The phrase "reality TV" takes on a whole, new meaning.
Her pic is at media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,7493,1074310,00.html
Ken.
-- Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result.
-- Winston Spencer Churchill
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Contestants in transsexual show to sue Sky
Jason Deans The Guardian Thursday October 30, 2003
Six men are suing Sky TV after they took part in a reality TV show in which they competed to win the affections of a beautiful woman - who later turned out to be a man waiting for a sex-change operation.
The contestants have instructed law firm Schillings, which specialises in media cases, to begin legal proceedings against Sky One and the show's producer, independent company Brighter Pictures.
The men claim they were tricked into kissing, cuddling and holding hands with the "woman", Miriam, and say it was only after three weeks of filming that they were told she was male.
While viewers know from the start that Miriam is a male-to-female transsexual, the contestants, who include a Royal Marine commando, a ski instructor and an ex-lifeguard, only discover the truth when Miriam picks the winner and then lifts up her skirt.
One contestant was so furious he is said to have punched the show's producer when he found out.
The programme, There's Something About Miriam, is due to be broadcast on November 16 but the contestants are now trying to stop it going on air.
A central element of the case is said to revolve around whether contracts the six men signed - giving Sky permission to broadcast the show before filming began - are legally binding.
There's Something About Miriam was filmed in Ibiza over the summer.
It pitted seven single men - all aged between 20 and 35 and described as "lively and outgoing" - against each other in a contest to win Miriam's affections.
The men had to pick the woman they found most attractive from a line-up and all selected Miriam.
Members of the Brighter Pictures production team on the show are said to have been very upset by what happened and have offered to help the contestants in their legal action.
Cameras filmed the men attempting to woo Miriam, including scenes of them kissing and fondling her.
It is understood one of the areas of legal contention are the consent forms they signed.
Sources say they were signed just before Miriam's secret was revealed, although neither Schillings nor Sky were available for comment.
A spokesman for the programme makers said they had made a point of never referring to Miriam as a woman when getting the men to take part.
"As Miriam is a transsexual, I would never refer to her as male or female. She is a gorgeous creature," he said.
There's Something About Miriam follows in the footsteps of US show Joe Millionaire, in which a group of women vied to win the hand of a wealthy businessman, only to discover he was a cash-strapped builder.