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Podcast Pick: Enter the alternate reality of 'Rabbits'

Carly Mallenbaum
USA TODAY

Looking for something new to listen to while you drive to work/go for a walk/wash the dishes? We're here for you. In a weekly series, we're highlighting a podcast, audio personality or specific story worth hearing.

Here's a story, from the creator of 'Tanis,' about an alternate reality game that might cause players to go insane. 'Rabbits' is the serialized mystery of Carly's search for her friend, who participated in a game known as Rabbits before she went missing.

This week's pick: Rabbits

It seems podcast listeners are ready for another podcast about a missing person. Enter: Rabbits.

The show Missing Richard Simmons, hosted by Simmons' former friend, aims to figure out why the exercise maven abruptly stopped teaching fitness classes and talking to those close to him (but is apparently healthy and fine). It's one of the most-downloaded podcasts of the moment.

So it makes sense that the Rabbits, which has a similar manhunt premise, could prove just as popular with listeners. But this show has a twist: It's a mystery that blurs the lines between fiction and reality.

Why it's ripe for listening

Part of the fun of Rabbits is that it feels like it almostcould be true. The podcast has an authentic-looking website that says it's a documentary, and the show's producers will never admit that it isn't 100% real. Much like Tanis — another podcast from creator Terry Miles — it's twisted and compelling.

Here's the premise of the series: Host Carly has a hunch that her friend Miko's disappearance was caused by a mysterious alternate reality game that's rumored to cause players to go insane and even die. The game, referred to as "Rabbits," sounds crazy enough to be real, with eerie, specific riddles left for players in places such as the laundromat and newspaper.

The show is two episodes in and front-loaded with information on alternate reality games. However, you probably owe it to yourself to listen to all of the exposition, because chances are, Rabbits will have a big, crazy payoff.

Memorable line

The Rabbits ARG has Fight Club-esque rules, that were allegedly posted in a laundromat in Seattle in 1959.

"You play. You never tell. Find the doors, portals, points and wells. You play. You never tell. Step through the gates of life and hell. You play. You never tell. The wardens watch and guard us well. You play and pray you never tell."

To read our last piece on podcasts, go here.