December 6th, 2014. Courtland, Mississippi. Firefighters responded to a report of a burning vehicle on a rural road. They found 19-year-old Jessica Chambers nearby. She was still alive but severely burned. Jessica identified herself and told first responders that someone named “Eric” or “Derek,” set her car on fire. She died from her injuries the next day.

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When Frank Farian first laid eyes on Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan, he saw everything he wasn’t. They were handsome, young, and Black. But Frank had something they didn’t. He had power.

So, Frank offered them a devil’s bargain. Almost overnight, Milli Vanilli’s debut album went five times platinum and scored a Grammy nomination. But when the lie at the center of their success started to unravel, Rob and Fab would discover the hard way the difference between star power and real power.

From Wondery, Blame It on the Fame is a story about the lie that shot to #1 and what it cost to tell the truth. Hosted by Amanda Seales.

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March 21st, 2012. El Cajon, California. Shaima Alawadi was attacked inside her home and died from her injuries three days later. Shaima was a Muslim woman and because a threatening note was found next to her body, investigators initially considered the possibility that her death was a hate crime.

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Listen ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App. https://wondery.app.link/generationwhy.

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