Miriam Rivera was the star of There’s Something About Miriam, but fans now seeing the old reality show believe she was subject to ‘cruel’ treatment, as a new Channel 4 documentary dives into TV history four years after her sudden death at 38 years old.
The transgender reality TV contestant starred on Sky1 dating show There’s Something About Miriam in 2004, where she revealed her gender identity to a group of men vying for her.
Miriam Rivera died at 38 years old
Mexican model Miriam Rivera died at 38 years old on February 2019, after years in the reality TV limelight. She is the main focus of Channel 4 documentary, Miriam: Death of a Reality Star.
The first openly transgender reality TV star in history was known for starring on There’s Something About Miriam and guesting on Big Brother Australia 2004.
Miriam was an activist and spokesmodel for the transgender community. While her three brothers liked baseball growing up, she preferred Barbie dolls, and later started taking hormones.
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There’s Something About Miriam
When Miriam Rivera starred in the now-controversial dating show, male contestants were only told they were dating a transgender woman at the end, when she picked one lucky date.
Those taking part had to try to win her over and would win £10K if they were the most successful. She hoped to find love with one of the six male contestants who had flown to Ibiza.
She had picked contestant Tom Rooke, who was then 23, as her winner. Miriam tells the group: “I tried to be honest with all of you as much as I can. Yes, I’m from Mexico, I’m a model and I’m 21.”
“But, Tom, I really love spending time with you. I love men and I love being a woman. But I’m not a woman, I was born as a man,” Miriam suddenly revealed, which led to shock throughout the contestants.
Cruel moments on TV laid bare
Winner Tom told the Sky1 cameras he was “very shocked” he had been ‘deceived’ by Miriam, before going on to use male pronouns and slamming her for “lying to everybody”.
Crew member Leo McCrea told Miriam: Death Of A Reality Star: “It was incredibly uncomfortable. It felt like all the air had been sucked out the room. Tom, he was gasping, and looking around at all the deceit.”
Contestant Toby Green recalled how runner-up Scott Gibson “went berserk,” while a psychiatrist was hired to “look after the boys,” explaining there was no thought to the toll it might take on her mental health.
For support via phone, one-to-one chat or email you can contact The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender National Hotline: (888) 843-4564. There is also The GLBT National Youth Talkline (youth serving youth through age 25): (800) 246-7743.
You can also contact Trans Lifeline on (877) 565-8860, a trans-led organization connecting trans people to the community. They also offer details of support and local resources.
Please visit PFLAG for more support and helplines here.
For UK support, visit LGBT.Foundation/helpline or call 0345 330 30 30, or email helpline@lgbt.foundation. There is also a 24 hour crisis text service available at 85258 from Give Us A Shout, or you can call 0300 330 5468 for MindLine Trans+.
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