The Prestige TV Podcast - The Wild Revelations in 'Operation Varsity Blues'

Episode Date: March 18, 2021

Amelia Wedemeyer and Claire McNear gather to unpack the documentary based on the college admissions scandal that rocked the nation, 'Operation Varsity Blues.' Hosts: Amelia Wedemeyer and Claire McNear Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All of our friends are only talking about one thing, and it's this story. An FBI investigation called Operation Varsity Blues. USC, UCLA. And Rick Singer. The mastermind behind the entire operation. There any risk that this thing blows up in my face. Hey, Rick? Hey there.

This episode is brought to you by Sweet Green. The day doesn't ask for permission. Lunch window? Gone before you saw it coming. You deserve a break that actually satisfies. Sweet Green's new wraps have got you. Real ingredients? Zero shortcuts. Everything you love in one hand. Think green goddess chicken. Garlic aoli. Crumbled bacon. Corn salsa. 40 grams of protein. Made to keep up with whatever comes next.

New sweet green wraps hit different. Order now at order.com. This summer, serve up the cookout classics, craft mayo and dressing. Toss green salads with delicious ranch dressing or zesty Italian. Serve smooth, craveably creamy potato salads with mayo. know it's not a cookout without craft. To TV concierge, a podcast on the ringer.com that helps you navigate the vast streaming landscape. My name is Amelia Wedemeyer, and I co-host Tea Time. And today, I am so excited.

I'm joined by Claire McNair. She is a writer for the ringer.com. She also wrote a piece about what we're going to talk about today. So I'm very, very excited. This is fun. Yeah, I'm very excited to talk about this. It was a very fun little documentary that is out now on Netflix. So yeah.

So I mean, I guess like I will just start kind of with the summary of what this is for anybody who doesn't know. And I can't imagine there are many people who don't know what Operation Varsity Blues was at this point. But in case you're a little rusty on the details, Operation Varsity Blues is the FBI code name for an investigation into corruption in college admissions that led to a whole bunch of arrests back in 2019. And the essence of what happened was that a man named Rick Singer, who presented himself as a private college counselor, built a network of coaches at prestigious colleges and universities around the country, places like Yale and USC and UCLA and Stanford, you know, very well-known, very prominent schools. And he worked with a number of extremely wealthy parents to arrange to get their kids into those schools through what he called the side door. And his kind of explanation of that was that the front door was you get in to a school based on your own merits. And the back door was for the children of the super, super mega donors who donate millions and millions of dollars, you know, build a library that's named after them, whatever it is. And their kids tend to get a little bit of boost in the admissions process.

And then the side door, as Rick Singer termed it, was basically that these parents would pay what the efforts. FBI considered to be what amounted to bribes, sometimes in the hundreds of thousands of dollars to have their students basically earmarked as for people's athletes. And so they would get, yeah, they would get basically tagged to get into those schools. And in a lot of the cases, they didn't even play the sport much less at an elite level. And so there are all these kind of funny tidbits about like them photoshopping images of them, you know, from like their their mansion's pool playing water polo and sticking their head on another person's body and stuff like that. And Brickseller did other things too, like arranging for standardized testing to be falsified or corrected and scores improved.

And, you know, most famously the scheme also involved actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, both of whom ended up spending some time behind bars for their involvement. So that is the kind of quick synopsis of what this documentary is actually about. Yes, perfect. Beautiful job. We're going to talk about some points that we wanted to discuss. First of all, is their choice to do like a reenact. along with interviews. And they used freaking Matthew Modin.

Who was a celebrated actor to play? Yes. Yeah, I was shocked. I was, like, once she started watching, I was like, wait, I know him. Like, I recognize him. Like, when you hear reenactment, it's like, okay, you know, these are people who are, they're working, but they're not going to be people you know from other things. But lo and behold, that he was Rick Singer.

