Your Favorite Thing with Wells & Brandi - Introducing: Academy

Episode Date: July 20, 2023

Welcome to Bishop Gray Academy, a world of high-stakes and cut-throat competition. Academy, a riveting coming-of-age audio drama co-produced by AT WILL MEDIA and Wondery, follows the story of Ava Richards, a scholarship student who transfers to Bishop Gray, one of the most elite and competitive boarding schools in America. As Ava tries to find her place in this high-pressure environment, she soon crosses paths with an underground society known as The Night of the Wolf, which caters to the school's wealthiest students and enforces strict secrecy. With trust in short supply, Ava must navigate a dangerous and alluring world where friendships will be tested, romances will bloom, and ambitions cut short.  Binge all 10 episodes of Academy early and ad-free on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts today. Listen to Academy: https://wondery.app.link/Academy_YFTWB

Welcome to Bishop Gray Academy, the country's most exclusive boarding school, a place where the best and brightest aren't fighting to be prom queen or captain of the football team. They're on track to become the next Supreme Court justice. Academy is a new scripted podcast from Wondery and Atwill Media that follows Ava Richards, played by HBO's Industries' Mihaela Harreld, a brilliant scholarship student who has to quickly adapt to her newfound eat-or-be-eaten world. Ava sets her sights on being the first scholarship student ever to make The List,

Bishop Grey's all-coveted academic top 10, curated by the headmaster himself. But this ambition comes at the expense of new friendships and budding romances. Once she realizes there's no way she'll make The List on her own, Ava is recruited by the Knight of new friendships and budding romances. Once she realizes there's no way she'll make the list on her own, Ava is recruited by the Knight of the Wolf, Bishop Grey's underground society with more secrets than the Illuminati. If she bends to their demands in exchange for her own success, she could have one of the 10 coveted spots. But at what cost?

Academy takes you into the world of a cutthroat private school where power, money, and sex collide in a game of life and death. I'm about to play a clip from Academy. Enjoy Academy on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge all 10 episodes of Academy early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts today. Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple podcasts today. Bishop Gray Academy, the most prestigious boarding school in the country and the most cutthroat everything. And I mean,

everything at Bishop Gray revolves around the list. Is it fucked up that our school publicly ranks the top 10 students on campus? Of course. Would I cut off both of my arms to get on? Absolutely. To make it on, you need to excel in three areas. Academics. I take four APs, two languages, and an intensive writing seminar. And I'm only on 30 milligrams of Adderall. Extracurriculars. The competition is brutal man so you need to participate wherever you can. I'm the VP of the

beekeeping club and I'm allergic to bees. And social involvement, which is another way to say popularity. I'm throwing a back to school bash in my dorm. Everyone's going to be there. You're coming, right? Right? Bishop Gray is like no other school on the planet. The best fencing team in the country. Elaborate black tie brunches.

Enough drugs to sedate a blue whale. More money, status, and privilege than God. I'm not supposed to be here. Nobody in my hometown of Loveland, Pennsylvania, population 12,000, understands why I sacrificed my friends, my sanity, and my childhood to get here. But I'm here now. And I'm not going to settle for mediocrity, because getting into the top 10 opens up a lot of doors. Harvard, Yale, Google, Apple, US

Senate. And if you graduate number one, the entire world is yours for the choosing. I want that, and it's going to be mine. You belong. I love the person you belong. Yeah, they belong. Yeah, you belong. I love the happiness you belong. From Wondry and Atwill Media, this is Academy. Episode 1, Old Money, New Rules. Shit. Congrats. First Money, New Rules. Shit. Congrats. First break of the year.

I can clean it up. It's just a planter. Happens all the time. Let me help. You're new. How'd you know? Well, you're not allowed to be in here unless you're part of the gardening club. But I won't tell. Thanks. You're a teacher? Wow. I looked that old? No, senior. It's nice in here, right? It's a good escape from the trust fund kids having panic attacks out there. I really shouldn't be this clumsy. Back home in the middle of nowhere, Pennsylvania, we had a

little garden, but it was nothing like this glass and steel middle of nowhere, Pennsylvania, we had a little garden, but it was nothing like this glass and steel conservatory with, like, humidity controls. Damn. Cottagecore. That's cool. I don't know if I would say cottagecore. Well, uh, what'd you grow? Just normal stuff. Tomatoes, garlic, eggplant. Ah, I've always found eggplant tricky. And these two huge cherry trees? Sweet Stella cherries.

They're the best. Sweet Stella cherries? I'll have to try some. So what convinced you to leave the cottage for Bishop Gray? A lot of things. The academics. The people. The prestige.

Sure. I guess. Yeah, I see. So you're one of those strivers? What does that mean? You know, the people who freak out about their GPA going up or down like a tenth of a point. That's not really my speed. Why did you come here?

Oh, I've been at Bishop Grayson's kindergarten. Just a few miles away from here. My parents came before that. And my grandparents before that. So you're a legacy. I hear you guys get all the awards and attention. Maybe if you're looking for attention. So you want to join the gardening club or what? Yeah, I don't know. I'm gonna be pretty busy this semester. Trying to get on the list? Maybe. Eventually. But there's a lot to do first.

Like getting an orchestra audition slot. I'm actually big in orchestra if you need a rec. Really? That would be great. Oh, yeah. Ah, you should see me play the triangle. Very funny. Don't worry, you'll figure it out. People have all sorts of different ways of thriving and surviving at Bishop Gray. Money and professional networks help, of course.

And the secret societies, if you believe in that sort of thing. I gotta get back to these tomatoes, but hey, you should join the gardening club, for real. You'd be perfect for it. This is a pear. Did you get it? Yeah. I got your awful pun. Thanks. But I have a lot on my plate. Well, if you ever need an escape, I'm Jesse. Welcome to Bishop Gray.

I'm Ava. And unfortunately, I can't pick my extracurriculars based solely off of membership of tall, hot boys. extracurriculars based solely off of membership of tall, hot boys. Bench all 10 episodes of Academy early and ad-free on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts today. This podcast has been brought to you by Podcast Nation.