The second season of the podcast Up and Vanished looks into the disappearance of Kristal Anne Reisinger, a 29-year-old mom who vanished two years ago after wandering from a drum circle in a small, isolated Colorado mountain town. Like the first season of the show, which helped break open the case surrounding the 2005 disappearance of Georgian beauty queen and schoolteacher Tara Grinstead, it’s a captivating listen.
So captivating, in fact, that just halfway through the second season, it has already surpassed 17 million downloads. That’s like if the entire population of the Netherlands tried to crack the mystery before host Payne Lindsey even finishes the season.
Here are a few other podcast milestones that Up and Vanished‘s second season has hit so far:
Season 2 downloads: Over 17 million (Source: Art19)
- Total time listened on all Apple devices since launch of season 2: Over 4 million hours (Source: Apple Podcast Analytics)
- Total series downloads since launch of season 2: Over 37 million (Source: Art19)
- Average season 2 episode consumption rate: 100% (Source: Apple Podcast Analytics)
“It’s difficult to maintain numbers and interest after having a viral first season, but to actually see our numbers grow is very inspiring,” says Donald Albright, cofounder and president of Tenderfoot TV, which produces the podcast in partnership with Cadence13. “We have a dedicated audience, and I think we struck a great balance of giving them a story they could be invested in, like season one, while opening them up to an entirely different world.”
To give the numbers a little context, Tenderfoot TV’s Atlanta Monster was downloaded over 20 million times across 12 episodes within its first three months of launch, In The Dark‘s second season was downloaded almost 4 million times within its first month, and Dirty John was reportedly downloaded more than 7 million times within its first month of launch (and is being turned into a Bravo TV series).
As for the first season, since its premiere in 2016, it has racked up a whopping 225 million downloads. And like a lot of successful podcasts these days, Up and Vanished is making the leap to television. On November 18, Oxygen will premiere a docu-special based on season one of the show. Watch the trailer:
Recognize your brand’s excellence by applying to this year’s Brands That Matter Awards before the early-rate deadline, May 3.
