‘The Swan’ Star Kari Bravata Addresses Near-Fatal Surgery & Why She Has No Regrets

The Swan took reality TV by storm when it premiered in 2004. Women across the country were plucked from their normal lives and promised the chance to become “Swans” through extensive plastic surgery and physical transformation in just a few short months. These Swans were then judged and, if selected, competed against other contestants in a pageant. Hulu’s new documentary, The Swan: Behind the Mirror, dives into what really went on behind the scenes and the lasting impact the show had on the contestants.

After the wildly successful first season, the FOX series had to up the ante in Season 2. Sisters Kari and Gina Bravata were picked as contestants, and the intention was to pit them against each other. At their reveals, Kari was chosen over Gina for the pageant, but Gina was later selected as a wildcard. Gina would ultimately be the second season’s first runner-up.

During one of the surgeries that was part of The Swan makeover, Kari’s lungs filled with fluid and her oxygen level dropped significantly. At one point, she wouldn’t wake up. “I almost died for reality television,” she says. She has never been told exactly what happened during the surgery. In the documentary, Kari and other contestants also open up about Dr. Randal Haworth, one of The Swan doctors. They claim he ordered them to come to a garage and pressured them to have nude photos taken of themselves that he says were for a coffee table book that never came to fruition.

Kari spoke with TV Insider about her terrifying experience while under the knife, the incident with Dr. Haworth, and the biggest problem the Swans face now as a result of the work they had done through the show, and more.

Do you regret doing the show?

Kari Bravata: I do not regret doing the show. I know people think it’s crazy. I would do it again with more knowledge and on my own terms, but I don’t regret it. I know there’s a lot to process and a lot of trauma that I will probably carry with me forever, but the good definitely outweighed the bad. I think it was still a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with surgeries that I’m really happy with. But more than anything, I got this amazing family bond with these women that I wouldn’t trade for anything.

You almost died during one of the surgeries, and you’ve said you haven’t been able to access information about what happened. Why?

Any questions we had at the time, it was very much like, “Well, you signed your life away. You’ve agreed to all of this.” You were this little piece of their puzzle that they were manipulating the way that they wanted, and it just was what it was. I mean, I was so young. It’s all very blurry still for me, and even though I think it would be so beneficial to know exactly what happened, at the end of the day, I’m just so thankful that I am alive and that I get to tell this story. And I just have to be happy with that.

I remember that after that first surgery and everything that happened, they had me so focused on, “Well, if we don’t get a clearance, you don’t get your breast reduction because that’s not until the second surgery.” And I was so focused on, “I’m here for breast reduction. That’s all that matters.” I didn’t even have a mature enough mind to be like, “But what happened?”

Have you and your sister had to have additional procedures as a result of the surgeries you had on The Swan?

We’ve both had problems with our teeth. I don’t know if there’s any of the Swans that haven’t. They were not done properly. They were done in a rush by a dentist who’s no longer allowed to even have a license. So the teeth would be the number one problem that we’ve had for the last 20 years. I’m so thankful I have a dentist now who’s so good, and I love him. I’m no longer afraid of going to the dentist. The only other real medical issue shortly after was that I had to have emergency gallbladder surgery. They said it was full of sand, which apparently happens when you’re starving. We were very hungry. We were lucky if we had 800 calories a day, and so when I heard that was what happens to gallbladders when you’re starving, I wasn’t surprised.

You weren’t allowed to have mirrors or reflective surfaces leading up to your reveal. How did the transformation impact you psychologically after? 

I know no mirrors is strange, and it’s more than you just can’t see yourself. There’s so much more to it, but there is something about the healing process. I think our mind is so powerful. If you can’t see how bad you look and how bruised and all these things, then maybe it doesn’t feel as bad because I can’t imagine looking at what we must have looked like because I saw the other girls and the black and blue and the stitches and the drains. That little piece I think may have been helpful, but the reveal — my first thought when I first saw myself was just confusion. I knew it was me, but was it me? And all this makeup and all this hair, it’s so hard to comprehend. I know that’s my reflection, but that’s not me.

One of the most shocking revelations in this documentary was Dr. Haworth bringing you and other Swans to a garage where you took nude photos that he claimed were for a coffee table book. What’s the status of those photos now?

I know that the doctor still has them. He has stated that he has them in his garage, which has a whole different kind of ick factor for me. Erin [Lee Carr] did ask for copies for us with my permission because I don’t like the thought that he has them. He was willing to give a copy, but he has them still.

Have you thought about going to the police to get your photos from him? 

There’s a lot swirling around I think in my brain about it that I’m still processing. A lot of it just still doesn’t sit right. I definitely swept it under a rug and pretended it didn’t happen. It was something super embarrassing in my mind. My sister, she just walked in, sat on that couch with me when we were doing the interview, and heard things that I didn’t even tell her. So, it’s still a lot to process. Where this goes next, I don’t have any idea.

Would you want to confront him if you had the opportunity?

Right now, my answer would be no. I’m sick to my stomach thinking about it.

What about Nely Galán [creator of The Swan] or any of the other doctors? 

No, I have no need to see Nely ever. I’m thankful for the girls and for this opportunity and what I did get out of it. I don’t have a relationship with her, and I don’t want one. I’m trying really hard to just stay positive because I don’t even want her to get an ounce of that from me.

Was The Swan reunion inspired by the documentary? 

We have talked for 20 years about someday we’re going to have a reunion, but in everyday life, how do you coordinate that and make it happen? So, we’ve always wanted to. For me, from day one of participating in this documentary, I wondered: Was there any chance we could all have a reunion? Is there any chance we could all get together? Because I will do it 100% if that’s part of this. That moment when we all walked into the house and we all got to see each other, it was worth anything we’ve been through. Just for that.

Do you feel mentally and emotionally healed from what happened all those years ago?

I feel like this documentary process, and especially interviewing with Erin, healed me in ways that I didn’t even know I needed. The whole photo shoot thing, I didn’t talk about it. I haven’t talked about it in 22 years, and I didn’t think I needed to talk about it. And boy, by the time I got off Erin’s couch, this weight had lifted. I’m so thankful.

The Swan: Behind the Mirror, Streaming Now, Hulu