to perform until the end of the season.

Ooh, that's extremely brutal. And I mean, it clearly has nothing to do with her talent or artistry. It's definitely just sexism. Yeah, it's super shitty. And it gets worse because the press obviously has a very stupid feel day with it. There are these headlines that say things like

Pennsylvania, ballet, fires, the sugar plump fairy, and tutu tall. Do you get it, Sarah? Do you get that one? It's a pun. It's a pun about tutu's and beans. Yeah, no, I understand, thank you. I mean, actually it's just so mean,

like it sucks getting fired in the first place, but she can't even get fired in peace. No, it has to be public. There's no dignity in this at all. And this has been her lifelong dream. It's all she's ever wanted to do. And she slips into a deep depression. But then something kind of amazing happens.

She gets this email and it's from someone named Ashley Benefield. Ashley tells her that she read an article about what happened to Sarah and she's horrified, but she also knows firsthand about the kind of discrimination dancers face because Ashley was also told she was too tall. Ashley has a plan.

She's gonna make all this discrimination a thing of the past. She's gonna change the way it's done because she and her husband are starting a trailblazing new dance company. It's one that's focused on embracing diversity and body positivity. So you regular Sarah, non-dancer Sarah, what would you do if you were ballerina Sarah? When Ashley calls and asks if she would join.

I mean, if I was just fired for being too tall, despite being really talented, this sounds like they answered to my prayers, like someone coming to me and saying, that doesn't matter, we still want you. Yeah, you're right. And ballerina Sarah is, in fact, all in. She'll end up being one of the first of 47 dancers to join. But what Sarah doesn't know is that in just a few short months, Ashley's ballet company

will fall apart in the most spectacular of ways. The truth behind the vision is nothing like the promise. In fact, it's a scam. And worse than that, what starts as a dream will end in murder. Hi, I'm Lindsey Graham, the host of Wondries Podcast American Scandal. Our newest series looks at the story of OxyContin, a popular painkiller that helps spur an epidemic of addiction and drug abuse, in which prompted a broad campaign to hold the pharmaceutical industry accountable. Listen to American Scandal on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts.

I love my kid, but is a new comedy parenting podcast from Wendry that shares a refreshingly honest and insightful take on parenting. Each week the host will share a parenting story that'll have you laughing and thinking, yes, I have absolutely been there. Listen to, I love my kid, but on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. From Wondry, I'm Sachi Paul. And I'm Sarah Hagi. And this is Scamful Inserves. Where we bring you stories about the corrupting power of influence. It's a show about schemers and con artists who will stop at nothing to get what they want.

We'll ask, how far will someone go for money, power, and fame? And what happens when it all goes wrong? So, Sarah, we should probably start off by telling people who we are and why we are so interested in scampful answers. Yeah, I mean, I guess we should start off by saying we've been friends for like seven or eight years at this point. And we're both culture journalists. You write for Gauker by day, I write for Buzzfeed News, and a lot of the work that I cover

is around influencers. I've written about QAnon, I write about conspiracy theories, I generally really like to write about liars. Yeah, I feel like that is one thing we have in common is getting to the core of a story that seems one way at the beginning and kind of ends up being something totally different. And I'm always curious when we write about these scams or we hear about them, like, what was that person thinking when they cross the line from trying to get an advantage into like true like evilness, you know? Yes, exactly. Do they understand what they're doing

as a scam? Did they start off with those intentions? Is it like a fake it till you make it thing? And then we both thought, okay, well, we could do this for free by ourselves on the phone or we could record it and make it a podcast. And that's what we did. So we're gonna cover all sorts of notorious influencer scandals that we've all heard of. And we're also gonna cover some lesser known stories about want to be influencers who let all this ambition take over their lives. We really want to know what drives someone

into doing something that will likely destroy them and worse others. That's actually a nice kickoff point to our very first story, which has a lot of layers to it. And that's kind of why I wanted to do this one first. Because a lot of scams start off as scams, right? It's pure and simple.

