The Big Flop - The Bling Ring: Hollywood’s Wildest Teen Crime Spree with Sydney Battle and Matt Bellassai | 102

Episode Date: August 25, 2025

They say dress for the job you want, not the job you have. For the Bling Ring, that meant stealing $3 million worth of designer goods from Hollywood's elite. From Paris Hilton's forgotten fortune to Orlando Bloom's watch collection, these teen burglars lived out their TMZ fantasies in real time. But when their own reality show became a crime scene, they discovered that fame is fleeting – and felonies are forever.Sydney Battle and Matt Bellassai join Misha to backpack their way through the high school drama of the Bling Ring.Follow The Big Flop on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to The Big Flop early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletterListen to The Big Flop on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/the-big-flop/ now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Attention. All big flop stands. Are you ready to take your love for the big flop to the next level? Well, Wondery Plus is here to make your dreams come true. With ad-free episodes, early access, and exclusive bonus content, you'll be swimming in a sea of content. Your uninterrupted flop fix awaits. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or in Apple Podcasts. Okay, have y'all ever seen the movie The Bling Ring? You know, the one where Emma Watson sheds her good girl, Hermione Granger persona, and swung big with a bad girl role? Did you know that movie's based on a true story?

And there's something to the saying that truth is stranger than fiction, because these teens hopped a fence and just waltz straight into Paris Hilton's Pink Palace. The lengths people will go for a designer purse. Well, lock up your jewelry. and hold on to your handbags besties because this Hollywood heist shoots for the stars. For nearly a year, celebrity-obsessed teens

stole cash, clothes, jewelry, art, and even underwear. I feel really bad for what I did. Young, crazy kids, just trying to get close to celebrity. I'm going to let you know how to discipline. What have I been telling you since you were little girls? Never do anything that you don't want

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BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with Eye Gaming Ontario. From Wondery and Atwill Media, this is the Big Flop, where we chronicle the greatest flubs, fails, and blunders of all time. I'm your host, Misha Boll. Brown, social media superstar who loves a good five-finger discount, allegedly, at your bestie Misha. And I'm very, very truly excited because on our show today, we have two returning guests and friends. You know them.

You love them. It's Sidney Battle and Matt Bellasai. Welcome to the show. Hi. Hello, hello. Oh my gosh. The last time you were on like a little special episode when we were talking about that Willy Wonka chocolate experience.

Oh, my gosh. Oh, my. How can we forget? Okay, so before we get into today's topic, like, what's your relationship with theft like? What's the statute of limitations on stealing? Is there an amount? I mean, I will say that my therapist did once tell me that she was surprised that I may have indulged in a five-finger discount from a big corporation, allegedly, that I had done that, she said, because with your level of anxiety, it really does not make sense that you would set yourself up like that. Yeah, that's my problem. I have that, like, Catholic guilt, Catholic anxiety that, like, was just instilled in me as a child

that if I stole so much as a stick of gum, straight to hell. Straight to hell. Straight to hell, burning eternal flames. Well, today, we're breaking and entering. Into the world of the blingring, a group of rebellious L-18s who are so obsessed with the lifestyles of the rich and famous, they figured, hey, why don't we just steal from the rich and famous? Now, they collectively stole millions in jewelry and high-end designer goods, making them the most successful and outrageous burglary gang in recent Hollywood memory. Wait, millions? Millions. Yeah, I don't think I realize just like, how much bag they were really getting.

I didn't either. Oh, they did. And also, I truly don't remember their full hit list. But there were some people on there where I'm like, you had millions of dollars worth of stuff in your house. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Did you steal it first?

Yeah, I mean, this story has a large cast of characters, including the burglars, intrepid journalists, reality TV producers, attorneys at all levels of competence, and, of course, fame-seeking cops. Mm-hmm. We'll get into it. So the bling ring itself starts small and grows. There are a lot of branches to this tree. Some are charged with crimes, others just implicated but never charged.

So for simplicity's sake, we're only going to focus on the three major players. So let's take a look at them. We have Rachel Lee, the quote-unquote mastermind. Why have I never seen this woman? Why did I never see her? I literally, I only know like Alexis, but we'll get to her. But oh, hello. No, Rachel was like the mastermind.

And then we have Nick Prugo who would probably consider himself the mastermind. And then we have Alexis Nyers, a side character who, because of her fabulousness, got promoted to mastermind in the public consciousness. Wow. By the way, this picture that you have of her is she's standing in front of a step and repeat for Hot Tub Time Machine. Sponsored by Jam Sport. Jam Sport. Just the perfect event for her to be at. Yeah. Now, Sidney, since I mentioned fame-seeking cops, I'd like to introduce you to the lead investigator in the case, Detective Brett Goodkin. And Goodkin is a key person in this saga, but not for any of the reasons you might think, but we'll get to that a little bit later on. I'm, he looks like a thumb for the listeners, just so you know.

