First look at 'The Swan: Behind The Mirror' digs into the legacy of controversial reality show
The film catches up with the contestants who lived through one of the most controversial reality shows ever put on air
Over 20 years after it aired, the contestants on one of the most controversial reality shows on TV are sharing their stories.
"I almost died for reality television," one former contestant says.
"The Swan: Behind The Mirror," a new Hulu documentary, dives into the lives of the contestants of the 2004 reality TV series "The Swan" during and after their time on the show. Directed by Erin Lee Carr, producer of "Murdaugh: Death in the Family" and "Britney vs Spears," the film explores how little the women knew when joining the experiment, and the lengths they were put through to stay in it.
"When the show started airing, it was big," another former contestant says. "I don't think we knew the nightmare we signed up for."
The show was first pitched as a way to help women boost their confidence and improve themselves, offering services like career coaches and personal trainers.
And, as they would find out, intensive plastic surgery. One woman describes ten hours of operations with only a day of recovery. Others are still able to list off the surgeries they had to undergo as part of the show's plan for them. And none of them were told that at the end of it, they would have to compete against each other in a grand pageant, all for the sake of better TV.
"Our role was to decide who would make good transformations for TV," someone who worked on the show says. "There are no victims in life, there are only volunteers. We want to see drama."
Over 20 years since the series ended its two-season run, the former contestants are still working through the toll the experience had on their bodies and their minds. The documentary offers them a chance to fully tell their side of the story.
"Not a single person was an ugly duckling that they dubbed us to be," a former contestant assures the women around her.
"The Swan: Behind The Mirror" premieres Sept. 29 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of Hulu and this ABC station.
