About this episode

This episode features gripping survival stories from a man wrongfully imprisoned in the Philippines and a medical student confronting her addiction and grief.

This episode brings together two of the most gripping conversations in the show's recent run: a man who survived an extended stint in a Philippine jail on fabricated charges, and a medical student whose addiction and grief turned out to be more entangled than she had ever let herself understand. (Content note: accusations of sexual assault, child abuse, false imprisonment) Scott McMahon went to Manila for a construction job, ended up befriending a Belgian neighbor, and got pulled into a nightmare when that neighbor's wife turned the Philippine justice system against him. What followed was five and a half years in a maximum-security cell with 300 men, corrupt cops showing up every six weeks with a cash demand, and a family he could only see through a chain-link fence. It is one of the most staggering survival accounts this show has ever aired. (Content note: addiction, overdose death) Chelsea Dalsey was a medical student with a photographic memory, a habit she couldn't shake, and a lifelong partner in crime named Alex. Her conversation with Kevin Allison is part confession, part excavation, arriving at a truth she had spent 14 years burying alive. Leave your reactions to these…

People in this episode

Guests: Scott McMahon, Chelsea Dalsey

Topics covered

• survival
• addiction
• grief
• false imprisonment
• justice system
• personal stories

Keywords

• survival
• Philippines
• addiction
• grief
• false imprisonment
• medical student
• justice system
• personal stories

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Philippines, Manila

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the RISK! podcast page.