There's Something About Miriam
Encyclopedia
There's Something About Miriam is a reality television
show filmed in 2003, created by British TV producer Remy Blumenfeld and originally aired in the United Kingdom
on Sky1 in February 2004
. Hosted by Tim Vincent
, it featured six men wooing 21-year-old Mexican model Miriam
without revealing that she was a trans woman
until the final episode.
and was originally titled Find Me A Man. Recruitment ads for contestants promised "the adventure of a lifetime" with a £10,000 prize to men aged 20 to 35 who "want it all" and are "fit and up for everything." The contestants on the show were:
Brighter Pictures managing director Gavin Hay said "they had made a point of never referring to Miriam as a woman when getting the men to take part."
Miriam said, "Several of them wondered about me in the first few days. But as the series unfolded, I really thought that we got to like and know each other as friends and had a lot of fun." In response to allegations that she revealed her big secret by lifting up her skirt she was quoted as saying "I want to say that I would never lift my skirt up on national TV. My mother brought me up very well." On the version that aired, Miriam chose Heard as the winner and then said in front of the assembled contestants:
Heard accepted the prize money and the trip with Miriam on camera. He and Miriam later got married and have been trying to conceive a child.
, defamation, breach of contract
, and personal injury
in the form of psychological and emotional damage.
After the men settled for an undisclosed amount, the show premiered 22 February, and the sixth and final episode aired 24 March 2004.
The show was aired in Australia
by Network Ten
in May 2004, in Poland
by TVN
in January 2005, and in Argentina in 2005 on America TV. The show was picked up by Fox Reality for airing in the United States
in April 2006, and was aired in October 2007.
Other British commentators contrasted Miriam with the positive response to Nadia Almada
, a Portuguese transsexual woman who won Big Brother UK a few months later. That show was also produced by Endemol.
However, the show garnered high ratings in the final episode (970,000 viewers - large viewership for Sky One), and Miriam went on to become a guest on Big Brother Australia 2004.
There's Something About Miriam was featured on the 2005 clip show
"40 Greatest Pranks" on VH1
and was ranked #11 on the 20 to 1
episode Hoaxes, Cheats and Liars.
When the show aired in the United States on the 2007 Transgender Day of Remembrance
, trans author Julia Serano
noted, "Programs like 'There's Something About Miriam' not only reinforce the stereotype that trans people's birth sex is 'real' and our identified/lived sex is 'fake,' but they perpetuate the myth of deception and thus enable violence against us."
Video artist Phil Collins
featured contestant Mark Dimino in an installation on "people who believe their lives have been ruined by appearing on reality TV."
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
show filmed in 2003, created by British TV producer Remy Blumenfeld and originally aired in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on Sky1 in February 2004
2004 in television
The year 2004 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2004.For the American TV schedule, see: 2004–05 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1940s:...
. Hosted by Tim Vincent
Tim Vincent
Tim Vincent is a Welsh actor and television presenter who was a presenter on the popular children's programme Blue Peter between 1993 and 1997...
, it featured six men wooing 21-year-old Mexican model Miriam
Miriam (entertainer)
Miriam Rivera is a Mexican transsexual woman who appeared on the reality television shows There's Something About Miriam and Big Brother Australia 2004...
without revealing that she was a trans woman
Trans woman
A trans woman is a male-to-female transsexual or transgender person and the term trans woman is preferred by some individuals over various medical terms. Other non-medical terms include t-girl, tg-girl and ts-girl...
until the final episode.
Production and filming
The show was produced by the Brighter Pictures subsidiary of EndemolEndemol
Endemol is an international television production and distribution company based in the Netherlands, with subsidiaries and joint ventures in 23 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Poland,...
and was originally titled Find Me A Man. Recruitment ads for contestants promised "the adventure of a lifetime" with a £10,000 prize to men aged 20 to 35 who "want it all" and are "fit and up for everything." The contestants on the show were:
- Mark Dimino, 24, Optician
- Toby Green, 23, Student
- Aron Lane, 22, Chef
- Sam Heard, 20, student
- Scott Gibson, 22, Martial arts expert
- Dominic Conway, 28, Royal Marine
Brighter Pictures managing director Gavin Hay said "they had made a point of never referring to Miriam as a woman when getting the men to take part."
Miriam said, "Several of them wondered about me in the first few days. But as the series unfolded, I really thought that we got to like and know each other as friends and had a lot of fun." In response to allegations that she revealed her big secret by lifting up her skirt she was quoted as saying "I want to say that I would never lift my skirt up on national TV. My mother brought me up very well." On the version that aired, Miriam chose Heard as the winner and then said in front of the assembled contestants:
I tried to be honest with all of you, not just some of you. Yes, I am from Mexico, I am a model, and I'm 21. But Sam,I really love spending time with you and kissing you. You see, I love men, and I love being a woman. But... shh, quiet everybody, please, quiet. But you see, Sam... I am not a woman. I was born as a man.