Somebody wants to pull off a con and then they get busy trying to convince other people into it, like the Tinder Swindler or like Anadelvi. Yeah. But this one starts off with a dream by a wannabe power couple who use their influence in the world of ballet. I have never heard of a ballet scam until now. Well, this one has another layer,

because the scam hinges on the couple being together. They have to be viewed as united in a vision, and that's where things get messy. Because by the end of this minifire fest, the dancers will be left spinning in the fallout of this mess. I see how you did that, a spinning metaphor. Well done. I am a writer. Mmm. This is a two-part episode, and this is episode one. Black Swan Inc. Okay, Sarah, I like to start these scam stories by setting a

bit of a scene. I love that. Please set the scene for me. Okay. Well, this one starts at a party. So picture this. It's 2016, a warm August afternoon in Florida We're at a West Palm Beach mansion that belongs to Ben Carson the former neurosurgeon who ran for president in 2016 There are marble floors and spiral staircases Giant windows look out over manicured hedges that you just know require full time help to maintain. Yes, there's a full time staff around this place. The party is actually a political fundraiser.

Think, linen, and Brooks Brothers, and mint tulips. Rich people chatting about rich people things like, I don't know, holo? But this story isn't just about them. We're going in for a close-up on two of the guests, just like the movies. Wow, you're really getting into the scene? Just go with it. So first, there's Doug Benefield. He's 54 years old with thick curly hair and serious silver fox energy, a former Navy pilot

and a businessman. I picture him standing in a corner, nursing something manly. A man hatten on the rocks, maybe. That's your idea of manly, I'm noting that. For now. And then across the room is Ashley Biers, a willowy brunette with ramrod straight posture and big blue eyes.

Looking at these photos of her, you know, I'd say she almost looks like a young Melania Trump. Yeah, we're on a bit of a theme here. And Ashley is a former ballerina who recently retired at the age of 24. Retirement at 24. Valley made some points. Yeah, but you know, retirement is a bit of a generous term. She actually wasn't able to get a lot of parts because she's too tall. And at 24, her prime dancing days are basically behind her.

Oh. So it's not really a retirement the way I want to imagine retirement. Right. The good news is that she has found another job. She's riling up crowds on the campaign trail for Donald Trump. Wow. Have you heard of him?

Yeah, I've heard of him. Oh, OK. I just wasn't sure. It's kind of an obscure figure. Ashley has always wanted influence. She's throwing magashearts into the audience. Here she is on Illinois Public Radio in her role as campaign hype woman. I am not here to talk about his policies.

I am here to attest to his character in the man of integrity that I know him to be. And now it's brought her to Ben Carson's party where she catches the eye of Doug Benefield. The silver fox. Yes. OK. And they start talking and pretty soon

they're huddled in a corner, chatting away. And the more Ashley hears, the more she likes. They both go to church. They have the same political views. And they both love guns. In fact, Ashley tells Doug she has one in her bra. Wow, that is some dangerous flirting. Yeah, man, it seems like she likes to live on the edge.

But regardless, she's flirting and it's working. She really likes this guy. He's successful and handsome and he's a single father. Doug lost his wife nine months earlier to a heart ailment and now it's just him and his daughter. Ashley's moved. She's always dreamed of starting a family. Two years earlier, she wrote in her journal, I want to love and be loved. I want to be a wife and a mother. She also prayed, please bring me to that special menu of chosen for me. And now here he is.

And Doug is clearly interested too. After exchanging phone numbers, Doug doesn't even wait a day before he texts her. He writes, loved the time with you, Ashley Oakley. And he didn't get her last name wrong, did he? No, it's like a joke, like Annie Oakley, because she carries a gun in her bra.

I feel like that's an amazing reference for 24-year-olds. That's a boomer joke. Right. So, okay, fine. There's an age difference, but it seemed to have worked, because just six days after meeting, they text each other those special, fateful three words. I love you.

So this is six days after meeting. They're declaring their love via Yes, we attack courage. Correct. When Doug gets back from his business trip, he and Ashley decide, screw it. Let's make it official. They head to the historic St. Michael's Church in downtown Charleston and bam. Just like that, they're married. Just 13 days after they met.

That is surprisingly brown of them. Yeah, their courtship is literally my parents dream, but there's a problem. Do you remember how I told you that Doug is a single dad? Yeah. Well, he has a daughter, Eva. She's 15 years old. She's really close to Doug, especially since Eva's mom

died less than a year ago. Eva says her dad is her best friend. But get this, Doug and Ashley got married without telling Eva. That does not seem very best friend. Like I couldn't imagine not telling my best friend I got married. Right. And now Doug has to break the big news and introduce Eva to his new wife. Oh my God. No, I'm actually nervous now for both of them. And it doesn't exactly go as anyone hoped. Least of all, Eva.

