There’s Something About Miriam was one of the most controversial reality TV shows of the early 2000s.
The 2003 Sky One show saw six ‘typical lads’ enter a dating contest to woo Mexican model Miriam Rivera for a £10,000 prize and romantic yacht trip.
However, the cruel twist of the show was that the contestants weren’t told that Miriam was transgender and hadn’t undergone gender-affirming surgery until after the winner was announced – and after the men had flirted with her and even filmed intimate scenes together.
Despite being promised the ‘adventure of a lifetime’, the boys sued the show and prevent it from airing, eventually settling for an amount rumoured to be around £500,000.
The dating show and its impact are now being explored in new Channel 4 documentary Miriam: Death Of A Reality star, which explores the life and tragic death of Miriam Rivera.
Miriam passed away in Mexico in 2019 aged just 38, and her death was ruled a suicide by the authorities – although her husband Daniel Cuervo has always insisted she was murdered.
The fates of the six young men are less well known – and most hoped to fade from the spotlight after feeling ‘duped’ by TV executives and the world of fame.
But the others have gone on to forge interesting careers since the show, with winner Tom Rooke – then a lifeguard – branching out into acting, while one even dated Kerry Katona.
Here, FEMAIL explores what happened to the There’s Something About Miriam contestants after the show aired.
Tom Rooke
Tom Rooke was 22 when he won the show – and was offered the £10,000 prize and romantic yacht trip with Miriam.
In the reality show, described as ‘the most explosive dating experience of a lifetime’, Tom had grown close to Miriam and had even been filmed getting intimate with her and kissing her passionately.
After he won the show, Tom said he felt: ‘Amazing, brilliant, fantastic, great,’ but everything changed when Miriam said: ‘I was born as a man.’
Tom was left speechless and couldn’t contain his shock as his eyebrows raised in disbelief and he began uncomfortably scratching the back of his head.
Crew member Leo McCrea recalled in the documentary: ‘It was so incredibly uncomfortable. It felt like all the air had been sucked out the room.
‘And Tom, he was gasping, and looking around at all the deceit.’
Although Tom initially said he’d still go on the yacht trip because ‘we’re all good friends here,’ a behind-the-scenes interview revealed his true thoughts.
Speaking to the camera, he said: ‘I’m very shocked, and I wouldn’t want to spend a week on a boat with someone I didn’t trust and deceived me.
‘I was being honest in that house, and he [speaking about Miriam] wasn’t. He was lying to everybody and he doesn’t have that right.’
At the time, Tom, a lifeguard and ex-ski instructor from Worthing, was trying to forge a new career as an actor.
He was worried about how the show would affect his career, reportedly telling the show’s psychiatrist Dr Gareth Smith: ‘I can’t be a gay actor.’
After the show, Tom auditioned for acting courses in London, and performed in Mile High, Murphy’s Law, Dream Team and a new Vinnie Jones film called Action Hero.
He even starred as an unnamed soldier in the 2007 adaptation of Ian McEwan’s Atonement and had a role to play in an episode of Midsomer Murders in 2009.
Tom told The Argus after the show: ‘We felt we were fighting for every reality show victim who has been humiliated in the past.
‘We were reality show martyrs overnight. No one had ever sued before.’
Tom has 15,000 followers on Instagram and most of his acting work these days seems to be through adverts, such as one with Nature Valley.
He recently celebrated five years together with his girlfriend Victoria and seems to spend most of his time travelling the world.
Scott Gibson
Runner-up Scott Gibson was so enraged when he found out the truth at the end of the show that he reportedly chased the director around the set and went on a rampage.
Fellow contestant Toby Green told Channel 4 that he saw ‘red eyes and the mist’ in Scott’s face, before he went ‘absolutely berserk and lost it’.
Scott, a martial arts instructor, was a finalist and had expressed his desire for Miriam, with Toby describing him as ‘a typical alpha male. He was absolutely smitten by her and exactly what the producers wanted.’
Scott has continued his career in martial arts since the show and is now a light heavyweight and kickboxing champion.
Scott even dated Kerry Katona in 2010 after meeting on dating site Match.com.
They had their first date at a romantic wine bar in Brighton, with a friend saying at the time: ‘After the date she was buzzing. She said they kissed goodnight and it was electric. She is having a lot of fun at the moment.’
Kerry had sent Scott a picture of herself under a false name, and Scott is said to have replied: ‘You look a bit like Kerry Katona!’
Aron Lane
Aron Lane, 22, was working as a chef at the time of the show and signed up after seeing an advert for it in the Metro Newspaper – though of course he wasn’t aware of the show’s true intentions.
He has now appeared in Channel 4’s documentary on Miriam Rivera, where the 42-year-old revealed he is now a fundraising manager and is a father of three.
Speaking in the documentary, he reflected about joining the show: ‘I just wanted to have fun. I was excited to be out and about, it was non-stop, work hard, play hard.’
Aron got far in the show and came in third place, leaving Scott and Tom as the finalists.
Toby Green
Toby Green was the only contestant to suspect the truth about Miriam – and had to leave the show as a result.
Toby, then a 23-year-old student with a degree in maths from the University of Sussex, was signed up to the show by his mother.
When Toby began to work out what was really going on, he secretly shared his thoughts with the other boys.
The other lads thought his suspicions were hilarious, but when they jokingly asked ‘Do you still think she’s a man?’ in front of the cameras, the producers were quick to step in to maintain the secret.
Toby was told he had been ‘specially selected’ for a date with Miriam because he was her favourite, but she immediately showed a lack of interest, and it wasn’t long before she selected him to leave the competition.
Reflecting on how it unfolded, Aron said: ‘It was all because he knew.’
Although Toby appeared in the recent documentary, he shared little about what he has got up to since the show.
Unsurprisingly, he seems to have opted away from a life in the spotlight and never appeared on reality TV again.
Dominic Conway
Dominic Conway appeared on There’s Something About Miriam as a 28-year-old royal marine – although he did not make the final.
Like the other evicted contestants, Dominic was brought back for the reveal of Miriam’s identity as a transgender woman during the final, in which he was filmed laughing.
Dominic made headlines in 2015 for allegedly sleeping with his comrade’s wife at a military ball.
He was said to be at the event with his wife Rebecca, and the incident sparked a two-month-long affair.
His fellow officers branded his affair as the ‘ultimate betrayal’ from someone who was portrayed by the MoD as a ‘family man’.
He sent the woman ‘sexually explicit messages’ and pictures during the fling, and told her to ‘forget about him and her’ – presumably referring to their spouses – it was claimed at the time.
The Ministry of Defence once arranged for Conway and his family to feature in a BBC news report in which he was portrayed as a devoted family man – and used to illustrate how difficult it was for soldiers to be away from their loved ones.
None of the soldiers want Conway, who has served in Afghanistan and Iraq, to be ‘anywhere near their wives’, an unnamed source said at the time.
Mark Dimino
Very little is known about Mark Dimino, the sixth and final contestant on the show.
At the time, he was a 24-year-old optician – but, like Toby, he unsurprisingly has evaded the spotlight ever since.
Tim Vincent (presenter)
In 2003, Tim was already famous for presenting Blue Peter between 1993 and 1997.
After There’s Something About Miriam, he moved to the US for several years and was a reporter on Access Hollywood, before presenting the Miss World and Miss USA competitions.
He competed on Dancing On Ice in 2008 and is now the father to twin boys, Felix and Jasper.
The broadcaster, who is from Wrexham in Wales, has interviewed a plethora of A-listers, including Robert De Niro and Angelina Jolie.
Miriam: Death Of A Reality Star is on Channel 4 now.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
