Harsh Reality: The Story of Miriam Rivera
4.8/5
Critic Rating
It was supposed to be a reality show with a twist. In a sun-drenched villa in Ibiza, six hot guys compete for a cash prize and for the love of the beautiful and mysterious Miriam. It’s meant to be her big break: the moment she becomes the superstar she was born to be. But this is the era of “cruel reality TV” and the show producers have a different goal: they want to surprise the men with the fact that Miriam is trans. A new six-episode investigative series from Wondery, the makers of The Shrink Next Door and The Apolog...
Critic Reviews
Score: 5
Nicholas Quah • Vulture • Feb 2, 2022
"Harsh Reality carries itself with a palpable sense of empathy for Rivera, and it clearly took great pains not to only treat her as a victim of the circumstances. The story told in Harsh Reality is harrowing and ultimately tragic, but in the hands of this team, you get a strong sense of what was supposed to be in it for Rivera."
Score: 5
Lauren Passell • Podcast The Newsletter • Dec 6, 2021
"Harsh Reality is the heartbreaking story of the life and death of a woman in a reality TV prison, the manipulation of reality TV, and our history with trans acceptance."
Score: 5
Miranda Sawyer • The Guardian • Dec 4, 2021
"...the stakes are smaller, but no less human. this is an enjoyable listen: dynamic, with some excellent interviews with those involved. Plus host Trace Lysette is American, which leads to some hilarious descriptions of the UK. …"
Score: 4
James Marriot • The Times UK • Dec 2, 2021
"What’s shocking, listening to the show, is how gleefully happy the people in charge of the programme were to mess with the participants’ lives. The words “trans rights” nowadays tend to summon the demons of the culture wars. Harsh Reality steers clear of those battles. It’s just a sad story about human beings, told rather well."