And they had the villain in Wanda Vision. He was one of the guys who was paying for his kid to get in. So I was like, wow, they're getting legit actors. Yeah, I mean, I will say that, you know, I was worried when I heard that they were going to do that because it's such a kind of unconventional choice for a documentary. And like you said, it was sort of split between that and, you know, actual conventional interviews with people. But I think they did it as responsibly as you could. one of the interesting things about Varsi Blues is that the FBI published this massive, massive cache of wiretapped phone calls, or at least like the transcripts of them between Singer and all these parents.

And what the documentary does is basically a very, very strict kind of reenactment of those conversations, word for word, pause for pause. You know, and, you know, there's a lot of the parents being like, I'm not going to get in trouble for this, right? And Singer being like, oh, no, definitely not. It was, yeah, it was like, wow, okay, so they're really doing this. I don't know how they prepare. Maybe they, well, obviously they read the transcripts. I don't know if there's any audio left over or something, but I, it kind of reminded me, did you ever see the casting John Bonnet Netflix?

I didn't. And it kind of does the same thing, except they kind of talk to the actors and they're like, so what do you, who do you think killed John Bonnet Ramsey? And so I, yeah, it's a little like, okay, this is the more evolved form. I mean, maybe we needed Matthew Modin's opinion in the all of this. Like, what do you think? Exactly. Yeah, I do think they really missed an opportunity to cast Candice Cameron Buree as Lori Loughlin.

You know, that would have been great. But, yeah, unfortunately, we didn't see anyone as Lori or Felicity, like, who are the two kind of most prominent names, like you were saying, which I thought was interesting. Yeah, I mean, it's kind of interesting that they were not really included in it. I think their involvement was like alluded to a little bit, but the parents were mostly people who are not these sort of like name brands. You know for sure that like so and so it was involved in this. The kind of fun part of the reenactments was that they, I mean, I can only imagine the actual logistics behind this, but they seem to have basically rented mansions in all these different places to have the actors portray very, very wealthy people. And I have no idea, you know, how similar those were to like the real people's actual homes. Probably not that close.

But it was really fun to, you know, kind of see people beside their gorgeous pools and above their family winery and in their mansions and their plush offices and all of that stuff that you don't really get from just reading the transcript. Exactly. Yeah. And I felt like more like a fly on the wall being like, oh, wow. Okay. So yeah, I don't know. I liked it, I guess. Yeah. And I know you mentioned in your piece, you talked about how Netflix is kind of trying to position this as the next, you know, fire festival, the iconic Tiger King. I think it's either been like a year or almost a year since that just blew up the internet. And yeah, do you want to talk about that? That's an interesting choice for them, I think. I mean, I guess they're trying to corner the true crime kind of aspect here. But yeah.

I mean, it's sort of, it's like a weird, scammy corner of. true crime, right? But it's, it's, so, so Operation Varsity Blues, this new documentary comes from director Chris Smith and writer John Carmen, and they both worked on Netflix's Firefest documentary and then Smith also executive produced Tiger King. And I was actually, speaking of like the anniversary of Tiger King, I was thinking about how it was such a sensation when it came out. And I think it really was in the beginning of, um, this kind of lockdown era of the coronavirus because I remember ordering from my like local beloved ramen place. And they like, like included printouts of Tiger King and like little packs of crayons that you could like draw

at home. And it was like the sweet. But like that that is like the level of phenomenon that Tiger King was, right? Like it was this absolute pop culture sensation. And I don't, I don't think that this one is is going to get there. And I think, you know, I think part of that is, is there just, you know, there wasn't a ton, I think, that was new in this. And we can talk a little bit later about kind of the sourcing part of it, but it doesn't feel like you are necessarily learning things in this, even if it is kind of fun to be a fly on the wall. I totally agree. It was kind of like that happened, what, almost two years ago?

And so it felt almost, I mean, it's still interesting. It's still, I find it like to be a very interesting scandal involving, you know, the rich and wealthy. But at the same time, like you said, it's, I've already read the articles, you know, so it's like, okay, I get it. And I guess the people in this documentary, part of the enduring appeal of Tiger King is that the characters were crazy.

