Elisabeth Rioux: Unfiltered (2024) s01e01 Episode Script

1
My dream isn't just
to be the famous Elisabeth Rioux.
It's to live a slightly more normal life.
Yeah.
I sell swimwear.
When I set up my company seven years ago,
I wanted it to give me
the means to travel.
I would say I receive thousands
of messages a day on Instagram.
Now you could say I'm overloaded.
I just feel like I work too much,
that too many people rely on me.
I need to hear back from you
within 24 hours.
Right now, I have zero work-life balance.
I think I might be close to burn-out,
but my life is so far from normal
that you could say
there will be no end to it all.
You can't afford to fail.
Clearly Eli works way too much.
If you tell Eli not to do something,
she'll do it anyway.
I feel she's under huge amounts
of pressure
to make content, post content
and interact with her fans.
I'm hurting.
Elisabeth Rioux is a victim
of domestic violence.
Her ex has pleaded guilty
to several charges.
I'M GOING TO SHOOT YOU IN THE HEAD
A SIX-MONTH PRISON SENTENCE WITHOUT PAROLE
FOR BRYAN MCCORMICK
He has been given a prison sentence.
Family is essential.
It's the most important thing in life.
Fame is hard to attain.
I want to take everything
back into my own hands.
Fame can disappear just like that.
ELISABETH RIOUX
UNFILTERED
-Hola.
-Good morning.
-Good morning.
-Good morning.
I think that back when I started,
there weren't really any companies
run by influencers.
Influencers didn't even really exist
in terms of making money
from influencing, etc.
When Elisabeth was a teenager,
as a young girl
she needed keeping a closer eye on
than my other two daughters.
I remember whenever I'd come back home
from high school with friends,
I'd make them join me, like,
"Yo, we must take pics before sunset.
"Are you almost ready?"
I'd get home, put on my makeup,
and we'd go to the field nearby.
Right from a young age
I did that every day.
I was diligent.
I posted on my Facebook page every day.
We had an ice cream shop.
Our three girls worked there.
In my opinion, when you're 14 you work.
Yet we didn't have tons of money.
That's why I worked six days a week.
I'd work nights
and do odd jobs here and there.
Hola.
She had a sewing machine. I thought
she was just doing it for herself then.
You know, she'd go to the beach
in swimsuits she'd made.
I started on the Hoaka project
when I was 17.
When I set up the company,
it was in my basement.
I wanted to make my zippers
with the brand name engraved on them,
but it was too expensive
for me to do it then.
I told her, "Okay, go for it."
Then she said, "But it costs
$1,500 to dye the fabric for it."
I said, "Well, yeah, but go for it."
My father always said,
"Either put 1,000% into a project
or don't do it at all."
I still have that mindset today.
Good morning, guys. I'm so tired.
This is, like, all of the orders
today from Hoaka.
I'd say at that point, my parents
didn't really ask too many questions
until they saw more and more shelves
starting to take up the entire basement.
At a certain point it spread upstairs
into the kitchen and living room.
We couldn't even eat in the house
the last three months.
The company was a success
as soon as it launched
as it simply blew up on Instagram.
I didn't expect that at all.
Elisabeth truly is the face
of the company.
She has over 1.5 million followers.
To this day, I think following my gut
has really paid off.
During Hoaka's first year,
I still worked at the ice cream shop.
I was 18, on minimum wage,
but at the same time,
my company had made over a million,
so one day I decided I was done
working at the ice cream shop.
HOAKA
MEETING
Clearly something is going on, as Laurie
has been with us for a few weeks,
but I feel not much has progressed.
I've not heard about anything
in the pipeline. Is there?
Well, it's been, what,
ten days since Laurie started?
We're preparing photo shoots.
My dad does a bit of everything at Hoaka.
It might not be evident to you,
but he's like a father to everyone here
at the Hoaka warehouse,
so he likes to show he's always there
for everyone. My dad is always around.
I see to all of the administrative tasks
and all of the stuff
the girls don't want to do,
so shoveling the outside area
and taking out the garbage.
As a father, seeing the positive influence
Eli has had on young people
moves me. It's always really touching.
I'd definitely love
to have a graphic designer,
but there was one whose work I loved
and you guys weren't keen.
Well, of course.
She costs $125,000 a year.
-Maybe you should
-Lower your standards a little?
Lower your standards a bit.
-Yes, but we can't produce stuff I hate.
-For sure.
It's funny, as when my sister Dolores
and I were young,
we really hated each other,
but that's because we're just
two fundamentally different people.
You know, my sister is a bit more
of a realist, if I can call her that.
You really must learn to delegate. You are
a full-time entrepreneur and influencer.
My sister truly is my human planner.
