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00:00:03,871 --> 00:00:06,805
Goldberg: Remember that
amazing music festival
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00:00:06,841 --> 00:00:10,042
a couple years ago
on an island in the bahamas?
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00:00:10,077 --> 00:00:12,144
The coachella in the bahamas
on the beach.
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00:00:12,179 --> 00:00:15,814
Goldberg:
The one with all the a-list
supermodels, luxury villas,
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00:00:15,850 --> 00:00:17,916
and champagne-soaked
yacht parties.
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00:00:17,952 --> 00:00:20,352
This is gonna be something
that's crazy and big,
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00:00:20,388 --> 00:00:22,354
and if you're not there,
you're gonna miss out.
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00:00:22,390 --> 00:00:25,624
Goldberg: The one that everyone
couldn't wait to get to...
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00:00:25,659 --> 00:00:26,959
[ indistinct shouting ]
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00:00:26,994 --> 00:00:28,527
man: Everybody relax.
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00:00:28,562 --> 00:00:30,662
Goldberg: ...And then
couldn't wait to escape.
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Man:
Welcome to the crazy [bleep]
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00:00:32,166 --> 00:00:35,134
I am stranded in the bahamas.
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Goldberg: That's right.
Fyre fest.
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00:00:36,771 --> 00:00:39,738
Known for wet mattresses...
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00:00:39,774 --> 00:00:42,474
Woman: What is this?
Man: Oh, jesus!
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00:00:42,510 --> 00:00:44,610
...Cheese sandwiches...
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00:00:44,645 --> 00:00:46,412
And it went viral like that.
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Goldberg:
...Bands that never showed...
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00:00:48,249 --> 00:00:49,014
"we're not going.
Are you kidding me?
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00:00:49,050 --> 00:00:49,982
This is a farce."
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00:00:50,017 --> 00:00:51,283
"oh, no."
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00:00:51,318 --> 00:00:54,520
goldberg: ...Oh, and master
con man billy mcfarland...
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00:00:57,258 --> 00:00:58,957
He screwed us over big-time.
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00:00:58,993 --> 00:01:00,993
They need to be held responsible
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00:01:01,028 --> 00:01:02,461
because they basically
abducted us.
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Goldberg: ...Who tonight,
for the first time on tv,
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gets asked the tough questions.
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What do you say to people who
would just call you a con man?
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I'm whoopi goldberg,
and this is "the con."
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-- captions by vitac --
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and we're gonna turn now
to that trouble
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00:01:21,582 --> 00:01:22,414
for the fyre
music festival.
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00:01:22,450 --> 00:01:23,615
The nightmare in paradise.
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Fyre festival trending along
with the hashtag "fyrefraud."
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reporter: Fyre music festival
creator now arrested
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and charged with wire fraud.
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Woman: We heard from the
attorney just moments ago,
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saying, and this is a quote,
"when this is all over,
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00:01:36,831 --> 00:01:38,897
you will see
that he is hardly the villain
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00:01:38,933 --> 00:01:41,200
the government portrays him as."
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[ gavel bangs, echoes ]
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goldberg: In 2018, fyre festival
creator billy mcfarland
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went to prison for fraud,
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leaving behind a lot of
unanswered questions,
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including the big one --
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was billy just a dreamer
who couldn't deliver,
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00:01:57,351 --> 00:01:57,983
or was there a darker side
to his character?
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Billy is 100% a con artist.
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Man: He's a narcissist.
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00:02:02,790 --> 00:02:05,424
But he's all of that
and a con artist.
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00:02:05,459 --> 00:02:07,993
I don't think
he's a horrible guy.
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I just think that he's got
a really crappy character
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if he feels he can get away
with what he did.
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Goldberg: And what's billy's
side of the story?
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Let's ask prisoner 91186054,
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00:02:21,809 --> 00:02:25,744
currently housed
at a federal prison in ohio.
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Recorded voice: This call is
from a federal prison.
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Mcfarland:
William mcfarland.
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Goldberg:
Turns out not even prison bars
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can stop billy
from hatching a new venture.
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Man: Are we rolling?
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Goldberg:
He and some partners
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have started a new podcast,
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appropriately titled
"dumpster fyre."
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billy's a 50% owner,
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and he promises his share
of any profits
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will go to paying back the
victims of his failed festival.
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But is this a legit rehab tour
or just another scheme?
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Whatever it is,
the producers have allowed us
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00:03:00,147 --> 00:03:02,080
to be in their studio
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00:03:02,116 --> 00:03:03,849
for the taping
of the first episode.
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Also invited,
independent interviewer
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00:03:06,187 --> 00:03:08,053
and podcaster jordan harbinger,
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who has been given free rein
to ask the tough questions.
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I'm obsessed with human behavior
and why people do what they do,
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so, naturally, billy mcfarland
was a good interview for me.
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It's important to me
to get a real story
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and not just be another element
or rube in someone's narrative.
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Man: Alright, marker.
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00:03:31,011 --> 00:03:31,977
Hey, it's jordan.
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Goldberg:
Billy begins with a statement
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he's clearly had a lot of time
to get just right.
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Billy hits all the right notes.
But talk is cheap.
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Has he really changed?
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00:04:04,678 --> 00:04:07,312
What do you say to people who
would just call you a con man?
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00:04:08,916 --> 00:04:11,783
Goldberg: That right there is
the million-dollar question.
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But before billy answers it,
let's go back to see
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00:04:15,522 --> 00:04:17,923
just how
the whole debacle unfolded
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00:04:17,958 --> 00:04:20,459
and meet some of the people
burned by the fyre
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00:04:20,494 --> 00:04:24,263
when billy's bahamian boondoggle
went up in flames.
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♪
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king:
I met billy six years ago.
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He was a young kid
and as I would label
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as like a serial entrepreneur.
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00:04:38,445 --> 00:04:40,979
I thought, "wow, this is someone
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00:04:41,015 --> 00:04:43,548
that I can really help
guide and mentor
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00:04:43,584 --> 00:04:45,651
and kind of
help him build his career."
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00:04:45,686 --> 00:04:47,886
what is magnises?
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00:04:47,921 --> 00:04:49,554
It's a card,
but it's more than that.
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00:04:49,590 --> 00:04:50,689
It's a card.
It's more than that.
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00:04:50,724 --> 00:04:53,058
But let's take it back
to where it all started.
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Goldberg:
Billy's first big venture,
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00:04:54,828 --> 00:04:57,796
a kind of elite membership card
for millennials,
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00:04:57,831 --> 00:04:59,698
puts him
in the national spotlight.
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And he uses that buzz
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00:05:01,235 --> 00:05:02,901
to launch fyre,
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a talent-booking app
with a clean design
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00:05:04,938 --> 00:05:08,974
that makes hiring big-name
artists and celebs look easy.
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00:05:09,009 --> 00:05:14,279
He even attracts a high-profile
partner, the rapper ja rule,
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00:05:14,315 --> 00:05:16,815
and they announce it
at web summit,
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00:05:16,850 --> 00:05:19,117
one of the world's
biggest tech conferences.
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I really wanted
to book talent
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00:05:20,921 --> 00:05:21,953
for these
small private concerts.
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And that's why I built fyre --
to change all of this
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and to make
the entertainment industry
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00:05:25,826 --> 00:05:28,427
more accessible and transparent
through technology.
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00:05:28,462 --> 00:05:31,129
To promote the fyre app,
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00:05:31,165 --> 00:05:33,632
billy comes up
with his biggest idea yet --
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00:05:33,667 --> 00:05:37,502
a monster concert
for 7,000 lucky people
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00:05:37,538 --> 00:05:40,839
on the remote bahamian
island of great exuma,
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300 miles off the florida coast.
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Fyre festival is born.
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So just how much time does billy
give himself?
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Like any good businessman,
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billy knows if he builds it,
they will come.
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So before he even knows
what the festival is,
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00:06:16,210 --> 00:06:19,177
he uses capital
from his start-up fyre app
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00:06:19,213 --> 00:06:20,812
to shoot a splashy video
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00:06:20,848 --> 00:06:23,215
and shells out $1.7 million
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00:06:23,250 --> 00:06:26,818
to get some of the most famous
supermodels in the world
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00:06:26,854 --> 00:06:28,987
to be part of his, you know,
vision.
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00:06:31,558 --> 00:06:33,091
Cameron davison
is part of the crew
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00:06:33,127 --> 00:06:34,860
shooting the infamous video
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00:06:34,895 --> 00:06:39,097
and sees firsthand billy's
unique leadership style.
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00:06:39,133 --> 00:06:42,868
I went to the bahamas thinking
that I was going there
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00:06:42,903 --> 00:06:44,770
for a music-video shoot
on some tropical island
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00:06:44,805 --> 00:06:46,905
with a bunch of models.