For the, for the listeners, a little bit like my big toe, absolutely. So let's travel back all the way to 2008. Celebrity culture is obviously life. There's A-listers like Angelina Jolie and Cameron Diaz who are still reigning supreme. But reality TV was also quickly becoming the new tabloid staple. So step aside, movie stars, we've got Paris Hilton and Kim Kay, right? And celebrity stalking is now easier than ever before. As well, gossip sites like Perez Hilton and TMZ track famous people's every move.

And on top of that, more stars by the day are broadcasting their every waking moment on social media. So let's zoom in on Rachel Lee and Nick Prugo. Now, although both kids grew up wealthy in L.A. neighborhoods, they are at the bottom of the social food chain, and they are aware of that. As a child of Korean parents, Lee feels self-conscious in the mostly white city of Calabasas, who would think? And after her parents' divorce, her mom is mostly getting by on a single income. Like her mom owns a handful of Kuman tutoring centers. So Lee feels abandoned by her father, and she starts to act out, like stealing cash from her mom's briefcase, claiming another girl's ug boots from the school's locker room.

What? And experimenting with Xanax. Oh, the trifecta, the triad. So, Lee, she gets expelled from Calabasas High and has to finish her schooling at Indian Hills, an alternative high school where much of the student body is composed of troubled teens. Now, Indian Hills just so happens to be

where she is introduced to Nick Prugo, another kid who's also been kicked out of Calabasas High for truancy. Oh. Prugo seems to really need a friend. And when they meet, Prugo, who was once an aspiring child actor, giving up his dream due to extreme anxiety and is getting dangerously drunk at school. So, you know, he seems depressed, has ADHD, and by his own admission is struggling with his

sexual identity. So relatable? Sure. Yeah. Who among us? Never got drunk in school about it, but yeah. So now, even though Lee thinks of herself as an outcast, to Prugo, she's the cool girl in the world. And they start hanging out after school, giving each other's style

tips, and bond over feeling poorer than everyone else in Calabasas. So at this point, Lee and Prugo, they're only around 15 years old. And they probably just need to ask a trusted adult for life advice or maybe seek out some therapy. Instead, they, like everyone else at the time, became obsessed with getting rich by any means necessary. At parties, they check cars to see if they're unlocked. And if they are, steal the cash and credit cards left inside. They also start peeking into mailboxes. Can you guess what they would be looking for? Birthday cards? I guess this is the era before, you know, everyone had just piles and piles of packages in front of their houses. Yeah, what could you possibly steal from someone's mailbox? Well, I think that the

birthday cards would have been a nice little bonus check for them. But really what they were after was to see how much mail there was, right? If the mailboxes were full, they can assume that people inside of the house are not home. Oh. Yeah. And they take that as their cue to find an unlocked door and break in. See, this is why I can never be a scammer. I just don't think. I don't think like a thief. And it's ruining my life. It's honestly, life would be so much easier if I didn't care. Now, it does sound like they're having a blast, but actually over the next couple of years, Lee and Prugo start getting on each other's nerves. You know, like teens do.

Actually, people of all ages, let's be fair. But Lee later says that their relationship started crumbling from day one, which is understandable when your favorite shared hobby together is fraught with guilt and paranoia. Okay? She describes both of them as having a darkness in them, that they're codependent enabling each other's terrible behavior. They're partying, they're doing hard drugs like, cocaine. They were painting toy guns black and waving them around to mess with people.

Oh, my God. And none of it was good. These are 15-year-olds. 15-year-olds. It's like the real euphoria. Yeah, honestly. Now, not only are they addicted to drugs, which are sometimes also stolen, but they're getting a buzz from all of the crimes that they're getting away with. And at different times, they each feel like they have to keep stealing to maintain their friendship. which is so toxic. And to keep chasing all of their various dragons, the only solution appears to be to level up their theft game.

So enter their big idea. Robbing a celebrity. That's it. That's the big idea. To be fair, these are teens, so they're pretty dumb. Once again, like, I am like, oh, well, yeah, 15. Yeah. But still, that's wild.

It's so Bonnie and Clyde, but like, millennia. Meals. Oh, that's right. Yeah, that's right. So now they just need to pick their first target. 2008, who should be their first target? If it's who I remember it is, it's someone from like the hills or something. But also wasn't Orlando Bloom messed up in this? They got my boy. Their first target, they start off big. What? And they go with Paris Hilton. I guess if you're going to do it, you know, go big. Go with someone who is not going to miss this. stuff. Wouldn't you be like, she has at least at any given point, 20 tiny dogs running around that house. And so I would be worried that the minute you step foot inside, it's like its own alarm system. Yeah, just chaos. The real reason that she was first is Liam Prugo think that

she's too stupid to lock the door to her house. Well, were they, were they? Let's find out. So Prugo finds a website with her address on it, and he uses Google Maps to see it and find directions, probably printed on MapQuest. And to make sure Hilton isn't home when they break in, they check celebrity gossip sites like TMZ and monitor her social media. Now, the hard part is the hike up the mountain to Hilton's mansion.