Whenever I need to book something,
even the simplest thing in the world
like a hair appointment, I always ask her
to sort it as I'm not that organized.
I just want the right person for the job,
but you think she's too expensive.
Elisabeth struggles trusting people
as she wants everything to be perfect
but nothing is ever good enough.
We need to think of a strategy,
not just one but several.
With everything that's going on right now
like the recession, etc.,
a new swimsuit might be
the last thing people think to buy.
I don't want
to lower the quality of our products,
but we'll need to cut down
our profit margins slightly and sell more.
We've definitely reached a point
where we need to take some risks.
There are many competitors on the market
so we must constantly innovate
and keep bringing in new designs.
I'm always worried that at some point
she'll make a wrong move,
as fame is hard to attain
and it can sometimes disappear
just like that.
We have 10 days
before the trip to Costa Rica with Laurie.
It'll be her first trip with us.
Costa Rica will be exciting but different.
We'll need to be prepared for the climate.
I'm worried I'll make mistakes
because I'm new.
I'll be doing tasks I've not done before,
but I'll push myself to see
what I'm capable of.
I really want to impress Eli.
Is it just Laurie going with you?
No, no, no. Laurie's coming
and the photographer, plus Claudia too.
Who is going to pay
for everyone's flights?
Well, we are.
My dad and sister often ask questions
like, "How much is this going to cost?"
Elisabeth isn't involved
in the company's finances at all.
It doesn't interest her.
Even her own personal finances.
You wouldn't ask Eli
to do the business admin,
any paperwork or pay taxes
as it just wouldn't work.
My dad even takes care of
my personal bills and mortgage
so they're done correctly.
She doesn't even take out her own trash.
I don't know how I'd do it without my dad.
The photographer will
also need to be paid too.
-What about Claudia?
-We're just paying for her trip.
What will she do? Photo shoots for us?
Yeah. You know how much that's worth.
She has as many followers as me.
These influencers cost $75-80,000.
If you pay someone 80,000,
you need to charge 240,000 for yourself.
Keep that in mind.
You're the real star here. End of story.
ELISABETH'S HOME
I'm so used to going to Costa Rica
that every time I go
I feel kind of at home.
Costa Rica really embodies who I am.
Many people on social media associate me
with Costa Rica and vice versa.
I talk about it all the time.
I'm crazy about it.
In Costa Rica, it seems
as if everyone is just happy to be there.
I've traveled all over the world
but I've only felt that here.
Yes? Hello, Dolo?
Hello. Have you got amazing weather
in Costa Rica?
VOICE OF DOLORES
ELISABETH'S SISTER
Yes, the weather is amazing. It's sunny
and all of the girls have arrived.
By the way, Dad saw the invoices
for the plane tickets and he's not happy.
Yeah, but Dad is never happy spending.
He'll always have some kind of issue,
but with our major collection coming out
this summer,
I can really make great headway here.
People think Eli's life is easy.
She travels around to dream locations
and does photo shoots,
but it's so much more than that.
Dad would love for us
to have zero expenses
and millions of dollars in revenue,
but, like
-You'll deal with it when you're back?
-It's fine. I'll take the risk.
-Okay. Bye.
-Bye.
It's definitely not a vacation
for me when I travel for Hoaka.
I really have to manage
pretty much everything.
Let's start with one
on the sun lounger just over there.
I think if we do a relaxed torso shot
it'd be real cute.
Okay, yeah. Yeah.
-If you lie down like you're sunbathing.
-Yes, on the lounger could work.
I don't want to get
my bikini top or my hair wet.
-I've just done it.
-If you can work with that, it looks fab.
-Like this?
-Yes.
Stretch your legs out
so you look like a mermaid. Mermaid mode.
-Are you sure my feet don't look awkward?
-Just like that, yes. Perfect.
-It doesn't look awkward?
-Not at all.
-Okay.
-That's stunning, Eli.
I honestly think I must be
the most demanding person in the world.
-Too much sky.
-Yeah. Maybe I'll take it from higher up?
-Sky is my worst nightmare. Yeah.
-So as little sky as possible?
I know exactly what
I want my photos to look like
and it's rare that someone
can do it how I like it.
With a Polaroid you get one shot
so you must get the right angle.
That's definitely not my good angle.
Basically, I take Laurie
to all of my photo shoots now
as I want her to learn how I think,
so while she's with me, her thought
process is in tune with the Hoaka brand.
This is my first shoot with Eli
where I'm helping take pics of her.
I don't know her top angles,
what she likes.
I made a few mistakes here and there.
Laurie, could you go and get a chair
so Sandrine can stand on it?
-Yes. Perfect.
-A sturdy chair so she doesn't
The chair. Are we really
going to talk about the chair?
