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Apple Cider Vinegar is making waves with its gripping six-episode drama, diving deep into the world of health influencer culture. Just recently, an official clip dropped, fueling even more excitement for the show. It’s a dark, compelling look at how wellness influencers can manipulate audiences with lies—and the dangerous consequences that follow.
Inspired by a true story, the series explores the rise and fall of a wellness star who claimed to have cured terminal cancer with diet and lifestyle. With the clip release, fans are getting an inside glimpse into this controversial tale, and it’s already sparking serious conversations. The show sheds light on the toxic side of wellness culture, social media, and blind trust in influencers.
Curious about what happens next? This article has everything you need to know about Apple Cider Vinegar, from plot insights to the latest updates. We’ll keep you informed as more details come to light—stay tuned!
The six-episode series, Apple Cider Vinegar is set to debut on Netflix on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025.
Set during the early days of Instagram, Apple Cider Vinegar follows the story of two young women, Belle Gibson and Milla Blake, who attempt to cure their life-threatening illnesses through health and wellness methods.
As they influence a growing global online community with their wellness journeys, their stories of miraculous recoveries become central to the rise of a wellness empire. However, it is soon revealed that Belle's claims of curing terminal brain cancer through alternative methods were fabricated. Her social media platform, cookbook, and app were built on lies.
The series is inspired by the real-life scandal of Australian wellness influencer Belle Gibson, who gained fame by sharing her journey of using health and wellness practices to overcome her supposed cancer diagnosis, a diagnosis that was never true. Apple Cider Vinegar explores the fraudulent side of influencer culture, the birth of Instagram, and the dark side of the health and wellness space.
“It’s really interesting to look at how media uses food as a weapon against us and how much we crave the nourishment, but also how much of a privilege and how expensive it is to try to be well,” said creator Samantha Strauss in an interview with Netflix’s Tudum.
The show highlights the complex role of social media in shaping our views on health, questioning the authenticity of influencers and the consequences of blindly following wellness advice in an era where social media has as much sway as traditional medical expertise.
The official trailer offers a compelling glimpse into the rise and fall of wellness influencer Belle Gibson. Portrayed by Kaitlyn Dever, Gibson captivates audiences with her charismatic presence and seemingly inspiring health journey. The trailer opens with an introduction, "I'd like to welcome on the stage Belle Gibson."
As the narrative unfolds, viewers witness Gibson's ascent in the wellness community, sharing her personal battle with brain cancer and promoting natural healing methods. Her story resonates with many, leading to widespread acclaim and a devoted following. However, the trailer hints at underlying deception, as questions arise about the authenticity of her claims. A pivotal moment features an interviewer pressing Gibson, "Belle, it's a simple question. Do you have cancer?"
The tension escalates, suggesting a web of lies that threatens to unravel her carefully curated persona. The trailer also highlights the broader impact of her deception, touching on themes of trust, vulnerability, and the allure of social media fame.
In the official teaser for Apple Cider Vinegar, viewers are introduced to Belle Gibson, who captivates audiences with her compelling narrative. She states, "I was diagnosed with a stage-four tumor." As she shares her journey, she reveals, "I healed myself through a healthy diet."
This revelation leads to her gaining a substantial following. However, the teaser hints at the unraveling of her story, suggesting that not everything is as it seems. The series is described as "a true-ish story based on a lie," focusing on the rise and fall of a wellness empire. The teaser concludes with the tagline, "You're not ready for this trainwreck of a story."
In the official clip for Apple Cider Vinegar, released recently, the narrative delves into the complexities of wellness culture and its impact on individuals. A former client of Belle Gibson shares her experience with the wellness claims, recounting how she used apple cider vinegar to treat ringworm and ended up expelling a tapeworm.
She describes the sensation of taking the remedy: "She's chugging it back, chugging it real fast... And then she starts to choke. There's something inside her. She's got to get it out." This anecdote highlights the lengths some individuals go to in their pursuit of wellness.