One day, she's up in her room, a teen girl doing teen girl things. Then here comes Dad asking her to come downstairs to talk about his relationship with Ashley. Eva told 48 hours that she'd only heard about the relationship two days earlier. Let me play you the clip. I said the only thing that you would need to tell me about Y'all's relationship is if you proposed. And as soon as those words came out of my mouth,

he said, we're married. So what are you thinking here? I feel like this is getting very complicated in a very short span of time. Eva is only nine years younger than her new stepmom that she just found out about. Yeah, and I, yeah, it's not good. It's definitely a rocky start, but Ashley is determined to make it work. She moves in, and she does everything she can think of to connect with her stepdaughter. She takes Eva shopping, she shares ballet videos with her, they repot some houseplants, but none of it works. Eva's hurt that her dad got remarried so fast, and Ashley's upset that Eva won't even

give her a chance. Ashley is also starting to feel jealous of Eva's dead mom. She sends Doug a text saying, I hate that you ever loved with anyone but me. It says loved with anyone. I didn't misread that. This is straight into turmoil, having to bond with a young daughter

who's just like, who are you feeling jealous of a dead mom? It's not a good start. It's definitely not a recipe for a happily ever after. But neither of them are ready to give up. And this is when Doug gets an idea. He decides to take his new wife out for a night on the town, treat her to something she loves more than anything.

The ballet. Doug doesn't know the first thing about dance, but he knows that Ashley's passion, and he just wants her to be happy. And the performance does affect Ashley, but not the way Doug hoped. Ashley hasn't been to a ballet in years, it's too painful, and as she told Vanity Fair, it hurts to watch from the wrong side of the stage. That night, as they drive home, Ashley opens up. She tells Doug about her experience as a professional dancer and what it was really like.

She'd been dancing since she was eight and she took it seriously. So seriously, she dropped out of high school to pursue her dream. And for six years, she auditioned up and down the East Coast, but she had trouble finding work. Part of that was because of her height. She's five foot nine,

which is four inches taller than the average for a ballerina. Yeah, 6 years of hustling and getting rejected is super tough for anyone, so I actually do really feel for Ashley. Yeah, and I guess me too. And then finally, at 24, she retires. She's passed her prime dancing years and she's exhausted from the constant rejection. But Ashley still loves dance, and she dreams of a world where ballerinas are seen as artists, regardless of body type or age or anything else.

So this is really personal for her. It's not just words, this is her real life, but at the same time, she's still a conventionally attractive thin white lady, right? I don't know, she should be the one leading the charge on diversity in ballet. Yeah, I mean, I get it. It does feel a little silly, but you do kind of have to give it up to Ashley. I mean, at least this is like a deeply personal mission. And Doug sees how just talking about her dream lights Ashley up.

And remember, Doug is an entrepreneur. He's a business guy and he knows an opportunity when he sees one. And that's when he proposes an idea that will change their lives forever. He and Ashley should start their own ballet company, right here in Charleston, a company where Ashley can run the show and prove that a body-positive ballet company can thrive. He even offers to handle the business end of things. Ashley loves this idea. Running her own company

would give her the chance to both heal from her time as a dancer and to write the wrong she went through. It could be a ballet company for all dancers. No matter their color, their shape, or their size, everyone would be welcome. But having a big dream and making it happen are two very different things. So the first thing they need to do is come up with a name, and they want a name that's big and bold, just like their mission. So here's what they come up with, the American National Ballet.

That is very official sounding, and also it sounds like it already exists. Like how does the American National Ballet not already exist? Well, it's so official sounding that you might assume it's been around for 100 years, which is maybe the point. I mean, this is a show about scammers, after all.

That's already the marking of a very good scam, very official sounding. Yeah. And there's the fact that Ashley has zero experience running a ballet company. And Doug's business background is, I guess we could say, spotty, more on that later. But the new idea is really exciting.

Plus, it's a welcome distraction from the strain on their marriage. Okay, if my marriage was strained, I would also start a ballet company for my spouse. Well, here comes the hard part. They need other people to buy into the concept. They need dancers. And that's when Ashley sees headlines

about a two-tall ballerina named Sarah Moroski. And I feel like a... Like a... So, what do you remember about Sarah Moroski? Okay, so she's the two-tall ballerina who had all those awful headlines written about her when she was fired from being the sugar plum fairy And then she gets a call from Ann B from the founder herself Ashley Benefield Excellent memory recall. Thank you. I was taking notes because I'm scared of you. It's all I've ever wanted you to say Well Ashley offers Sarah the role of principal dancer for A and B.

