From Miriam being ‘revealed’ as a transgender woman to the contestants trashing the set, it was the cruellest reality show ever. Ahead of a new series about its tragic fallout, Miriam’s brother and friend open up for the first time about her death
It was the very definition of “different times”. In summer 2003, a TV dating series saw men compete for the affections of a 21-year-old Mexican model named Miriam Rivera. What her suitors didn’t realise was that the glamorous star of the show had a secret. In the climactic episode, Rivera announced that she was a transgender woman. All hell broke loose. Contestants sued the show in an attempt to ensure it never aired.
There’s Something About Miriam would go down in the showbiz hall of shame as one of the most controversial reality shows ever. Now, a Channel 4 docuseries revisits the making of the show 20 years since it aired – and five years since Rivera died at the age of 38. It’s a story of belief-beggaring insensitivity and its tragic aftermath.
