Podcasts · Society & Culture · History

Against The Odds

Audible

296 episodes · in order

Humans are resilient. In our toughest moments, we will fight, we will struggle, and we will triumph...often against the odds.

More about the show

In this immersive series, host-adventurers Mike Corey and Cassie De Pecol will share thrilling stories of survival. From the daring rescue of a soccer team trapped in an underwater cave in Thailand, to a woman taken hostage by Somali pirates, these stories made headlines around the world. AGAINST THE ODDS will make you feel as though you’re living these experiences with our heroes as they push themselves to their limits.

Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of Against The Odds ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app.

Episodes page 1 of 6

  1. Introducing Against The Odds

    · 1:58 · Trailer · Explicit

    Humans are resilient. In our toughest moments, we will fight, we will struggle, and we will triumph...often against the odds. In this immersive series from Wondery, host-adventurers Mike Corey and Cassie De Pecol will…

  2. Thai Cave Rescue | Lost | 1

    · 43 min · S1 E1 · Explicit

    In 2018, twelve young soccer players and their coach are exploring a six-mile caving system in Thailand when they are trapped inside by heavy rains. Local authorities attempt to rescue them. But it’s going to take an…

  3. Thai Cave Rescue | Chaos | 2

    · 42 min · S1 E2 · Explicit

    The boys on the soccer team struggle to stay alive inside the cave. Expert divers from around the world arrive in Thailand to find a media circus and a slow-moving bureaucracy. All of them must work against harrowing…

  4. Thai Cave Rescue | Risk | 3

    · 42 min · S1 E3 · Explicit

    Rescuers locate the 12 boys and their soccer coach deep inside the Tham Luang, but now they have another problem. How will they get them all out? An international team frantically looks for solutions, but no one can…

  5. Thai Cave Rescue | Chamber Nine | 4

    · 46 min · S1 E4 · Explicit

    It’s been fourteen days since 12 boys and their coach went missing inside the Tham Luang. The Thai government gives the greenlight to a highly complex mission to dive the boys out. Estimates for them all making them…

  6. Thai Cave Rescue | Interview with Rick Stanton | 5

    · 41 min · S1 E5 · Explicit

    Rick Stanton was one of the lead divers on the mission to rescue 12 boys and their soccer coach from an underwater cave in Thailand. Rick talks to Mike Corey, about his lifelong passion to explore underwater caves. He…

  7. Thai Cave Rescue | Meet the Hosts | 6

    · 33 min · S1 E6 · Explicit

    The two hosts of Against the Odds, Mike Corey and Cassie De Pecol, interview each other on their lives as adventurers in this special episode. They discuss what drives them to explore, why they’re drawn to the subject…

  8. Kidnapped in the Desert | Beyond the Green Line | 1

    · 44 min · S2 E1 · Explicit

    In the fall of 2011, humanitarian aid worker Jessica Buchanan is traveling through the Somali desert when she and a colleague are kidnapped by land pirates. Her organization quickly springs into action and brings in…

  9. Kidnapped in the Desert | Big Money | 2

    · 45 min · S2 E2 · Explicit

    As days and then weeks go by, Jessica tries to adjust to life as a hostage in the Somali desert, but she’s sick and her body is failing. Back in Nairobi, her husband works with her NGO on a plan to get Jessica medicine…

  10. Kidnapped in the Desert | Zero Hour | 3

    · 43 min · S2 E3 · Explicit

    After months in captivity, Jessica Buchanan is battling a kidney infection, and her body’s on the verge of collapse. The negotiations for her release aren’t going anywhere and the Crisis Management Team overseeing…

  11. Kidnapped in the Desert | Interview with Jessica Buchanan | 4

    · 44 min · S2 E4 · Explicit

    Jessica Buchanan was kidnapped by Somali land pirates, and spent 93 days in captivity before her daring rescue by SEAL team six. Jessica talks to Against the Odds host, Cassie De Pecol, about her experience and how…

