A new podcast fan group has been criticised for too elitist.
The Ardal’s REAL Fans private group started a month ago and is devoted to fans of the Ardal Makes Friends celebrity interview podcast.
There are a handful of non-negotiable rules on the page, including:
- Members must listen to new episodes as soon as they are released and be finished within 24 hours of release. The discussions are spoiler-heavy and discuss every interview in detail, so don’t whine about the interview being ruined if you haven’t listened yet, that’s your fault. And you MUST provide a genuine excuse for why you haven’t listened to an episode, or it’s permanent banishment from the group! If you can’t commit to listening to the podcast, then get out of the group until you’re ready.
- Members must listen to EVERY episode of Ardal Makes Friends at 1x speed. No skipping episodes, no fast forwarding. If you want to be in this group, you MUST listen to every second, including ad breaks. If you can’t make time for Ardal Makes Friends, then what are you doing here?
- There shall be ZERO criticism of Ardal Makes Friends interviews! This is a safe and positive space and if you don’t like a particular guest, then shut your mouth and stay out of the conversation. REAL fans love EVERY guest on the podcast and negative comments will result in an instant ban! No arguments!
A former member of the group (who wished to remain anonymous) has slammed the “gatekeeper” admins.
“I thought it might be a fun group to talk about the podcast, but I soon realised it was closer to a cult! I’ve loved Ardal since I was a kid, but these brainwashed admins seem to forget it’s just a podcast! Not everyone shares their fanatical devotion to it. I made the mistake of mentioning I was listening through the massive back catalogue of a fiction writing podcast and decided to leave one Ardal episode for a couple of days. The admin started abusing me in the comments so I got out of the group. I’ll listen to the podcast when I get around to it and enjoy it in my own time. There’s no rush.”
It seems like a lot of members shared this former member’s opinion, with membership for the group cut in half since it started, with only the diehards left.
“It’s better that way. Let the hardcore fans swim in their own filth and obsess about the podcast amongst themselves.”
