The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen ShamblinThe fallout of faith
Explore how the late Gwen Shamblin Lara, who founded the controversial Remnant Fellowship Church and created the Christian weight loss program The Weigh Down Workshop, rose to fame as a diet guru and church leader.
The Kingdom
Sep 30, 2021
A deadly plane crash draws public attention to the Remnant Fellowship, a Christian-diet-program-turned-church, and its infamous leader, Gwen Shamblin Lara.
A Family Affair
Sep 30, 2021
Gwen’s divorce and prompt remarriage to struggling actor/musician Joe Lara raise questions about the odd couple’s checkered past – and the church’s finances.
Seen But Not Heard
Sep 30, 2021
When two Remnant members are charged with murder, Gwen rallies her congregation to defend against claims of abuse. As former church members recount their chilling experiences, another tragedy threatens to upend the future of the church.
Revelations
Apr 28, 2022
After a mysterious accident claims the lives of Gwen, Joe, and some of their inner circle, former Remnant members grapple with the leader’s complicated legacy, and new voices come forward for the first time.
The Way Forward
Apr 28, 2022
As the Remnant Fellowship fights to control the narrative, footage of a never-aired reality series pilot surfaces, casting new light on the ways Gwen shaped her image and the lives of those who followed her.
totallyfiend
@totallyfiend
Now this was _a lot_ to take in, and I'm having a difficult time deciding where to even start from. The 5-episode series was definitely packed. I was confused a lot, as this series assumes the viewer knows how churches work. I didn't get a clear picture of how exactly this community interacts and how it spreads it's message; glimpses of footage was shown off from some gatherings, but I had no idea what most of them were _about_. It would've helped to have longer screentime for Weigh Down and other church activities. I feel like this could've been pushed to be 3 episodes instead with a little more comprehensive timeline and portrayal of both the leaders and their closest people. It was a bit inconsistent and hard to follow, and I was struggling to keep up with all the people involved. Having babysitters and hairstylists to pitch in was _a little_ much, since the evident gaslighting done by Gwen was clearly stated many times in all of the episodes. It felt like the same loop was done a few times with the interviews. I try not to bring my personal views up in reviews, but this was something that bothered me the entire time: Some of the ex-members described, how efficiently they were stripped from their own consciousness, critical thinking skills and values... so much that they beat _their own children_ for the sake of the church. Cultists are told to have good manipulation tactics, but I still can't even begin to fathom, how do you not _stop_ yourself at the suggestion of abusing your own? This series felt like a mix of documentation and a way for the cult's old members to send out a message. As a documentary series it needed to be more cohesive, but I guess I got enough information to form a picture of what goes inside this cult. Despite all my confusion, the interviewees made it very clear: steer away from Remnant.
