Review: Binge Or Cringe? Netflix’s ‘Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist’ Documentary
It could have been a Nicholas Sparks novel come to life.
In 2012, Manti Te’o was a small-town boy from Hawaii turned college superstar on the rise to NFL stardom. Tragedy would strike twice before a make-it-or-break-it game of his career, losing his beloved grandmother and girlfriend in separate incidents on the same day. The nation was heartbroken, proud, and in awe when he perseveres through the grief and dedicates the winning game to his girlfriend, Lennay Kekua. It was an inspiring story— but Manti Te’o’s rise to NFL stardom took a significant blow after fact-checkers realized Lennay Kekua didn’t exist.
Netflix’s Untold documentary series re-examines the decade-old scandal that shook sports and breaking news media with context provided by many involved, including Ronaiah “Naya” Tuiasosopo—the person behind the fake Lennay Kekua account and persona. The two-part documentary gives a fresh perspective after the fires of the scandal cooled, allowing the audience to examine the story through a modern lens and hear it from those it affected most.
Ronaiah “Naya” Tuiasosopo— who now identifies as a transgender woman, recounted her experience of creating the fake online persona and weaving the web of lies that led to the media frenzy that affected Manti Te’o’s career future. Naya pretended to be Lennay for three years and, through multiple means of deception, led Manti Te’o into believing he had a relationship with a girl who didn’t exist. She clarifies that she created the fake profile in 2009 with no intention of catfishing anybody and using the account as a form of escapism pre-transition. Through mutual acquaintances, Manti Te’o and quote-un-quote Lennay began an online friendship that slowly escalated from there.
Manti Te’o shares his inspiring story of hard work and dedication that led him to be the star linebacker at Notre Dame. At 18, Manti was dealing with a heavy schedule for training and the culture shock of moving to Indiana from Hawaii, making him particularly impressionable. While there, he befriended the Lennay account online and struck up a conversation with someone he thought was a college girl in Los Angeles. Online messaging led to phone calls in which Naya spoke as Lannay with a fake voice. He wholeheartedly believed Lennay existed, and to his credit, he was provided with convincingly-fake evidence in the form of multiple witnesses and photos with specific dates when requesting proof. The relationship escalated to a point where Naya would fake cancer and a car accident that would eventually kill the Lennay persona in an attempt to end the relationship (because that’s the rational thing to do, obviously). It would crumble after Manti Te’o publicly honored Lennay’s death, and fact-checkers would validate the claims that unravel Naya’s story.
Unfortunately, this happened to Manti Te’o at a critical time during his college football career and when the sports world would be watching him with a magnifying glass. After the reveal, the media had a frenzy, and many could not believe a Notre Dame college student could be so susceptible to such a hoax. Some claim at the time of Manti Te’o’s involvement was a way to stir up good publicity before the NFL draft. Claims unfairly made that Manti Te’o and Naya denied. However, the scandal did its damage. Rather than being selected in the first rounds, as predicted, the linebacker was 38th picked overall in the second round by the San Diego Chargers. He was devastated, but as a dedicated family man with a sound support system, he overcame any negative emotions.
Was it a binge or a cringe? Definitely a binge! The two-part Untold special doesn’t try to justify Naya’s actions, but her inclusion makes well-rounded storytelling. The documentary offers an equal platform for both parties (Naya and Manti Te’o) to express their version of events. It’s cruel how the situation unfolded for Manti Te’o, a catfished victim and a victim of the media. One moment he’s the rising NFL superstar, and the next, he’s being mocked by major news outlets and canceled before cancel culture was even a thing. He expressed the shame and trust issues the scandal caused but has overcome it all and expressed forgiveness to Naya. Something many would find hard to do. Naya also described how the scandal shifted her journey in life—moving to American Samoa territory to escape the media and find herself.
Who Will Like It: It was captivating, in the same way shows like 90 Day Fiance and I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant grasped our attention. As an audience, we’re perplexed at the stories that seem almost too unbelievable-but-just-believable-enough to happen. Documentary watchers and sports fans, especially those who followed the story in the early 2010s, will enjoy the two-part series that offers a contextual look.
Anyone watching is left inspired to know Manti Te’o still keeps their positive spirit after the scandal that changed his life. The former San Diego Chargers linebacker married his wife almost two years ago, and the couple has a daughter. He shared his story, hoping to teach empathy to others, during a time when many of the media showed him none. Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist is a two-part series documentary now streaming on Netflix.
