The Swan — Season 1, Episode 4: Beth & Kathy
Reality • 60 min • 2 seasons, 21 episodes • ★ 3.3/10
Episode synopsis
Meet Beth, 25, from Milton, Washington. Beth's a wife, mother and Customer Service Supervisor. Following the birth of her son, she suffered the usual wear and tear on her stomach and breasts, which lead to low self-esteem and intimacy issues between her and her husband. She's always thought of herself as one of those people who wouldn't stick around if she discovered her husband was cheating on her but he was and she didn't leave. Why? Because she didn't believe anyone else would ever love her. Her husband expresses his remorse for having hurt her and his fear that when she changes, she may not want to be with him anymore. Beth wants to know what it's like to walk into a room and have heads turn. Next, meet Kathy, 27, part-time student from Lake Villa, Illinois. Kathy recalls a painful adolescence where she was relentlessly teased for her big nose. She describes a scenario where an entire classroom of kids put on fake noses to poke fun at her. Kathy still looks in the mirror and sees
About The Swan
The Swan is a 2004 American reality television program broadcast on Fox in which women who were judged to be ugly were given "extreme makeovers" that included several forms of plastic surgery. The title of the series refers to the fairy tale The Ugly Duckling, in which a homely bird matures into a swan. Each contestant was assigned a panel of specialists – a coach, therapist, trainer, cosmetic surgeons, and a dentist – who together designed a program of total transformation. The contestants' work ethic, growth, and achievement was monitored over the course of three months. Each week, two women were featured, and at the episode's conclusion, one went home while another was selected to move to compete in the Swan pageant at the end of the season for a chance to be deemed The Swan. The first two seasons both aired in 2004. A third season was tipped to happen, but the show was cancelled in early 2005 after ratings continued to drop. The plastic surgeons on the team were chosen for their ability to perform often startling transformations. Drs. Terry Dubrow and Randal Haworth, both board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, were selected by the producers of the show to perform the multiple plastic surgical operations for each of the two aired seasons.