There's something about There's Something About Miriam

In an apparent continued effort to stockpile the finest examples of the worst aspects of human nature, Fox Reality has begun airing famously controversial reality show There's Something About Miriam, which asked 6 bachelors to compete for the affections of a hot babe who was later revealed to be a pre-operative transgender woman.

When the Crying-Game-esque finale was filmed, the winner initially went along with the show and agreed to the prize money and trip with Mexican stunner Miriam. But once cameras were off he got himself a lawyer and the six contestants (one of whom apparently broke down in tears when he learned the truth about Miriam) filed a suit against the producers to stop the show from being aired, citing all sorts of fraud and even conspiracy to commit sexual assault (as some of the men had kissed and hugged Miriam, which totally sounds like "sexual assault" to me!).

The guys eventually settled and the series aired in the UK, and rather than let this rather unsavory piece of reality competition trickery get washed away by history, Fox Reality has decided it demands to be seen in the States as well. (It began airing last night ... get it? Halloween?)

This follows shortly after Fox Reality picked up the shelved Playing It Straight reality disaster, which similarly used alternative sexuality (and, more importantly, straight male contestants' horror at the idea) as a hook. We wrote recently about how the landscape for transgender characters on television is slowly changing for the better with shows like Dirty Sexy Money and Ugly Betty, and Miriam is an example of the kinds of sensationalistic gags that are better left behind.

As a side note, a quick glance at the shows on the channel's slate reads like something out of an Onion article. These are just a few of my favorite titles: Totally Embarrassed, Train Wrecks, Sexy Cam, Strip Search, Sexy Behavior Caught on Tape, Cheating Spouses Caught on Tape, The Adventures of a Nobody, Busted Everywhere (?!), Driving School, My Bare Lady, My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance, That's Just Wrong, World Famous for Dicking Around, and America's Trashiest Weddings.

Okay, I'd probably watch that last one.