Right? The house is in a gated community, but Lee and Prugo, they avoid the guards by walking up the fire trail. Then they scale a fence, and they figure, out which house is Hilton's based on her pink Bentley parked out front, and then they simply walk up, they ring the doorbell a few times to see if she'll answer. She doesn't answer. Neither does any security or barking chihuahuas. And then Lee just checks the door and it opens. It's too easy. I remember there was an element to these crimes when they happened where it was like, well, they should have locked their doors.

Yeah. It's not right. Yeah. But, like, that's so crazy. Yeah, their hunch was correct. And they, quote, go shopping, as Lee allegedly calls it. So they find crumpled large bills in a bunch of open purses, a ton of designer clothing, fancy lingerie, and an open safe full of jewelry. Paris.

Just, yeah. Now, they don't want their crime to be too obvious. This was actually like a moment of clarity for them. So they take things they don't think Hilton will notice, right? Altogether, they take about 50 grand worth of Hilton's cash and clothes that night. Can you imagine not noticing $50,000 worth of your stuff missing in an instant? That's relatable to me. Yeah, no, that's relatable to me.

And I don't think I'd notice. either. I'm too busy counting all my other money. But when she returns home, Hilton, no, she does not notice that anything is gone. And they know that she for sure does not know because if Hilton reported a robbery, it would be front page news. And nothing happens. So now they've pulled off one of the easiest and slickest heist in Los Angeles history and nobody even knows about it. Oh, crazy, crazy stuff.

I would need to do it again because I feel like these people, there's a part of them that almost like wants to get caught because they want that fame. I guess in that sense, yeah, it's like win-win, really. Oh, yeah. Like, what do you have to lose? True. You either get caught and become notorious or you get away with it again and you end up

with a whole bunch of fancy shit. You're also a minor, which is incredible for sentencing. If you get a good lawyer, I thought about this clearly. So true. I thought about this clearly. So true. The town of Agda in France is famous for sun, sand, sea, and sex. But lately, life on the coast has taken a strange turn. The town's mayor, a respected pillar of the community, has been arrested for corruption.

His wife claims he's been bewitched by a beautiful clairvoyant. Then there's the mysterious phone calls that local people have been getting. I am the archangel Michael. The whole town has been thrown into chaos. As the mayor is unable to carry out his duties, I would like to address you all. Legal proceedings have been initiated. Join me, Anna Richardson and journalist Leo Schick for the Mystic and the Mayor,

as we investigate a story of power, corruption, and magic. Binge all episodes of The Mystic and the Mayor exclusively and ad-free right now on Wondry Plus. Start your free trial in Apple Podcasts, Spotify or the Wondry app. How hard is it to kill a planet? Maybe all it takes is a little drilling, some mining, and a whole lot of carbon pumped into the atmosphere. When you see what's left, it starts to look like a crime scene. Are we really safe? Is our water safe?

You destroyed our time. And crimes like that, they don't just happen. We call things accidents. There is no accident. This was 100% preventable. They're the result of choices by people. Ruthless oil tycoons, corrupt politicians, even organized crime. These are the stories we need to be telling about our changing planet.

Stories of scams, murders, and cover-ups that are about us. And the things we're doing to either protect the Earth or destroy. It. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondry app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Lawless Planet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondry Plus in the Wondry app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. So Nick, decked out in designer gear he's either pilfered or bought with stolen money, he starts to make friends with glamorous club kids. And one of them is Tess Taylor, an aspiring model who happens to live. with Alexis Nyers, our third mastermind. Now, just to be clear, Tess is friends with this whole crew, but she's never charged in association with the bling ring. Alexis Nyers, however, although she hides it a bit better,

like Prugo and Lee, has a lot of demons and troubles in her life. Her father was once a director of photography for TV shows like Spin City and Friends. Heard of it. And her mother is a former Playboy playmate, an actress. now. Her parents split up. Her mother alleges the breakup is due to an affair, and it seems like her father has some money troubles. Now Nyer's mom is parenting on her own, and she was forced to file for bankruptcy. So, by the time Alexis Nyers and her friend Tess Taylor are 16, they've got fake IDs,

and they're going out to Los Angeles to do modeling. It's really like pornography. You know? Listen, that's not shade to sex workers. That's not shade to sex workers. That's not shade to do it, going out there and doing that, it's just that the fact that they're 16 years old. Yeah, exactly. You know, so just to be... That's why we responded the way we did, because, oh. Yeah. Now, one of their gigs is dancing naked behind a sheet in a Marilyn Manson video.

He's always at the scene of a crime. Honestly. Ugh. Ugh. Honestly and truly. Nyer's, she moonlight as a pole dancing instructor. And since her mom, who pose nude all the time, went through a similar career path as a young girl, she doesn't think it's a big deal.

