Camp Shame
Camp Shame is an investigative podcast series that uncovers the dark truths behind Camp Shane, one of America's longest running weight loss camps for kids. Host Kelsey Snelling reveals stories of mistreatment and examines the culture of fatphobia that allowed the camp's flawed system to persist for over 50 years. The series explores the heavy price of shame paid by campers who were pushed to their physical and emotional limits.
Episodes
Episode 8: Losing Isn't Everything
Camp Shane is back… and as dysfunctional as ever. Kids are running around unsupervised, counselors are dropping out like flies, and medical supervision is pretty much nonexistent. After an accident that leaves a child in critical condition, Camp Shane’s cover is blown. A state investigation reveals what Shaners have known all along, and this time, David won’t get away with it.&n
Episode 7: Nobody Believes the Fat Kid
Though Camp Shane is falling apart, kids still love spending their summers there, largely because of the limited parental supervision and endless romantic opportunities. Some counselors do their best to stop the hookups. Others manipulate naive teens for their personal gain. Camp Shane is quickly losing its status as a refuge for overweight kids and becoming a place full of secrets that will haunt
Episode 6: When the Sh*t Hits the Fan
By the mid 2010s, things at Camp Shane are going downhill: campers are arriving with serious mental health needs, counselors are stretched thin, and untrained “health experts” are running the show. When a key staffer finally leaves, the cracks in the camp’s foundation burst wide open. Facilities are falling apart, oversight is non-existent, and then in a moment that's both unforg
Episode 5: Live, Laugh, Lose
**Audio Updated 7/17/25 What do you get when you mix disordered eating, soap-laced Jell-O, and a diet camp stuck in the past? A summer from hell. In this episode, Kelsey returns to 2011, her first and only summer at Camp Shane — where the dysfunction runs deep and the cost is more than anyone bargained for. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal ideation, you can call 988 for
Episode 4: As Big as it Gets
The new millennium brings new trends, new technologies and new ways to spread toxic beauty standards. And Camp Shane is reaping the benefits. The camp grows to new heights and capitalizes on positive press, but a record number of campers puts serious strain on the staff and facilities. Can the camp handle the influx? References: The Epic Family Feud Behind an Iconic American Weight-Loss Cam
Episode 3: The Real Heavyweights
Camp Shane is under new leadership: Selma’s son, David Ettenberg. In the 1990s, David’s reign brings with it more campers, more money, and even a Disney movie inspired by the camp itself. But as diet culture and fat phobia grip the decade, life at Shane gets stricter, stranger, and more dangerous. Selma struggles to hand over control, a disastrous Heavyweights screening becomes legend,
Episode 2: A Fat Girl's Vision
To understand Camp Shane, we first need to examine the society that created it. America’s obsession with size had evolved over time, creating a demand for a weight loss camp like Shane to exist by making fatness a problem that needed to be solved. Campers are under fed and over worked, but kids find refuge at Camp Shane. Leading the charge is Camp Shane’s eccentric yet stringent founde
Episode 1: Welcome to Camp Shane
Welcome to Camp Shane — one of the first weight loss camps for kids. In its 50+ years of operation, Shane was a haven for children who felt discarded by the real world. Kids who were bullied, excluded, and ostracized became confident and embodied. Campers gained friends, made romantic connections, and discovered a sense of identity. Celebrity endorsements and media coverage assured parents t
Introducing: Camp Shame
Camp Shane—one of America’s longest running weight loss camps for kids—promised extraordinary results. Campers who began the summer in heavy bodies were often unrecognizable when they left. In a society obsessed with being thin, it seemed like a miracle solution. But behind Camp Shane’s facade of happy, transformed children was a dark underworld. Kids were being pushed to t
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