Heard accepted the prize money and the trip with Miriam on camera. He and Miriam later got married and have been trying to conceive a child.
Litigation and release
Following the completion of the show, it was scheduled to air in November 2003, but the lawsuit by the contestants delayed the airing. They alleged conspiracy to commit sexual assaultSexual assault
Sexual assault is an assault of a sexual nature on another person, or any sexual act committed without consent. Although sexual assaults most frequently are by a man on a woman, it may involve any combination of two or more men, women and children....
, defamation, breach of contract
Breach of contract
Breach of contract is a legal cause of action in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other party's performance....
, and personal injury
Personal injury
Personal injury is a legal term for an injury to the body, mind or emotions, as opposed to an injury to property. The term is most commonly used to refer to a type of tort lawsuit alleging that the plaintiff's injury has been caused by the negligence of another, but also arises in defamation...
in the form of psychological and emotional damage.
After the men settled for an undisclosed amount, the show premiered 22 February, and the sixth and final episode aired 24 March 2004.
The show was aired in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
by Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
in May 2004, in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
by TVN
TVN (Poland)
TVN is a major Polish commercial television network. The broadcaster was co-founded by Polish businessmen Mariusz Walter and Jan Wejchert. The network launched on October 3, 1997. TVN belongs to the TVN S.A...
in January 2005, and in Argentina in 2005 on America TV. The show was picked up by Fox Reality for airing in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in April 2006, and was aired in October 2007.
Response
Responses from critics were generally unfavorable, calling it "the cruellest reality show idea yet" and part of a trend in shows that exploit unwitting contestants. A British reviewer noted, "The whole premise of There’s Something About Miriam was not a celebration of transgendered life. It was designed to elicit horror from the winning contestant discovering that his dream date had a penis." The show was also criticized by transsexual groups, who feared a backlash of public opinion. When the show aired in Australia, reviews were critical of both the premise and Miriam:These guys were duped in more ways than one - while Miriam has a few unexpected bits in her package, she's notably deficient in others. It has become clear Miriam requires a personality implant. It must've been a challenge to find a transsexual pretty enough, mean enough and sufficiently attention-seeking to play this tawdry game, but what these producers found in Miriam is a sultry-looking dill prone to the cheesiest of clichés.
Other British commentators contrasted Miriam with the positive response to Nadia Almada
Nadia Almada
Nadia Conceicao Almada is a Madeiran-born UK reality television star, best known for being the first transsexual winner of Big Brother in series 5 in 2004.-Big Brother:...
, a Portuguese transsexual woman who won Big Brother UK a few months later. That show was also produced by Endemol.
However, the show garnered high ratings in the final episode (970,000 viewers - large viewership for Sky One), and Miriam went on to become a guest on Big Brother Australia 2004.
There's Something About Miriam was featured on the 2005 clip show
Clip show
A clip show is an episode of a television series that consists primarily of excerpts from previous episodes. Most clip shows feature the format of a frame story in which cast members recall past events from past installments of the show, depicted with a clip of the event presented as a flashback. ...
"40 Greatest Pranks" on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
and was ranked #11 on the 20 to 1
20 to 1
20 to 1 is an Australian television series, currently hosted by Bert Newton that counts down an undefined "top 20" of elements or events of popular culture, such as films, songs, sporting scandals. Previously the show was hosted by Charles "Bud" Tingwell and narrated by David Reyne...
episode Hoaxes, Cheats and Liars.
When the show aired in the United States on the 2007 Transgender Day of Remembrance
Transgender Day of Remembrance
Transgender Day of Remembrance is a day to memorialize those who have been killed as a result of transphobia, or the hatred or fear of transgender and gender non-conforming people, and acts to bring attention to the continued violence endured by the transgender community.The Transgender Day of...
, trans author Julia Serano
Julia Serano
Julia Serano is a transsexual American writer, spoken-word performer, trans activist, and biologist. Serano currently lives in Oakland, California and is the author of Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity...
noted, "Programs like 'There's Something About Miriam' not only reinforce the stereotype that trans people's birth sex is 'real' and our identified/lived sex is 'fake,' but they perpetuate the myth of deception and thus enable violence against us."
Video artist Phil Collins
Phil Collins (artist)
-Life and work:Phil Collins was born in Runcorn, England and now lives in Berlin He studied Drama and English at the University of Manchester, graduating in 1994. During his time there he worked as a cloak-room boy and pint-puller at the Hacienda nightclub on Whitworth Street...
featured contestant Mark Dimino in an installation on "people who believe their lives have been ruined by appearing on reality TV."