Netflix viewers were sickened after watching new documentary “Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare,” which tells the harrowing true story of a “wilderness therapy camp” and the man who founded it.
Former military special forces officer Steve Cartisano founded the Challenger Foundation in the Utah desert in the 1980s, charging parents $16,000 to tame their wayward teenagers by allegedly tying them to trees and giving them rations took away and forced them to carry sacks of manure.
The 90-minute film delves into the true events of the camp's 63-day program, where a teenager died in unbearable heat during a 500-mile desert hike.
Some viewers warned others not to watch the film, describing it as “crazy” and “absolutely insane” while questioning how the “pure evil” camp could be allowed to exist.
Former military special operations officer Steve Cartisano is the subject of the new Netflix documentary “Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare.”
Cartisano founded a “wilderness therapy camp” and promised to straighten out wayward teenagers
The 90-minute documentary landed on Netflix on December 27 and was described as “insane” and “disgusting.”
“I highly recommend that everyone NEVER watch Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare. “This is disgusting on too many levels,” one viewer wrote on Twitter.
Another person commented: “Oh my word!!! What a disgusting documentary.'
A third said: “That Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare documentary on Netflix is crazy.”
Another described it as “absolutely crazy” and asked “how could this happen”, while a fifth added: “Now I've done it.” What the hell actually. Pure evil.'
Someone else posted: “The #HellCamp documentary on Netflix is wild.” I never knew about these “camps” but there was no way my parents would pay thousands of dollars to send me to abuse and torture. This shit is SAD.'
Throughout the documentary, viewers heard first-hand experiences from men and women who were sent away from their parents to attend the military-style camp.
Cartisano, who believed in intimidating unruly children into submission through outdoor survival, is seen in flashbacks in the film and can be heard declaring, “These kids need this, we're saving so many more lives. “
The strict rules reportedly included “strip searches and military haircuts,” as Cartisano “adopted a drill sergeant style of speech that required “Yes, sir!” Answers,” according to High Country News.
There were also severe punishments for children who did not follow instructions properly. This included depriving them of rations and forcing them to carry heavy loads of cow dung in backpacks all day.
Parents paid $16,000 to have their teenagers attend the 63-day program in the Utah desert
Viewers expressed shock at the “disgusting” documentary
In the documentary you can see footage of Cartisano with some teenagers in the camp
Lance “Horsehair” Jaggar worked as a field director in the Challenger camp and appears in the documentary
Parents appeared to be dealing with high-profile and wealthy people who were enrolling their children, including two teenagers from the Winthrop Rockefeller family.
Dozens of families paid the high registration fee, with the program reportedly generating $3.2 million in its first year.
Cartisano's wife, Deborah Lee Carr, plays an important role in the documentary, commenting on the wealth they experienced thanks to the show's success.
“All I know is that we had sufficient income and therefore a lot of money came in… I think,” she says, before defending her late husband: “But a lot of money also went out.” “It was very expensive, these programs to carry out.”
The couple's daughter, Catie, also speaks out and defends her father, whom she describes as “brilliant” and “the smartest person I've ever met.”
The mother-daughter duo also addressed the death of 16-year-old Kristen Chase of Florida, who was admitted to the camp in 1990 and died after collapsing in the desert just three days into the program.
“Steve was devastated by this,” claimed Deborah. “I'm sure there was a part of him that saw it as his fault because it was his program and he was the one who brought the kids into the program, but he also knew it was out of his control .”
“He actually wasn’t spending that much time in southern Utah at that point. I think he realized there was nothing he could have done that would have changed the outcome.”
Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare features several first-person interviews with Challenger Camp survivors, including Nadine (pictured).
Cartisano's wife, Deborah Lee Carr, appears in the documentary, commenting on the “reasonable income” they had thanks to the camp
Cartisano's daughter Catie is upset when she talks about her “brilliant” father in the film
Cartisano and the program were charged with involuntary manslaughter and multiple counts of child abuse as a result of Chase's death and allegations that other youth were starved and physically abused.
The allegations included children being “tied to trees” and “physically dragged along the ground.”
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Kane County Sheriff Max Jackson testified during the trial that Cartisano, then 38, was “careless” when he learned of Chase's death.
He also said that the Challenger Foundation did not have adequate procedures in place to deal with medical emergencies, adding that it took nearly two hours from the time the girl fell ill until professional medical help arrived.
The camp filed for bankruptcy and was subsequently closed, and Cartisano was eventually acquitted of all criminal charges but was sued civilly.
He was subsequently banned from running child treatment programs in Utah, but later established branches in Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
Netflix viewers were disgusted by his actions and also remained unimpressed by comments from Cartisano's wife and daughter.
“The entire Cartisano family is just terrible!” The wife and daughter do nothing but apologize and hero-worship the monster Steve Cartisano! “Such disgusting people,” someone complained.
Kristen Chase of Florida collapsed and died at age 16, just three days after enrolling in the program
Cartisano and the program were charged with involuntary manslaughter and multiple counts of child abuse, but he was acquitted of all criminal charges
Deborah confirmed that Cartisano died of a heart attack “three years ago” after battling colon cancer for several years
“Steve's wife is clearly a fucking idiot,” another person claimed, while a third said: “So Steve Cartisano's wife and daughter think he was a great guy?” Holy shit. Please get help.'
Someone else commented: “Steve Cartisano's daughter (Catie Cartisano) and his wife still being brainwashed is unbelievable. 'All this sick shit happened because of your husband and your father, you sick people.'
Another person wrote: “I can't believe his wife and daughter are trying to make us feel sympathy for Steve Cartisano. 'He kidnapped and abused children…'
According to his wife, Cartisano died of a heart attack “three years ago” after battling colon cancer for several years.
Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare is now available to stream on Netflix