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00:06:46,940 --> 00:06:48,807
Something about this job
just seemed like
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it was way more off the rails
than the average film shoot.
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We were at the mercy of billy
and his friends.
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00:06:57,684 --> 00:07:00,619
Whatever they wanted to do,
we were doing.
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00:07:00,654 --> 00:07:05,490
Billy, all day,
his office was a jet ski.
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00:07:05,526 --> 00:07:07,292
He always acted like
he had way more work
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00:07:07,327 --> 00:07:08,560
than he really had to do,
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00:07:08,595 --> 00:07:09,795
and he would just get
on the jet ski
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00:07:09,830 --> 00:07:13,298
and just drive and circle back
and come right back around.
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It was the weirdest display
of immaturity and stupid wealth
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00:07:17,337 --> 00:07:19,504
I've ever seen in my life.
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00:07:19,540 --> 00:07:22,240
Goldberg:
Maybe billy's just a "play hard,
play hard" kind of guy.
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00:07:22,276 --> 00:07:26,011
Either way,
he hires a social media team
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00:07:26,046 --> 00:07:27,813
to stir up some buzz
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00:07:27,848 --> 00:07:30,048
and curiosity
around the festival.
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00:07:30,083 --> 00:07:34,152
They come up with a unique
and colorful idea.
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Man: I remember that day,
scrolling through instagram,
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00:07:37,825 --> 00:07:41,359
you just basically couldn't
not see an orange tile.
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It was bizarre.
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00:07:42,763 --> 00:07:43,995
I almost thought
it was a glitch at first.
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00:07:44,031 --> 00:07:47,766
And then it became clear it was,
like, a very coordinated,
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00:07:47,801 --> 00:07:49,668
expensive marketing effort.
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00:07:49,703 --> 00:07:52,170
That kind of built
all of our excitement.
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They found their niche crowd,
and they absolutely attacked it.
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00:07:55,042 --> 00:07:59,110
Every model or celebrity
we were following
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seemed to be participating.
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00:08:01,748 --> 00:08:03,215
Goldberg:
And for kendall jenner,
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00:08:03,250 --> 00:08:05,750
participating means
posting about it once
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00:08:05,786 --> 00:08:09,855
for a cool $275,000.
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00:08:09,890 --> 00:08:12,524
Hey, you know I'm on instagram,
too, billy.
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00:08:12,559 --> 00:08:14,893
We started seeing, like,
kendall jenner post about it,
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00:08:14,928 --> 00:08:15,494
and all these celebrities,
and we're like, yes,
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00:08:15,529 --> 00:08:17,796
this is gonna be legit.
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00:08:17,831 --> 00:08:19,598
Goldberg:
Soon, e-mails start going out
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listing the festival's lineup.
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Conlin:
For the artists that were going,
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I remember g.O.O.D. Music,
major lazer, blink-182,
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00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:30,041
disclosure, migos, lil yachty.
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00:08:30,077 --> 00:08:31,543
I mean,
it was advertised amazingly.
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Man: The actual experience
exceeds all expectations
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00:08:35,449 --> 00:08:39,351
and is something
that's hard to put into words.
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Goldberg:
And that was just the tease.
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00:08:41,755 --> 00:08:44,155
Billy then drops
the actual promo video,
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00:08:44,191 --> 00:08:47,092
which creates even bigger waves.
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00:08:47,127 --> 00:08:49,427
The trailer was
spectacularly well done.
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You almost thought of it
as like
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00:08:50,964 --> 00:08:53,798
the coachella
in the bahamas on the beach.
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00:08:53,834 --> 00:08:55,634
Like, what could be
better than that?
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00:08:55,669 --> 00:08:56,968
Caccamesi: It's luxury,
it's once in a lifetime,
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00:08:57,004 --> 00:08:58,036
it's the first ever.
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00:08:58,071 --> 00:09:00,372
This is gonna be something
that's crazy and big,
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00:09:00,407 --> 00:09:03,341
and if you're not there,
you're gonna miss out.
191
00:09:03,377 --> 00:09:04,209
And that was basically
how they pitched it,
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00:09:04,244 --> 00:09:05,944
and that's how it was sold.
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00:09:05,979 --> 00:09:06,811
That's why I bought,
and it's why, it seems,
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00:09:06,847 --> 00:09:08,446
everybody else did, too.
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00:09:11,351 --> 00:09:12,817
The public nature of the con
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00:09:12,853 --> 00:09:13,985
was actually what made
the con work.
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00:09:14,021 --> 00:09:17,656
Goldberg: Maria konnikova
is a psychologist and author
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00:09:17,691 --> 00:09:19,558
who has studied con artists
199
00:09:19,593 --> 00:09:20,926
and the fyre festival
in depth.
200
00:09:20,961 --> 00:09:23,428
Konnikova: It wouldn't have
worked without instagram.
201
00:09:23,463 --> 00:09:24,563
It wouldn't have worked
202
00:09:24,598 --> 00:09:28,433
without all of these celebrity
photos and endorsements.
203
00:09:28,468 --> 00:09:30,168
It wouldn't have worked
as a private con.
204
00:09:30,203 --> 00:09:31,336
He's brilliant.
205
00:09:31,371 --> 00:09:35,840
Goldberg: Yep, for billy,
it's either go big or go home.
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00:09:35,876 --> 00:09:40,545
He designs a slick pitch deck
to get investors on board.
207
00:09:40,581 --> 00:09:45,116
He also dazzles them with the
fyre app's impressive earnings.
208
00:09:45,152 --> 00:09:49,688
But billy's selling much more
than just dollars and cents.
209
00:09:49,723 --> 00:09:53,792
We see people like billy,
people who are savvy
210
00:09:53,827 --> 00:09:57,662
and who realize,
"what does the world want?
211
00:09:57,698 --> 00:09:59,531
They want to be close
to celebrity.
212
00:09:59,566 --> 00:10:01,933
They want to be close to cool.
213
00:10:01,969 --> 00:10:05,136
How do I do that?
Okay, I know how to do that."
214
00:10:05,172 --> 00:10:07,305
and the con is born.
215
00:10:07,341 --> 00:10:10,175
Goldberg: Tickets are going
fast, and the fyre fest website
216
00:10:10,210 --> 00:10:13,411
is promising festivalgoers
a lot more
217
00:10:13,447 --> 00:10:15,413
than just
a few bands on the beach.
218
00:10:15,449 --> 00:10:16,548
It included lodging,
219
00:10:16,583 --> 00:10:22,454
which was promised as a cabana
with queen-size beds.
220
00:10:22,489 --> 00:10:25,190
Goldberg: Don't want to spring
for a cabana?
221
00:10:25,225 --> 00:10:28,159
Get a nice luxury dome
with plush furnishings
222
00:10:28,195 --> 00:10:30,629
and a gorgeous view
of the ocean.
223
00:10:30,664 --> 00:10:32,397
And that's just for starters.
224
00:10:32,432 --> 00:10:34,332
The massive packages were
225
00:10:34,368 --> 00:10:36,234
I believe it was
about $200,000.
226
00:10:36,269 --> 00:10:38,670
You and your 16 closest friends
227
00:10:38,705 --> 00:10:40,205
could split a yacht
for the weekend.
228
00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:42,941
I came up just a couple pennies
short of that one.
229
00:10:42,976 --> 00:10:44,142
Goldberg:
The only problem?
230
00:10:44,177 --> 00:10:47,712
Billy doesn't actually have
any of this stuff yet.
231
00:10:58,992 --> 00:11:01,893
Yeah.
Funny how that happened.
232
00:11:01,928 --> 00:11:04,796
I mean, it's not like
vip packages,
233
00:11:04,831 --> 00:11:07,532
luxury accommodations,
and international chefs
234
00:11:07,567 --> 00:11:09,467
are on the website
from the beginning.
235
00:11:11,338 --> 00:11:13,405
But with just six weeks to go,
236
00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:14,673
it's obvious
billy isn't going to get
237
00:11:14,708 --> 00:11:19,811
his festival done in time,
so he dials up his mentor, andy.
238
00:11:19,846 --> 00:11:22,313
Billy said,
"andy, I have an issue
239
00:11:22,349 --> 00:11:23,615
with a project I'm working on."
240
00:11:23,650 --> 00:11:28,720
fyre took place on an area
that was going to be developed
241
00:11:28,755 --> 00:11:30,755
as a waterfront community.
242
00:11:30,791 --> 00:11:36,194
So no plumbing, no electricity,
no running water.
243
00:11:36,229 --> 00:11:37,529
They all looked at me
and said,
244
00:11:37,564 --> 00:11:39,397
"andy, I mean,
is this possible?
245
00:11:39,433 --> 00:11:40,298
Can we make this work?"
