HBO‘s Bring Me The Beauties: A Model Cult has brought the late Frederick von Mierers back into the zeitgeist.
The new, three-part true-crime docuseries centers on Hoyt Richards, who after meeting von Mierers at 16 years old, became a male supermodel and was drawn into von Mierers’ cult-like group called Eternal Values. Episode 1, “The Promise,” which debuted on HBO last night and is now available to stream on HBO Max, Richards recalled his introduction to von Mierers, who the network described as “a self-proclaimed guru preaching a seductive gospel of Eastern philosophy, astrology, and New Age spirituality.”
“To the outside world, Hoyt was a successful, jet-setting model, but at the same time, he lived an ascetic life while espousing Frederick’s teachings and funding much of his lifestyle,” the episode synopsis continues.
The following two episodes of the docuseries, which currently holds a place in HBO Max’s Top 10 Series Today, will be released on Mondays. But those already hooked after the first episode might be wondering who exactly is Frederick von Mierers? Here is what we know.
Who Was Frederick von Mierers?
Frederick von Mierers was born Fred Meyers, per The New York Times. Von Mierers, who was seen as a New York City socialite, also declared himself to be an “alien walk-in,” hailing from the planet Arcterus. This ideology served as the foundation for Eternal Values, which included members like Richards, Paul Hinton, Dar Dixon, and Elissa Melaragno, all of whom are featured in Bring Me The Beauties: A Model Cult.
Those who even just watched the trailer for Bring Me The Beauties: A Model Cult learned that von Mierers was taking a piece of the pie from the earnings of Eternal Values members.
“I would make whatever I’d make. A certain percentage I would keep, but everything else I would give to Frederick,” Richards says.
Von Mierers prioritized what he deemed to be beauty in recruiting new members, and exploited them for their money. He also required celibacy and sobriety from them, and would incorporate “slamming sessions” involving being yelled at and degraded when people did not obey, per Time.
Frederick von Mierers’ Death: How Did Frederick Von Mierers Die?
Time reports that von Mierers passed away in February 1990 from AIDS, mere days before a Vanity Fair exposé about Eternal Values was published. According to the outlet, the group continued on and relocated to North Carolina, and Richards did not flee the group until 1999. According to The New York Post, Richards sued Eternal Values in 2002, ultimately leading to the demise of the group.
How to Watch Bring Me The Beauties: A Model Cult:
Bring Me The Beauties: A Model Cult Episode 2, “The Antichrist Tapes,” premieres on Monday, June 8 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO, with streaming available on HBO Max. Episode 3, “Mind Games,” premieres on Monday, June 15 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO, with streaming available on HBO Max.
If you’re new to HBO Max, you can sign up for as low as $10.99/month with ads, but an ad-free subscription will cost $18.49/month.
If you want to stream even more and save a few bucks a month while you’re at it, we recommend subscribing to one of the discounted Disney+ Bundles with Hulu and HBO Max. With ads, the bundle costs $19.99/month and without ads, $32.99/month.