  12. John McCain: Prisoner of War | When Your Luck Runs Out | 1

    · 40 min · S3 E1 · Explicit

    It's 1967, and American Naval Pilot John McCain is on a bombing mission in the midst of the Vietnam War when he’s shot down by the enemy. After surviving the crash, he’s taken in as a prisoner of war and housed at the…

  13. John McCain: Prisoner of War | The Crown Prince | 2

    · 38 min · S3 E2 · Explicit

    Lieutenant Commander John McCain’s plane was shot down on a bombing mission and he survived the crash. He was taken in as a prisoner of war and housed at the infamous Hanoi Hilton. Now, John must face the ultimate test…

  14. John McCain: Prisoner of War | Regrets | 3

    · 37 min · S3 E3 · Explicit

    John McCain’s body and mind are starting to deteriorate after months of imprisonment. To survive, he’ll need to make a tough choice. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a crisis threatens to destroy John's…

  15. John McCain: Prisoner of War | Interview with Doug McCain and Everett Alvarez | 5

    · 44 min · S3 E5 · Explicit

    John McCain was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam for five and a half years. John's son, Doug McCain, and the longest-held prisoner of war in Hanoi Hilton, Everett Alvarez, discuss the Vietnam War's effects on their…

  16. John McCain: Prisoner of War | Greater than Himself | 4

    · 38 min · S3 E4 · Explicit

    After five years in captivity, John McCain and his fellow POWs try to keep their spirits up by finding new ways to hold on. When news comes that the war will soon be over, he must figure out what learnings he wants to…

  17. K2: The Savage Mountain | Summit Fever | 1

    · 38 min · S4 E1 · Explicit

    In the summer of 2008, mountaineers from eight different countries gather at the foot of the world’s second tallest mountain, K2. All of them have a single goal: reach the summit. But to do that they will need to…

  18. K2: The Savage Mountain | The Death Zone | 2

    · 43 min · S4 E2 · Explicit

    An international group of climbers are close to summiting one of the world’s tallest, and most dangerous, mountains. Their goal was to reach the peak by mid-afternoon and get down before dark when temperatures drop to…

  19. K2: The Savage Mountain | The Final Descent | 3

    · 48 min · S4 E3 · Explicit

    Unforeseen conditions have put the world's strongest climbers to the test as they battle their way down the mountain. Before it’s over, the savage mountain will bring on more avalanches and below-zero temperatures.…

  20. K2: The Savage Mountain |Fredrik Sträng, Pt. 1: On Climbing the World’s Highest Peaks | 4

    · 42 min · S4 E4 · Explicit

    Mountaineer Fredrik Sträng survived the deadly turn of events on K2 in 2008. In part 1 of this 2-part interview, Sträng talks about the challenges of climbing the world’s highest peaks and what it's like to train for…

  21. K2: The Savage Mountain | Fredrik Sträng, Pt. 2: On Surviving K2 | 5

    · 44 min · S4 E5 · Explicit

    On August 1, 2008 Mountaineer Fredrik Sträng was on K2, the second highest mountain on Earth. He’d reached Camp 4 at 26,000 feet and was ready for the final push up to the summit. But Sträng and another member of his…

  22. Shipwreck on the Sahara | The Storm | 1

    · 42 min · S5 E1 · Explicit

    In August 1815, a ship called The Commerce runs aground off the coast of Northwest Africa. Onboard are eleven crew members who are merchant traders who have no choice but to row to shore. They will soon find themselves…

  23. Shipwreck on the Sahara | Thirst | 2

    · 44 min · S5 E2 · Explicit

    Captain James Riley’s ship is marooned off the coast of Northwest Africa, where the Sahara meets the sea. The vessel is useless, and his crew’s only chance to make it home is by crossing the largest hot desert in the…

  24. Shipwreck on the Sahara | Honor Among Thieves | 3

    · 46 min · S5 E3 · Explicit

    When Captain Riley and his crew are divided amongst warring nomadic tribes, Riley needs to devise a plan to find all of his men. Only then can he convince Sidi Hamet to take them to the city of Swearah where he can…