246
00:11:40,333 --> 00:11:42,434
and I basically said,
after two hours,
247
00:11:42,469 --> 00:11:45,003
it will work as long
as we get the word out
248
00:11:45,038 --> 00:11:47,305
to all the ticket buyers
249
00:11:47,340 --> 00:11:50,141
that there aren't
any luxury accommodations
250
00:11:50,177 --> 00:11:52,177
and most of the guests
251
00:11:52,212 --> 00:11:54,279
will predominantly
be staying in a tent.
252
00:11:54,314 --> 00:11:56,681
Goldberg: But billy says that
he'll take care of the messaging
253
00:11:56,717 --> 00:11:58,883
and not to worry about it.
254
00:11:58,919 --> 00:12:00,485
He's not about to give up
255
00:12:00,520 --> 00:12:00,885
on his half-baked
tropical field of dreams.
256
00:12:06,927 --> 00:12:10,495
Goldberg: Billy mcfarland is in
the middle of a big-time con,
257
00:12:10,530 --> 00:12:14,933
one that's slowly spiraling
out of his control.
258
00:12:14,968 --> 00:12:17,035
But who exactly is billy,
259
00:12:17,070 --> 00:12:19,104
this millennial who has
the power to dupe
260
00:12:19,139 --> 00:12:21,139
so many rich and famous people?
261
00:12:21,174 --> 00:12:25,477
King: My first impressions of
billy were pretty favorable.
262
00:12:25,512 --> 00:12:28,747
I grew up in a little town
in new jersey,
263
00:12:28,782 --> 00:12:30,849
and he grew up
in the next town over.
264
00:12:30,884 --> 00:12:33,384
Goldberg: Billy grew up
in a picturesque town
265
00:12:33,420 --> 00:12:34,786
with loving parents
and a sister.
266
00:12:34,821 --> 00:12:38,656
King: So I felt like
he came from a good family,
267
00:12:38,692 --> 00:12:41,359
and he seemed like a good kid.
268
00:12:41,394 --> 00:12:43,495
Goldberg: He might have seemed
like a good kid,
269
00:12:43,530 --> 00:12:48,199
but according to billy himself,
when he was an actual kid,
270
00:12:48,235 --> 00:12:51,202
he was already,
uh, looking for opportunities.
271
00:12:51,238 --> 00:12:55,640
In grade school, billy says
he had a crush on a girl.
272
00:12:55,675 --> 00:12:57,976
And when she broke
a crayon one day,
273
00:12:58,011 --> 00:13:01,146
he decided to charge her
a dollar to fix it.
274
00:13:01,181 --> 00:13:03,515
Classic pickup move.
275
00:13:03,550 --> 00:13:07,986
Then, billy hacked into
the school's computer system
276
00:13:08,021 --> 00:13:10,522
and posted an ad
to promote his new venture.
277
00:13:10,557 --> 00:13:15,693
Clearly, billy was on his way
to bigger and better things.
278
00:13:15,729 --> 00:13:17,328
People see the fyre festival,
and they're like,
279
00:13:17,364 --> 00:13:18,730
"oh, first con."
no.
280
00:13:18,765 --> 00:13:20,799
No, this guy has been
misrepresenting,
281
00:13:20,834 --> 00:13:24,435
crafting his own world
for a very, very long time.
282
00:13:26,940 --> 00:13:29,674
King:
I had five weeks
283
00:13:29,709 --> 00:13:32,710
to try to build
this luxury music festival
284
00:13:32,746 --> 00:13:34,879
with zero infrastructure,
with a new team.
285
00:13:37,918 --> 00:13:39,184
Vargas: The first time I went
to the bahamas,
286
00:13:39,219 --> 00:13:43,254
it was a group of maybe
12 or 14 of us,
287
00:13:43,290 --> 00:13:44,889
just scouting and brainstorming,
288
00:13:44,925 --> 00:13:48,660
what can we do here,
where will the deejay booth go?
289
00:13:48,695 --> 00:13:51,963
Goldberg: It's felix's job to
turn billy's festival pipe dream
290
00:13:51,998 --> 00:13:53,264
into a reality.
291
00:13:53,300 --> 00:13:55,767
It seemed like there was money.
There was a lot of money.
292
00:13:55,802 --> 00:13:58,636
So in my mind, well, if you have
the money, it'll be fine.
293
00:14:02,976 --> 00:14:05,410
Goldberg:
Hoping to pull off a miracle,
294
00:14:05,445 --> 00:14:07,345
the team begins hiring
local island workers.
295
00:14:10,851 --> 00:14:11,983
Ferguson: Weeks leading up
to the festival,
296
00:14:12,018 --> 00:14:16,054
I started off with a crew of
probably about 35 people.
297
00:14:16,089 --> 00:14:19,958
It went from there
to over 400 people, I'm sure.
298
00:14:19,993 --> 00:14:22,126
Basically, a lot of them
were not even hired.
299
00:14:22,162 --> 00:14:23,494
They were just pulled off
the street
300
00:14:23,530 --> 00:14:25,230
just as day laborers, to say,
301
00:14:25,265 --> 00:14:26,297
"well, you know what?
Come and help us out.
302
00:14:26,333 --> 00:14:29,534
You know, we're paying you
this amount of money."
303
00:14:29,569 --> 00:14:30,602
goldberg:
But according to felix,
304
00:14:30,637 --> 00:14:33,504
some red flags start appearing.
305
00:14:33,540 --> 00:14:35,807
Vargas: We had these
water stations for the guys,
306
00:14:35,842 --> 00:14:38,009
but then the money
stopped coming in.
307
00:14:38,044 --> 00:14:40,111
There were two water suppliers
on exuma,
308
00:14:40,146 --> 00:14:41,813
and I remember
they were just pissed off.
309
00:14:41,848 --> 00:14:43,681
They were like, "we're not
giving you any more water."
310
00:14:43,717 --> 00:14:46,718
so I took it
into my own hands to pay,
311
00:14:46,753 --> 00:14:48,820
and every water purchase
312
00:14:48,855 --> 00:14:50,889
were about anywhere between
$1,000 and $2,000
313
00:14:50,924 --> 00:14:52,924
out of my pocket.
314
00:14:52,959 --> 00:14:54,692
Goldberg:
Thanks to billy's negligence,
315
00:14:54,728 --> 00:14:56,995
there are other
challenges mounting.
316
00:14:57,030 --> 00:15:00,164
We started
running into issues of,
317
00:15:00,200 --> 00:15:02,367
well, we haven't paid the people
318
00:15:02,402 --> 00:15:05,136
that are holding the shipping
containers for us in miami,
319
00:15:05,171 --> 00:15:06,638
so they're not releasing
the shipping containers
320
00:15:06,673 --> 00:15:09,240
to send them over to exuma.
321
00:15:09,276 --> 00:15:11,142
Goldberg:
As the festival date approaches,
322
00:15:11,177 --> 00:15:15,380
billy and his team have set up
the aptly named war room,
323
00:15:15,415 --> 00:15:18,950
and it's the site of chaos
and conflict.
324
00:15:18,985 --> 00:15:21,219
Everyone knew the deal.
All hands on deck.
325
00:15:21,254 --> 00:15:22,854
Even billy and all of
those people,
326
00:15:22,889 --> 00:15:27,225
like, you guys have to be here
to help us put this together.
327
00:15:27,260 --> 00:15:29,794
Sometimes he would be there
for maybe 10 minutes.
328
00:15:29,829 --> 00:15:30,895
He'll ask one or two questions,
329
00:15:30,931 --> 00:15:32,997
then he'll step out
'cause he had a phone call,
330
00:15:33,033 --> 00:15:35,600
and then he'll come back in
towards the end of the meeting.
331
00:15:35,635 --> 00:15:37,468
And it's like
he wasn't involved,
332
00:15:37,504 --> 00:15:39,003
but he was, but he wasn't.
333
00:15:39,039 --> 00:15:42,073
It was just really weird.
334
00:15:42,108 --> 00:15:43,708
King: Every night
when I turned to him and said,
335
00:15:43,743 --> 00:15:45,043
"billy, we probably need
to pull the plug.
336
00:15:45,078 --> 00:15:49,314
We're three weeks out.
This is not going to work."
337
00:15:49,349 --> 00:15:50,281
and he'd say, "andy,
338
00:15:50,317 --> 00:15:52,450
you tell me what we need to fix,
I'll fix it.
339
00:15:52,485 --> 00:15:54,185
We'll just throw money at it.
We'll make it work."
340
00:15:54,220 --> 00:15:57,322
after the meeting was done,
I would just go outside
341
00:15:57,357 --> 00:15:58,990
and I'd burst into tears.
342
00:16:23,083 --> 00:16:24,749
Goldberg:
And what do you know?