I froze. I didn't know
which size or height of chair she wanted.
I'm a country girl.
I can climb on anything and feel fine.
I've got good balance.
I'll hold your hand so you're more stable.
-It's a bit small.
-Is this not stable enough?
This is the tallest. The others are lower.
I think the stool might have been
too high and unstable.
-Are you sure that's safe?
-Not really.
-Yes.
-Let's not die for a photo now.
I messed up then. I felt like
I wasn't doing my job very well.
I thought she'd be disappointed
that I kept screwing up all day.
Eli, let your hair tumble down
at the back.
Laurie, can you spread her hair out?
I'd say it can be a real long process
taking my photos.
I know a lot of people hate it,
but it's not my fault.
I just want them to be perfect.
That's a nice shot. It's 100% worth it.
I'm definitely quite stubborn.
I don't always listen to what my dad says.
Don't worry, Steeve.
We'll sell you lots of swimsuits.
You will get that cash in your pocket.
I'd say my friend Claudia
is really my little devil.
Claudia has truly been there
from the start.
When we met, we were both broke.
We said, "Okay, let's go to Miami together
on a road trip.
We went and took the first photos
for Hoaka.
From that moment on,
we've really been inseparable.
We became best friends for life.
Which set do you want me
to wear for today's shoot?
I'd say to start with
this one here in size S.
-Okay.
-I'll wear this one,
then I'll put the other one on
so we match.
Have you This is a small.
Do you have the top in an X-small?
You need to wear that.
These are for product shots.
The cup must be
-I know you love to be sexy.
-Okay, I know.
It's the tan lines.
I need to keep my legendary tan lines.
Three years ago,
Playboy México reached out to me,
and so now I'm a Playboy Bunny.
Eli really impresses me.
Every time she shows me
a new swimsuit design,
I wonder
where she draws her inspiration from.
Before we have some fun,
we need to be really productive,
as my sister called me this morning, so
What did she say?
My dad doesn't know you're here,
as per usual.
Damn it, Eli.
Does it really surprise me
that Eli does what she wants?
Not really.
I feel like we've always done
what we want since we were young.
Where do you want us to take this shot?
Well, I thought we could go down there.
There is a pretty light right now.
I thought if we take it from below,
it will accentuate your breasts too.
Okay.
We want it to be quite sexy,
but the light will be behind your head.
This campaign is going to be called
"Girls Will Be Girls,"
the opposite of the well-known expression
"Boys will be boys."
Initially, my idea was
to show off Claudia's attributes
which she is known for,
so being feminine, sexy, ultra-confident.
I wanted to showcase that to the max.
-I'd perhaps tilt your head a bit more
-Okay, we really want
-this way.
-Yeah, work it.
From that idea I was like,
"Okay, we should do the opposite."
We wanted to show Claudia doing things
people consider to reflect
"Boys will be boys."
That doesn't make her any less feminine.
Act like there is something in your nose.
Claudia will look stunning
with beautiful makeup on, etc.,
but she'll have a finger up her nose
because we all know everyone does it.
My nostrils are small.
-Plus my finger is tiny.
-No, your nostrils are big.
Picking our noses is our favorite hobby.
Wow. The light on your face looks amazing.
Yes, that's it.
It's easier with nails.
I think girls do it better than boys.
-The gold accessories look amazing.
-Oh, my God.
-That's so pretty.
-I know. It's not finished. It's a sample.
I can't show you my butt.
The cut is too sexy, just how you like it.
Yeah, that's true.
Claudia is that friend
I can really let loose with,
but I can also work with her.
I think that's something
I can only find in her.
Okay, are you ready?
Okay. Yes, hold my head. That's perfect.
In my friendship group,
I'm 100% the craziest one.
Eli isn't wild if she goes partying,
but whenever I'm involved,
we get four shots in a row,
throw caution to the wind,
and she joins in with my silly antics.
It's safe to say
I'm the little devil on her shoulder.
All of my blood has run to my head.
It's worth it for the shot.
I think I'll even touch up your makeup.
-What are you trying to say?
-Well
I'm not red from the makeup.
The blood has run to my head.
Do you need a poo?
Claudia is really different to Eli.
When they're together,
Eli comes out of her comfort zone.
30 more seconds on this shot,
then we'll change swimsuits.
Okay, as my neck can't take it anymore.
-One, two, three, go.
-Here we go.
Everything hurts.
I'll get into position
when you say, "Go," okay?
-Time to get changed, girls.
-Okay.
All good. We got the shot.
We have the same job,
so when we need to take photos
and be productive, we get down to it.
Look who it is.
-It's Wolfie.
-Baby.
Mommy.
-Mommy's there.
-Can you say yummy yummy?
Give me a hug. Want some watermelon?