And, in fact, because the whole family's broke, her mom encourages this. This is like, I remember her mom from that eventual reality show. And, like, it's astounding that Alexis is so normal today. Really? Yes. And, like, an advocate and, like, competent and, like, a good person seemingly. Because, my God. So while trying to become friends with the two girls, Prugo tells them he's a stylist,

which helps explain his trove of unique expensive clothing. And desperate for friendship and validation, Prugo offers the girls their pick of stolen goods, which they supposedly have no idea is stolen. Prugo says they do now. Now, in return for the clothes, the girls introduce Prugo to the good life. They have access to the hottest clubs and VIP rooms in L.A., flanked by hot party girls, surrounded by A-lister's. Brugo starts to feel what it's like to be important.

And it's becoming way more fun than hanging out with Rachel Lee. So, yeah. So he's not hanging out with her so much anymore. He's ditching his co-conspirator? Mm-hmm. I would choose violence if I was her. I would rat his ass out. There's something about a friend breakup

that would bring out my crazy enough that I would be like, sorry, I'm taking us all down now. Nuclear. So, yeah, even though Lee and Prugo might be drifting apart socially, when they're burglarizing homes, they still feel like that Bonnie and Clyde.

And Hilton's house, it's just the beginning. The kids will soon have their burglaries down to a routine. They'll stake out homes on Google, check gossip sites for celebrity whereabouts, and then go shopping. Now, they seem to have a good thing going on. So what do you think goes wrong?

Too many people involved. It's very hard to keep secrets. I mean, it's like Murphy's Law. Like, isn't that the one? It's like everything is bound to go wrong eventually. Your luck's going to run out. Yeah, especially when you're dealing with something that involves luck.

So often, when people are getting away with something they shouldn't be getting away with, they start to get sloppy. And they start to get greedy. That's so true. Look at any serial killer. Any of them. So after hitting Paris Hilton's place several more times,

including one time where they claim to do a bunch of found cocaine, Lee and Prugo realize there's no more cash in any of these persons. And meanwhile, Paris is, is like, wait, what's going on? Guys, where's, what happened? Yeah. So now they give a friend of a friend, an adult, instructions on how to break into Hilton's home

so he can clean out her safe. And in this plan, Liam Prugo won't be implicated, but the group will split the profits. And this is the break-in that finally gets Hilton's. attention. Can you guess how much jewelry this man takes? $500,000. Honestly, there is no amount at this point that I would be a surprise by, because apparently she has not missed anything that's missing so far. Yeah, just like $50,000 here, $75K over here.

I'm like, did they steal, like, her diamond pillow that she sleeps on? Or like, what thing would finally push it over the end? that she would be like, now I've, something's up. Well, however much money she had laying around in those purses, whatever, you know, lubotons and Manolablanics she had that she forgot about, she could not look past the $2 million worth of jewels they stole from her safe. So stupid. That'll do it.

That'll do it. Every time. Yeah, that would grab my attention. Yeah. Yeah. So Prugo later claims the guy who took the jewelry didn't even know how to hawk it. So now they don't even have the money. They can't go back to Hilton's home. And all of Hollywood is now on red alert. So thankfully, there are still enough distracted celebrities in California who forget to lock their doors and are always going out to fancy restaurants. And in February of 2009, on Oscar night, Lee and Prugo break.

into the Hills star Audrina Patrick's home. Okay, this is the person who I was surprised by. I was like, what could she possibly have in her home? Well, they steal $43,000 worth of stuff, including jewelry and a suitcase full of designer apparel. Adrina, I'm going to apologize to you. I didn't know you were with it like that. I mean, that could have been her entire net worth.

Yeah, I mean, she was living above her means, we'll say. Yeah. Wait, luggage too. Luggage too. So practical. Yeah. We do have to carry it out in something. So true.

So true. Yeah. Now listen, she's clearly not on the level of Paris Hilton. And unlike Paris Hilton, when Patridge comes home later that evening, she immediately notices that someone's been in her house because she had just purchased those clothes. And some of those jewelry pieces that have been taken were treasured family heirlooms. So now, Patridge, she's not even sure that the burglars have left her home.

So terrified for her life, she locks herself in the closet. So a little later, she feels safe enough to move around her house. And Patrude figures out that the culprits were caught on her security cameras. I was waiting for a security camera to catch these little effers. Evers. But I was waiting. Like, that technology existed. Right?

It did exist. It really hasn't even advanced that much. We're still getting grainy footage. I will say, now it's in a doorbell. Now it's like you turn a corner. Yeah, everybody has it. So she's furious, right? And wanting some retribution.

So she gives the footage to TMZ, hoping that millions will see it and the burglars will be brought to justice. It's such a funny place to give your footage. Be like, I got robbed. How much do you think she'd charge them? She was like 43,000 for my robbery footage. Right.

