"Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller" Exposes “The Great American Rehab Scam” as Final Season Unfolds

National Geographic’s Emmy-winning series Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller is coming to an end with its currently airing fifth season. The news was revealed during a recent screening event of an upcoming episode titled “The Great American Rehab Scam," where host and showrunner Mariana van Zeller reflected on the show’s journey alongside producer Jeff Plunkett.

The new episode takes on a dark corner of the opioid epidemic: fraudulent rehab facilities that exploit people seeking treatment. “The opioid crisis has killed over a million people in the last 20 years," Van Zeller explained. “Even when people want to get help, they get stuck in these scams." Tackling this topic also meant navigating a different kind of challenge — exposing businesses that operate legally while profiting from vulnerable patients.

Over the course of five seasons, Trafficked has earned credibility in surprising places. Van Zeller shared that the show has become popular in prisons, with incarcerated viewers often reaching out to offer story leads. She also receives frequent direct messages from people eager to share their illegal activities. She attributes this willingness to speak not just to ego, but to a deep desire to be understood: “These are the most stereotyped, stigmatized people in our society. I approach them not with judgment, but with the goal of understanding why they do what they do."

Plunkett and Van Zeller described the immense effort behind each episode — typically three weeks of filming followed by months of editing and legal review. They emphasized the importance of a dedicated production team able to manage multiple stories in different stages of development at once. Despite unpredictability in the field, such as promised access that falls apart overnight, the team has consistently delivered stories that shine a light on hidden economies and systemic failures.

While many episodes confront grim realities, Van Zeller said her optimism sustains her: “No matter how far I travel to the edges of society, I can still find people who are redeemable and relatable." She pointed to global inequality as the underlying driver of crime, insisting that the show’s mission has always been to understand, not judge.

The Q&A ended on a celebratory note, highlighting Sequoyah Thiessen, a survivor of patient brokering who advised on the episode. She announced her upcoming book, Brokered: A Year Inside the Web of Patient Brokering, during the event.

The first six episodes of Season 5 of Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller are now streaming on Hulu. “The Great American Rehab Scam" debuts Saturday, August 30th, continuing the series’ tradition of uncovering powerful stories in the world’s underbelly. And stay tuned to new episodes every Saturday at 9/8c on Nat Geo through September 20th.