# Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist (2022)

> A two-part documentary revisits Manti Te'o's college football rise and the hoax relationship that upended his career.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/130270

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 2
- Episode runtime: 64 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: documentary
- Created by: Chapman Way, Maclain Way
- Network: Netflix
- Cast: Manti Te'o, Naya Tuiasosopo, Brian Te'o, Ottilia Te'o, Jack Swarbrick, Robby Toma, Alex Flanagan, Shiloah Te'o
- TMDB rating: 7.5/10

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: reflective, intimate, unsettling, sympathetic

## What critics say

Audiences rated this two-part true-life documentary positively, valuing its account of the Manti Te'o catfishing saga.

## Synopsis

Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist (2022) is a US Netflix true crime docuseries created by Chapman Way and Maclain Way. Across two episodes of roughly an hour each, the miniseries follows former Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o (who appears as himself) as he recounts a rising football career that stalled when a secret online relationship came apart in public. Te'o's parents, his cousin, his childhood friend Robby Toma, and former Notre Dame athletics director Jack Swarbrick (all appearing as themselves) help frame the story, while archive footage and sports broadcasters, including Alex Flanagan, place the fallout in the national spotlight. The engine of the series is the slow reconstruction of how a promising athlete was drawn into a deception he was slow to recognize, and how his family, community, and sport reacted once the truth broke. Set against Hawaii, Notre Dame, and the NFL, the tone is intimate and reflective, with moments of humiliation and sympathy. Fans of Catfish, Making a Murderer and The Last Dance will find resonance in its blend of personal testimony, sports drama, and investigative unease about deception and reputation.

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