It's the exact dollar amount of what's stolen. Well, since Prugo is always checking gossip sites, he quickly sees the footage on TMZ and realizes they've been caught. Any minute now, the police are going to break down his door. But then nothing. It's so funny that he sees a blurry photo of himself. And he goes, everyone's going to know that's me. No one knows you.

It's pretty much like every teenager in the early aughts looked the same. I mean, like... They had the same haircut, yeah. Same haircut, same, like, outline, like, profile of, you know, three polos stacked on top of each other. Yeah. So, yeah, nobody comes forward with any information, right? There aren't all these ring cameras on everybody's doorbell in America yet.

So, Prugo and Lee, they just continue on with their crime spree. Now, okay, who do you think their holy grail would be to target? I can't believe it wasn't Pereseltin. They got their big one out of the way first. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, in that realm, it's Lindsay Loewan. Of course.

Well, she's also accused of being a kleptomaniac by many people at the time herself. So they're going in there and they might have been stealing things that she herself had allegedly stolen from other people. Yeah. Poetic. That's true. And maybe that's why Lee idolizes her. She's like, she's just a rich version of me. We're the same. Cute. Yeah. Meanwhile, in the spring of 2009, Nyers, her biological sister Gabrielle, their mom, and Tess Taylor are developing a pilot for a reality show. And they pitch the project as a hippie version of the Kardashians where three unruly but hot young girls are being reined in by their cookie bomb. What was it called again, like wild things or something?

It was called Pretty Wild. Oh, that was it. Yeah. Pretty Wild. So these wild and pretty gals are almost ready to shoot their pilot. And for a bit, Nyers tries to pitch Prugo for the show as her gay best friend. But the producers were like, a gay person on TV. Yeah, they're like, gross.

No, basically, like, they were just like, he doesn't sparkle, right? In fact, he's so uncomfortable on camera. The producers tell Nyers he can't even be around while they're filming. What is he doing? Yeah. That is, like, devastating for a gay person to hear. Oh, my God. Especially one who wants, like, notoriety and fame and, like, accolades and acknowledgement.

He's like, actually, I've been on camera before. It was at Adriena Partridge's house, so I'm very comfortable. I mean, that's sort of his superpower. That's why they weren't caught right away. It's because he didn't sparkle on him. So by this point, Prugu and Lee have moved on from reality stars to actors. And they start with the O.C. star, Rachel Bilsen. And they return to steal from her Los Felis home half a dozen times in two months.

That's crazy. I would know. I would know. I mean, like, Rachel Bilsen, they took $130,000 worth of her stuff. Jesus. They also robbed newly minted bombshell, Megan Fox, who's married to 90210s Brian Austin Green. While mostly looking for her stuff, they do steal his gun. Oh.

Yeah. And then, in July, they decide to break into the house of none other than Orlando Bloom. Sweet boy. Since Lee and Prugo's relationship is fracturing, they each bring a friend. Lee brings a girl from school, and Prugo brings Nyers, which obviously Lee does not like. Now, from her telling of events, Nyers is completely out of it on benzos and opiates and doesn't know that they're going there to rob Orlando Bloom's house. Prugo later says, that's a lie. She was sober. She knows exactly what was going on. They barely agree. on anything that happened that night.

So let's watch a clip from Netflix's docu-series, The Real Bling Ring, Hollywood Heist. We approached the gate. At that point, I had to pee. There was no pee. I did. P. She jumped through that fence, you know, like Wonder Woman.

Alexis started bagging up shit for herself. Rachel and Nick just had this confidence. But I was like, oh, fuck, this is real. I'm in someone's house. She was happy to do it. I'm in a barf. His hat, I'm so sorry, but his hat makes me immediately distrust him. He's also, like, sitting there and you can tell that he's like, oh, they think I can't sparkle on camera?

Let me show them. He said, I'll show you sparkle, bitch. Oh, I can do this, actually. Also, how would he know if she was on benzos or not? Also, as being, like, super stoned, a legal defense? Because I, I'll use it. And you're like, wait, actually. And she's, it's funny that she's like, I don't remember anything and then gives specific

details about exactly what happened. It's like, I think the fact that you don't remember anything is a choice, but, okay. It's your man, Nick Cannon, and I'm here to bring you my new podcast, Nick Canon at night. I've heard y'all been needing some advice in the love department. So who better to help than yours truly? Now, I'm serious. Every week, I'm bringing out some of my celebrity friends

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suggest that they steal half a million dollars worth of stuff from Bloom. Yeah. Poor Orlando. Poor Orlando. That includes like 10 Rolex watches. Ten. Ten. Oh my God. Lord of the Rings did him very well, didn't it? Pirates of the Caribbean. That was some good money. Oh my God. Yeah. This must have been around when the third movie was coming out. Oh, yeah. Yeah, it's like peak Orlando. Now, Nyer, she grabs herself a nice dress and a Louisville. Viton computer bag, but the rest of the gang doesn't even tell her about the Rolexes, so that was kind of rude. But as all of this unfolds, the TV network E becomes interested in picking up the reality show pitch for Pretty Wild. Now, for season one, the Nyers plus Taylor are all going to get

