The latest docuseries Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives. has swept the world by storm, following the success of titles such as The Tinder Swindler, Worst Roommate Ever, Inventing Anna, Catching Killers, and others.
Since its premiere last week, Bad Vegan has received a pristine Rotten Tomatoes score, which translates to a 100% rating on the scale.
This four-episode show, created by Chris Smith, the filmmaker of Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened and the executive producer of Tiger King, is a peculiar situation that people can’t stop talking about.
The show is based on the true tale of Sarma Melngailis, a star restauranteur and vegan restaurant owner from New York, whose life unravelled after she became acquainted with a strange conman.
Melngailis’ journey into a literal nightmare began when she contacted Anthony Strangis, who went by the nickname Shane Fox on Twitter, and believed his falsehoods. He duped her into participating in a high-tech con, promising immortality for her beloved Pitbull, Leon.
They were on the run after stealing money from her business account and spending it at numerous casinos. Employees walked out of the restaurant to protest the flagrant breach of labour regulations and fraud, as they had not been paid in a long time. This widespread outcry motivated cops to make a concerted effort to locate the pair who had virtually vanished off the face of the world.
However, a minor blunder on Fox’s part while buying a Domino’s pizza led to their discovery in 2016 when he inadvertently revealed his real name.
Their arrest for larceny and fraud was prompted by the pizza order. The footage from the show, as well as interviews with people participating, including Melngailis herself. Other interviewees include food critic and journalist Allen Salkin, as well as restauranteur Jeffrey Chodorow, who invested in the vegan restaurant.
Melngailis was a bad vegan since she supposedly ate cheese! The drama has captivated Netflix watchers with its twists and turns.
On March 16th, 2022, Netflix released Bad Vegan.