I'm happy to see Mommy.
-You're happy to see Mommy?
-Yes, so happy.
To this day,
Wolfie is clearly my biggest pride and joy
and that pride grows more
and more every day.
Good job.
Ever since Wolfie came into my life,
I've definitely changed as a person.
I no longer see life the same way.
In fact, ever since I was young,
my biggest dream was to start a family.
Wow. You girls look stunning.
-What have you been up to?
-Mommy was taking photos.
Marilou has been a friend of mine for
I couldn't even say how many years.
I mean, we'd look old if I told you
how many years we've been friends.
Eli chose me to take care of her daughter
as we've known each other forever.
When I'm taking care of Wolfie,
in the evenings,
I'm exhausted,
my energy levels are pretty drained.
I take care of her when Eli is doing
photo shoots and content for Instagram.
I'm a high-class nanny.
Marilou was my roommate for a long time.
When we'd go out,
I'd ask her to do my hair.
Lots of my friends get all dolled up
and I'm always like, "Help me, please."
-I guess that's a wrap.
-Yes, we're done.
Let's wrap it up.
Marilou and I can
sometimes be at loggerheads,
as I'd say she is much more
of a mother hen than I am.
Wolfie is an energetic girl
with a big personality
so she needs an authority figure
in her life.
It can cause a bit of tension between us,
but I know that when I'm not there,
I can completely trust in Marilou
as I know she'll keep her eye on Wolfie
every second of the day.
I know I'll have many challenges
to face in the future.
Now that I have Wolfie,
it's extremely hard to create content
as the content I always used to make
revolved around a girl
who was always having fun,
traveling and partying
with a boyfriend or friends.
Yet I've also fully embraced
my role as a mom.
Wolfie has been in her terrible twos
for way too long now,
so it's really difficult to concentrate
on the world of Hoaka and social media.
-Cheers to today.
-Yes, girls.
It was a really great day.
-I'm exhausted.
-Cheers.
I always take Wolfie when I travel.
It's important I create a routine with her
like parents who go to work
and come home in the evening.
I really can't wait
to see how the photos turn out.
-I feel good about them.
-What's nice is it never rains here.
It rained constantly on our last trip,
but here it's always sunny.
The sunset was beautiful.
-Did you fly here from Berlin?
-Yeah.
How's it going with your boyfriend?
I've officially been in a relationship
for almost a year now,
but it's a long-distance relationship
between Montreal and Europe.
What I like about
long-distance relationships is
when I come back home,
I have time for myself and for my friends,
instead of Usually in life,
whenever I've been in love,
I've spent all of my time with my partner.
How's single life treating you?
The single life. Cheers to that.
Single life forever.
I'll down the other half of my shot.
Trying to date
after having a baby is impossible.
Also, when you're breastfeeding,
it's hard to even think about.
No, but seriously,
I don't think I'll ever
I don't know how many years it'll be until
I want to be in a relationship again,
but men are just
for entertainment purposes right now.
Elisabeth hasn't been very lucky in love.
Her love life has been pretty tough.
I think many people would say
my love life is
really tumultuous as it never works out
and I am always with a new guy, etc.
I personally think I'm just a young girl
who is trying to find a life partner.
It's trial and error.
As a mom, I feel like
I'm a totally different person now,
so I feel like I don't
fully know who I am,
but I don't see myself with a partner now.
I don't think Eli has to date someone
in the same line of work as us,
but she definitely needs someone
who understands our job
and who is okay with what we do.
-What's your type, Eli?
-My type?
I like all kinds of different guys.
They have to rock their own style
in the sense of I could go for any type
of guy, but he just needs to own it.
-Bye-bye.
-Can you give Mom a kiss?
-Bye.
-Off to beddy-byes? Kisses.
She'll watch a movie first.
-Bye, everyone.
-Bye, baby.
-Bye.
-Bye.
-I'll come join you later.
-Okay, bye-bye.
Bye.
Do you ever think that Wolfie
is missing a father figure in her life?
I honestly don't think so,
as at the moment, she's still too young
to compare herself to other kids
who have dads,
but maybe as she gets older,
she will ask more questions.
Until that happens,
I try not to think about it too much.
How do you feel now
that her father is out of prison?
It's a relief for the influencer
and businesswoman
-Elisabeth Rioux.
-Elisabeth Rioux.
My name is Elisabeth.
A year after she revealed to her millions
of followers she was a victim
-of domestic violence.
-Bryan McCormick.
Bryan McCormick.
-He kicked her
-Choked her
-Assault, death threats.
-She could have died.
I feared for my life.
What made me press charges
was the fact
I feared for my daughter's life too.
"I'm going to burn you alive."
I always feel like I need to escape.
I'm constantly afraid.