  25. Shipwreck on the Sahara | The Letter | 4

    · 45 min · S5 E4 · Explicit

    Sidi Hamet’s family is hundreds of miles away, far across the Sahara. Hamet yearns for his wife but must pay off his debts to his father-in-law before they are reconnected. Meanwhile, Captain James Riley searches for…

  26. Shipwreck on the Sahara | Interview with Dean King | 5

    · 39 min · S5 E5 · Explicit

    Author Dean King traveled across the world to retrace Captain Riley’s footsteps through the Sahara Desert. His book, Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival, recounts Riley’s story and King’s own experiences…

  27. Endurance: Surviving Antarctica | Obsession | 1

    · 47 min · S6 E1 · Explicit

    In March 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton works to put together a crew of twenty-eight men to sail from England to Antarctica. It was a new continent untouched by humanity that only the most adventurous men dared to…

  28. Endurance: Surviving Antarctica | Patience | 2

    · 45 min · S6 E2 · Explicit

    Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew of twenty-seven men witness their ship, the Endurance, take a devastating blow against the unforgiving ice off the coast of Antarctica. The men will have to build camp and spend the…

  29. Endurance: Surviving Antarctica | Determination | 3

    · 44 min · S6 E3 · Explicit

    Ernest Shackleton and his men are trapped on an ice floe off the coast of Antarctica. Tensions are running high, and rations are dwindling quickly. Shackleton is unsure how they are going to survive. Escaping the ice…

  30. Endurance: Surviving Antarctica | Perseverance | 4

    · 46 min · S6 E4 · Explicit

    Ernest Shackleton and his crew of twenty-seven men were finally able to set sail for Elephant Island, but now the boats have been separated. They’ll have to endure the sea’s wrath. Shackleton’s crew must win the battle…

  31. Endurance: Surviving Antarctica | Hope | 5

    · 46 min · S6 E5 · Explicit

    In a final attempt to get his men home, Ernest Shackleton and his crew have to get through the Drake Passage, the most dangerous stretch of ocean in the world. And that’s just the beginning. When they reach their goal…

  32. Endurance: Surviving Antarctica | Interview with Chris Turney | 6

    · 43 min · S6 E6 · Explicit

    Chris Turney is an Earth scientist studying the causes and impacts of environmental and climate change with a focus on the Antarctic. Turney shares tales from his own ambitious expeditions to Antarctica and the…

  33. Plane Crash in the Andes | The Crash | 1

    · 47 min · S7 E1 · Explicit

    In October 1972, an Uruguayan rugby team traveling to their next match in Santiago, Chile, crashes into the Andes Mountains after their plane strikes a glacier. Stranded on the snow-covered side of a mountain, they…

  34. Plane Crash in the Andes | The Cutting | 2

    · 48 min · S7 E2 · Explicit

    The remaining survivors of the Fairchild crash are starting to lose hope that rescuers will arrive after ten days of inactivity. Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa understand their only chance at survival is to send a…

  35. Plane Crash in the Andes | The Choice | 3

    · 47 min · S7 E3 · Explicit

    After escaping an avalanche that killed eight more passengers, the survivors of the Fairchild are starting to lose all hope. Many in the group are on death’s door. Time is running out. They can’t wait any longer for…

  36. Plane Crash in the Andes | The Climb | 4

    · 46 min · S7 E4 · Explicit

    In a final attempt to escape the Andes, Nando and Roberto have headed east to pursue safety. The men face a difficult journey as the weather takes a turn for the worst, and their food supply dwindles. Back at the…

  37. Plane Crash in the Andes | Returning to the Andes with Mountaineer Ricardo Peña | 5

    · 40 min · S7 E5 · Explicit

    Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa braved 36 miles of brutal mountain terrain to escape the Andes and save their teammates. But this isn’t where the story of Flight 571 ends. While hiking near the crash site in 2005,…

  38. Chilean Mine Collapse | The Mountain Weeps | 1

    · 46 min · S8 E1 · Explicit

    In 2010, the San Jose copper mine in Chile suffers a catastrophic collapse, leaving 33 miners trapped over 2,000 feet underground. As they desperately search for a way out, a massive rescue effort begins on the…

  39. Chilean Mine Collapse | No Escape | 2

    · 48 min · S8 E2 · Explicit

    After exploring possible escape routes and finding them all blocked, the 33 miners must face the truth: They really are trapped, more than 2,000 feet underground. Now, they must stay disciplined and ration their…

  40. Chilean Mine Collapse | The Breakthrough | 3

    · 45 min · S8 E3 · Explicit

    Two weeks after the collapse of the San Jose mine in Chile, 33 trapped miners find themselves starving to death, doubting they’ll ever be rescued. Then, a glimmer of hope: Rescue workers drilling above finally reach…

  41. Chilean Mine Collapse | The Phoenix | 4

    · 45 min · S8 E4 · Explicit

    After sixty-nine days trapped underground, finally the drilling operations team has created a bore hole large enough to extract the 33 miners. But this will be the first operation of its kind. Will the 2,200 foot…

  42. Chilean Mine Collapse | Into the Dark with Héctor Tobar | 5

    · 43 min · S8 E5 · Explicit

    When the 33 miners emerged to surface after 69 days in the depths of the San José mine, they set the Guinness World Record for the longest time spent trapped underground. For his book Deep Down Dark, Pulitzer…

  43. Rock Climbers Abducted | Welcome to Paradise | 1

    · 45 min · S9 E1 · Explicit

    In August of the year 2000, four American rock climbers set out to explore the majesty of the Pamir Alai Mountain range in Kyrgyzstan. But only a week into their expedition, they’re taken captive by rebel militants.…

  44. Rock Climbers Abducted | Hostage Situation | 2

    · 45 min · S9 E2 · Explicit

    After being kidnapped by rebel militants in a remote region of Kyrgyzstan, four American rock climbers are forced at gunpoint toward the Uzbekistan border. But their captors are being trailed by the Kygyz army. Soon,…

  45. Rock Climbers Abducted | Fight or Flight | 3

    · 42 min · S9 E3 · Explicit

    Days without food or water start to weaken the young climbers as their captors push them further into the mountains and further from civilization. But their captors are starting to lose steam too. On a cold dark…

  46. Rock Climbers Abducted | Breaking Free | 4

    · 44 min · S9 E4 · Explicit

    When the Americans finally act out and decide to fight for their lives, they’re left alone in an inhospitable mountain rage full of rebel militants and a trigger happy army. Far more than just a rescue mission, the…

  47. Rock Climbers Abducted | Over the Edge with Climber and Author Greg Child | 5

    · 36 min · S9 E5 · Explicit

    After being taken hostage by members of the Al Qaeda-linked Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the lives of four American climbers were never the same. And just one year later, the attack on the World Trade Center made…

  48. USS Indianapolis: Disaster at Sea | Abandon Ship | 1

    · 42 min · S10 E1 · Explicit

    In the final weeks of World War II, the Navy cruiser U.S.S. Indianapolis was attacked and sunk by a Japanese submarine in the middle of the Philippine Sea. The nine hundred survivors found themselves stranded in the…

  49. USS Indianapolis: Disaster at Sea | Troubled Waters | 2

    · 43 min · S10 E2 · Explicit

    The nine hundred men who survived the torpedo attack on the U.S.S. Indianapolis are either drifting in the sea, fighting strong currents and swells, or clinging to rafts. They’re at the mercy of the ocean, hundreds of…

  50. USS Indianapolis: Disaster at Sea | Holding On | 3

    · 42 min · S10 E3 · Explicit

    It’s been two days since U.S.S. Indianapolis sank, and the number of survivors is dwindling. They’re being picked off by sharks, and driven insane by sleep deprivation, dehydration, and saltwater poisoning. As they…

Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them. Explicit shows are for adult profiles only, and children’s profiles hear only children’s shows. More about this list.