Yahoo Lifestyle A&E’s Series “Houses of Horror: Secrets of College Greek” Life Exposes Dark Underbelly of Campus Social Scene
The series debuts Monday, Aug. 12 at 9 pm ET/PT with the story of Daniel Santulli, whose bid to become a fraternity brother at the University of Missouri turned tragic
Courtesy of the Santulli family
Danny Santulli and Mary Pat SantulliWhen Daniel Santulli got to the University of Missouri as a freshman in the fall of 2021, he pledged a popular fraternity: Phi Gamma Delta.
As a pledge hoping to become a member of the well-known fraternity, the 19-year-old was ordered to go on frequent food runs for brothers, scour members’ rooms to perfection and cater to their many whims.
He underwent even harsher treatment when he was deprived of sleep, kept from his family and demeaned.
Life as he knew it ended on Oct. 19, 2021, when he was forced to drink a bottle of vodka taped to his hand at a "Pledge Father Reveal" party at the fraternity that left him blind, paralyzed and unable to communicate after suffering brain damage from severe alcohol poisoning.
Santulli’s ordeal is featured in A&E’s new series, Houses of Horror: Secrets of College Greek Life. (An exclusive clip is shown below.)
Debuting Monday, Aug. 12 at 9p.m. ET/PT, with back-to-back episodes, the series explores the dark underbelly of Greek life on college campuses.
Courtesy of the Santulli family
Daniel Santulli“Each one-hour episode features first-hand accounts of how the power, control and secrecy of fraternities and sororities can create a cult-like dynamic leading to an environment where nefarious activity — from drug use to sexual assault — is able to thrive,” A&E says in a release.
The series includes exclusive sit-down interviews with former fraternity and sorority members, family members, law enforcement and experts, detailing how Greek organizations can have “far-reaching consequences that can turn dangerous, and even deadly,” according to the release.
Courtesy of A&E
Mary Pat and Tom Santulli, parents of Danny Santulli, looking back at happier moments in their son's lifeThe first episode, “Bingeing to Belong,” goes in-depth on Santulli’s ill-fated journey to becoming a fraternity brother.
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In the episode, his older sister Meredith says she started to notice odd behavior on her brother’s part. “I started to notice that Danny wasn’t going to class,” she says.
“He started telling me he didn't have any money," even though he had only been at college for a month, she adds.
Fraternity brothers can summon pledges at any time of day or night, one unidentified former fraternity member says in a trailer for the first episode.
Related: 'Pledge Dad' Who Made Frat Member Drink Until He Suffered Brain Damage Sentenced to 6 Months in Jail
“You’re supposed to feel almost like a piece of dirt in the sense that you are a servant for them,” he says. “You’re not a person. You’re a pledge — like you have to do anything until you are actually initiated.”
That can include being forced to drink large quantities of alcohol.
That night at the fraternity, after being forced to drink alcohol and then beer, Danny collapsed.
“He was dumped on a couch and abandoned,” A&E says in the release.
Courtesy of the Santulli family
Daniel Santulli“Instead of calling an ambulance, the Fiji brothers tried to cover their tracks — driving him to the hospital in the cloak of darkness.
“The Santulli family would later uncover devastating truths about that fateful night when security camera footage capturing some of the ghastly hazing was uncovered, but their fight for Danny was just beginning.”
Houses of Horror: Secrets of College Greek Life premieres Monday, August 12 at 9pm ET/PT.
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