Over the years, reality shows of all kinds have made its way to television and even streaming services like Netflix. Some go on to be incredibly successful (The Bachelor and Real Housewives franchises remain strong) while others fail dramatically.
In the case of The Swan, the 2004 reality show was even deemed offensive, guaranteeing that its run would be relatively short-lived.
What Is The Swan?
As the name of the show suggests, The Swan centers on the transformation of contestants (ducklings) into a ‘swan.’ To make this happen though, the show does not encourage healthier eating habits, cardio exercises, or yoga. Instead, the contestants here are encouraged to go under the knife.
In its premiere episode, host Amanda Byram explained that two “average-looking” women would undergo “the most radical transformations ever attempted” with the help of some of the leading plastic surgeons and health professionals (although it is worth noting that the show’s cosmetic dentist was sued for malpractice in 2015) in the country. And then, at the end of the night, only one of the women would be determined “changed enough” to compete in a beauty pageant that would take place during the show’s finale. As Byram has said in the opening, this is “the most unusual competition ever devised for television” and it certainly delivered on that premise.
The person behind the show is creator Nely Galán who also presented herself as a life coach on the show. Her philosophy in finding happiness is also interesting. “Most people think they want something and they really want something else,” Galán explained during an interview with Variety. “Once you figure out what you want, it’s easy to get it.” Moreover, she said that whatever it is that one jealous of “shows you your inadequacies.” Well, inadequacies are essentially the reason that women decided to join the show.
“I am a 24-year-old wife and mother of two children. I feel like my boy has been ruined!” read an email from someone interested to become a part of Galan’s reality experiment. “I had my first daughter at 17. … I need a new nose, liposuction, and NEW BREASTS! Can you help me, is there any way to get on the show?” On the other hand, former contestant Tawnya Cooke decided to audition for the show because she felt like she needed to get herself back after getting divorced. “I just wasn’t laughing, or being myself,” Cooke told Colorado Community Media. “I withdrew and felt really bad about my life.”
The Swan Also Had Controversy Behind The Scenes
On the show, contestants went under the knife several times. Although, if producers of the show had their way, the women have reportedly undergone a lot more procedures. For instance, Cooke got a tummy tuck, liposuction, nose filing, brow lift, eyelift, and veneers.
Despite having all these done on herself, however, the producers were interested in having more work done on Cooke. “(The show’s producers) wanted you to do a total surrender,” Cooke recalled. “They wanted to do a total facelift and facial contouring, breast implants. I was the oldest one, the rebel swan, and I thought that with all I had been through in the last two years, I didn’t want to look in the mirror and not see Tawnya.”
A similar thing happened to former contestant Lorrie Arias who underwent more procedures for the show than she had expected. In fact, she ended up undergoing a rhinoplasty, buttock lift, tummy tuck, endoscopic brow lift, breast lift, breast augmentation, dual facelift, upper lip lift, and upper and lower eyelift. In the end, Arias’ had the most procedures done on the show throughout its run.
Where Are The Swan Contestants Now?
While some of the women seem to be doing well after being featured on the show, others are miserable. In fact, Rachel Love, who won in Season 1, even told the New York Post, “Some of the girls have had problems with their surgeries, and I would have thought [the producers] would have helped a little more with that. But what can you expect from them?”
As for Arias, she now suffers from lupus, depression, bipolar disorder, and body dysmorphic disorder. She also regained the weight that she lost on the show. “I started to yo-yo,” Arias admitted while speaking with HuffPost Entertainment. “I was 155 on ‘The Swan,’ now I’m sitting here at 248. And I’m miserable.”
Despite everything she has been through, Arias has admitted she’s willing to do everything all over again. However, the former Swan also acknowledged that this is more about dealing with her insecurities than anything else. “I thought a tummy tuck would give me all the self-esteem in the world. Of course, it didn’t,” Arias explained. “All I want now is for my story to help others, so they won’t think that going under the knife is a cure-all. For a while it may be, but everything still comes back up.”
After the first season aired, Galán reportedly started looking into extending the concept of the show. In fact, there were supposed plans to do a similar reality competition for men. It stands to reason that she wanted to create her own reality tv empire. After all, Galán once admitted, “I’m jealous of people who create brands (namely, Martha Stewart.” However, after all the uproar, it’s easy to see why such plans never took off.
