Why Seeing Brihony Dawson On The Challenge Is More Important Than Any Other Drama On The Show

Australian reality TV is entering new territory this month with highly anticipated new show, The Challenge. Not only does the Channel 10 program combine stars from a bevy of other reality series into the one production, but it intends to spark diverse conversations, according to host Brihony Dawson.

The 38-year-old is the first non-binary person to host a major TV show in Australia, and hopes their involvement in the show will help increase discussions about the visibility of non-binary people in media.

"Visibility is so important and that's what I'm really passionate about, because you can't be what you can't see," Dawson tells Refinery29 Australia.

The singer and MC first began identifying as a non-binary person "roughly five years ago," after a period of self-reflection and discovery.

"I would walk into places and be with a bunch of female friends and people would be like, 'Hey, ladies,' and I'd think, 'Oh, I don't really feel like that. I feel like that doesn't refer to me,'" they explain.

Dawson took some time to research and think about what these feelings could mean, even wondering at one point, "Am I trans?"

"Because what we get told in a binary," they explain, "is that if you don't want to be a woman and you've got a vagina, you must want to be a man. This is me in my mid-30s going, 'Do I want to be a man?'"

While it took them time to understand what the term non-binary means, Dawson says, "we need to allow people who have also never heard of it the time and space to understand it as well".

It's why they believe more non-binary representation is extremely valuable, not only for other people who identify this way to feel seen and heard on screen, but for those outside of the LGBTQIA+ community to learn too.

"I think it's important not only for the queer community and younger people growing up and seeing people like me on TV, but also important for the non-queer community just seeing someone like me on TV," they say. "Because a lot of the time there's no face, there's no human behind that, and they just go, 'Well I don't understand it, so I'm not going to try to and I'm not anything like that'.

"So I think when you see me out there, and I'm a real person who's got a real life just like you, and there's just a thing about me that's different to you, I think that's important for people to see."

The songwriter and presenter has toured Europe and the US and also performed at major events like the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and AFLW Grand Final. But this gig involved heading to Argentina to film the dramatic reality show that features a cast of former contestants from reality shows such as  Married At First Sight, The Bachelor, Big Brother Survivor and Love Island.

An algorithm will randomly pair contestants to compete in a series of gruelling physical contests, where strategies and relationships will be put to the test. The goal is to win daily challenges and avoid being eliminated by their opponents.

Dawson says these challenges will unlock alliances, feuds and hook-ups that make for addictive viewing, and some new sparks and scandals will erupt in unexpected ways.

"Most of these people in here are extroverts," they explain. "A lot of them have got history with each other. But I would also say that a lot of that old history doesn't play a huge part in this drama. It all starts all over again."

The cast of The Challenge includes 22 contestants: The Bachelor's Brittany Hockley, Australia's Got Talent's Jack Vidgen, MAFS Season 6 star Cyrell Paule, MAFS Season 5 contestant Ryan Gallagher, The Bachelorette's Brooke Blurton, ex Bachelorette contestant Ciarran Stott, Australian Survivor stars Brooke Jowett and Johnny Eastoe, swimmer & I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! contestant Emily Seebohm, I'm A Celeb star David Subritzky, The Bachelorette's Konrad Bien-Stephen, pro boxer Billy Dib, actor and influencer Suzan Mutesi, Ninja Warrior's Troy Cullen, pro boxer Sugar Neekz Johnson, Big Brother's Marley Biyendolo, The Bachelor's Megan Marx, Jessica Brody and Kiki Morris, MasterChef Australia star Conor Curran, and Love Island's Audrey Kanongara and Grant Crapp.