If you’ve ever sipped apple cider vinegar and thought, this tastes like deception, well—you’re not entirely wrong. The new Netflix docuseries Apple Cider Vinegar has been stirring up more than just gut health debates; it’s reigniting the jaw-dropping story of the wellness influencer who faked cancer, duped thousands, and somehow managed to turn her web of lies into a lucrative brand.
Meet the Fraudfluencer
Once upon a time (in the early 2010s), a charismatic wellness guru emerged from the depths of Instagram, armed with green juices, Buddha bowl recipes, and a smile that could sell organic hemp sheets. She wasn’t just another clean-eating advocate—oh no—she had the story. A dramatic, tear-jerking journey of healing herself from terminal cancer without chemotherapy.
According to her, Big Pharma didn’t want you to know that turmeric, yoga, and (of course) apple cider vinegar could cure you. But she, the chosen one, had cracked the code. Thousands of desperate and hopeful people latched onto her every word, willing to swap chemo for kale if it meant they, too, could defy modern medicine.
Her name? Well, let’s just say she had an aesthetic, alliterative wellness guru name that looked great in a minimalist, pastel Instagram bio.
Maybe this is where Real Housewives of Orange County star Brooks Ayer’s thought of his plan to fake cancer!?
How the Lies Fermented
The more followers she gained, the wilder her claims became. She wasn’t just surviving cancer—she was thriving. In between selling pricey e-books, gut-reset courses, and launching her own line of overpriced kombucha kits, she became a symbol of hope and a walking, talking advertisement for holistic health.
She claimed doctors told her she was “a medical miracle.” That she had “rewired her DNA” through positive thinking. That if you just believed hard enough, you too could reverse stage 4 cancer with chia seed pudding.
And then, like all good scams, it unraveled.
The Cancer-Free Con
Investigative journalists (and a few skeptics with Wi-Fi) started poking holes in her story. No medical records. No actual evidence of cancer. Just a lot of poetic captions and a suspiciously radiant complexion for someone supposedly battling a terminal illness.
Soon, the truth came out: She had never had cancer. Not even a little bit. Not even a mild case of pre-cancerous vibes. It was all a lie.
Cue the public outrage. Refund demands. Angry social media posts from people who had ditched their oncologists for a juice cleanse. Lawsuits were filed. Her empire of deceit crumbled faster than a gluten-free cracker.
Enter Netflix: Turning Lies into Entertainment
If there’s one thing we’ve learned in the age of streaming, it’s that a scandal isn’t truly over until Netflix turns it into a docuseries. And so, Apple Cider Vinegar was born. A deep dive into the absurdity of wellness scams, featuring dramatic reenactments, interviews with former followers, and (probably) a somber piano soundtrack playing over slow-motion shots of influencer captions.
The docuseries explores how social media has turned “health advice” into a free-for-all where the most photogenic liar wins. It also asks the burning question: How do so many people fall for this nonsense?(Spoiler: It involves a lot of aesthetically pleasing food photography and vague words like “toxins” and “energy healing.”)
The Moral of the Story?
1. If someone tells you they cured cancer with apple cider vinegar, run.
2. Wellness grifters will always exist—be skeptical, especially if they’re selling you something.
3. Netflix will eventually turn every scam into a binge-worthy docuseries.
So next time you see a wellness guru pushing miracle cures on Instagram, remember: Sometimes, the only thing they’re detoxing is your wallet.
And with that, I’ll leave you with one final wellness tip—maybe don’tbelieve everything you read on the internet. (Except this article. This one is solid.)