$100 grand each plus a $50,000 signing bonus. So this show could be the answer to all of their little financial prayers. So what about Rachel Lee, one of the original baddies? Well, by August 2009, she seems like she's left the game behind. Her dad has moved her to his Las Vegas home to start a new life far away from those other unruly California teens. But then, in late August, Lee gets a call from Nick Prugo. They're finally going to do it. The big one. The bling ring is going to rob Lindsay Lohan.

She's like, I can't miss this. And that's exactly what she says. She's like, Lee pops some zanis and tells Prugo, I'll be there in four hours. No. Yes. Yep. The stakes couldn't be higher. There's already footage of Lee and Prugo out there.

One more slip up than they could be swarmed by cops. But even though they know this could be their undoing, they pull it off. Doing the bare minimum of covering their faces with stolen hats and scarves, by the time they're done, the bling ring has taken $130,000 worth. of clothing and jewelry from Lohan's home. And in total now, they've racked up about $3 million in less than a year. But here's the deal. And it's their ultimate undoing. Lohan is going to fight back. On August 26, the bling ring party bus screeches to a halt. Lohan's security footage appears on TMC. Again. Everybody's just sending their shit to TMC. So now there are two relatives.

clear videos of Prugo and Lee out there in the world. And tips start pouring in and someone names Prugo. It's Alexis Nyers and Tess Taylor. Alexis, what? Were they going for reward money? No, it wasn't that.

They were trying to get ahead of it, right? They think their careers are about to launch. They have too much to lose. So, they're like, let's rat them out. So dumb. So armed with some clues, the cops do some really good investigative work. They log into Facebook.

Wow. They go to Prugo's profile. And they see that he sort of looks like the guy from the surveillance footage, and Prugo is arrested. Now, initially, he denies everything, even though he's terrified inside. What he doesn't know is that the cops have almost nothing on him. The surveillance footage is way too grainy to prove anything. So the lawyer, Prugal, hires, tells him, look, I can probably get you an immunity deal. Just confess, and we can get this to blow over.

Oh, my God. They'll let you go. Are you kidding? You're a cute little tween. They won't send you to jail. I would appeal that. My Sixth Amendment right. Yeah.

Now, according to the lead investigator, Brett Goodkin, Prugo confesses to crimes they didn't even know we're committed. Yep, yep. Prugo finds out that Nyers gave his name to the, So he rats everybody out, including his bestie, Rachel Lee. Ugh, such a hat guy. He's really such a hat guy at his core. Like, ugh.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Now, so he six. He fully, full vibrato belt gives away everything. What do you think he gets out of the deal? Like 10 to 15 years. Well, close.

Because he gets absolutely nothing in. return. Apparently, his lawyers didn't have an official plea bargain in place when Prugo decided to start confessing to everything. Oh my God. Yeah, he and Detective Goodkin just shook on it. So that's the moment when Prugo realizes that he's totally effed. Now, the cops find Rachel Lee at her dad's place in Vegas. They do find a torn-up, topless pick of Paris Hilton in Lee's trash can, but they don't find, like, a stash of jewels that they were expecting. Hmm. According to Vanity Fair, the pictures were stolen from Hilton's unlocked safe.

So now they accuse Lee's father of burying the evidence in the desert. But that's never proven. Like, he's never charged with any crimes related to the bling ring. They take things belonging to Lee's family, bagging and tagging it all as evidence, and her life will never be the same after this. So back at Casa Nair's, filming for their series Pretty Wild is chugging along, and after a night of partying for the cameras, the girls go to sleep, exhausted, and they wake up to an unpleasant surprise.

No, Crafty hasn't messed up their breakfast order. The police have arrived. Now, for the producers and E, Pretty Wild just went from fine to scandalous, which is everything that you could hope for in reality television. Let's watch some clips from the pilot. Take me back. Yeah. This is the story of three sisters.

Tess is the model slash vixing. Alexis had a rising career, but she fell in with the wrong crowd. LAPD? What? Gabby. She's just trying to hold them all together. Oh. That.

I am remembering now, like, right, they had that scene where the cops show. up to their house. The knock on the door, LAPD, what? Also, this show is arguably sexually exploiting teenage girls. They were wearing thongs in the intro package. Like, what? Right? So let's not skip over that, but that's what their initial intention was to all of this

drama. So, I mean, they have hit the jackpot now. And like you said, they did capture that moment when police arrive, and we've got that clip. Let's watch. Okay, I'm coming. The juicy jumpsuit. We have a warrant to search your house.

