Unicorn Girl — Episode 5: "Two Middle Fingers Held High"

Apple TV+ / Seven Hills | September 8, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode delves into Candace Rivera’s controversial and dramatic foray into humanitarian rescue missions—most notably her attempted orphan rescues from Ukraine on the eve of the Russian invasion. Award-winning journalist Charlie Webster unpacks Candace’s relentless self-promotion, her grandiose rescue claims, and the confusion, suspicion, and frustration left in her wake. The episode toggles between adrenaline-fueled action and growing skepticism among Candace’s team, raising compelling questions about legitimacy, heroism, and self-mythologizing.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Candace’s Sudden Wealth and New Image

• [00:01–02:16] After a supposed successful Afghanistan “operation,” Candace returns flush with cash, purchasing a champagne Cadillac Escalade and moving into a $1M home. Her image pivots from nonprofit leader to high-powered CEO.
  • Notable Quote:

    "Overnight a millionaire after Afghanistan." — Starli [00:07]

  • Notable Quote:

    "I'm confused that all of a sudden you have this brand new Escalade. Where did that come from?" — Jason [01:01]

• Candace’s branding is in full swing—headshots with the tagline: Single mom. CEO. Hell shaker. She launches multiple female-focused businesses, aiming for ‘seven companies at seven figures by 40.’
  • Notable Quote:

    "Every one of my companies has a female base, female foundation..." — Aura, citing Candace [04:17]

Behind the Scenes: Team Dynamics & Early Doubts

• Starli, a close friend from the basketball mom circle, helps Candace with branding and web presence. Candace’s claims about elite contacts—such as Ashton Kutcher offering his plane—impress but seem fantastical.
  • Notable Quote:

    "She would talk about the elite...and being on a conference call with Ashton Kutcher..." — Starli [05:23]

• Candace’s emotionally charged backstories—like the loss of twins in a car accident—are shared to build trust.

Ukraine Mission: Planning, Hype, and Reality

The Build-up

• As Russia threatens to invade Ukraine, Candace mobilizes a team to “rescue orphans.” Her rhetoric is grand and emotionally charged:
  • Notable Quote:

    "It would give me no greater joy than to walk out of Ukraine with orphans over my shoulder and two middle fingers held high, saying F you to Putin." — Candace Rivera (read by Emmy Jory) [13:21]

• Exodus’s website floods Aura’s inbox with desperate pleas to save families or adopt orphans from Ukraine.
  • Notable Quote:

    "Emails came pouring in...please save me. Please save my family." — Aura [14:07]

• Despite family concerns and initial hesitation, core team members—including Mary Krass (philanthropist) and Jason (cybersecurity expert)—agree to join the operation.

The Journey: Moldova, Romania, and Mafia Houses

• Travel is chaotic and at times surreal—Aura is assigned to carry bulletproof vest plates; team members are split across economy and business class; and Mary and Jason are put up in an expensive hotel in Bucharest.
  • Notable Quote:

    "Candace and Jason flew business and everyone else flew economy." — Aura [23:30]

• At the Moldovan border, their accommodation is rumored to be a “Moldovan mafia house.”
  • Highlight: The team jokes not to post photos or risk retaliation.

    "They said, better not post it on social media...or else the Moldova mafia is going to chase us down." — Jason [28:44]

• They partner with local churches and support systems, often improvising, at times feeling more like refugees themselves.

Roadblocks, Disappointment, and Disinformation

• Bureaucratic issues with documentation prevent actual orphan extractions—authorities refuse to release children without proper (often non-existent) Ukrainian approval.
• The actual work shifts from rescue to aid distribution at the border. Nursing teams support refugees, and Candace garners praise from the Moldovan government for her logistical organization—an important, if unintended, legacy.
  • Notable Quote:

    "Candace put together a comprehensive needs assessment report...the Moldovan border went from having nothing for refugees to a fully fledged support system." — Charlie Webster [34:06]

• Team members become increasingly skeptical as the original mission—to physically rescue orphans—fails to materialize.
  • Notable Quote:

    "We did, but zero orphans." — Jason [39:44]

The Outcome: What Was Achieved?

• Candace claims in communications to donors that she personally saved hundreds of orphans
  • Notable Quote (exaggeration):

    "We have established medical aid and relief to 300 orphans that we have placed in host families." — Candace Rivera [43:36]

• In truth, only two orphans are confirmed as rescued by the end of the operation—a four-year-old boy and an eight-year-old girl—both in peril, and both extractions predated or were only tangentially related to Candace’s direct involvement.
  • Notable Quote:

    "Actually got an orphan out legitimately instead of 22. It was one." — Jason [46:24]

  • The 8-year-old girl’s hospital bills were promised by Candace but left unpaid:

    "She ghosted the hospital." — Aura [46:36]

Backlash and Airport Drama

• Upon returning to the US, every team member is detained and interrogated not about Ukraine but about Candace’s previous Afghanistan escapades.
  • Notable Quote:

    "Seems like they had a file on her." — Aura [41:51]

• Candace’s communications continue hyping her impact:
  • Notable Quote:

    "When Exodus shows up, they show up. In the words of Rihanna, tell your friends to pull up." — Candace Rivera [44:13]

• A sense of disorientation and even betrayal colors the team’s reflections; some feel used, others frustrated, and everyone is left with unresolved questions about Candace's credibility and motives.

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• Candace to her Facebook group before Ukraine:

  "I'm angry. He's a bully. I'm so tired of bullies and thugs... walk out of Ukraine with orphans over my shoulder and two middle fingers held high..." [13:21]

• On mission confusion:

  "We did, but zero orphans." — Jason [39:44]

• Mary confronting Candace post-mission:

  "I did great work there, but I did not work with orphans and I did not rescue orphans. And you had led us to believe we were rescuing a lot of orphans." — Mary Krass [44:29]

• Aura on disillusionment and need:

  "They just needed care and we couldn't give it to them. We walked away without even soccer balls or not even soap." — Aura [38:49]

• Airport suspicion:

  "Seems like they had a file on her." — Aura [41:51]

Important Timestamps

• 00:01–03:12: Candace’s financial and image transformation post-Afghanistan
• 04:17–05:03: Female entrepreneurship and networking
• 06:29–09:35: Candace’s personal hardship stories and using drama for trust-building
• 13:21–15:38: Candace’s stated motivation and hype for the Ukraine mission; families' fears
• 23:30–24:19: Team’s travel experience and culture shock at Moldovan border
• 30:00–32:42: Frustration with bureaucratic hurdles and shifting mission goals
• 36:45–39:47: The reality of aid work (or lack thereof) vs. Candace’s claims
• 41:51–43:36: Repercussions on return; interrogation at US airports
• 44:47–46:46: Actual outcome—number of orphans saved, financial aftermath

Episode Tone

The episode maintains a tone of investigative skepticism, with moments of dark humor, deep emotion, and growing incredulity from Candace’s inner circle. Charlie Webster is methodical yet empathetic, allowing voices like Aura, Starli, and Jason to convey both the hope and disillusionment that punctuated the Ukraine mission.

Final Thoughts

Episode 5 paints a layered portrait of Candace Rivera, oscillating between inspirational bravado and possible deception. While Candace’s self-styled status as hero and disruptor is compelling, testimonies from those closest to her—and the facts uncovered—raise essential questions about where visionary leadership ends and dangerous self-delusion begins.

Next on Unicorn Girl:
A charged episode featuring unexpected revelations at a fundraising auction—and more cracks in the Candace Rivera myth.