343
00:16:24,784 --> 00:16:26,651
Billy does find another way
to cash in.
344
00:16:28,288 --> 00:16:30,254
Caccamesi: So the weeks
leading up to the festival,
345
00:16:30,290 --> 00:16:33,257
we had gotten a lot of e-mails
346
00:16:33,293 --> 00:16:34,892
about, you know,
load money onto your bracelet
347
00:16:34,928 --> 00:16:37,829
because it's going to be
a cashless, cardless festival.
348
00:16:37,864 --> 00:16:40,732
That was basically like
you were gonna get a wristband
349
00:16:40,767 --> 00:16:42,400
where you can put
all of your funds on.
350
00:16:42,435 --> 00:16:44,635
And that was to pay for
any experience,
351
00:16:44,671 --> 00:16:46,771
so, like, island hopping,
or getting onto a yacht.
352
00:16:46,806 --> 00:16:50,208
And then I think they suggested
some absurd amount of money
353
00:16:50,243 --> 00:16:53,644
that you should put on it --
um, like thousands of dollars.
354
00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:55,813
I put $300 on mine.
355
00:16:55,849 --> 00:16:57,849
I think between $100 and $500.
356
00:16:57,884 --> 00:16:59,083
Goldberg: That's right.
357
00:16:59,119 --> 00:17:03,187
Billy had festival guests load
up their prepaid wristbands
358
00:17:03,223 --> 00:17:05,123
with a ton of cash
359
00:17:05,158 --> 00:17:08,026
at the exact moment he happens
to be desperate for it.
360
00:17:08,061 --> 00:17:10,661
Huh.
That's convenient.
361
00:17:10,697 --> 00:17:12,196
But I'm sure billy has
362
00:17:12,232 --> 00:17:13,531
a perfectly reasonable
explanation.
363
00:17:24,511 --> 00:17:30,982
Okay. Suddenly, billy is hitting
up ticket buyers for cash 24/7.
364
00:17:31,017 --> 00:17:32,683
Every once in a while,
we got a message about,
365
00:17:32,719 --> 00:17:34,352
like, flights
and stuff like that,
366
00:17:34,387 --> 00:17:36,387
but those were only a couple
367
00:17:36,423 --> 00:17:38,089
in comparison
to the amount of e-mails
368
00:17:38,124 --> 00:17:39,891
we were getting, probably daily,
369
00:17:39,926 --> 00:17:41,826
about loading extra money
onto the wrist bands.
370
00:17:41,861 --> 00:17:47,632
♪
371
00:17:47,667 --> 00:17:49,067
king:
We just kept being handed
372
00:17:49,102 --> 00:17:50,768
all these
incredible challenges --
373
00:17:50,804 --> 00:17:51,969
people needing more money
374
00:17:52,005 --> 00:17:56,140
and trying to build the villages
where all the tents were.
375
00:17:56,176 --> 00:18:01,212
And every day that went by,
we were just always behind.
376
00:18:01,247 --> 00:18:04,148
Goldberg:
And there's one tiny problem.
377
00:18:04,184 --> 00:18:06,884
What's being built
is very different
378
00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:08,553
from what's been promised
to the ticket buyers,
379
00:18:08,588 --> 00:18:13,624
and andy wants to make sure
billy is lowering expectations.
380
00:18:13,660 --> 00:18:15,626
It was a challenge of mine
every day, saying,
381
00:18:15,662 --> 00:18:16,828
"how are we doing
on messaging?"
382
00:18:16,863 --> 00:18:19,931
like, "andy, don't worry.
We're working on the messaging."
383
00:18:19,966 --> 00:18:21,833
I said, you know,
"these kids have to know
384
00:18:21,868 --> 00:18:23,801
what they're getting into."
385
00:18:23,837 --> 00:18:28,539
goldberg: But billy once again
flat-out ignores andy's advice,
386
00:18:28,575 --> 00:18:29,907
which means everyone
is still expecting
387
00:18:29,943 --> 00:18:33,177
those top-notch accommodations
that they paid for.
388
00:18:36,516 --> 00:18:39,450
King: 24 hours
before the festival,
389
00:18:39,486 --> 00:18:42,019
we have 400 people
working day and night.
390
00:18:42,055 --> 00:18:45,656
As a team leader,
billy was almost aloof.
391
00:18:45,692 --> 00:18:47,725
He was on the phone,
he was in the computers,
392
00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:49,427
he had like two phones
at his ear.
393
00:18:49,462 --> 00:18:50,495
He was always moving.
He was always pacing.
394
00:18:50,530 --> 00:18:53,998
He was just fidgety.
He was just always busy.
395
00:18:54,033 --> 00:18:57,401
I remember we worked
probably 18, 19 hours.
396
00:18:57,437 --> 00:18:59,770
My goal was just to have
enough tents
397
00:18:59,806 --> 00:19:02,140
for the people that
were showing up on Thursday.
398
00:19:06,513 --> 00:19:08,980
We have, you know,
a couple hours left.
399
00:19:09,015 --> 00:19:10,982
We were, like,
burning the night oil.
400
00:19:11,017 --> 00:19:14,118
And then that night,
it looked a little weird,
401
00:19:14,154 --> 00:19:16,587
where it was just getting
a little cloudy.
402
00:19:16,623 --> 00:19:20,591
And shortly after midnight,
it just started.
403
00:19:20,627 --> 00:19:21,759
[ thunder crashes ]
404
00:19:21,794 --> 00:19:25,263
it was pouring rain sideways,
and the winds came up.
405
00:19:25,298 --> 00:19:28,299
[ wind blowing ]
406
00:19:28,334 --> 00:19:29,834
and the texts just kept
coming through.
407
00:19:29,869 --> 00:19:31,469
"another tent
blew into the ocean."
408
00:19:31,504 --> 00:19:34,539
"whoops, another tent is down."
"another tent."
409
00:19:34,574 --> 00:19:36,340
and I just thought, "oh, no!"
410
00:19:36,376 --> 00:19:41,913
♪
411
00:19:41,948 --> 00:19:47,251
when we got over in the morning,
it was a nightmare.
412
00:19:47,287 --> 00:19:49,287
Ferguson:
Everything was drenched.
413
00:19:49,322 --> 00:19:51,923
We had puddles and pools
inside the tents.
414
00:19:51,958 --> 00:19:53,858
All the furniture was wet.
415
00:19:53,893 --> 00:19:56,027
The mattresses were soaked.
416
00:19:56,062 --> 00:19:58,196
It was just crazy.
417
00:19:58,231 --> 00:19:59,564
Everyone stood, just looking
around, like, in despair.
418
00:19:59,599 --> 00:20:00,131
And I said,
"look, god has spoken,"
419
00:20:00,166 --> 00:20:01,866
I said, "this is it."
420
00:20:10,109 --> 00:20:11,809
goldberg:
On Wednesday night,
421
00:20:11,844 --> 00:20:14,178
less than 24 hours
before the first band
422
00:20:14,214 --> 00:20:19,250
is supposed to hit the stage at
billy mcfarland's fyre festival,
423
00:20:19,285 --> 00:20:23,287
a storm lays the site to waste.
424
00:20:23,323 --> 00:20:25,256
And today, the guests arrive!
425
00:20:25,291 --> 00:20:31,963
♪
426
00:20:31,998 --> 00:20:34,665
when the rain came,
everything was drenched.
427
00:20:34,701 --> 00:20:37,668
This whole entire property
was a mess.
428
00:20:37,704 --> 00:20:39,904
Billy said to me,
"get more people.
429
00:20:39,939 --> 00:20:42,173
Let's just get more people.
We got to get this done."
430
00:20:42,208 --> 00:20:43,975
goldberg:
And now it's too late,
431
00:20:44,010 --> 00:20:48,312
because ready or not --
and by that I mean not --
432
00:20:48,348 --> 00:20:51,048
hundreds of attendees
are flying in.
433
00:20:51,084 --> 00:20:52,984
We didn't know what time
people were arriving.
434
00:20:53,019 --> 00:20:53,918
That was the one piece
of information
435
00:20:53,953 --> 00:20:54,885
that no one ever told us.
436
00:20:54,921 --> 00:20:56,220
Goldberg: Plane after plane
437
00:20:56,256 --> 00:21:02,226
filled with festivalgoers
descends on great exuma.
438
00:21:02,262 --> 00:21:04,829
We landed around
like 8:00 or 9:00 a.M.
439
00:21:04,864 --> 00:21:08,633
Goldberg: Desperate to buy
his team some time,
440
00:21:08,668 --> 00:21:13,037
billy has the new arrivals
shuttled to a nearby restaurant.
441
00:21:13,072 --> 00:21:15,606
They give us, like, breakfast
and some drinks.