Mom, what's going on? Go get your sisters. Do you secure all your animals? Just one second. Girls! Girls, get up right now. Just great. And it's really just, you know, kudos to them

for the way that they capture this. The panning, the panning from the door to one of the daughters at the top of the staircase. Mom, what's wrong? What's wrong? The shot of the two daughters waking from a dead sleep and being like,

like, they've really, not only did they strike oil, they like extracted it for all it was worth. Oh, yeah. And by design, because to all of the listeners out there, I don't want to be the Grinch, but it's all fake.

The arrest did happen off camera and production makes the Nyer's family film a reenactment. No. No. Yes. Yes. That is truly deranged behavior to be like, yeah, I guess if you need it for the camera, we enact. All right, I guess. One of the worst things that happened to us.

Wow, they really needed the check. That's what it drives them to me. They needed the check. they needed it. So Nyers is still in denial. She's been cooperative. She was barely involved with the so-called bling ring, and she's willing to make amends as quickly as possible. So she decides some good PR might help her case, and she decides to do an interview with Vanity Fair's Nancy Jocels. So here's Nyer's sitting for her interview. I was hoping we get to watch this. You and Tess, it seems like you have a kind of a, I mean, the kind of life that a lot of teenagers just kind of dream about having.

It's fun, I mean, but we don't take it for granted. And at the end of the day, we are so wholesome and down to earth. And of course, living this lifestyle is incredible and hanging out with celebrities and going out to clubs and sitting in VIP. That's all fun. But there's been very rocky, rocky tough. tough times to say the least to say the least

also hanging out with celebrities do you mean when you were wearing their clothes and walking through their homes what so strange I love that that interview is happening and they're like in bed they teach you that as someone

who went to journalism school they always say get in bed with them get in bed with your interviewee yeah yeah yeah now Sydney you you are remembering correctly. Now, the story that she runs with is the scandalous, glamorous one.

She calls her article, The Suspects War Lubutans. And in her piece, she refers to Nair's as the fame monster and paints her as vapid, vein, and attention-seeking,

completely obsessed with clubbing and cool stuff. And it's not completely off, but she misses that Nyer's is addicted to drugs and her personality is still developing. Far from being spoiled, she is the breadwinner for her whole family.

Wow. And she also gets one very important detail wrong. Now, on Pretty Wild, Nyer's call sales to tell her she's gotten the story all wrong. And, okay, let's watch it. Nancy Jo, this Alexis Nyer's. I'm calling to let you know how disappointed I am in your story. Oh, oh, you sh-h-me. You lied.

You lied. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop. Damn it. Yeah, girl.

Nancy Jo, this is Alexis Nyer's calling. I'm calling to let you know how disappointed I am in here. There's many things that I read in here that were false. Like you saying that I wore six-inch lubidone heels to court with my tweed skirt when I wore four-inch little Brown B, B, B, shoot. $29. Every time he f*** I have to re-record it.

Oh, my God. It always kills me the $29. I, like, oh, my God. There needs to be a museum that that belongs in. I, like, a reality television, internet.

A pop culture, Museum. Oh my gosh, that'd be so good. A whole room dedicated to that with the kitten heels. We need to see them. With the tree skirt. And it's worth noting that Nancy Joe stands by her reporting here. She says she is only reporting the facts. I mean, the more clips I see of her mom, now that I'm an adult, I feel so bad for her. Her mom is so, like, it's so clear that she was only like that because of her parents. Like, I feel so bad for this girl. Yeah. Right.

So with this reality show, the media frenzy and the Vanity Fair piece, director Sophia Coppola can't help but think this could make a great movie. Hey. Yeah. As far as the most intriguing person in real life, Nyer's is portrayed in Coppola's film, The Bling Ring as being far more involved in the crimes than she has. actually is. And did you see the movie? No, actually. I realized right before we recorded, I've never watched it. Do you know who plays Nyers in the movie? Emma Watson. Emma Watson,

Hermione Granger herself. Let's take a look at the poster. It makes it look like their best friends. It makes it look like Alexis and Rachel were ringleaders together. It does make it look like their best friends. But what do you think Prugal thinks of his stand-in? Even his stand-in doesn't sparkle, I guess. They were like, we got to push him back. I'm not even a stand-in. So yeah, they cast Emma Watson. She was desperately trying to shake off her do-gooder image from Harry Potter. And she also jumped at the chance to play supposedly dumb-spoiled, sexy bad girl. It's okay. So while Coppola's film goes into production, the various cases of the bling ring members churned through the legal system. But then a scene shot

for the bling ring film throws a wrench into the investigation. Here is the damning clip. The Yorkie. The man with the police. This is the home of Nicolette Moore? Yes. You need a search warrant, search the house, man, please step out of the way.

Out of the way. Or what? Is that the real cop? That is the real police officer. Oh! Detective Brett Goodman. Ken himself. What?

