Twenty years after TV’s most notorious and “sadistic” extreme makeover show “The Swan” aired, former contestant Kari Bravata claims that she “almost died for reality TV.”

A new Hulu documentary, “The Swan: Behind the Mirror,” is going behind the scenes of the short-lived, controversial Fox show that took ordinary women who felt like “ugly ducklings,” and transformed them into “swans,” by giving them plastic surgery on TV.

Bravata claimed following her plastic surgery, she didn’t wake up from the anesthesia, her lungs filled with fluid and she had to go on oxygen. 

While the surgeries were televised, they “kicked the camera crew” out of her room when things got dicey, she alleged.

“I was never told details of what happened,” she told us. “It’s scary that I’ll probably never know.” 

“The Swan” aired for two seasons on Fox, for a total of eighteen episodes from April to December 2004. 

Erin Lee Carr, the director of the new doc, which premieres on Sept. 29, told Page Six, “I think it was one of the most sadistic reality shows of all time.”

They were given therapists, too, ostensibly to work on their self esteem and “inner beauty.” However, the whole ordeal culminated with a televised beauty pageant – which they weren’t told about beforehand. 

The whole idea of the show, according to Bravata, was, “You’re ugly, and we’re gonna make you pretty – but then, we’re gonna make you compete until you’re still good enough.” 

Carr told Page Six that “swans” had as many as fifteen surgeries before they were pushed to slim down at the gym — frequently working out while still in bandages. They debuted their new looks on television just three months later.  

At the time, nine million people tuned in to watch.

“I know that they tweaked my eyes, I know I had a little bit of fat transfer here and there – but I couldn’t even tell you the exact surgeries I had,” former contestant Kristy Garza, 45, told Page Six,

After “swans” underwent all their surgeries in one single session, they were allegedly given “mediocre” aftercare, she recalled, and forced to help each other. 

Carr told Page Six, “The other woman in your living situation had to change your linens, had to go get ice packs.” 

No “swans” decided to quit and leave, Garza alleged, because the show “threatened” her with, “the idea that if you decide to leave, you’re going to owe us for [the plastic surgery].” 

She noted that she couldn’t afford to pay them back.

“I was scared to death,” she admitted, adding, “I think that that was the general consensus among most of us. We felt trapped.” 

After the show, they had no follow up support, and many of them faced ongoing medical issues. 

“I had so many problems with my teeth – cracks, breaks. Whatever they did to my gums was very detrimental,” Garza told Page Six. 

Garza noted that she’s had “six teeth” pulled in the years since the show, because she was given veneers that were “done improperly” and “the tooth underneath rotted.” 

Other contestants claimed they had “serious complications” that they had to pay “out of pocket for,” including ruptured breast implants. 

“We all commiserate about that, and we make jokes and stuff – but, it’s been extreme,” Garza said.

She noted that she doesn’t regret doing the show because she refuses “to be a victim.”

Bratva also has no regrets. “I would do it again,” she said.

She added, “I know that probably sounds crazy. But, it was an experience. It was an adventure. We learned from it.”

And, despite everything, both women say they’re pleased with how they look, after their surgeries.

“I’m happy –  aside from the teeth,” Bravata admitted.

Carr told Page Six that she thinks “The Swan” — which was created by Nely Galán, who declined to appear in the doc — was a “harbinger” of the current era where lip filler and Ozempic are everywhere. 

“We as a society collectively are trying to figure out why we can’t look natural.” 

“The Swan: Behind the Mirror” premieres Sept. 29 on Hulu.