Another crazy dateline story.

Just when you thought this tale couldn’t get worse, it did. I won’t soon forget this one. Josh always does an amazing job of telling the tales of these people.

NBC is the most overproduced, excessively melodramatic network. You can tell how much editing is done with the interviews, the sound bites thrown in with the stupid BELL sound right after. It’s just so dressed up, and feels disingenuous. This guy’s voice is just trying too hard.

As a pastor, the story breaks my heart, but I think they did a great job in presenting it and keeping it very fair. I love the narrators from dateline and they do such a great job.

RIP Dawn

Love Dateline, love this! Such a welcome distraction from mundane job

This podcast should be called, Stupid Disgusting Woman.

I’m quitting a couple episodes in. Agree with those saying NBC and Josh are jumping on an easy-to-sensationalize story. And the sensational part is that “White male christian leaders brainwashed Christian women and had affairs with them; one ended up taking the life of his wife ‘in the name of God’.” Okaaay….actually all murderers are twisted in their own way, religiously or otherwise, and this series could’ve been one episode. Mankiewicz insists on harping every five minutes on the fact that these were “false prophets” who “said God wanted (the affairs)”. Even the series title is just click-bait. Religion sells, I guess?

The women in this podcast are idiots that hide and manipulate God and the Bible to do foul things just like Nick. They all deserve what comes their way.

I usually love the Dateline series, but this one was just okay. Not much story there, in the end. It really feels like it could have been a single episode.

I think this podcast is blood curdling, exciting, and gives you that feeling where you go “I NEED to know what happens next!!!” Heh 😈. I love it 😍

Very annoying story. This pastors ‘flock’ is just that. A bunch of sheep who speak in tongues, think they can raise people from the dead and have s*x with a fake christian cult leader. These ‘adults’ take zero responsibility for their actions. In marriage counseling with your pastor and he says god wants you to have an affair with him? Don’t believe it. *eyeroll*

Josh Manks is a fabulous storyteller. I was riveted by this podcast!

It felt more sensationalist at times than investigate or documentary. I would have liked more detail and less editorial. Just not my style of podcast, I suppose.

This was sad to hear that Nick Hackeney thought he was god — he is/was no more human than me. Like Annette said, God gave us a head to think with and, in lacking wisdom, we are to come to God and ask, and He will give it to us as He promises—man’s promises are empty. Also, the test of a prophet are if/when his prophesies come TRUE.

While the story is interesting and heartbreaking, the host made it frustrating to listen to. There are times he’s overly empathetic and forgiving of those involved; then with others he interviews who were in similar (or more forgivable circumstances) he attacks and judges them while interviewing them. He’s also very antagonistic about some aspects of religion, but then blithely accepts some parts of the church and parishioners. TL;DR: interesting story, not done justice.

5 stars for Joshy Mank. -2 stars for this story…Not sure why this got stretched out into its own podcast.

This podcast is boring and Josh is weak on the subjects involved.

I'm not sure this even needed to be a whole podcast. All the people in this story are "victims?!" Give me a break. I didn't hear any of the women take any accountability for their choices. This is just another story of religious freaks who can't think for themselves so they rely on man and church to rule their lives., shocker the holy man was an evil pervert.

Reminds me of the cult in The Leftovers (The Remnant)

The way christians can manipulate the facts, behaviors, and beliefs never ceases to amaze me.

The podcast was too short; I would have loved to hear more about the case if the episodes were 45 minutes to a little over an hour. I would have liked to hear more about why Nick turned to work farming instead of the explanation we were given. I also agree with some reviewers about Josh; he is not my personal favorite because of the way he can come across as condescending sometimes. However, I did enjoy hearing about how the people impacted by Nick and his crimes didn’t let him define their stories.

This whole story is crazy. This is why people need to read the Bible for themselves and not trust the pastor because s/he is a “interpreter of the Word”.

Josh Mickiewicz never lets us down. He is a great storyteller and he was respectful with a difficult subject of a horrible sin committed by a pastor and the people of the church who ignored red flags in the name of faith or whatever. I appreciated this story.

This place sounds more like Waco, TX or Jim Jones clan. Brainwashed fools.

This story is entertaining and I did listen to it all, whatever that means. The Dateline format is exploitative and sensational. I think they’re also somewhat responsible for opening the door to the flagrant misogyny in some of these other reviews. Y’all are weird for placing blame on the people manipulated by someone in power. The victims of this man already show beyond adequate remorse, even when they were completely blameless. If you have been exploited (by a church or anyone else) know that it is NOT your fault and shame on Dateline’s boomer structure.

Great podcast overall to binge! I agree with other reviews in that it was frustrating how the women involved were treated as pitiful victims, and not held more directly accountable for their decisions. Though I can’t imagine they would have agreed to be interviewed if they couldn’t control the narrative to some degree. Gives me a little more faith in society to see that many listeners didn’t pacify their behavior either. If you like the other dateline miniseries’, you’ll enjoy this one too!

This podcast is not a new story; it aired on Dateline television years ago.

Good for killing time during a long road trip but not one I’d openly recommend. Highlights are pretty wild and entertaining but when it comes to facts about the case itself, it’s very super level.

This is why we should encourage the education of women. Gross.

Wow

Dennis! This is masterful storytelling. The dead wife’s mother?!? I can’t.😂 Deliciously scandalous. Happy New Year to you & your family. ✨

I understand that the manner of interviewing has been Dateline’s “thing” for as long as Dateline has been around, but the way he speaks to and interviews people who were clearly manipulated into a coercive controlling relationship with a narcissist makes me think the host hasn’t done sufficient research. He could have pulled so much more interesting and useful information from the interviewees if the interviews were approached less like an episode of Dr. Phil and more like an episode of the shows “Let’s Talk About Sects” and “Indoctrination.” It’s an interesting story told in an interesting way, but the whole time I was distracted by the interrogation style of interviewing.