442
00:21:15,642 --> 00:21:18,476
I'm like, "okay, well,
it's like 9:00 a.M.,
443
00:21:18,511 --> 00:21:20,778
but why not have a margarita?"
444
00:21:20,813 --> 00:21:24,982
goldberg: Meanwhile,
back at the festival site...
445
00:21:25,018 --> 00:21:26,317
We took everything
to the laundromat
446
00:21:26,352 --> 00:21:27,885
and made sure
we dried everything.
447
00:21:27,920 --> 00:21:29,387
But what about the mattresses?
448
00:21:29,422 --> 00:21:30,588
You know, the mattresses
are gonna be wet.
449
00:21:30,623 --> 00:21:35,059
During that time, I was working
with the gas company,
450
00:21:35,094 --> 00:21:37,628
the water company,
caterers, everything,
451
00:21:37,664 --> 00:21:39,130
trying to get
the food tent ready
452
00:21:39,165 --> 00:21:42,833
to make sure that we were gonna
be able to serve dinner
453
00:21:42,869 --> 00:21:45,102
to these kids when they arrived.
454
00:21:45,138 --> 00:21:47,305
Goldberg:
But will billy be able
455
00:21:47,340 --> 00:21:49,707
to keep the kids distracted
long enough?
456
00:21:49,742 --> 00:21:52,476
Yeah, right.
When pigs fly.
457
00:21:52,512 --> 00:21:55,079
Wait.
Did somebody say "pigs"?
458
00:21:55,114 --> 00:21:57,048
[ pig squealing ]
459
00:22:00,119 --> 00:22:02,620
behold, pig island,
460
00:22:02,655 --> 00:22:04,622
full of cute pigs
that you can swim with.
461
00:22:04,657 --> 00:22:07,758
So we went to go, like, see
the pigs and swim with the pigs.
462
00:22:07,794 --> 00:22:08,859
Barron:
It was adorable.
463
00:22:08,895 --> 00:22:12,163
There were real pigs.
Very large ones, small ones.
464
00:22:12,198 --> 00:22:12,963
Everybody was pretty giddy.
465
00:22:12,999 --> 00:22:15,466
Like, it was like,
"let's have fun.
466
00:22:15,501 --> 00:22:18,169
This is just, you know,
a prelude, right?"
467
00:22:18,204 --> 00:22:21,138
goldberg: Unfortunately,
even swimming drunk with pigs
468
00:22:21,174 --> 00:22:24,542
gets old
after a couple of hours.
469
00:22:24,577 --> 00:22:29,347
I am sunburned.
Everyone is just stranded.
470
00:22:29,382 --> 00:22:31,549
Finally, billy makes the call,
471
00:22:31,584 --> 00:22:33,451
and 600 twentysomethings,
472
00:22:33,486 --> 00:22:35,886
many who'd been drinking
all day,
473
00:22:35,922 --> 00:22:39,924
get onto buses and head off
to -- well, this.
474
00:22:39,959 --> 00:22:40,958
-What is this?
-I don't know.
475
00:22:43,329 --> 00:22:45,129
Oh, jesus!
476
00:22:45,164 --> 00:22:48,666
Barron: We approached the
campgrounds on the school bus.
477
00:22:48,701 --> 00:22:49,834
I think that's when
a lot of, like,
478
00:22:49,869 --> 00:22:52,703
our anxieties started to build.
479
00:22:52,739 --> 00:22:53,904
It looks like a hurricane
came through here.
480
00:22:53,940 --> 00:22:56,640
Look at those mattresses.
481
00:22:56,676 --> 00:23:00,044
What's happening?
482
00:23:00,079 --> 00:23:02,113
We were very much gonna stay
in emergency tents
483
00:23:02,148 --> 00:23:04,849
rather than, you know,
the cabana we had paid for.
484
00:23:04,884 --> 00:23:08,586
Goldberg: Yep, you may have
dropped two months' rent
485
00:23:08,621 --> 00:23:10,287
on a cabana or a villa,
486
00:23:10,323 --> 00:23:14,125
but instead, you're getting
one of these.
487
00:23:14,160 --> 00:23:17,595
That's kind of where it was
like, "whoa. This is bad."
488
00:23:21,367 --> 00:23:22,600
harbinger:
Take me back to the day
489
00:23:22,635 --> 00:23:25,035
when everyone arrived
on the island.
490
00:23:25,071 --> 00:23:26,137
There's not enough
accommodations,
491
00:23:26,172 --> 00:23:28,205
there's not enough food,
there's not enough water,
492
00:23:28,241 --> 00:23:29,673
there's not enough toilets.
493
00:23:29,709 --> 00:23:31,742
What's going through
your mind?
494
00:23:57,437 --> 00:23:58,769
Goldberg: Yeah, maybe.
495
00:23:58,805 --> 00:24:02,473
Or maybe promising people luxury
accommodations by the beach
496
00:24:02,508 --> 00:24:06,377
and then giving them saggy tents
with soggy mattresses
497
00:24:06,412 --> 00:24:07,645
had something to do with it.
498
00:24:07,680 --> 00:24:12,750
And billy's bad decisions
don't stop there.
499
00:24:12,785 --> 00:24:15,820
He looked extremely unwell
and very uneasy
500
00:24:15,855 --> 00:24:18,189
as he, you know,
addressed the attendees
501
00:24:18,224 --> 00:24:21,459
that were all howling at him.
502
00:24:21,494 --> 00:24:23,060
Goldberg:
Their number-one question --
503
00:24:23,095 --> 00:24:25,196
"where are
we gonna sleep tonight?"
504
00:24:25,231 --> 00:24:30,167
we'd already designed a map
system with reservations,
505
00:24:30,203 --> 00:24:31,635
and everybody
had their own tent.
506
00:24:34,207 --> 00:24:38,576
Billy got very nervous,
and he stood up on a table
507
00:24:38,611 --> 00:24:41,412
and he said,
"everybody, go find a tent."
508
00:24:41,447 --> 00:24:42,746
"go find your luggage,
and go grab a tent."
509
00:24:42,782 --> 00:24:45,649
you know, "we're not gonna do
the assignment thing anymore."
510
00:24:45,685 --> 00:24:48,419
a sea of people just sprinting
off into the distance.
511
00:24:48,454 --> 00:24:50,421
We're gonna have a free-for-all.
512
00:24:50,456 --> 00:24:54,024
[ people shouting ]
513
00:24:54,060 --> 00:24:55,626
vargas: I was so busy
514
00:24:55,661 --> 00:24:57,862
trying to fix some of
the last-minute tents,
515
00:24:57,897 --> 00:24:59,797
it wasn't until, like,
I came out of one the tents
516
00:24:59,832 --> 00:25:01,966
that I was just looking around,
like, "why is everyone running?"
517
00:25:04,370 --> 00:25:06,237
conlin: All this luggage
on a freight truck
518
00:25:06,272 --> 00:25:07,938
just being thrown out.
519
00:25:07,974 --> 00:25:11,408
It's dark, so you're using just,
like, your iphone flashlight
520
00:25:11,444 --> 00:25:13,177
to try and find your luggage.
521
00:25:13,212 --> 00:25:14,478
Caccamesi: There was really
no law and order.
522
00:25:14,514 --> 00:25:15,846
Everyone that was working
523
00:25:15,882 --> 00:25:19,750
or had some semblance of
authority had just disappeared.
524
00:25:19,785 --> 00:25:21,385
King: They began ransacking
every tent,
525
00:25:21,420 --> 00:25:23,354
throwing mattresses outside.
526
00:25:23,389 --> 00:25:26,690
And the whole thing was,
as you can imagine,
527
00:25:26,726 --> 00:25:27,925
just a [bleep] show.
528
00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:31,128
Caccamesi: We ended up finding
a nice tent, you know?
529
00:25:31,163 --> 00:25:34,765
Beautiful two-bed.
Fantastic.
530
00:25:34,800 --> 00:25:38,836
Welcome to the crazy,
[bleep] ridiculous, awful,
531
00:25:38,871 --> 00:25:40,137
crazy, ridiculous
life of dylan.
532
00:25:40,172 --> 00:25:45,776
I am stranded in the bahamas
amidst hundreds of other
533
00:25:45,811 --> 00:25:47,711
extremely unlucky
festivalgoers.
534
00:25:47,747 --> 00:25:50,514
This is just [bleep] crazy.
535
00:25:50,550 --> 00:25:52,249
This is crazy.
536
00:25:52,285 --> 00:25:56,620
Goldberg: Believe it or not,
despite all that has gone wrong,
537
00:25:56,656 --> 00:25:59,323
billy still has not canceled
the festival.
538
00:25:59,358 --> 00:26:02,326
There is still a concert
planned for the next day,
539
00:26:02,361 --> 00:26:03,994
and it just might
have taken place,
540
00:26:04,030 --> 00:26:06,196
except that's when a cheese
sandwich takes center stage
541
00:26:06,232 --> 00:26:09,133
and blows up the internet.
