PRETEND

We've covered a lot of PRETENDers on this show. But the guy in this one might take the prize.

Carlos Henrique Raposo, better known as Kaiser, fooled the entire professional soccer world in Brazil for 26 years. He signed with more than 30 clubs. He partied with George Michael. He got protected by Rio's most dangerous crime boss. He once punched a fan in the face rather than actually step on the field. And through all of it, he barely played a single real game.

This week we're revisiting one of our favorite conversations: an interview with Louis Myles, director of the 2015 documentary "Kaiser! The Greatest Footballer Never to Play Football." Myles and his team spent 18 months in Rio chasing down the truth, or something close to it, behind Brazil's greatest football legend who never actually played football.

Watch the documentary:

"Kaiser! The Greatest Footballer Never to Play Football" (2015) is streaming on Amazon Prime.

Also from Louis Myles:

"Mighty Penguins," following the Brentford Penguins, a football team made up of players with Down syndrome, as they prepare to serve as guard of honour at a Premier League match. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2023 and is currently on the festival circuit.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Javier stops by the Hot Mess Happy Hour Podcast and it didn't disappoint. It was a hot mess!

About Hot Mess Happy Hour:

Are you always running late? Do you leave things on top of your car and
drive off? You might be a hot mess too so this podcast is for you! Laugh
along as we share crazy hot mess stories during our weekly happy hour
with yours truly. We'll also share tips and tricks for those affected by
ADHD like your host, Susan Cokas! So grab a cocktail and get ready to
laugh! It's Hot Mess Happy Hour!

Check out the Hot Mess Happy Hour:

https://hotmesshappyhour.buzzsprout.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

My friend Johnathan Walton just launched a new show called Hardcore Con, and I had to share it with you.

Each episode, he breaks down a con story and the specific psychological tactics scammers use to pull it off. And this episode gets at something I think about a lot: it doesn't matter how smart you are.

Subscribe to Hardcore Con on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mXtr05OjD4wk4M8JrvLPy

Or search "Hardcore Con" wherever you listen.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Federal prosecutors say the man known as Rony Denis isn't Rony Denis at all.

The arrest finally came in the fall of 2025. Three years after the FBI raids. But the church is still operating. So my friend Jared Smith from the Heliocentric YouTube channel and I drove down to Fayetteville to attend a Sunday service and see what's left of the House of Prayer Christian Church.

And the whole sermon, it turned out, felt aimed at two specific people in the pews.

This is the final chapter of the Chain of Command series. But it ain't over yet.

Watch Jared's Atheist Church Audits on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HeliocentricOfficial

Written and Produced by Javier Leiva Edited by Puneeth Shenoy | Podcast Pundits https://www.podcastpundits.com/ Music by Joe Basile | thechicken.net

Get early access and bonus content

PRETEND+ on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/pretend/id6443456985

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/pretendradio

© 2026 Creative Babble LLC

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Part 6, the FBI comes knocking.

Rony Denis and his top associates allegedly defrauded the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and military veterans out of more than $23.5 million. The House of Prayer Bible Seminary looked like a school. Veterans used their GI Bill benefits to enroll, paying the church hundreds of dollars a month for classes that led nowhere and credits worth nothing outside these walls.

Rony Denis is still a free man. But not for long.

Written and Produced by Javier Leiva

Edited by Puneeth Shenoy | Podcast Pundits https://www.podcastpundits.com/

Music by Joe Basile | thechicken.net

Get early access and bonus content

PRETEND+ on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/pretend/id6443456985

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/pretendradio

© 2026 Creative Babble LLC

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices