It's in the news today, but it was actually on TV Reload the podcast.
Last week Airline.
Welcome back guys to TV Reload. My name is Benjamin Norris, and on this podcast I go behind the scenes with the biggest players in television. Each episode you will get a front row seat with content makers like executive producers, writers, editors and casting agents, plus the talent that we see on our screens. TV Reload reloads the shows that you're currently watching and gives you a better insight into our
television industry and our streaming services. Today. On the podcast, I have the first non binary presenter to front a major TV show in Australia. They are Briany Dawson, who is the host of Channel ten's latest reality series, The Challenge.
Briani hasn't exactly been plucked out of obscurity, as they have been working in media and sport and presenting for a while now, but something tells me we are on the verge of seeing this person in mainstream media a lot more, and along with Australia, I think we're all here for it. The Challenge Australia is an upcoming Australian spinoff of the American reality competition series also called The Challenge,
featuring twenty two Australian reality sports stars and celebrities. The series is set to premiere on Network ten on Monday, the fourteenth of November, and I cannot wait. We will talk about Briani's journey to hosting this series, what they knew of the contestants prior to the show, if they get involved in the drama, and what they thought of some of the most problematic players. However, let's get started
with today's guest. I'd like to welcome the latest sensation in TV, presenting Briani Dawson to TV Reload.
I won't be outworked. I won't not get this because I haven't worked hard enough, strength, teamwork, resilience and alliances. The Challenge puts it all to the test. When I watched the first episode, when I got sent like, I literally just first into tears, going and there with everything. I'm giving everything I've got. I had to remain Switzerland on all of it. Peter play the game from Peter Win. I know a few have been leaked and I definitely
thought about where those things might have come from. This makes survive I seem like a walk in the park, visibility goes a long way, and I think that that is one of the most important things in getting people to understand diversity.
Hi, Briany, how are you hello.
I'm excellent. Thank you, darling.
How are you? I'm doing really well. Do you know. It's the worst thing for me. It gives me so much anxiety every time, and it's why I say it's so weird. I hate saying hello to people because I never know how to start a podcast. I wish that we were just in the middle of a conversation.
Maybe you could just start it with a laugh.
You know, this is a really big break into mainstream television, and I don't want to jump the gun. But are you scared to become a household name after being on a show this big?
No, I'm not scared. I'm prepared and ready. I've been prepared and ready since I came out of the womb, and so this is me step into what I have been planning my whole life.
I have just gone down the rabbit hole on YouTube and watched every show real You've ever done. I watched every single clip that. This is how excited I am to talk to you today. I've watched every single clip I think that you've ever been on. I've finished the Internet. When it comes to Brandy Dawson, that does a.
Lot for my ego. But I'm not gonna lie that does a lot for my ego. Any favorite moments you'd like to highlight while were you?
It's more the reactions. It's like, you know, as someone who works in presenting in the capacity that I'm in, which is not as big as you are, the jealousy of how talented you are gags me. So when I saw like you presenting, I'm like, wow, look at that energy. I watched you interviewing, maintaining eye contact and genuine interest in these people, and then you could sing, you could MC And by the time I got to the end of it, I was like, well, why hasn't this happened sooner?
For you? To be honest, it's just.
About the about the stars aligning. It's been a really credible journey, and I think one of my most favorite things about it has been people that I work with you. When I got into the entertainment industry, I did want to be really successful and achieve some certain things, some highly creative, and I've got big ideas and so there were certain things that I wanted to achieve. And I've said to myself in the beginning, I won't be outworked.
I won't not get this because I haven't worked hard enough. So that was my goal. That's what I set out to do, and to take on criticism and get better and better and better. And now I'm really enjoying that, and the people around me have just gone well. Of course, when I first get into the entertainment industry, I was like I had no money. I was like living in paran, like off my girlfriend's credit card, like neither of us had any money, right, And I was like, how can
I use my personality to make money? And the first thing that came to my mind was to become an escort. I was like, I could be at a table.
I'm like making personality only fans ahead of your Yeah.
Yeah, no escorting anymore.
It is a dream job for you, and I mean, I couldn't be happier for you. I think this is just so fantastic. But which presenters have you looked up to over the years. Because we all have someone in our back pocket that we like borrow bits and pieces from, are you able to share that with me. Are there any people that you've watched on Telly growing up that you've sort of borrowed some things from.
Yeah, I think there are two. For me. In terms of Australia, it's Bert Newton. I think he was a classic example of it's your personality and go and be one hundred percent you, and that's sort of what I was told to do with this show. We booked you, so we need you to go out and be you. And then the other one in terms of like interview style where I would really love to get to. It's like a gram Norton, Yeah, could hease my idol interview style where he doesn't ever really like ask a question.