542
00:26:09,168 --> 00:26:10,067
I'm like, "no, no,
it's not happening.
543
00:26:10,102 --> 00:26:10,868
We can't make it up."
544
00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:24,448
goldberg: On the remote island
of great exuma,
545
00:26:24,483 --> 00:26:29,019
where the fyre festival is awash
in drunk, restless partygoers,
546
00:26:29,055 --> 00:26:32,456
andy's meal kitchen is not
up and running yet.
547
00:26:32,491 --> 00:26:36,260
So he is trying to keep
the situation under control.
548
00:26:36,295 --> 00:26:37,494
King:
One young couple came up.
549
00:26:37,530 --> 00:26:40,764
They were drunk, and I said,
"you guys need to eat something.
550
00:26:40,800 --> 00:26:43,667
And over there is the employee
tent and one of the chefs.
551
00:26:43,703 --> 00:26:46,303
Just say, listen,
andy sent you over,
552
00:26:46,339 --> 00:26:47,705
and he'll make you a sandwich."
553
00:26:47,740 --> 00:26:49,540
that was the employee lunch.
554
00:26:49,575 --> 00:26:51,842
I'm thinking of liability
and alcohol poisoning
555
00:26:51,877 --> 00:26:53,811
and what have you.
556
00:26:53,846 --> 00:26:55,479
So they went over
to get a sandwich,
557
00:26:55,514 --> 00:26:57,915
and when I came back
10 minutes later,
558
00:26:57,950 --> 00:27:00,050
there were probably
500 kids in line
559
00:27:00,086 --> 00:27:02,219
for this damn cheese sandwich.
560
00:27:02,254 --> 00:27:04,121
Everybody had their phones out,
561
00:27:04,156 --> 00:27:06,657
and they were photographing
this sandwich.
562
00:27:06,692 --> 00:27:08,225
And I'm like, "no, no,
it's not happening."
563
00:27:08,260 --> 00:27:11,028
and it went viral like that,
around the world.
564
00:27:13,499 --> 00:27:19,436
♪
565
00:27:19,472 --> 00:27:23,474
that's when all the acts started
to cancel right and left.
566
00:27:23,509 --> 00:27:26,010
They literally saw the image
on the internet
567
00:27:26,045 --> 00:27:28,178
and said, "we're not going.
Are you kidding me?
568
00:27:28,214 --> 00:27:29,980
This is a farce."
569
00:27:30,016 --> 00:27:32,683
and I blame the cheese sandwich
for bringing down the festival.
570
00:27:32,718 --> 00:27:37,855
Goldberg: With the tsunami of
band cancellations pouring in,
571
00:27:37,890 --> 00:27:40,024
billy puts out an e-mail
572
00:27:40,059 --> 00:27:43,293
saying that the festival
is officially over.
573
00:27:43,329 --> 00:27:45,095
The message is sent
in the dead of night,
574
00:27:45,131 --> 00:27:50,200
so most festivalgoers crash,
having no idea
575
00:27:50,236 --> 00:27:52,302
that the festival's
not happening.
576
00:27:52,338 --> 00:27:59,043
♪
577
00:27:59,078 --> 00:28:00,511
they've given us
little to no information.
578
00:28:00,546 --> 00:28:02,680
People are evacuating.
579
00:28:02,715 --> 00:28:04,181
They're changing their stories
every couple of minutes.
580
00:28:04,216 --> 00:28:05,449
[bleep] getting really wild.
581
00:28:05,484 --> 00:28:08,786
I remember waking up with just,
like, hundreds of text messages
582
00:28:08,821 --> 00:28:09,653
of like, "are you okay?
What's going on?
583
00:28:09,689 --> 00:28:11,822
Oh, my god, this is everywhere."
584
00:28:11,857 --> 00:28:13,691
we, like, had no clue.
585
00:28:13,726 --> 00:28:16,827
When we finally got wi-fi,
that's when it all started
586
00:28:16,862 --> 00:28:19,029
to like -- "oh, okay.
Everything is canceled.
587
00:28:19,065 --> 00:28:21,932
This is, like, the biggest joke
in the world right now,
588
00:28:21,967 --> 00:28:25,202
and we're still here."
589
00:28:25,237 --> 00:28:27,104
goldberg: Also still there,
billy and andy,
590
00:28:27,139 --> 00:28:31,341
trying to cope with the fallout
from the festival.
591
00:28:31,377 --> 00:28:34,244
King: Billy was outside by
the pool, pacing back and forth.
592
00:28:34,280 --> 00:28:37,181
It was just --
you can't even describe it.
593
00:28:37,216 --> 00:28:38,348
And then the phone
started to ring,
594
00:28:38,384 --> 00:28:39,650
and it was one
my lawyers saying,
595
00:28:39,685 --> 00:28:42,453
"andy, it's all over the news
around the world.
596
00:28:42,488 --> 00:28:46,423
This thing has failed, and you
need to get off that island."
597
00:28:46,459 --> 00:28:48,492
and I said,
"I'm not going anywhere.
598
00:28:48,527 --> 00:28:50,027
We have all these kids
that have arrived.
599
00:28:50,062 --> 00:28:51,729
I'm not going.
I can't go."
600
00:28:51,764 --> 00:28:53,430
goldberg:
And many of the workers
601
00:28:53,466 --> 00:28:54,732
still have not been paid,
602
00:28:54,767 --> 00:28:57,801
and they're not too happy
about it.
603
00:28:57,837 --> 00:29:00,003
King:
There were hundreds of workers
604
00:29:00,039 --> 00:29:02,139
trying to get into the gate
to come into the village,
605
00:29:02,174 --> 00:29:04,374
which was locked.
606
00:29:04,410 --> 00:29:06,944
A lot of the vendors
were arriving, saying,
607
00:29:06,979 --> 00:29:08,312
"we know there isn't
gonna be a festival,
608
00:29:08,347 --> 00:29:10,914
and we want
to be paid right now."
609
00:29:10,950 --> 00:29:12,316
and they were angry,
and I didn't blame them.
610
00:29:12,351 --> 00:29:16,386
They just were all turning
to me, "please, andy, please."
611
00:29:16,422 --> 00:29:18,889
I went straight over
to find billy.
612
00:29:18,924 --> 00:29:22,593
"billy, what is the plan?
Like, what are we doing?
613
00:29:22,628 --> 00:29:24,428
How are we going to make
a safe environment
614
00:29:24,463 --> 00:29:25,996
for these kids that are here,
615
00:29:26,031 --> 00:29:41,078
and how are we going to
pay everybody?"
616
00:29:41,113 --> 00:29:42,579
goldberg: While andy is trying
to figure out
617
00:29:42,615 --> 00:29:43,881
how to handle
the frustrated workers,
618
00:29:43,916 --> 00:29:48,085
many of the festivalgoers are
trying to get off the island.
619
00:29:48,120 --> 00:29:51,455
And they're not shy about
sharing their feelings.
620
00:29:51,490 --> 00:29:53,791
Reporter:
Nightmare in paradise.
621
00:29:53,826 --> 00:29:56,160
Thousands stranded
at an island music festival
622
00:29:56,195 --> 00:29:58,162
promising a luxury getaway.
623
00:29:58,197 --> 00:30:02,132
The reality?
624
00:30:02,168 --> 00:30:03,200
It was basically
the exact opposite
625
00:30:03,235 --> 00:30:04,301
of everything
we were promised.
626
00:30:04,336 --> 00:30:06,570
Woman: We had no electricity,
there was no showers,
627
00:30:06,605 --> 00:30:09,306
there was no bathrooms, there
was no, like, running water.
628
00:30:09,341 --> 00:30:11,208
They need to
be held responsible,
629
00:30:11,243 --> 00:30:12,543
because they
basically abducted us.
630
00:30:12,578 --> 00:30:17,881
Goldberg: Meanwhile, andy's
still stuck on the island.
631
00:30:17,917 --> 00:30:22,085
And very important, very unhappy
people are on his doorstep,
632
00:30:22,121 --> 00:30:24,054
demanding answers.
633
00:30:24,089 --> 00:30:26,089
King: I got a call
from one of my assistants
634
00:30:26,125 --> 00:30:29,993
that said that there were three
high-level government officials
635
00:30:30,029 --> 00:30:32,629
waiting for me at my villa
to talk to me.
636
00:30:32,665 --> 00:30:34,865
And I was doing
everything in my power
637
00:30:34,900 --> 00:30:37,134
to fix the situation,
but two people had said,
638
00:30:37,169 --> 00:30:38,669
"listen, andy,
it's a witch hunt.
