Bring Me The Beauties explores how a New Age guru leveraged the New York fashion industry
A new three-part HBO Original documentary series will examine the intersection of the 1980s fashion industry and a predatory spiritual organization.
Bring Me The Beauties: A Model Cult is scheduled to debut on Monday, June 1, 2026, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and the Max streaming platform. Directed and executive produced by Emmy-winner Chris Smith, the investigative series chronicles the experiences of Hoyt Richards, one of the fashion industry’s first male supermodels, and his long-term involvement with a group called Eternal Values.
The documentary details how the group’s leader, Frederick von Mierers, utilized the glamorous framework of the New York modeling scene to target young professionals. Von Mierers integrated metaphysical teachings with financial exploitation.
According to the production accounts, Richards was drawn into the group as a teenager. After graduating from college, he moved into von Mierers’ Manhattan apartment, balancing a high-profile, lucrative modeling career with a strictly ascetic lifestyle that included sleeping on a floor mat. The series shows how Richards’ modeling income directly funded the leader’s lifestyle and operations.
To maintain control, von Mierers claimed to be an alien entity from the planet Arcturus. He generated revenue by convincing followers to purchase expensive “healing” gems to protect themselves from an alleged global cataclysm predicted for 1999. The organization eventually established a physical compound in North Carolina to prepare for the predicted event.
The documentary utilizes archival footage from the group’s public access television programs alongside first-person interviews. Former members describe an operational shift where early rules regarding abstinence eventually gave way to forced sexual relationships, all occurring during the peak of the American AIDS crisis.
The three-part series is structured chronologically:
- Chapter 1: “The Promise” (June 1): Focuses on Richards’ 1978 introduction to von Mierers and the contrast between his public modeling career and his private financial support of the guru.
- Chapter 2: “The Antichrist Tapes” (June 8): Details the construction of the North Carolina compound and how the entry of top model Jacki Adams led to the public exposure of the group.
- Chapter 3: “Mind Games” (June 15): Examines the splintering of the group, Richards’ eventual escape to California, and his subsequent efforts to reconnect with other survivors.
The project features interviews with former members Paul Hinton, Dar Dixon, and Elissa Melaragno. High-profile industry figures, including models Fabio Lanzoni, John Pearson, and Jacki Adams, also provide testimony alongside modeling agents and contemporary family members.
The series is produced by Library Films Production for HBO Documentary Films. Ryann Fraser serves as executive producer alongside HBO executive producers Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, and Sara Rodriguez. Subsequent episodes will air weekly on Mondays in the same time slot.