He almost like accuses someone of something, and then the story that they tell is like them defending themselves because he would be like, so you you don't actually brush your teeth, do you?
Bench?
And then so, yeah, that's that's the interview style that I would like to get to, and that's something that I'll always work on.
Well, I've watched the first few episodes and I have to say you asked and nailing the brief because you are very present with your interactions with the contestants. The Aussie players, however, we want to refer to them, and you can see that is kind of the magic of the show.
Even at the airport when we were all flying out together, I was just like getting around and like talking to people, and they're just I just thought they were all really really great people. They were all really really nice and supportive of me, and especially with pronoun news and all that kind of stuff. They all got told before left, and they all were really conscious of it and did their absolute best to get it right. Well.
The headlines read first non binary presenter to front a major TV show in Australia. How does that reality feel?
I feel over the moon about it. I think as someone in the public, I think it's really important to represent your people. I'm happy to be a spokesperson for that. Like, obviously you've got to have boundaries and that kind of stuff along the way, but I think you do have a responsibility. I feel like I'm educated enough in it, and I feel like I have enough lived experience, and I want to I just want to make it easier for other people, not just queer people, but also cisgendered
non queer people who just have no idea. They're so scared to get it wrong. They don't even know how to ask the question. It's like, okay, well, let's just start a dialogue in this massive space and then you can take in from it what you want and you don't actually have to like be directly involved in the conversation. You can just listen. And I think that that goes
a long way. Visibility goes a long way, and I think that that is one of the most important things in getting people to understand diversity and gender and everything that goes along with it.
I think as well, you know, fear can be really difficult. When someone's fearful of getting something wrong or they're fearful of something, we're not at our best. And so with you, you're very disarming. And I watched a few interviews with you. As I said, I'm obsessed with you. So I've been watching them on YouTube and a few people got your they got your pronouns wrong, and you didn't get upset about it. You know, you laughed it off and you
put them at ease. Like at one point you said, oh, look, I still get my pronouns wrong, and that person looks genuinely terrified when they got the pronoun wrong, and I was like, disarming the fear is a huge part of the conversation. And I think if if anyone's going to forefront a community, then I think you are perfect for it.
Thank you. That means a lot to me, It really does, because you know, you know how the queer community can get as well. Then it's like, you know, so I do I want to do a really really good job. I want to I want to make sure that it's easier for non binary people, trans people feel more comfortable in themselves, or make it easier for them to have a conversation because it's not the first time they're bringing up a pronoun to someone at work or their parents
or their family and that kind of thing. And I think it's the more that we can have these conversations, the better. And we're moving slowly, but I can't believe it's twenty twenty two and I'm the first non binary host on a major TV show, you know, so we've got a long way to go. But I've said this all along. It's like, kudos to Channel ten for taking a risk on me because I am a'm new talent and non binary, and I think we're going to nail it well.
I mean, this is the best question to ask you at this point. I mean, how did this show come about? How did this job come about for you to host the challenge? I wouldn't say you're an unknown because you know, you have been in the industry for quite some time, you know, with so much work that you've been able to achieve in such a small space of time. But then to get picked to this level, like how did your name come up?
It was a right place at the right time, That's literally all it was. I was m seeing an event at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for a lady lunch and I was hosting with doing this songwriting thing and it was just a gig and I was on and you know, and one of the producers of the all the shows here Channel ten, she was just in the audience and you know, she didn't even come up to me. She did not even come up to me and talk to me that day, so, you know, no idea who she was.
And then I got a call from Stephen Tate, the producer of the show, maybe two weeks later, and he was like, hey, Brannie's Stephen you know Network ten, We're looking at you for this role. Presenting to MTV America tomorrow. I want to make sure you're interested. Have you heard of the challenge? Are you available these dates? Blah blah blah, And I was like, yes, yes, yes, do you need like can I send you like a show reel? Can I we like, what do you need, Steven, because like,
we've got it all, We've got it all. And then got a message from him maybe a week later, MTV love you. We're just waiting for you know, final confirmations. And then this one day I'll get up stage at the Forum. I'm doing a corporate gig at the Forum. So I've just played this incredible venue. Pick up my phone Stephen Tate and he was like, pack your bags, we're going out Argentina.
And I was like what success.
Yeah, And so I didn't even I didn't find out any of this until Stephen and Tony another guy, Dan took me out for lunch and I was like, how how did you find me? I have no idea how you about. Tony was like, I was just at that lunch and I just thought you were the had the best personality and we're one of the best mcs. I'd ever said, And she goes I reckon, that's our new host. So yeah, it was. It was pretty funny and just a classic right place, right time.
Had you heard of the show? Like, did you know of the show Man?
