The highly-anticipated documentary Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal premieres on March 17 and it will stream directly to the Netflix platform. Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming flick!
What is Operation Varsity Blues?
Operation Varsity Blues follows William “Rick” Singer’s college admission scheme where he disguised himself as a “life coach” in order to assist affluent parents as they weasel their children’s way into prestigious schools— regardless of their qualifications.
Singer’s scam typically involved working with athletic employees at competitive schools. He would make “donations” to the programs to get unqualified students accepted into the schools on an athletics admission, typically in more niched sports. Singer spent approximately $25 million in bribery donations to athletic departments between the years 2011-2018.
This 2019 scandal was highly publicized as it involved actors Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin and Loughlin’s daughter, influencer Olivia Jade. More than 50 people were charged with involvement in the crime and it has opened the door to many conversations about social disparities within the education system.
Operation Varsity Blues comes from the creators behind Netflix’s Fyre Fest documentary, Chris Smith and Jon Karmen. The documentary is 140 minutes and involves dramatic reenactments and interviews with education professionals.
What time does it come out?
Netflix is ready to air this documentary. It will premiere on Netflix in the United States at 2:00 A.M. CDT. which converts to 3:00 A.M. ET and midnight PT.
The trailer for the documentary was released two weeks ago and garnered attention from the masses as it promises a “deep dive” into the scandal beyond the celebrity crisis.
Netflix writes, “Operation Varsity Blues offers a rare glimpse into the enigmatic figure behind a scheme that exposed the lengths wealthy families would go to for admission into elite colleges, and angered a nation already grappling with the effects of widespread inequality.”
When asked about how the documentary serves to add to the conversation surrounding the scandal, director Chris Smith and producer Jon Karmen shared that they hope it will “spark a larger conversation” about social inequalities.
Smith expressed, “I think the scandal forced a reexamination of admission practices — even if just on a superficial level. But I imagine there had to have been some dialogue within the universities that we can hope evolved the conversation.”
The countdown is ticking and College Varsity Blues will soon be available for streaming on Netflix.
Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal premieres on Netflix on March 17.