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Dawn of Mantis: True Crime, Mysteries and More · Dawn of Mantis Podcast

DOM Ep345 - Another "Smash & Grab!"

September 12, 2025·56 min·5 clips
The episode opens with the trio framing another Smashing Grab as a request driven dive into random weird shit from history. That framing is the whole promise. Ivan, Joe, and Sam treat the format like a fast shuffle through odd cases and odd facts, with the pace moving quickly enough that they never sit in one story for too long. Joe compares it to opening Christmas presents and already thinking about the next one, which fits the show's restless rhythm. They land on the idea that this style works because their brains move fast and the segments stay short. From there, they keep coming back to the larger point that real cases often sound too strange to be invented. They note that fiction would get laughed out of the room if it tried to stack up against some of the true stories they discuss, including Brian Cohey Jr. and Amber Waterman. The tone stays loose, but the human stakes still feel real. The conversation then veers into a Ken Burns tangent, with Joe slipping into a Southern attorney voice, talking about Ben Franklin, and riffing on the slogan 54, 40 or fight. After that, the room returns to the show's visual jokes and AI generated art, including Joe's trailer park lady character, mummy powder, and images made by Ashley, Devin, and Sam. The episode ends with a social media tease and a casual good night.

As heard by us

A fast, loose true crime hangout that keeps coming back to how strange real life can be.

Another Smashing Grab! moves fast, and that speed is part of the charm. The hosts bounce from odd history to true crime without spending too long on any one stop, and the loose handoff from one story to the next gives the episode its shape.

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Why you'd press play

Want brutal case details, a Ken Burns detour, and weird-history whiplash tonight?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
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