And does that title mean anything to you as our Nutcracker expert? Yeah. As someone who has seen the Nutcracker and who has watched center stage about a dozen times, it's a big deal. Like, principle is the highest ranked dancer and they get the best roles. Right. Like sugarplum fairy, the Princess and Sleeping Beauty. Yeah, yeah, or like the Black Swan. I don't know, I'm just going with my ballet references here. And Ashley also offers Sarah a really special title,

Visionary Assistant to the Artistic Director. Yeah, that doesn't sound like a thing. Like, did they make that up? Yeah, I mean, it's not a thing at all. I couldn't find any other dance outfit with this title, but I guess this is supposed to be like a liaison between management and the dancers. So this opportunity feels like a huge win for Sarah,

but it's also a really big win for Doug and Ashley. It gives them instant cred and a lot of great press. The Philadelphia Inquirer, which was the same paper that gleefully ran that headline, Pennsylvania, ballet, fire, sugar plump fairy, now prints a new story. Two-tall ballerina finds a new job with a company that highlights diversity. For A and B, this kind of press is gold, but Sarah is just one dancer. She's a big hire for sure, but they need more. They need dozens of dancers. They need ones who are willing to take a risk on a brand new company. So they need to find

a way to stand out. To entice the dancers with an offer, they can't refuse. Two days after that glowing article comes out, and be posted on Facebook. And it's a call for video editions. Sarah, do you want wanna describe the photos you're using? Okay, so that's Sarah Moroski, and she's in this long blue dress. She looks so elegant, and her arms are stretched to the sky, and there's a sky with a camera in front of her.

It's like an image for people who don't know what a video audition is. It's a little off, it's a little off. A little bit. And it says, please visit the website for more information on how to apply. And there's a comment below it saying, there is no website.

Right. Well, when you move really fast, it comes with some hazards and maybe some missed key details. They forgot the website link. But listen, in all fairness, they put it up later that afternoon. And that's where they put in all the perks.

I'll run through them for you, okay? Are you ready? Yeah. In eight-month guarantee contract and for dancers in other countries, American visas. American visas are not easy to come by. That's huge. A point she'll allowance and a health insurance stipend,

paid teaching hours, and a state of the art rehearsal space. This all sounds amazing. And a monthly stipend to help with rent, and a state of the art rehearsal space. This all sounds amazing. And a monthly stipend to help with rent, which they're definitely going to need, because ANB is urging the dancers to sign one-year leases at the luxury sky garden apartments. The apartment building is really nice. They have a rooftop terrace, a pool, and tanning beds, but the real benefit for the dancers is how close it is to the studio.

It's just a two-minute walk. Okay, but something isn't really adding up here. Like, the contract is eight months, and then the lease is one year, I don't know, like, that's a bit of a red flag. Yeah, it's starting to get fishy. They promise that more news is to come and Ashley is really hands on with recruiting. She shares her own story with the dancers, she connects with them and they buy into her dream. And within a month, Ann B is inundated with a flood of audition tapes. Hundreds of dancers connect with the mission and the perks. And they're ready to join up. At the beginning of June,

Ann B holds in-person auditions. And three weeks later, there's a new post on their Facebook page. Do you wanna read it? Yes, I will read it. Here we go. Here at ANB, we embrace, accept, and celebrate all kinds of diversity. In fact, over 75% of our dancers

are very not average in one way or another. They have been called too tall, too short, too curvy, too skinny, too muscular, too brown, but we call them American National Ballet. I would say I'm too brown and too hot, but she didn't say too hot. That's you babe. On paper, this sounds actually pretty great. Ballet is extremely white. Like it's the opposite of diversity. It's white, it's short, it's skinny. And it has been that way for centuries. I mean, there is something kind of revolutionary about reading it and feeling like me

as a two brown five foot five person that I could join the stance company. All of my body parts are sort of shaped like tetris pieces that do not connect, the biggest issues that I cannot dance. Yeah, that, that's honestly sounds like a huge obstacle. And then later that day, A and B shares another photo. It's a new dancer in their quarter ballet,

and then another, and another. They're all holding up a sign, and they're all tagged as A and B family. And in all, A andB hires 47 dancers. They just had this idea a few months ago, and they've hired 47 dancers. Yes. They got married after knowing each other for what, 13 days.