They were insane, like, just these wild characters. And no one is totally wild or has a totally great personality. And that was really hit home when they were talking about Rick Singer himself. They're like, well, the guy doesn't only have that much of a personality. He's just like kind of there.

Yeah, he just loves to like work out and swim. And like, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, there's certainly no Joe Exotic or Carol Baskin in this, which is, you know, probably, to everybody but the viewers benefit. But it's, yeah, I mean, I don't think anybody's going to be on, like, dancing with the stars from this.

Wow, that would be, you never know, that'd be a great comeback for Felicity or Lori, you know? That's true, actually. And dancing with the stars is not above it, so. Yeah, maybe their agents, you know, should have working on this. And then another interesting part of this documentary is that they did. did have one person who was indicted in all this. John Vandamore, who is or was, I guess, the Stanford sailing coach. And he was the one person and he was interviewed. And I think they also had an actor portray him in some scenes, too, or was that him maybe? He was definitely doing the on-camera

ones. I don't remember an actor, but I would, I would believe that that happened for sure in a documentary. And so what did you think about? I thought that was like, I was, I felt bad for him. Maybe I shouldn't, but I did. I really did because it seemed like he was, you know, kind of hoodwinked. Yeah, I mean, okay. So, I mean, like you said, he was the only person who was indicted in all of this, who cooperated with the documentary. So we see him on camera, and that is really interesting.

But I read through this book about the scandal as well that had some really great details, Nicole Port's brand new book on it. And she kind of got into how he became entangled in this. And one of the kind of really damning details was that Rick Singer had been trying to break into like the Stanford coaching scene for a long time because Stanford is like such a prominent school that it was very much in demand. And all these wealthy parents really wanted like a way to deprive their kid in there. And Van Amar was the eighth coach that he had approached. And the first seven did not want any part of this scheme for whatever reason. I don't know if they, you know, saw that it was illegal.

Or not, you know, who knows what it was. But he was the first one to take the bait, you know, coach number eight. So I don't think that bodes really well for you as you enter a criminal. Sure. But basically, I mean, like his, his, what makes it kind of sad, but also sort of, like, fastening, like, you can't look away is that his defense, basically, is that he just didn't know he was being bribed, like, that he just didn't understand. And, like, it's, you know, you may or may not believe.

that. Certainly, like, they also had his lawyer, which I found really interesting. And it seemed like his lawyer didn't particularly believe that. And they kind of play back. They have this kind of segment of the wiretap involving him where he kind of seems to acknowledge quite clearly his role in this. And the lawyer basically tells him that, like, if they go to a jury trial, it is not going to go well for him. So he ends up, like, cooperating. But he has this sort of sad, aweshock's defense. which is just like, well, I just, you know, I didn't realize why he was giving me all this funny. Yeah, you're right. He went into this whole, they started talking about one of this girl who was like the daughter of like a Chinese billionaire and they were like, we just want to introduce you. And oh, her dad also wants to give a bunch of money to Stanford's rowing team. And he was just like, wow, no one ever wants to give money to Stanford's rowing team. And part of me is like, oh, I don't know. No, it was, I mean, it was adorable. And I mean, like, sad. too. But also what makes it interesting kind of lends at least a little bit of credence to that

is, is that he, I think, was the only one of all these people who were kind of part of this coaching, this corrupt coaching network who gave all of the money to the school. Like, he just turned around and handed the checks over to the, like, Stanford Athletics Department and his bosses there being like, look, I got a donation. And they were like, good work, buddy. Like. Yes. And he also talks about how the athletic director at Stanford, who I don't know if is still there or not, But he said he, well, this is his story. He goes into the office and is like, I just got a great, you know, a $100,000 check from Rick Singer and some guy.

Like, we met through Rick Singer. And then the athletic director says something to the effect of, oh, oh, I know Rick Singer. Okay. And just shuts down the conversation. And so it seems to me that this athletic director kind of knew what was going on maybe but didn't want to acknowledge it. and he didn't really want to tell, you know, this poor John guy, anything about it.

