What first seemed like a safe, empowering space became something far more troubling for many who entered it.
"Big Girls Wanted: Escaping Pearadise" premieres June 10 on ID and @hbomax#EscapingPearadiseonID
Mary Anne Oliver-Snow found success as the cosplay creator known as Snowthesaltqueen.
As her audience grew into the millions, so did the pressure to keep pushing boundaries.
Watch “Lethally Blonde” Mondays on ID and stream on @HBOMax.
#LethallyBlonde
What started as a social media post quickly turned into something bigger. A Facebook group dedicated to exposing Ashley led one woman to believe she wasn’t alone.
Watch “Deadly Influence: The Social Media Murders” Mondays on ID and stream on @HBOMax.
#DeadlyInfluence
Matima’s dance moves and Quinton’s fashion game are taking social media by storm. What they don’t see is the jealous eye tracking their every move.
Watch “Deadly Influence: The Social Media Murders” Mondays on ID and stream on @HBOMax.
Derricka Harwell thought the knock at the door was strange. Then an FBI agent told her someone was trying to kill her.
Watch “Deadly Influence: The Social Media Murders” Mondays on ID and stream on @HBOMax.
#DeadlyInfluence
Investigators spent years trying to solve Lisa Ziegert’s murder.
With nearly 400 people of interest and decades of dead ends, detectives turned to DNA testing hoping one forgotten tip would finally expose the killer.
Steam “Homicide Hunter: American Detective” on @HBOMax.
#HomicideHunter
What is feederism? Former members and experts discuss a subculture centered on feeding, weight gain, and control, and why some women believe it played a role in their experiences with Pearadise.
Watch “Big Girls Wanted: Escaping Pearadise” on ID and stream on @HBOMax.
#BigGirlsWanted
A text message changed everything. When friends received a message from Kass saying, “I love you and I’m sorry,” they immediately feared the worst and rushed to check on her.
Watch “Big Girls Wanted: Escaping Pearadise” on ID and stream on @HBOMax.
#BigGirlsWanted
As allegations against Pearadise spread online, founder Stefan Wilhelmy says he felt unable to share his side of the story.
In this clip, founder Stefan Wilhelmy responds to some of those allegations.
Watch “Big Girls Wanted: Escaping Pearadise” June 10 on ID and stream on @HBOMax.
#BigGirlsWanted
Stefan Wilhelmy says Pearadise was built to celebrate plus-size women and create a community rooted in acceptance.
But as the movement grew, some members began questioning the motivations behind the man who started it.
Watch “Big Girls Wanted: Escaping Pearadise” June 10 on ID and stream on @HBOMax.
#BigGirlsWanted
Former members say the pressure didn’t happen all at once.
They describe a culture where expectations gradually became normalized, until some began questioning what they had accepted as ordinary.
Watch “Big Girls Wanted: Escaping Pearadise” June 10 on ID and stream on @HBOMax.
#BigGirlsWanted
Ashley wanted the life Derricka Harwell had built.
When she discovered the self-made entrepreneur on social media, she saw someone who seemed to have everything she hoped to achieve.
Watch “Deadly Influence: The Social Media Murders” Mondays on ID and stream on @HBOMax.
#DeadlyInfluence
Pearadise promised acceptance, belonging, and a place where plus-size women could feel loved. But as the viral community grew, some former members began questioning what was really happening behind the fantasy.
Watch “Big Girls Wanted: Escaping Pearadise” June 10 on ID and stream on @HBOMax.
#BigGirlsWanted
Lisa Eatmon’s death leads detectives to another missing woman. Years earlier, Roscoe Clinton’s first wife, Debra, disappeared under circumstances investigators found impossible to ignore.
Watch “Bodies in the Water” Tuesday on ID and stream on @HBOMax.
#BodiesInTheWater
For some women, Pearadise was a place of acceptance, friendship, and belonging.
For others, it became something far more complicated. Big Girls Wanted: Escaping Pearadise explores the conflicting experiences behind a viral community that promised a safe space for plus-size women.
Watch “Big Girls Wanted: Escaping Pearadise” June 10 on ID and stream on @HBOMax.
#BigGirlsWanted
Derricka built her success from the ground up and wasn’t afraid to celebrate it.
So when aspiring entrepreneur Ashley reached out on Facebook asking for mentorship, Derricka had no reason to suspect the connection would take a dark turn.
Watch “Deadly Influence: The Social Media Murders” Mondays on ID and stream on @HBOMax.
#DeadlyInfluence
Hosted by Holly Madison, Lethally Blonde explores cases where beauty, ambition, and success collided with jealousy, obsession, and murder.
Watch “Lethally Blonde” Mondays on ID and stream on @HBOMax.
#LethallyBlonde
Four people are dead, including two pregnant women.
As investigators search for answers, they identify former Marine David Allen Tyner as a suspect and begin examining his connection to Cathouse star Brooke Phillips.
Watch “Lethally Blonde” Mondays on ID and stream on @HBOMax.
#LethallyBlonde
At 19, Savy says she joined the Pearadise community after connecting with founder Stefan Wilhelmy on Discord.
After he told her she was his type, Savy says she decided to travel to Las Vegas and see Pearadise for herself.
Watch “Big Girls Wanted: Escaping Pearadise” June 10 on ID and stream on @HBOMax.
#BigGirlsWanted
It started as a body-positive movement built on sisterhood and belonging.
Then, as Pearadise grew into a viral sensation, some former members began raising troubling allegations about what was happening behind closed doors. Big Girls Wanted: Escaping Pearadise examines the community from the perspectives of the women who lived it.
Watch “Big Girls Wanted: Escaping Pearadise” June 10 on ID and stream on @HBOMax.
#BigGirlsWanted