639
00:30:38,704 --> 00:30:40,938
Like, they're gonna
hold you responsible.
640
00:30:40,973 --> 00:30:42,873
You need to get off
this island."
641
00:30:51,116 --> 00:30:53,851
goldberg: With the fyre festival
falling apart
642
00:30:53,886 --> 00:30:56,386
and billy's deep pockets
totally empty,
643
00:30:56,422 --> 00:30:59,156
people are angry
and want answers.
644
00:30:59,191 --> 00:31:01,625
And they're coming to andy
to get them.
645
00:31:01,660 --> 00:31:03,060
King: And I was doing everything
in my power
646
00:31:03,095 --> 00:31:04,494
to fix the situation,
but my lawyer said,
647
00:31:04,530 --> 00:31:07,097
"andy, you're not jesus,
and you're not mother teresa.
648
00:31:07,132 --> 00:31:11,068
Like, this has gone beyond what
you can do as an event producer.
649
00:31:11,103 --> 00:31:14,771
You cannot fix
this situation now."
650
00:31:14,807 --> 00:31:17,074
my lawyer sent a plane,
651
00:31:17,109 --> 00:31:19,443
but they said it can't
get there for five hours,
652
00:31:19,478 --> 00:31:22,179
and someone picked me up
in a pickup truck.
653
00:31:22,214 --> 00:31:23,847
I laid down in the back
of a pickup truck
654
00:31:23,883 --> 00:31:27,384
for four hours
with palm fronds on top of me.
655
00:31:27,419 --> 00:31:31,388
We were parked in a corner
parking lot of the airport.
656
00:31:31,423 --> 00:31:33,991
And by the time the sun
started to set
657
00:31:34,026 --> 00:31:36,126
and I got word
that the jet had arrived,
658
00:31:36,161 --> 00:31:38,195
we went screaming out
onto the runway
659
00:31:38,230 --> 00:31:40,230
and I jumped onto that plane
and screamed,
660
00:31:40,266 --> 00:31:41,632
"go, go, go!"
661
00:31:44,370 --> 00:31:46,169
goldberg:
And what's billy up to?
662
00:31:46,205 --> 00:31:47,437
Damage control.
663
00:31:47,473 --> 00:31:50,607
He gets in front of the cameras
to try to make things right.
664
00:31:50,643 --> 00:31:53,310
Reporter: The weather is one
of the reasons given
665
00:31:53,345 --> 00:31:55,045
for that epic vacation disaster
666
00:31:55,080 --> 00:31:57,848
for thousands attending
a music festival in the bahamas.
667
00:31:57,883 --> 00:31:58,916
For the first time,
668
00:31:58,951 --> 00:32:02,386
organizers explaining
why things went so wrong.
669
00:32:02,421 --> 00:32:04,288
We tried to create
this amazing experience.
670
00:32:04,323 --> 00:32:06,323
The first version did not work,
671
00:32:06,358 --> 00:32:07,858
and for that, we are sorry.
672
00:32:07,893 --> 00:32:08,892
And we want to let
everybody know,
673
00:32:08,928 --> 00:32:10,894
the first thing for us
is all about safety,
674
00:32:10,930 --> 00:32:12,996
and we are very happy
that everybody got home safely,
675
00:32:13,032 --> 00:32:15,098
and that was the most
important thing for us.
676
00:32:15,134 --> 00:32:16,199
Next is refunds.
677
00:32:16,235 --> 00:32:19,303
Everybody will be fully refunded
for the experience,
678
00:32:19,338 --> 00:32:20,470
regardless of when
they arrived here
679
00:32:20,506 --> 00:32:22,306
and when they got home.
680
00:32:22,341 --> 00:32:23,440
And finally, they will all be
given a free ticket
681
00:32:23,475 --> 00:32:26,276
to the festival next year
so we can prove ourselves
682
00:32:26,312 --> 00:32:27,844
and make this dream a reality.
683
00:32:27,880 --> 00:32:30,514
Goldberg:
Huh. That's strange.
684
00:32:30,549 --> 00:32:31,815
I seem to have missed the part
where he talked about
685
00:32:31,850 --> 00:32:34,952
making things right
for the workers he stiffed.
686
00:32:34,987 --> 00:32:37,120
They are going to get paid,
right?
687
00:32:37,156 --> 00:32:38,755
Ferguson: He bailed.
He left the island.
688
00:32:38,791 --> 00:32:40,390
I don't know how he left.
I'm sure, probably, privately.
689
00:32:42,861 --> 00:32:48,065
I had all these people
calling me, looking for money.
690
00:32:48,100 --> 00:32:49,866
It was hard because
I was being threatened.
691
00:32:49,902 --> 00:32:51,702
I had no money to pay anyone.
692
00:32:51,737 --> 00:32:53,971
You know,
"I'm working just like you."
693
00:32:54,006 --> 00:32:57,808
I had to keep my phones off.
I changed numbers.
694
00:32:57,843 --> 00:32:59,109
And I have a family here, too,
695
00:32:59,144 --> 00:33:00,911
so I also have to take that
into consideration.
696
00:33:00,946 --> 00:33:06,249
He really put us all in
an extremely difficult spot.
697
00:33:06,285 --> 00:33:09,319
Goldberg:
Billy's back in the u.S.,
698
00:33:09,355 --> 00:33:10,354
and people
are starting to see through
699
00:33:10,389 --> 00:33:13,523
his "we got this,
everyone's getting paid back,
700
00:33:13,559 --> 00:33:15,659
it's all good" attitude.
701
00:33:15,694 --> 00:33:20,030
And the refunds he promised,
well, they never showed up.
702
00:33:20,065 --> 00:33:21,765
Caccamesi: I was just hoping
703
00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:23,133
that they were going to
figure their stuff out
704
00:33:23,168 --> 00:33:24,301
and refund us.
705
00:33:24,336 --> 00:33:25,836
I figured, "any day now,
706
00:33:25,871 --> 00:33:26,737
it's bound to drop back
into the account,"
707
00:33:26,772 --> 00:33:28,305
and it never did.
708
00:33:28,340 --> 00:33:32,309
Goldberg: And so a big fat
$100 million class-action suit
709
00:33:32,344 --> 00:33:34,044
gets filed against billy
and ja rule
710
00:33:34,079 --> 00:33:37,347
on behalf of the fyre festival
workers and attendees.
711
00:33:38,751 --> 00:33:42,219
Meiselas: As we filed
the lawsuit that weekend,
712
00:33:42,254 --> 00:33:45,489
the amount of attention
that was created
713
00:33:45,524 --> 00:33:47,224
from whistleblowers
on the island,
714
00:33:47,259 --> 00:33:49,292
media who covered the lawsuit,
715
00:33:49,328 --> 00:33:53,630
to kind of the social media
frenzy that took place,
716
00:33:53,665 --> 00:33:56,566
you know, really kind of
galvanized the public
717
00:33:56,602 --> 00:34:00,370
to realize that billy mcfarland
was gaslighting everyone
718
00:34:00,406 --> 00:34:02,339
by claiming that nothing
was going wrong
719
00:34:02,374 --> 00:34:03,540
and this was what was planned.
720
00:34:03,575 --> 00:34:05,842
It shows kind of how insidious
721
00:34:05,878 --> 00:34:09,079
what billy and people
like billy do.
722
00:34:09,114 --> 00:34:11,782
Goldberg:
But the lawsuit's the least
of billy's legal problems.
723
00:34:11,817 --> 00:34:13,483
Because not long after
he's back in the states,
724
00:34:13,519 --> 00:34:18,422
the government discovers
just how big his con really was.
725
00:34:22,327 --> 00:34:24,061
Fyre music festival creator
now arrested
726
00:34:24,096 --> 00:34:25,662
and charged with wire fraud.
727
00:34:25,697 --> 00:34:29,900
Goldberg: The feds claim that
billy swindled his investors
728
00:34:29,935 --> 00:34:33,336
out of $26 million,
729
00:34:33,372 --> 00:34:37,541
all to pay for the festival
he couldn't deliver.
730
00:34:37,576 --> 00:34:39,810
King: When billy got charged
with wire fraud,
731
00:34:39,845 --> 00:34:41,545
I was taken aback,
732
00:34:41,580 --> 00:34:44,514
but I understood and I realized
that that was one of
733
00:34:44,550 --> 00:34:48,285
the biggest issues throughout
the building of the festival,
734
00:34:48,320 --> 00:34:51,721
was the constant probably lying.
735
00:34:51,757 --> 00:34:54,691
So the wire fraud,
to me, made total sense.
736
00:34:54,726 --> 00:34:56,726
Goldberg:
Billy doesn't fight the charges
737
00:34:56,762 --> 00:35:00,931
and in March of 2018
pleads guilty to wire fraud.
