Netflix adds stomach-churning documentary that I felt queasy just reading about
Netflix has added Untold: The Liver King, a documentary about American influencer Brian Johnson, AKA the Liver King.
Brian built an online business empire by devouring raw meat — yes, we said it was stomach-churning! — and promoting the virtues of "ancestral living".
Ancestral living is the theory that our ancestors thousands of years ago had the perfect balance of eating real foods, spending time in nature, and exercising, something most of us don't achieve in modern life.
As well as extreme workouts, Brian followed a carnivorous diet including eating a lot of raw animal organs and, erm, testicles! As Brian puts it: "Why eat vegetables when you can eat testicles!"
Brian had millions of followers on Instagram. However, then came accusations that he'd achieved his physique through steroids rather than diet and exercise.
Netflix teases: "Featuring interviews with the man himself, his family and business partners, this documentary unravels the wild story of The Liver King's rapid rise to internet fame and the controversy and backlash once a steroid scandal came to light."
In the trailer, Brian is asked if he misled his followers, but we don't see his answer. Brian also says about his rise to fame: "We have videos with hundreds of millions of views. That felt like a new level of invincibility. That kind of feeling is, huh… dangerous.'
I have to say, I'm loving the way Brian is conducting his interview by a roaring fire while having his top off to display his muscles! Can't recall anyone previously doing this in a Netflix documentary!
Director Joe Pearlman told Netflix: "When the Liver King burst onto my feed, I, like so many, was transfixed. I wanted to find out more; who he really was and what was really going on. The truth was even crazier than I could have possibly imagined."
The Liver King only runs for 70 minutes, so if you want a relatively short and entertaining watch, this could be for you. It is probably also going to depend on whether you can watch someone devour raw meat!
The Liver King is the second film released in the latest season of Untold, the sports documentary series. Earlier this month, Netflix released Untold: Shooting Guards, about an infamous NBA locker room gun incident of 2009. It looked at the notorious clash between the then-Washington Wizards superstar Gilbert Arenas and his teammate, Jarvaris Crittenton
The Liver King was added globally to Netflix today [Tuesday, May 13]. Check out our best shows on Netflix guide for more series to enjoy.
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