And it just, I don't know, either this Mr. Vandamore is a great actor or he really just kind of got played. Yeah, I mean, like to your point, like it seems, in his case in particular, and we spend a bit of time with him, like, it really does seem like this kind of weird workplace drama for him as well, where it was just like sailing wasn't a very important sport. in like the Stanford Athletic Department's opinion and like it was not their kind of marquee thing. It did not bring in these, you know, flashy awards or, you know, donations or anything. Like it was not something they cared much about. And so finally he kind of found a way

to like ingratiate himself with his bosses. And like, it's really kind of heartbreaking. It totally is. And I just felt for him because, you know, I've been, like I've been in meetings and I've been on phone calls where you're just kind of going, yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, okay to people just to, like move move on, move the conversation.

Like I have other things to do. And that was kind of his defense when they talked about the call that pretty much got him indicted. And it was just like, I've been there. I've done those things. So I don't know. Maybe I felt like, oh my God, I could have been susceptible to that too. But there was something about him that his just awes shucks and like mopey demeanor just made me feel bad for him. And I don't know if I should, but like I did.

I did. No, I mean, he referred to, I think, like that phone call where he was, he said that he was kind of just hurrying out the door and he was just doing this kind of like, yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, okay, you know, we'll talk to you later. He, like, called it like the worst mistake of his life. And it really, like, it did have this kind of, you know, incredibly destructive effect on his, on his life, whether or not, you know, he was knowingly participating in this scheme. So I, you know, kind of wonder if his decision on like a personal level to participate in this documentary was, he was. he kind of saw it as a way to clear his name, maybe. I think so. And honest, to me, I kind of was like, poor guy, but who knows?

I obviously don't know the whole story. And then what do you think is the enduring appeal of this just iconic varsity blue scandal itself? Yeah. I mean, another interesting part. So they talked to, you know, John Van der Meier's attorney, but also a few other attorneys who were, you know, kind of peripherally involved in this case at one level or another. and a few of them kind of make the point that this is this is a weird case. Like they tried to bring it as like I guess like a RICO, a RICO case, a RICO in time,

but I do not know how to speak legalese at all. And I think that ultimately failed. But obviously that is that is most often used in kind of organized crime sort of scenarios and, you know, very serious crimes with very obvious victims, which is not to say that, you know, kind of messing with these systems that involve so much wealth and prestige and, opportunity and kind of, you know, keeping, keeping this sort of like the good old boys get the nice thing system. Like, obviously that does have many victims, but it's a little less direct than, for instance, some organized crime events. But so it's interesting why this kind of weird minor crime that didn't actually involve that many people sticks around. And I think for me,

at least, like, my enduring interest in it is just, I mean, it's kind of funny because, like, there aren't the, you know, these obvious victims. you just sort of get to kind of, you know, it's a little bit of Schadenfreude, right? At that, like, how the mighty have fallen, right? These masters of the universe who are caught doing just like this really dumb, embarrassing thing for their like,

good for nothing teenager who just didn't want to study for math. Yeah, definitely. He just, like, hated chemistry and, like, didn't bother. It is interesting. And some of, you know, I've read stuff on this case before, and some of the kids are like, I didn't know anything, okay? So, I mean, who knows? But yeah, well, that's actually a really interesting part of the wiretaps.

And I read through a bunch of the FBI documents this week as I was working on this piece. And there are a lot of the parents are really kind of adamant. They're like, it would really crush my kid if they found out that I was doing this. And I think, I mean, like, given the context of those calls, like that that's true. Like the parents did think that and they were trying to keep it from their kids, probably in all those situations. And like to imagine the kind of intrafamilial fallout that this is. had. And, like, there are situations where, like, they're alluding to their younger kids who aren't yet, like, high school juniors or seniors and being like, oh, yeah, like, my daughter, though,

she's really going to need help. So let's, you know, let's circle back on that. And, like, that girl will have read that now, right? Like, they know that. Like, like, setting apart, like, the actual cases and, like, potential, like, prison sentences. Like, surely this has been, like, a really damaging thing in a lot of families. And it's hard to feel bad for these people who are so wealthy. so privileged, but it really is, I'm sure, a thing. Oh, I mean, even in the case of Lori Loughlin and her daughter, it seemed like they were on contentious terms for a while, like a summer or so ago. And yeah, it's really, it's sad.