They move fast in all aspects of life. Yeah, these are people who really do kind of go with the speed of light. And when you scroll through the photos of the dancers, it looks like A&B is making good on their vision. Clearly, a lot of very talented people have put their careers in the hands of Doug and Ashley. But some people are a lot more skeptical, like Michael Wise. Michael is a well-respected ballet master. He was actually the first American principal dancer for the Moscow Classical

Ballet back in the 90s. And he runs his own ballet studio in Charleston. When Ann B. tries to woo him to be an instructor at the company, Michael clocks Doug and Ashley's lack of experience right away. But Michael tells 48 hours that Doug had a convincing way about him. When you first met Doug, what kind of guy did he strike you as? Kind, a very serious businessman, and had a very methodical approach to a lot of what he did. Did he know anything about that way? No, and he was very open about that. I was supposed to be working with Ashley

to get her to understand how a company should be run. So what are you thinking here? I mean, it's risky, like again, these are very established professionals in a very competitive field, and they're getting involved with these people who don't have experience in anything they're promising, which is crazy. Yeah, but you know, Michael's also kind of sick of the ballet world status quo.

And bringing more ballet at Charleston is exciting. Plus, Doug and Ashley tell him they have $10 million from backers to start the company. I'm sorry, $10 million. Where did they get that? That's like so much money for an arts organization. I know, right? But Michael figures that Ashley will focus on the vision with some help from him and Doug will take care of the business side. That's convenient.

Well, turns out not so much. Okay, so you know how Doug is telling everyone he's a business man? Oh yeah. Okay, well let's just say he's using that term rather generously. Oh, you don't say. Doug's LinkedIn is pretty straightforward, a Navy vet who went on to defense consulting and government contract work. But behind the polished resume, there are some questionable endeavors,

restaurants, real estate, even movies, a frontal vanity fair that Doug was a serial entrepreneur. What does that even mean? Well, allow me to translate. Doug started a bunch of companies that didn't go anywhere, and in some cases, he actually sank ventures before they could even get off the ground. And his biggest failure was a production company he started in the 90s called Gorilla Films. Doug got people he knew to invest, including one former law professor who ponied up $133,000,

which Doug never paid back. Okay, we're talking six figures in 90s money. That's a lot. It's a lot, but it's also very Doug. He takes nothing but big swings. The law professor sued and he won a settlement. In the lawsuit, he claims Doug lied about contracts and other investors, all to raise funds, which Doug spent on himself.

That's my scammer alert. That's me doing the scam resiren. Tell me your bad at business, and that's telling me your bad at business. But Doug isn't going to let a lackluster track record keep him down. He talks with Charleston newspaper all about his big plans for A and B. Doug says A and B is going to Uberize ballet. What does Uberize ballet mean? I'm trying to wrap my head around it. I think he just cut up a bunch of pieces of paper and wrote different startups on them and pulled them out of a hat. And the one he pulled out was Uber. And he decided that's it could it.

Listen, it could have been that he was going to like hink berry ballet. It's very clearly nonsense, but it didn't stop there. Okay, I'm just going to tell you his plans. You can jump in when you start hearing red flags. Doug says A and B is going to have a second touring company. Okay, where's the first? A performing arts foundation. Amazing.

A media production company. Great. A licensing deal for Strip Mall Studios. Alright. And he says that they'll sell branded dancewear. Hmm. And produce a competition-style reality TV show. Okay, so by Uberized Ballet,

this means he wants to just create an empire that would take many years to create? Yeah, I mean, it's ridiculous. But Doug also tells the paper that A and B has a $2.5 million annual budget. Okay, but wait, didn't he tell Michael that he had $10 million? What is going on?

Yeah, it's pretty fishy. And he still isn't saying anything about where the money's coming from. Just that Doug's own company is fronting venture capital along with, quote, some individual investors. Hmm. Okay, sounds legit. And just when you think it couldn't get more alarming, at the end of the article,

it says that plans for a debut performance are vague. Okay, so this guy at one point says he has $10 million, then it's $2.5 million. But even with all that money, they don't have plans for a first performance. Like, that's not good. That's not right. No, definitely not. And that's not the only thing that's not looking good. definitely not, and that's not the only thing that's not looking good. Behind the scenes, Ashley and Doug's marriage is starting to crumble. So if you remember, there were problems with Doug's daughter, Eva. Yeah, Doug didn't tell Eva they were getting married and Ashley's attempt to kind of win her over is not working.

