045 - The Crash (w your besties who would never do you like that)

045 - The Crash (w your besties who would never do you like that)

From Midnight Cheesecake by Ruha Tacey and Bekah Rodgers

June 5, 2026 · 56 min

About this episode

Ruha and Bekah reunite to discuss their chaotic lives, a Netflix documentary about a tragic case, and the implications of parenting in today's world.

The Crash (w/ your besties who would never do you likethat) It’s been a year (ish) of podcasting, a long stretch of “life be lifin’,” and somehow we’re still troubleshooting our microphones like it’s our first day. In this episode, Bekah and Ruha finally reunite after a chaotic season of colds, school-year burnout, missed concerts, and general long‑distance‑bestie shenanigans. We talk about the end‑of‑school-year nonsense (coloringpages, Hamilton screenings, Taco Bell runs), being “work moms” to pre-teens who cringe at our slang, and the third‑grade sign that simply said “bruh.” Ruha shares updates on her upcoming Japan trip — JR passes, ryokan stays, Studio Ghibli dreams, and the horrors of third‑partyhotel booking — while Bekah recounts surviving ahurricane evacuation in a $700 “suite” that was absolutely not a suite. Then we dive into the main event: The Crash, the Netflixdocumentary that sent Bekah down a multi‑platform rabbit hole. We walk through the Strongsville, Ohio case of Mackenzie Shirilla, Dominic Russo, and Davion Flanagan — the social media footprint, the car analytics, the trial, the parents, the excuses, the verdict, and the chilling details that point to…

People in this episode

Hosts: Ruha Tacey, Bekah Rodgers

Topics covered

  • podcasting journey
  • parenting
  • true crime
  • documentary analysis
  • friendship
  • life experiences

Keywords

  • Midnight Cheesecake
  • podcast
  • true crime
  • parenting
  • documentary
  • friendship
  • hurricane evacuation
  • Strongsville
  • Mackenzie Shirilla
  • Spot’s Playground

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Netflix

Books & works: Hamilton, Spot’s Playground, Studio Ghibli

Places: Strongsville, Ohio, Japan, Taco Bell

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