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The Swan Episode 5 Recap
By Kelley Rhodes
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Episode five of The Sawn features one woman who appears mentally and physically up for the challenge, and another woman who possibly needed three months of therapy before a surgeon's knife ever touched her body. Will she be able to complete the process? Let's find out.
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First we meet Andrea M, a 29-year-old Lasik assistant and single mother from West Minister CA. Upon receiving the news that she has been chosen for the show, Andrea immediately bursts into tears. Battling acne since her early twenties, Andrea has tried numerous skin care lines and made many trips to the dermatologist. She is also self-conscious about her nose, hair, chest size and admits she always feels frumpy. She says, "I don't feel good in my body." Andrea says her scars are a daily reminder of all the ridicule she has endured in her life.
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Very hurt by the cruel words of an ex-boyfriend who once called her scar face (no wonder he's an ex!), Andrea feels her insecurities about her looks affect her relationships. "My looks prevent me from being happy with Brian and my son Zachary."
Brian observes, "She can be all bubbly and outgoing and friendly or she can be where she doesn't want to do anything, doesn't want to go anywhere, she's depressed and I think a lot of it is just her insecurities about her self."
She doesn't want her son to grow up to be insecure and Brian worries that their frequent fights over her self-doubt will upset Zachary who doesn't realize what their fights are about; he's afraid Zachary will think his mom is yelling at him.
Andrea thinks her relationship with Brian will end if she doesn't get a handle on her emotions; she doesn't want to be responsible for ending her relationship with Zachary's dad.
The experts discuss a Swan plan for Andrea. Host Amanda Byram says Andrea focuses on her acne scars, but that she also mentions the word insecurities a lot. Therapist Dr. Lynn Ianni agrees saying that Andrea's problems are more than skin deep. She will help her deal with these issues in therapy. Dr. Randal J. Haworth discusses the procedures he will perform to better define her face and clear up her active acne and remove most of the previous scarring. Dr. Sherri Worth will perform extensive dental work on Andrea.
Her plan includes:
On her face - CO2 laser treatment, nose job, brow lift, fat removal from face and chin, fat transfer to lips, and Lasik eye surgery.
For her body - Breast augmentation, liposuction of four areas: inner thighs, outer thighs, abdomen and flanks.
Dental work - Zoom bleaching, gum recontouring, deep cleaning, root canal and tooth extraction.
Fitness - 1300 calories and 120 hours in the gym.
Therapy and coaching to build self esteem and to control her emotional outbursts
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Next we meet Belinda B., a 28-year-old single mother and a nurse from Las Vegas NV, who used to have the perfect body - she had 'guys chasing her down the street'. Growing up, she was so tall and skinny that her friends suggest she give modeling a try. She did and she enjoyed it. Now, after years of abusive relationships and two failed marriages, Belinda doesn't feel pretty any more. As she tosses aside photos of her and her ex's, Belinda says, "My dream for myself is to learn to know that I deserve someone to treat me good."
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Belinda's mother, also named Belinda, feels sad about her daughter's broken dreams, but is powerless to help her. She says Belinda's biggest insecurity is her weight. Belinda feels pregnancy changed her whole body; she now sees 'a big fat cow' when she looks in the mirror. Belinda wants to feel better about herself primarily for her son whom she says she lives for. "I guess I feel like I am just existing right now, I'm kinda in this space where I don't foresee how to get myself out of it." Belinda says, "I'm not really happy." .
Amanda and the panel of experts discuss a Swan plan for Belinda. Dr. Ianni hopes therapy will help Belinda regain strength she once had, but has lost now. Belinda is most worried about her weight. Dr. Terry Dubrow says she needs a breast lift, liposuction and lots of training. He says he can give her the immediate appearance of weight loss in face with a few simple procedures. Trainer Greg Comeaux says this will be 'a tough, arduous process' for Belinda. He will start her off with running and then put her on an aerobics routine and weight training.
Belinda's Plan:
On her face - brow life, mid-face lift, fat transfer to lips, liposuction of lower eye and cheeks, dermatology visits and Lasik eye surgery.
On her body - Breast reduction and lift; and liposuction on six different areas: inner thighs, outer thighs, abdomen, knees, flanks, and hips.
Dental work - Zoom bleaching, bridge work on her front teeth, DaVinici veneers, gum tissue recontouring, deep cleaning and root canal.
Fitness regimen - a 1200 calorie a day diet and 120 hours in the gym for cardio and repetitive weight training.
Therapy and Life Coaching to increase her self worth and end her cycle of abusive relationships.
The women arrive in LA to begin their three-month journey. They are surprised to find out what we and the other contestants already know: they will not see their reflection in a mirror until the final reveal.
Andrea meets with Dr. Haworth, who explains the CO2 laser treatments that will help remove her acne scars. Andrea is very disappointed when Dr. Haworth points out that the treatment has a success rate of only 40 to 70 percent, but she tries to be positive and hopes for 70%.
Belinda visits a local Jenny Craig diet center and is shocked to find out she weighs 187 lbs. She needs to lose at least 30 pounds. Next, Belinda consults with Dr. Dubrow who explains the benefits of a breast-reduction - no more headaches and neck pain. He will do liposuction and a lift to make Belinda a large 'C' cup instead of a double 'D'.