Yeah, it's a fiasco. Nothing is working. And eventually, Ashley starts to see her as competition for Doug's affection. She even calls a friend of Doug's, worried that if she can't make things right with Eva, Doug will leave her. Ashley tells him, I just want him to choose me. I've never been a stepmom, but I don't think that's kind of the end game here. Yeah. I don't think that's how she wants to go through with this.

Yeah, definitely ill-advised. And then one day, Ashley is flipping out. And she goes upstairs to Eva's room and searches for Eva's diary. And she reads it. Oh no. You never read a teen girl's diary, especially if you're a new stepmom. That's parenting 101.

Yeah, really you shouldn't read anyone's diary. We don't know exactly what the diary said, but if you had to take a guess, what would you think? Okay, we're talking about a teenage girl. So already full of a lot of angst and hormones, if I were Eva, I would just be livid and documenting my private thoughts that I feel like no one's going to see, which I'm guessing are not very complimentary to Ashley. Yeah, I would probably have a lot of things to say

about my brand new step mom who's only a few years older than me and who my dad married after two weeks. Yeah, and not to mention, her mom is recently deceased. I really can't see there being anything good here. Yeah. And all we really know is that whatever was in there was brutal enough for Ashley to bring it up with Doug. And Doug does not respond the way Ashley had hoped.

He's furious that she violated Eva's privacy. And now Ashley's mad. All the anxiety about their family and about the dance company dream, it comes to a head. They start screaming and then it escalates to a boiling point. Doug picks up a gun and throws it against a wall. That's really dangerous and scary. And that's just the start of what will go from bad to worse.

More fighting and arguing and bad feelings. And at some point, Doug punches a hole in the wall. Another time, Doug hits the family dog when it jumps up during an argument. Oh my god, yikes. Right. And there's another really scary moment. The same day Doug hits the dog, he takes out a gun and fires it into the ceiling. That's really terrifying.

And also, this feels like it's escalating so quickly. And it's starting to sound like there's a really terrifying pattern of violence emerging here. Yeah, it doesn't sound like a safe house to be in, but Ashley stays. And we don't exactly know why or what happened. All we do know is that she and Doug, they keep up appearances.

They even host a wedding reception. Just two days after Doug fires that gun into the ceiling, I actually found some photos of the event. Why don't you tell me what you see. Doug's wearing this tan suit. Actually standing there in this beautiful, sequined gown that makes her look like a princess and they look great. I guess they're putting up a pretty good appearance, right? If I were to see this, I'd think, oh, beautiful couple, they're very happy. Right. But something is definitely wrong because no one expects what comes next.

It's September 2017 in Charleston, South Carolina. American National Ballets first official day. The company has recruited 47 dancers and they're all meeting up in the club room of the Sky Garden apartments excited to get started building the dream, a completely different kind of ballet company. One that's inclusive. It's a festive environment, lots of laughing and excitement. There's even a film crew documenting the whole thing. Even though I know this is totally fake and it will go south, I am kind of excited for these people, like they're excited, maybe something good could happen

from this. I mean, probably not, but it is really exciting. And the group looks different from a typical ballet company. There's Christopher Charles McDaniel, who spent years as the only black dancer at the Los Angeles Ballet. And then there's Hannah Manca. She's a petite ballerina barely over five feet tall, and Kimberly Thompson, who has fair skin and bright red hair and a muscular physique,

which has made it difficult to find full-time work as a dancer. And of course, Ceramoroski, the two tall principal dancer and visionary assistant. The dancers all tell the press how thrilled they are that they get to be in Charleston, and how much A&B's vision means to them. But underneath the excitement, there's a little bit of side-eye, because the dancers can't help but notice certain discrepancies from what they'd been promised. Oh my god, here it comes.