Belle offers a perspective on the psychological comfort these unproven treatments provide, saying, "Drink a little bit of this stuff and you're all cleansed. Pure again. I mean, how hopeful is that?" Her line reflects the allure of quick, simplistic fixes in the wellness world.
The client, however, offers a critical observation, pointing out the inaccuracy of such claims: "Ringworm isn't caused by tapeworm. Ringworm is a fungus. Tapeworm comes out of your ass, not your mouth." This moment underscores the importance of medical accuracy and exposes the fallacy of many wellness myths.
The clip concludes with a poignant reflection on the emotional vulnerability behind the desire for quick fixes: "I mean, I'd pay anything, anything to feel just a little bit better. You know, a balm that'll take the edge off. A way to soothe this fucking tragedy of being human." This line encapsulates the desperation some feel in their quest for solutions to life's complexities.
Yes, Apple Cider Vinegar is based on true events, drawing inspiration from The Woman Who Fooled the World, a 2017 book by journalists Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano. The two reporters covered the real-life story for The Age, a Melbourne newspaper, as it unfolded.
However, Netflix has emphasized that while the series is rooted in real events, it remains a work of fiction. Some characters and events have been created or fictionalized to serve the narrative.
As the show’s description puts it, Apple Cider Vinegar is a “true-ish” story based on a lie—one that explores the rise and fall of a wellness empire, the culture that enabled it, and the people who ultimately exposed the truth.
No, Kaitlyn Dever is not Australian—she’s a Phoenix, Arizona native. However, her convincing accent in Apple Cider Vinegar made many believe otherwise. “Her accent work was extraordinary,” said series creator Samantha Strauss to Tudum. “It was a masterclass watching her and Jenny Kent, our accent coach,” she added.
To perfect the accent, Dever worked closely with Melbourne-based dialect expert Jenny Kent. “Jenny and I were seeing each other three times a week over Zoom and going over every single word that I say, kind of like I would a song, memorizing those sounds,” she explained.
“I love accent work in general, but there’s something about this accent in particular and how it allowed me to dive deep into someone else. It was really helpful for me to separate myself from the character,” she further added. Dever also admitted she felt pressure to get it right. “I didn’t want to let Australia down,” she said.
Strauss explained that the title was meant to capture “this idea of hope in a bottle” while serving as a broad metaphor rather than something solely tied to Belle. While apple cider vinegar has real health benefits, it’s not a miracle cure, and the show explores the dangers of misleading wellness claims (via Tudum).
The limited series was filmed on location in and around Melbourne, Australia, with funding from Screen Australia and VicScreen. Creator Samantha Strauss shared with Tudum, “We had so many locations that took us from far-flung parts of Melbourne one day to the Dandenong Ranges the next. We wanted to show Melbourne as an aspirational place to be.”
Samantha Strauss, known for Nine Perfect Strangers, created Apple Cider Vinegar and co-wrote the series with Anya Beyersdorf and Angela Betzien. The show is directed by Jeffrey Walker.
The executive producers include See-Saw Films’ Liz Watts, Helen Gregory, Emile Sherman, and Iain Canning, alongside Picking Scabs’ Strauss and Louise Gough, as well as Kaitlyn Dever. Walker and See-Saw Films’ Simon Gillis serve as co-executive producers, with Yvonne Collins as producer and Libby Sharpe as co-producer.
Strauss told The Hollywood Reporter in November 2024, “What we’ve tried to do in this series is to show that none of these issues are entirely black and white — we wanted it to live in the grey zone. It’s about showing what it’s like to be a young woman coping with the weightiest issues — life and death — but also staying open to the humour in the hardest moments.”
Executive producers Liz Watts and Louise Gough praised Strauss’s vision, stating, “She has created a series that is searing in its comment but entertaining at its very core. It’s complex, it’s got bounce, and it’s got bite, and we love it.”