Andrea visits cosmetic dentist Dr. Sherri Worth, she is very upset about the condition of her teeth, she couldn't afford to care for them properly, she says. A very emotional Andrea cries as she's told that she will need a tooth pulled. Could Andrea's emotional state prevent her from completing the swan program? We'll find out.
Meanwhile, Belinda has a touching phone call with her young son who wants his mommy to come home. She reassures him that she loves him, but that mommy will be gone for quite awhile longer.
The big day arrives for Belinda. Dr. Dubrow prepares Belinda for surgery by marking her abdomen for liposuction. During the liposuction procedure, he remarks that she has 'very nice elastic tight skin' which will give her a good result. Then in a moment of levity, Dr. Dubrow says she has lots of golden fat in the liposuction tube representing 'many cheeseburgers'.
He hopes to feminize her face with a brow lift and fat transfer. Liposuction on her body will help with body sculpting, but not weight loss, she will need to stick to her fitness regimen in order to make it to the pageant. He expects her to make a major transformation.
Andrea is clearly terrified of having surgery. Dr. Haworth attempts to comfort her by saying her reaction is very normal. He's afraid that she will also have a lot of anxiety after her surgery. Once her surgery is complete and obviously not feeling any pain yet, Andrea sings through her very swollen lips "oh give me a home where the buffalo roam…'.
The next day, Andrea is in a lot of pain, "Every part of my body hurts." she moans. Dr. Haworth says a lot of patients aren't prepared for the hard recovery from CO2 face treatment. She is just beginning her grueling healing process.
Belinda, on the other hand, is feeling great one day after her surgery. Dr. Dubrow says she looks about three weeks into her recovery, but cautions that she must use this time to work on her fitness program if she wants to make it to the pageant.
One week after surgery, Swan coach Nely Galan checks in on Andrea to encourage her to stick with the program. Andrea is emerging from her pain and depression. Her face still has a lot of healing to do.
Belinda begins her work to deal with her poor choices in men. Nely Galan advises her to work out with a punching bag. Trainer Greg Comeaux helps Belinda work out all her pent up aggressions. "No on will ever touch me again." she vows.
Next, Nely Galan meets with Andrea once again to confront her about sticking to her diet and fitness regimen. Very belligerent, Andrea argues with Galan about her starting weight and reports that she refuses to let the staff weigh her. Trainer Comeaux remarks that Andrea comes into the gym whining and complaining. He says she needs to turn her attitude around if she even has a chance to make it to the pageant. Andrea thinks she looks pretty damn good right now and thinks she only needs to tone up a bit to 'look smoking.' Once confronted, Andrea melts down and says she wants to go home. Dr. Ianni tells us that Andrea has anger management issues. She will have to learn to control herself, says Dr. Ianni. Her inner transformation will be Andrea's biggest challenge, she says.
With only one month left before the reveal, Belinda meets with Dr. Ianni to continue to work on her inner self; she hopes to break the cycle of being an abused woman.
Judgment day is finally here. Amanda Byram discusses the women's transformations with the panel of experts. First we will see Andrea who has endured a painful treatment to reduce her acne scars and worked hard in therapy to handle her anger issues.
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The Reveal
Andrea walks out wearing a low cut red dress. Her perfectly styled hair is a beautiful shade of red. The experts applaud her. She looks incredible, Amanda tells her. She looks like a completely different person - one sexy lady, Amanda continues. Andrea approaches the curtain, anxiously waiting to see her transformed self. The curtain parts and she is in awe. "I like it!" she says with a huge smile on her face. Will she have changed enough to continue on to the pageant?
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Next, Belinda hopes to return to her former model form. Dr. Ianni says Belinda has worked very hard to learn to love herself for the very first time. Comeaux says Belinda worked very hard in the gym and has successfully shed 32 lbs. Belinda walks through the double doors to a thunderous round of applause. She is wearing a low cut long black dress and a sparkling choker. Amanda welcomes her on stage and Belinda tells her she has learned that beauty comes from the inside; she is happy with who she is now. Belinda approaches the curtain. When it is drawn back, Belinda puts her hand to her mouth in shock. She turns from side to side and begins to cry.
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Amanda asks if these are tears of happiness, Belinda laughs and says yes, they are. Belinda hugs the experts who are thrilled with her transformation. Is Belinda indeed back in model form? Is it enough to send her through to the pageant? Let's find out.
The Judgment
Amanda holds the card with the winners name inside. Tonight's winner will join Rachel, Cristina, Cindy and Beth in the pageant for a chance to win prizes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The winner is Belinda! Andrea congratulates Belinda. Nely Galan says Andrea didn't make it to the pageant because she still has work to do on the inside; Galan hopes the show will be a beginning for her. Andrea cries as she is surprised by her boyfriend Brian and her son Zachary. Brian says he thinks she looks beautiful. Andrea is reduced to tears yet again as her mom, niece and brother join her. They are very pleased with her results.
Happy at last, Andrea's says, "The Swan program helped me get to the point where I see that there's so much more to life than what I was living. I win either way." Yes, Andrea, you do.
Kelley Rhodes is a full-time mom, part-time reality tv junky and would-be writer.
You can contact Kelley at kacir03@yahoo.com.
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