Oh, my God. Yeah. Yeah, the real-life lead investigator of the bling ring just made a cameo in the film. You can't do that. You can't do that. I have bald man blindness, so I just assume that that was another, it's kind of standard issue bald man, but no. Valid, valid. But not only does he play that cameo, he gets paid as a consultant on the movie.

So he also doesn't ask for permission. or disclose the money he's paid for the project, which is a big oopsie. So Goodkin ends up getting investigated himself. Good. And as of today, he is a former cop. Now, unfortunately, because of his apparent conflict of interest, the attorneys prosecuting the case have no choice but to give the rest of the perps who have pleaded no contest, probation, not jail time.

Does that mean that the guy, whatever his name is, Prugo is the only one that serves jail time? Prugo, Lee, and Nyers, they had already been sentenced. So they do have to serve time. Whoa. Oh, that sucks. Yeah. Wow. Now, the sentences vary.

Rachel Lee gets four years. She ended up serving 16 months. Okay. Nick Prugo pleads no contest and gets two years. He served one. And Alexis Nyers gets six months, but only serves 32 days. She also got three years probation. Hmm. Interesting.

So let's do a little, where are they now? The kids behind the blingering have all moved on. Many have changed their names. And according to the folks he ratted out, Nick Prugo has had the least visible growth out of the bunch. Well, I'm shocked. People still describe him as being fames. seeking or that he didn't appear remorseful enough in his documentary appearance. He even had another run-in with the law, a dispute with an aesthetician that led to a stalking

charge in 2016. He got fillers and then was like, I'm going to follow you. I'm going to follow you around and wear your skin. Can I say something? Yes. Anyone who wears a hat like that, especially as a teenager. all they want is attention. But Nick Prugo, he's also now happily married,

and he runs an online business with his husband, so maybe he has grown up a little bit. Pretty Wild, only had one season. Now, reportedly, the show was canceled because Nyers and Taylor were photographed doing drugs, and the pictures were leaked to the press. But after a few years of sobriety, Alexis Nyers turned over a completely new leaf.

She wrote a book, became a birth dula, got married and divorced, had two kids, opened a drug and alcohol addiction center, and continues to sponsor people in addiction recovery. Wow. I mean, it's really impressive, given what her starting point was. Like, what she's done with her life, she's really educated herself, and she's done a lot of growth, at least it seems, from the outside. Yeah, we love that.

Yeah. Yeah. Rachel Lee is also now living a productive life as a licensed, hairdresser in Los Angeles. Well, her hair did look incredible in that documentary. It did. It did look really good. It did look really good. Out of all of the blingering

members, it was Lee who spent the most time in prison. Toward the end of her sentence, she participated in a program where she and other female inmates cleared brush in Malibu to help prevent fires. And she found it to be a deeply powerful and enlightening moment in her life, and it seems

to have, like, changed her perspective. So, again, we love that. It seems like she's one of like the rare few who was truly rehabilitated by going to jail or prison. Just given how our criminal justice system works, it usually doesn't turn out that positively. Yeah, I think those are some of the really positive things. And speaking of positivity, here on The Big Flab, we always try to end on a high. So are there any silver linings that you can think of that came about from the bling room? ring in these crazy kids?

I mean, I think it really kicked off Emma Watson's acting career in kind of a new and exciting direction. Yeah, so that is exciting. I think, you know, a couple of these people were healed by this, which is kind of crazy. Like Alexis and Rachel managed to find healing in this crazy experience. Also, I think, like, it's always nice to have a little reminder that we actually do need to lock our doors.

We do need to think about our own safety. It's like when you're watching like true crime documentaries from the 80s or something or about like Richard Ramirez running around L.A. And people are like, yeah, no, we just had every door unlocked, every window open. I can't believe someone came in here. Like, this is a big city.

And people need to think about their own safety more. But it's sad that it takes something like, like this to make us more aware. Well, now that you both know about this Hollywood heist, would you consider this a baby flop, a big flop, or a mega flop? You know, I feel like the fact that it ended up being not as bad for them as it could have been, you know, considering the magnitude of the shit that they were stealing, maybe like a middle flop.

It feels like a big flop in that middle. tier. Like the consequences, well, because if the tears are like baby, big, and mega, then it is medium, like Matt said, at the big level. But like the consequences were baby. I guess they are kind of labeled. They had to change their names. They are labeled with this for the rest of their lives. But like, I think the celebrities got their stuff back, right? Oh, yeah. The celebrities are fine. There are no huge ramifications. I mean, it sucks that. they might have felt violated by having people in their space, but I would say it's a solid mid-tier flop.

Huge cultural impact, though. Well, thank you so much to our glittering guest, Sidney Battle and Matt Belisai, for joining us here on The Big Flop. And of course, thanks to all of you for listening and watching. If you're enjoying the show, please leave us a rating and review or subscribe. And we'll be back next week with another flop.

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