Introducing: Harsh Reality: The Story of Miriam Rivera
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It's morning in Ibiza. A few clouds streak the powder blue sky. Up on a mountainside, a gorgeous white villa bathed in sunlight. And on the patio of that villa, a group of hot, young, single men and a reality TV crew. All cameras were there trying to make sure we didn't miss a second of the action. There's the karate instructor, the royal marine, the songwriter, the chef, the recruitment consultant, the lifeguard.

For the past three weeks, they've been competing for a cash prize and the love of a beautiful woman. It's been a lot of fun and a little sexy and a little dangerous. And it's all come down to this, the grand finale. It was a pressure cooker atmosphere. But something is wrong. I can still see her standing there.

And she's shaking as she's talking. Because what the producers have been making for the past three weeks isn't an ordinary reality TV series. What's about to go down is a total disaster. One that will change the lives of everyone there that morning. The production crew, the contestants, and the woman at the center of the show. Miriam Rivera.

Miriam was the focus of the program. Miriam knew what she was doing. She wanted fame. She had decided to be a superstar. You can't just do that, just throw a trans girl into a straight man's lair. That's putting, you know, a deer in a lion's cage.

From Wondery and Novel comes a new story about love. We had discussions, what if you actually fell in love? And she'd say, well, that would be great, but it's very unlikely. Lies. If the secret got out, it was game over for the show. And reality TV. I can't remember whether it was ever proved or whether just a rumour that Mavilla had been used for porn films. Just had that feel about it. I was just blunt with them and was like, yeah, you should feel guilty actually because you signed up for this and you knew what you were doing. They're retrobaric.

The British tabloid press rips her apart. You know, they'd stitch us up. We're going to stitch them up as best we can. Why? Why would you do this? Who are you to do this? Do you realise the damage you've done by doing this?

I'm Trace Lissette. Harsh Reality premieres on November 29th on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or wherever you're listening right now. Or you can listen to new episodes early and ad-free starting on November 22nd by subscribing to Wondery Plus in Apple Podcasts or the Wondery app. Someone said, hey, we'd love to have you on the show. This is what happens next. Give us a few weeks and then we'll fly you out to Spain and screw your life over.