Oh yeah, and it's just starting. First, the rehearsal studio that Ashley and Doug said would be built on the ground floor of the Sky Garden Apartments, it doesn't exist. Okay, wait, that was a part of the reason why they signed these year-long leases. Okay, so this is the sad sandwich part of this fire festival. Yeah, and instead of the fancy rehearsal space, they're gonna be crammed into a window list studio

miles away from the Sky Garden Apartments. It's so tiny, they can going to be crammed into a windowless studio miles away from the Skygarden apartments. It's so tiny they can barely fit all the dancers at the bar at the same time. It's actually Michael Wise's studio. He's the ballet master who signed on after Doug said A&B had $10 million to spend. And it turns out he's as surprised as the dancers are with this turn of events. He told 48 hours hosting A&B in his studio was never part of the plan. And then, get this,

though dozens of professional dancers have uprooted their lives to come here, A&B still hasn't settled on a performance schedule. Oh my God. Okay, wait, so this is really sketchy. There's still no facility, and there's also still no idea when they'll actually perform. Yeah, and Sarah and the other dancers also think it's pretty sketchy.

There's only one person they can turn to for answers. The former ballerina who recruited them, whose passion and experience convinced Sarah and all the other dancers to relocate to South Carolina. But Ashley Benefield, co-founder of the American National Ballet, she's nowhere to be found. Okay, so where is she? Okay, get this. It turns out Ashley is pregnant. Wait, okay, wait, let me get my head around this. And B, her dream company is getting off the ground. But having a family is one of her dreams too, and she's going through all these crazy marriage issues,

like this can't be how she imagined this would all go down. No, probably not. It's very much everything at once all the time. And she actually found out she was pregnant just a month before the dancers arrived, and that became her focus, because it's not a good pregnancy. She's sick. Like, can barely get out of bed sick. Doug brings her hot tea in the mornings to calm her stomach, but nothing helps.

She needs real help. So pregnant, sick, and scared, with her marriage on the rocks, she decides to head down to her mom's house in Florida. And with Ashley now MIA, Doug is in charge, and he's overwhelmed. He doesn't know anything about ballet. He's scrambling and things start going downhill fast. Okay, so this is a guy who knows nothing about ballet

or I guess business as we've learned. And he's just kind of left here to run this whole show. Yeah, it's a mess. And since A&B hasn't set a date for their premiere season, the rehearsals feel aimless. The dancers are basically doing busy work. And then there are other issues. Remember all those teaching hours,

the dancers were promised so they can make extra money? Yeah, so they can pay the rent on their fancy apartments? Right, well, a lot of times no students show up So the dancers go home empty handed and then ANB starts cutting costs Normally companies would pay for their dancers point shoes But one day and these dancers are told that their shoe allotment is being cut in half Okay, so things must be really bad. I mean point shoes are 80 bucks

Okay, so things must be really bad. I mean, point shoes are 80 bucks. Yeah, and as one of the dancers told 48 hours, each day something would happen that made us feel even more unsettled. I can't imagine how this could get worse. Oh yeah, it's right here. The first payday comes and goes with no check. So that's how it gets worse.

Yeah, and they do eventually get paid, but they're paid in cash with no taxes taken out, no pay stub, nothing. It's so weird and the dancers are obviously beyond concern, and they should be, because that multi-million dollar budget that Doug was boasting about, well, it doesn't exist.

Doug is actually putting up his own money. He's borrowed thousands of dollars to pay the dancers, and he doesn't know how much longer he can do it. Okay, the dancers need to run. Run! If only they knew, but this is just the beginning. Doug and Ashley's marriage is about to blow up and take the company down with it.

There will be accusations, poisoning conspiracies, and violence. That's on our next episode. Hey, Prime Members! You can listen to ScanFluencers, Add Free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today, or you can listen Add Free with Wondering Plus and Apple podcasts. Before you go, tell us about yourself by completing a short survey at Wundery.com slash survey.

This is episode one of our two-part series Black Swan Inc. I'm Satji Cole, and I'm Sarah Haguey. We use many sources in our research. A few that were particularly helpful were Alice Rob's article in Vanity Fair and the 48 hours documentary The Black Swan Murder. And just a quick note about our scenes. In most cases, we can't know the exact details about what happened, but everything in our show is grounded in research.

Marina Templeman and Sarah Enny wrote this episode. Additional writing by Sachi Cole and Sarah Hadke. Brian Taylor White is our producer. Charlotte Miller is our associate producer. Our senior story editor is Rachel B. Doyle. Our senior producer is Jen Swan. Our audio engineer is Sergio Enriquez. Our sound design is done by Marcelino Villopando. Additional audio assistance provided by Adrian Tapia. Our Executive producers are Janine Cornelow, Stephanie Gems, and Marsha Louis for Wondery.