This seems like the most sacrilegious podcast I’ve ever seen dressed in “Christian clothing”

They should be ashamed to treat real humans like this. Dateline only sees profits. Not humans.

I love ALL things Dateline and ALL things Josh M., but..... I had a harrrrrrd time finding sympathy in my soul for the women who allowed themselves to be so ridiculously manipulated by that man. My jaw HIT THE FLOOR when Dawn's mother revealed her little secret and I was so disgusted by it, that I couldn't even listen to the rest of the podcast with an open mind - I shut down after that. I'm so sorry, but what she did is JUST GROSS.

And it completely frustrated me how they were treated with kid gloves. They even call the victim’s mom who boinked her daughter’s killer, all while cheating in her husband of 30+…oh and father of her murdered daughter, a good person. That garden tool should feel like trash forever. Others may forgive her, God may forgive her, but that’s just trash. Dude is a horrible megalomaniac murderer, but those women are not good people and horrible wives.

If I ever needed another reason to stay FAR away from very religious people this is it. The story is good and well told by dateline but most of the people involved are NUTS!

Don't be a follower

If you ever needed proof that religion is actually a cult - this is it.

These women are ridiculous. “We had sex because a man said it was part of God’s plan. It’s not my fault.” Stupid. I have zero sympathy for them

—Except for the fact the self-professed “prophets” are scammers who are given weight and respect they don’t deserve. They are just another version of fortune tellers except that they dishonestly, delusionally, or arrogantly use God’s name as THEIR brand to justify themselves.

The first thing that comes up is a few more questions

I thought this podcast was so strange… it seemed pretty dragged out and then the last episode was pretty gross. I get that they don’t want to say anything nice about this disgusting guy that killed his wife, but the sneering mockery of “the worm guy” was so unneeded. It actually sounds like a great project, and I didn’t find his prison Ted talk to be anything to make fun of. Again, not defending him as a person, but what a tacky way to end a mediocre podcast, by mocking prisoners for their worthy hobbies.

I see constant reviews of people complaining about subscriptions. How do people not know that you just have to wait and the episode will be available outside the subscription?!!! Another good podcast by the Dateline folks!

Josh M. your questions made sense but all the answers of church members just did not sound true. The previous review gave me a complete eye opener as to what probably was going on. It explains issues with the women this opportunist actually looked for plus “prophecies?”; others suspected problems within the church but did not say anything, plus such a big role this youth minister had n no one knew about- all sound dishonest. I think the real name of this story- Church Members committing mortal sin.

This was such an insane story. My jaw hit the floor several times. I loved the interviews. He asked the questions I had in my head about the choices these people made and I’m still scratching my head. So good.

Firstly I’d like to say Josh Mankiewicz is an outstanding host — second only to our Dateline Lord & Savior Keith Morrison. His interviewing skills are outstanding. He is empathetic, intuitive, and seems to have a genuine warmth that solicits openness and clarity from the people he’s interviewing. Anytime I was thinking “Why did X happen…” it seems Josh is three steps ahead and he’s asking the same question. I believe he is very fair to each “side” of the case — I particularly enjoyed his interview with the defense attorney in this podcast as Josh asked a lot of the questions at the forefront of my mind. Ultimately this is a controversial story with valid questions on both sides. Are these women really all victims? Obviously the prosecutors case requires them to be cast as such — it’s their primary motive for the murder. Nick is a narcissistic philanderer, but rather than cast his affair partners as bored housewives looking to feel spiritually enlightened above their peers, they are portrayed as victims of Nick’s amorous machinations. Ultimately I think this area is the only subject I found lacking. We hear from the victims mother and one of Nick’s affair partners, but Dawns father & brothers do not appear, nor do any of the parishioners, or Sandra, or the other women. I did not find Dawn’s mother to be particularly sympathetic. She outright says her decision to sleep with Nick had nothing to do with religion. She wanted to “comfort” a grieving husband and replace her daughter. Its…definitely extra. I don’t think a mother can be seduced by her deceased daughters husband without there being a kernel of impropriety to begin with. I personally know of some very jealous mothers who have weird obsessions with their son-in-laws. It’s a bizarre competitiveness stemming from a need to feel like the center of attention and uniquely special in the lives of men. Sandra’s motivations are equally similar. She waits four years to speak the truth and only comes forward when her affair is about to be exposed. Josh very intuitively points this out. Rather than being revealed as a cheater, she transforms into a victim and becomes the prosecutions star witness. Personally I think he absolutely killed his wife — but the evidence to convict was minimal & shaky at best. I think Sandra knew, but she wouldn’t leave her husband for him. Instead she puts him in charge of couples counseling, a position he is not qualified to hold, and he expands his pool of affairs from there. I would have liked to hear from more people like the pastor — those who aren’t THE central characters but close enough to provide more objective context. More of Dawn’s friends who didn’t sleep with her husband. I also think the actual victim — DAWN — is lost in their over-eagerness to sell us the “all of them are victims” narrative. Sandra was no victim. At best she withheld evidence of a murder for four years while continuing an affair, at worse she was a co-conspirator in a murder plot. Dawns mother is ethically suspect. Its definitely worth a listen. For those one star reviewing the podcast, the ratings are supposed to reflect the quality of the podcast — not the likability of the characters lol. I don’t think it’s Datelines greatest, but Josh elevates the quality into a memorable listen.

I think Dateline and Josh did a great job on this short series… however, I feel like they missed the mark on calling this organization a church. It was obviously a cult and the fact that they didn’t outwardly touch on that was disappointing.

lots of commercials