738
00:35:00,966 --> 00:35:03,500
And he's ordered to pay
his investors back
739
00:35:03,535 --> 00:35:08,605
the entire $26 million
he bamboozled them out of,
740
00:35:08,640 --> 00:35:10,874
and he's sentenced to six years
in the can.
741
00:35:13,245 --> 00:35:16,213
King: I never thought of billy
as a con artist.
742
00:35:16,248 --> 00:35:21,051
But as things unfolded,
it was painfully obvious
743
00:35:21,086 --> 00:35:25,355
that he wasn't totally in touch
with, like,
744
00:35:25,390 --> 00:35:26,923
the damage that he had done
745
00:35:26,959 --> 00:35:30,694
and the damage that he does
when he's acting this way.
746
00:35:32,164 --> 00:35:33,697
Goldberg: Which brings us back
to our million-dollar question.
747
00:35:33,732 --> 00:35:35,632
You let down so many people.
748
00:35:35,667 --> 00:35:38,401
What do you say to people who
would just call you a con man?
749
00:35:41,707 --> 00:35:44,441
Goldberg: Billy?
750
00:35:44,476 --> 00:35:47,878
Billy?
751
00:35:56,054 --> 00:35:58,388
You let down so many people.
752
00:35:58,423 --> 00:36:01,358
What do you say to people who
would just call you a con man?
753
00:36:01,393 --> 00:36:08,565
♪
754
00:36:26,552 --> 00:36:28,852
did you knowingly
con the investors
755
00:36:28,887 --> 00:36:29,986
to get their backing?
756
00:36:39,198 --> 00:36:42,966
Goldberg: So, what exactly
did billy do when he lied?
757
00:36:43,001 --> 00:36:48,305
Well, according to fbi files,
to reassure his investors,
758
00:36:48,340 --> 00:36:50,874
billy altered
his own stock statements,
759
00:36:50,909 --> 00:36:55,245
changing roughly $1,000
to over $2 million.
760
00:36:55,280 --> 00:36:56,980
He also said the festival
was backed
761
00:36:57,015 --> 00:37:01,618
by a big fat insurance policy,
which was a big fat lie.
762
00:37:01,653 --> 00:37:04,788
Plus,
he claimed that fyre media
763
00:37:04,823 --> 00:37:07,490
had brought in
millions in months
764
00:37:07,526 --> 00:37:09,025
when it was really
more like thousands.
765
00:37:09,061 --> 00:37:11,027
And get this --
766
00:37:11,063 --> 00:37:13,897
he started pushing some of these
lies right around the time
767
00:37:13,932 --> 00:37:16,499
he made that internet-busting
promo video,
768
00:37:16,535 --> 00:37:20,971
barely a month after he came up
with the festival idea.
769
00:37:21,006 --> 00:37:23,206
The evidence is damning.
770
00:37:23,242 --> 00:37:25,742
He was lying to people
pretty much from the get-go.
771
00:37:28,814 --> 00:37:30,280
How does billy explain?
772
00:38:12,324 --> 00:38:13,957
What's your biggest regret,
20/20 hindsight?
773
00:38:19,398 --> 00:38:20,864
Goldberg: People like andy,
774
00:38:20,899 --> 00:38:23,233
who, despite everything
he went through,
775
00:38:23,268 --> 00:38:26,670
isn't part of any lawsuit
against billy.
776
00:38:26,705 --> 00:38:29,472
King: I know that he embarked
on this mission
777
00:38:29,508 --> 00:38:30,674
thinking he could pull it off.
778
00:38:30,709 --> 00:38:35,845
He felt playing with numbers,
falsifying some documents,
779
00:38:35,881 --> 00:38:37,781
but raising the money
and creating a product
780
00:38:37,816 --> 00:38:39,082
that the world raves about,
781
00:38:39,117 --> 00:38:44,020
that he would have been able
to pay everybody back
782
00:38:44,056 --> 00:38:46,289
and continue to rise
to the top.
783
00:38:46,325 --> 00:38:49,993
And so the scam really
grew and grew for him.
784
00:38:50,028 --> 00:38:53,530
There was only one scam artist
in the entire group,
785
00:38:53,565 --> 00:38:55,398
and it was billy.
786
00:38:55,434 --> 00:38:57,300
He duped us.
He screwed us over big-time.
787
00:38:59,905 --> 00:39:01,604
When you put your all
into something
788
00:39:01,640 --> 00:39:04,507
and then you get duped,
it hurts.
789
00:39:04,543 --> 00:39:07,644
The exuma people
are a striving people,
790
00:39:07,679 --> 00:39:10,146
and we're resilient
and we bounce back.
791
00:39:10,182 --> 00:39:11,081
But, you know,
it's gonna take some time.
792
00:39:12,417 --> 00:39:15,719
Konnikova: Billy mcfarland
is 100% a con artist.
793
00:39:15,754 --> 00:39:20,223
And I think that part
of his hubris was thinking,
794
00:39:20,258 --> 00:39:22,125
"ah, maybe somehow,
it'll get pulled off."
795
00:39:22,160 --> 00:39:24,994
but it was a con because he
didn't care if it didn't happen.
796
00:39:25,030 --> 00:39:28,298
Goldberg:
Whatever his motivations were,
797
00:39:28,333 --> 00:39:32,302
billy's going to be paying
for his con for a long time.
798
00:39:32,337 --> 00:39:35,171
He owes millions
to his investors,
799
00:39:35,207 --> 00:39:37,273
and he's still
potentially facing
800
00:39:37,309 --> 00:39:40,977
that $100 million
class-action lawsuit.
801
00:39:41,012 --> 00:39:43,513
A default was recently entered
against billy
802
00:39:43,548 --> 00:39:45,448
when he failed
to appear in court.
803
00:39:45,484 --> 00:39:48,718
And what about his
former partner, ja rule?
804
00:39:48,754 --> 00:39:50,920
Well, he was dropped
from the civil case
805
00:39:50,956 --> 00:39:52,422
and was never implicated
806
00:39:52,457 --> 00:39:54,891
in billy's criminal case.
807
00:39:54,926 --> 00:39:59,329
Billy isn't scheduled to be
released from prison until 2023,
808
00:39:59,364 --> 00:40:03,733
and he recently did a stint
in solitary confinement
809
00:40:03,769 --> 00:40:05,935
because of this
podcast interview.
810
00:40:05,971 --> 00:40:11,241
But it's doubtful
even that can hold him back.
811
00:40:11,276 --> 00:40:13,777
I can pretty much guarantee you
that he's going to come up
812
00:40:13,812 --> 00:40:16,646
with another
get-rich-quick scheme
813
00:40:16,681 --> 00:40:19,649
and try to sell that
to the public.
814
00:40:19,684 --> 00:40:22,318
Goldberg: Once a pitchman,
always a pitchman.
815
00:40:22,354 --> 00:40:25,088
In fact, billy has
come up with many ideas
816
00:40:25,123 --> 00:40:26,222
since he's been
in the big house,
817
00:40:26,258 --> 00:40:30,193
like a phone calling card
for inmates, and, well --
818
00:40:30,228 --> 00:40:32,061
well, a lot more.
819
00:40:32,097 --> 00:40:34,631
Mcfarland: My overall concept
and, really, vision
820
00:40:34,666 --> 00:40:36,433
I'm putting together
in jail...
821
00:40:36,468 --> 00:40:40,637
...Now is more about using
technology to connect...
822
00:40:40,672 --> 00:40:41,905
...Kind of around the world...
823
00:40:41,940 --> 00:40:43,907
...And our physical plans,
824
00:40:43,942 --> 00:40:45,442
maybe a hotel,
maybe a festival,
825
00:40:45,477 --> 00:40:46,643
maybe a fashion line
part of that.
826
00:40:46,678 --> 00:40:51,014
But are all his big plans
just more shady schemes
827
00:40:51,049 --> 00:40:54,451
or a real attempt
to make a fresh start?
828
00:40:54,486 --> 00:40:56,786
For now, only billy knows.
829
00:40:58,957 --> 00:41:03,293
Let's give the last word
to the man billy looked up to,
830
00:41:03,328 --> 00:41:05,995
the one he brought in
to save the festival.
831
00:41:06,031 --> 00:41:08,531
King: Billy did take
some of my advice,
832
00:41:08,567 --> 00:41:13,269
and so I think I've been
a positive influence on billy.
833
00:41:13,305 --> 00:41:14,437
Um...
834
00:41:14,473 --> 00:41:15,138
But, you know, he only listens
835
00:41:15,173 --> 00:41:15,572
to whatever he wants to hear,
836
00:41:15,607 --> 00:41:18,174
and, you know,
837
00:41:18,210 --> 00:41:18,608
I think that's why
he's in prison today.
838
00:41:18,643 --> 00:41:19,709
♪