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The premiere of "The Swan" Season 2 was prefaced with a look back at the first season, a reunion with all of the contestants and update on their progress. I had always wanted to see what happened to the recipients of extreme makeovers after the cameras stopped rolling. This first hour was a revelation simply because the net result seems to have been positive improvements across the board.
They claim that the Beauty Pageant that capped off Season 1 was the most watched televised pageant ever. I guess America has a soft spot for the underdog and the premise of this show touched a lot of hearts. Plastic Surgeons play a vital role in restoring functionality and self-esteem to many people.
There is also a growing trend on television to feature the other side of the business, the part that deals with people's insecurities and panders to our fears about aging. The Swan was unique because they selected contestants who had serious defects that prevented them from enjoying a normal life, not people who were seeking perfection and the fountain of youth. Out of over 200,000 applicants, 16 were chosen to undergo radical transformations that included plastic, dental and optical surgeries, weight and fitness regimens and intensive therapy. The 9 contestants selected for the beauty pageant remained in isolation from family and friends for up to 4 months. This allowed plenty of time for self-awareness (and indulgence!)
Creator and executive producer, Nely Galan, received a lot of criticism after the show for passing herself off as a counselor without the proper credentials but judging from the continuing improvements that were revealed by the women in this update, few were negatively impacted by her lack of training. All of the "swans" appear to have gained true self-esteem and they have applied their newfound confidence to their relationships and lives outside the show. The transformations were intense and required the participants to endure physical and mental pain as well as emotional highs and lows.
The series producers seem to have taken great care to insure that they survived and flourished.
One thing is apparent about all of the contestants when we catch up with them. They have become comfortable with the changes that have taken place. When their transformations were first revealed and during the pageant all of them looked stiff and awkward. You can imagine how alien they must have felt after years of trying to melt into the background to suddenly have so much positive attention focused on them. It looks like they adapted quite well and have accepted their newfound beauty. As each girl updates us on her life since the show it is interesting that most have remained with the men that that stuck by them even when they had their "handicaps". The ones who are not with the same partners were in relationships that were in trouble for larger reasons. All of the men admit that they are pleased with the outcome and grateful, not so much for the new "eye-candy" they get to claim as their own, but more for the happiness that they can share now that the women see themselves as their significant others saw them all along.
Amanda Byram returns as host and begins the reunion show by telling us that "These woman returned home as confident beauties after enduring a lifetime of feeling like ugly ducklings" She presents recaps of the procedures each woman underwent in her transformation, shows the moment of the "reveal and then updates the progress since the series ended. During the opening montage we get a glimpse of the 9 pageant participants in side-by-side "Before" and "After" shots.
Kelly Alemi was an audience favorite. After her return home she says she "smiles all the time" and her boyfriend considers himself "The luckiest guy in the world" They became engaged shortly after the series ended and have worked out the problems that plagued them before due to Kelly's self consciousness.
Former model Belinda Bissant had let herself go. With the help of the team she trimmed down from a size 18 to an 8. She has also become engaged to the boyfriend she had before.
For Beth Lay, motherhood took a toll on her body and she had always been considered a "Plain-Jane". Seeing her husband kissing another woman in a bar sent her fragile ego into a tailspin. After her return home, she and her husband were able to work through their problems and have stayed together. She was First Runner-up in the pageant. She admits that she has regained some weight but still looks healthy and happy.
Kathy Rickers felt that she looked like an awkward 16-year-old before the show. Now she has fulfilled her dream of working in fashion.
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