And something that struck me is Naomi Frye was interviewed. And she said kind of towards the end that, you know, one of the parts of all this is that, you know, we as Americans, we love and we hate the wealthy. We, you know, love, you know, being a fly on the wall again and learning about them. But at the same time, you know, it's frustrating that a certain class of people kind of gets things handed to them. And again, it's just, it's interesting. The whole, anything dealing with the wealthy and how, you know, how far they're willing to go is genuinely interesting. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention how they found a way to drag in Jared Kushner in this narrative, which was iconic.

and also is something that fascinates me too. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think they suggested that he was a classic backdoor case, right? That, like, his family had just donated so much money that it didn't matter. It was fine. They didn't have to, you know, stoop to bribing coaches. They did it illegal way.

They built a library. Yeah, exactly. So, yeah, I mean, very, very interesting series. It was, I thought it went by pretty fast. Like, it was just like, it was a fast watch, I guess. Yes. Yeah. I mean, on the one hand, like, I kind of wish they had, you know, done a little more, turned up a little bit more. But on the other, like, I don't think this needed to be like an eight part. Oh my God. But like one of the things that they kind of sort of hinted at because it's sort of like an inevitable part of this, especially with the parents who want to keep it from their kids, it's like, were the parents doing it for their kids or for themselves. And it seems it seems very much to be that the parents, and almost all those cases were doing it for themselves,

that it meant something to them and to their personal standing in their careers or lives or whatever to like have a kid that went to like a quote-unquote good college and kind of like untangling why that is and why that meant something to them. And I mean, it's weird. I don't know that that's an easy thing for a documentary to look at because it's not like that was in the wiretaps.

No, I agree. I found it interesting when they briefly split, spent time on how competitive college admissions is and has been for a long time. And they mentioned the U.S. World News Report rankings and just how, you know, these ACT, SAT, aptitude tests really skew towards wealthier children and whatnot. And you can pay for tutoring and all that stuff. And that, I think I would have liked to see more of that. I thought that was really interesting because that's not something. I mean, I think that's a totally kind of different thing in itself.

But no, I mean, I think that it's totally related. And I think honestly that was a lot of the argument Rick Singer used as he recruited these parents to be part of the scheme. He would basically say, I mean, look, like college admissions are broken. And that is true. That is objectively true. Like, it is a corrupt game. Like, Jared Kushner did it the right way, right? But, like, who thinks that that is fair?

Like, nobody thinks that. Maybe Yvanka, but she might be the only one. And, you know, being like, okay, well, you know, nobody's getting in fairly for the most part. So how can we kind of find our own way to fight that system? And obviously what they landed on was absolutely illegal. But, you know, it is broken. It is, you know, very, very broken system.

Wow. Well, I think we both recommend it. It's on Netflix. You can stream it now. And thank you guys for listening. You can find me, Amelia Weddemeier, on Tea Time. And you can find Claire McNer on Theringer.com. And you could also buy her book answers in the form of questions, a definitive history and insider's guide to Jeopardy, anywhere books are sold.

You can't reason with the sun. Trust us. We've tried. This summer, it's time to put that angry ball of fire on mute. Columbia's Omnyshade technology is engineered to protect you from the sun's harsh rays that can burn and damage your skin. The sun is relentless, but so is our gear. Level up your summer at Columbia.com to spend more time outside and less time slathering on allolotion. You're welcome.

Columbia, engineered for whatever. This episode is brought to you by Netflix's remarkably bright creatures. What if a Pacific octopus held the key to a mystery that could heal your heart? Well, that's Tova's reality. An elderly widow working at an aquarium. Tova forms an unlikely friendship with their crumudgeonly, Marcellus, whose remarkable intelligence leads her to a life-changing discovery. Remarkably bright creatures is now playing.

Only on Netflix.