Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysSan Diego Comic-ConSummer Watch GuideToronto Int'l Film FestivalSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
Episode guide
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.

  • TV Mini Series
  • 2022
  • TV-MA
  • 52m
IMDb RATING
5.9/10
8.7K
YOUR RATING
Sarma Melngailis in Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives. (2022)
A scandalous four-part documentary series that uncovers how Sarma Melngailis, the celebrity restaurateur behind the New York hotspot Pure Food and Wine, went from being the queen of vegan cuisine to the tabloid-touted "Vegan Fugitive" when she falls for a man who promises to make her dreams come true. Millions of dollars, immortal dogs, meat suits, and secrets lead to a twisted tale of love turned criminal.
Play trailer2:15
2 Videos
18 Photos
Crime DocumentaryTrue CrimeCrimeDocumentary

After marrying a mysterious man who claimed he could make her dog immortal, a celebrated vegan restaurateur finds her life veering off the rails.After marrying a mysterious man who claimed he could make her dog immortal, a celebrated vegan restaurateur finds her life veering off the rails.After marrying a mysterious man who claimed he could make her dog immortal, a celebrated vegan restaurateur finds her life veering off the rails.

  • Stars
    • Sarma Melngailis
    • Allen Salkin
    • Ilze Melngailis
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.9/10
    8.7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Stars
      • Sarma Melngailis
      • Allen Salkin
      • Ilze Melngailis
    • 255User reviews
    • 20Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination total

    Episodes4

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated1 season2022

    Videos2

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:15
    Official Trailer
    Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.
    Trailer 2:12
    Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.
    Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.
    Trailer 2:12
    Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.

    Photos18

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 10
    View Poster

    Top cast23

    Edit
    Sarma Melngailis
    Sarma Melngailis
    • Self - Pure Food and Wine, One Lucky Duck
    • 2022
    Allen Salkin
    Allen Salkin
    • Self - Vanity Fair Journalist
    • 2022
    Ilze Melngailis
    Ilze Melngailis
    • Self - Sarma's Sister
    • 2022
    Bonnie Crocker
    Bonnie Crocker
    • Self - Manager, Pure Food and Wine
    • 2022
    John Melngailis
    John Melngailis
    • Self - Sarma's Father
    • 2022
    Joey Repice
    Joey Repice
    • Self - Beverage Director, Pure Food and Wine
    • 2022
    Nikki King Bennett
    Nikki King Bennett
    • Self - Executive Chef, Pure Food and Wine
    • 2022
    Jim Switzer
    Jim Switzer
    • Self - Operations Manager, Pure Food and Wine
    • 2022
    Jeffrey Chodorow
    Jeffrey Chodorow
    • Self - Restaurateur
    • 2022
    Maiquen Saez-Vega
    Maiquen Saez-Vega
    • Self - Employee, Pure Food and Wine
    • 2022
    Andrew Elliot
    Andrew Elliot
    • Self - Graphic Designer, One Lucky Duck
    • 2022
    Igor Malinovsky
    Igor Malinovsky
    • Anthony Stand-In
    Nazim Seliakhov
    Nazim Seliakhov
    • Self - Anthony's Associate
    • 2022
    Nick Ross
    Nick Ross
    • Self - Employee, Pure Food and Wine
    • 2022
    Will Richards
    Will Richards
    • Self - Anthony's Associate
    • 2022
    Anthony Caruana
    Anthony Caruana
    • Self - Sarma's Friend
    • 2022
    Stacy Strangis
    Stacy Strangis
    • Self - Anthony's Ex-Wife
    • 2022
    Dustin Hall
    Dustin Hall
    • Self - Sarma's Friend
    • 2022
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews255

    5.98.6K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    8Valid_ID

    From bad, to worse decisions

    I think the main appeal of this docuseries is to see how con artists are getting caught. We all hope that karma will pick up where human justice fails.

    The question whether Sarma was guilty or not is moot, IMO. Like everyone, she is flawed, and at the very least she made some very bad decisions.

    What's more interesting is the extent to which intelligent, educated individuals fall pray to scams, and are dragged into questionable deeds, and from there into worse situations.

    In this debacle, I sympathize with Sarma's father, who seems the most decent fellow in the story, and the one with the clearest understanding of what happened. He admitted his daughter was on the run when she disappeared, and even recognized the fact that Sarma married Anthony for his money.

    I definitely found this documentary worth watching.
    5angelabox

    This woman is playing the victim and I just don't buy it

    This woman is playing the victim and I just don't buy it-

    I mean what in the AF. Some fat gambling addict takes over your life and business and you're just powerless to stop it? Please. This whole thing is skewed so heavily towards victimhood for Sarma. Neither of them are victims. None of this makes any damn sense. The whole thing is stupid. I mean how could you fall for this?
    6noahharrigan

    Dragged Out

    Another true crime mini-series by Netflix. Interesting documentary to a certain extent; overly dragged out though. I watched the entire series in one sitting, and while it was a decent documentary I thought it was a little dragged out from start to finish. This series could have been a lot better if it had been shorter.
    5kosmasp

    Stretching it

    These real life crime shows are stretching it ... well at least in this case. The Investigating Anna show was quite good - I think even those who thought it was a bit too long, saw the quality in it. And while this is only half as long (episode and especially running time wise) as that show - this feels even longer and ... well more boring.

    No offense to those involved (guilty or innocent), but I feel like this could have been wrapped up in two episodes the most. Also do not expect there to be much of a likeability factor. Fans of this type of stuff may not care, but those who do not have time to waste, should stick to other stuff imho.
    flycat2

    Where's the remorse

    On the one hand I have sympathy for her being psychologically abused by this despicable guy but on the other hand she never once shows any remorse for her employees who suffered. She cared more about her dog.

    More like this

    The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman
    6.9
    The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman
    The Most Hated Man on the Internet
    6.8
    The Most Hated Man on the Internet
    Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey
    7.3
    Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey
    I Just Killed My Dad
    6.8
    I Just Killed My Dad
    Sins of Our Mother
    7.0
    Sins of Our Mother
    The Tinder Swindler
    7.1
    The Tinder Swindler
    Killer Sally
    6.7
    Killer Sally
    Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife
    7.2
    Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife
    Escaping Twin Flames
    6.7
    Escaping Twin Flames
    The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker
    6.2
    The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker
    Bad Vegan
    6.9
    Bad Vegan
    Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist
    7.5
    Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Connections
      Featured in Subject (2022)

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ14

    • How many seasons does Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives. have?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 16, 2022 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • النباتية الزائفة: شهرة واحتيال وهروب
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 52m
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Atmos
    • Aspect ratio
      • 16:9 HD

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit pageAdd episode

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.