Netflix’s newest true crime documentary comes from the man behind Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened and lockdown super-hit Tiger King. Told through interviews, dramatic reenactments and YouTube vlogs, Chris Smith’s Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal follows the FBI investigation which revealed that wealthy parents were using bribes to secure their children spots in elite US colleges.
Over 750 families were accused of cheating the system, including some big-name actors, such as Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, with over 50 being charged. In the scandal, parents were paying Rick Singer (played by Stranger Things actor Matthew Modine) to pretend that their children were star athletes or fake test scores. Singer then used the money to make sizeable ‘donations’ to universities in order to guarantee a spot for the children.
One major part of the investigation was the wiretap of Rick Singer’s phone. Smith takes these phone calls and uses them to create dramatic reenactments that break up the standard documentary structure of talking heads and archive news footage. Some of the reenactments felt cheesy at times, but it was truly shocking to see just how brazen some of those involved were about their actions. One parent even joked about whether Singer had a “two for one” offer for twins.
“Singer explains that his approach is like a ‘side door’ “
Through the phone calls, Singer describes his ‘side door’ approach with unbelievable confidence. He explains that there are two main access points to these elite colleges. The ‘front door’ which is through your standard applications process; or the ‘back door’ where parents will usually donate excessive amounts to fund new buildings, setting parents back around $50 million. Singer explains that his approach is like a ‘side door’ in which he can photoshop sports photos or have someone retake their children’s tests for a fraction of the cost, all without their children ever knowing.
One thing missing is the commentary from those directly involved in the scandal (sorry to anyone expecting a surprise appearance from Desperate Housewife’s Felicity Huffman). While there is an interview with Stanford sailing coach John Vandemoer, who talks openly about Singer’s ‘donations’ to his sailing program, the documentary in its entirety felt lacking at some points. It would have been interesting if Smith had convinced one of the parents involved to talk through their choice to work with Singer so we could be presented with both sides of the story.
“Wealth is everything; nothing is being done to fix it and create an even playing field”
While it is heartbreaking to watch clips of students get accepted into colleges without knowing what their parents did, the worst part is that Operation Varsity Blues highlights a bigger problem within a broken system: Income is still the biggest factor when it comes to education. Wealth is everything; nothing is being done to fix it and create an even playing field for everyone.
However, it is rather fun to watch the downfall of the rich parents who had the nerve to believe that the rules do not apply to them and felt the need to mess with a system that is already set up to benefit them. As journalist Naomi Frye suggests, it’s nice to see “a little bit of justice being served in a sea of injustice”.
Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal is streaming now on Netflix.
Lauren West
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