This is yes, I knew. I knew of the show, but I had had you know, I knew who TJ was and everything like that, but I never like sat down and watched it. So obviously went binged and I just loved it. I really really loved it. And I just that's when it really hit me and I was like, oh my god, that's going to be me. I'm going to be there. I'm going to be in Argentina doing that. And the first time when I watched the first episode, when I got sent the first draft of one, like
I literally just burst into tears. I was like, this is It's actually real and the show is really good and I was like, thank God, the show is really good.
That's the stress as well. I've landed job. A friend of mine's an actress, Australian actress, and she's worked on lots of shows and she's like, you can't celebrate anything in this industry until it goes to it. Yeah, because you can film stuff and it can you know, go to shit. So at this stage where we are, just right before the launch of this first episode, anyone listening to this, they have to tune in and watch it. It's one of those shows you have to see it
to believe it, you know. Yeah, and I hope people do. I do feel like it's a bit of a mishmash of reality TV shows, well TV stars and sports stars, and it's a sort of a mishmash of reality shows in general. It feels like Big Brother. It feels like it's the Knockout. I don't know, if you're two young fe oh my god, it's a knockout, yes, and a little bit of X on the Beach as well. Now you describe the show.
I describe it as Survivor meets Ninja Warrior meets Big Brother. So we can agree on the Big Brother thing, and yeah, the Survivor thing to me is because of like the challenges and then the Ninja Warrior stuff. Because the challenges is it like big they're really and they're only going to get bigger as the seasons. As the seasons go on. So there were times where like I had to have it like a stunt guy and had to like jump off these things, and so there are some really cool
moments that I got to experience there. And the best thing about the challenges though, is they're like the ultimate equalizers. You can be the strongest, toughest, tallest person there and you might not know how to do a particular puzzle, or you can't concentrate when certain things are happening, and it's just like, doesn't matter. It doesn't matter who you are, the challenges will absolutely get you.
There is some unfinished business between some of these contestants though, which makes for some shaken bake drama. One of the Batchy boys has dated like three or four of the women. You know, talk about throwing the cat amongst the pigeons.
Yeah, even I'm dating him now, So that's you know.
I'm dating him next. It's great. We've all yeah your turns soon, you know, I mean episode one, we already have a cheating scandal. Do you do you yourself want to get involved? I wondered if you are like a parent that they come to one.
I wanted to be involved. I couldn't. I had to. I had to let things out at them. There are some certain things that happened and we were talking about it, like not at the house or anything. And I was like, are you sending me in? Am I going in? Come on, put me in the house, let me go, and like
ruffle some feathers or let me go. You know, but I just had to I had to remain Switzerland on all of it, because you know, I had to need to be the very And there are a couple of things said at some of the eliminations and I went to be like you like to defend people. I was like, okay, and let them.
Knowing you as well as I do, which is just from this podcast and watching seventy days of footage of your entire back catalogue, I just, you know, I imagine you to have some favorites. Have you got favor You said that you didn't know a lot of them from their previous work and other shows, so that's kind of giving them that new slate, which is great. But you met them at the airport, You've had small introductions. I'm sure they've showed you like a sizzle reel of basically
the back catalog. Do you have any favorites.
I did have some favorites. Once we sort of win what we sort of win in Love Cyrel. She was just so raw and honest and just says the best thing that comes to her mind. And I really I really enjoyed that about her. And I know she goes and you knows A has a thing every now and again, the cyclone for.
People playing at home because this is a podcast, they can't see us. I was pretending to be a cyclone. Yeah, just so yeah, but she always.
Comes back, you know, Like I'm not saying it's great behavior, but she comes back and she's pretty. She's like working on that part of herself. And I think that you know, people near kudos for that.
So I also just to jump in there. I also think that some of the best TV villains when it comes to reality TV, are actually really lovely when you meet them in person, like it's so bizarre. I'll be terrified of them. I'll be at you know, a red carpet event or you know, something that a whole bunch of influenzer losers go along to, and I'll see them. I'll be like, oh my god, that person is frightening. It's terrifying. I'll use Geniliano for an example, because she
she won't mind. She is so lovely and easy to deal with on the day to day, so like, it's an interesting thing for so rell to be a cyclone on TV and then for her to be so lovely to deal with in between. You know, she just.
Gets you can see, she just gets triggered by stuff, and like we all have triggers and we all deal with them in different ways. Hers to deal with it right then and there, you know, go for it.
I'm here for That's what I'm here for. For it.
I also loved Kiki as well. She was just a hoot. Every challenge was like if I got my lashes on and my lash is still yep, oh my god, my extensions.
I absolutely adored Bachelor in Paradise. I think I remember watching her on that and just being like, Wow, you know, this is the kind of person you want to invite to a house party just her and no one else, and it'd feel like ninety people were there, a.
Hundred. I absolutely adored her. We would we would like when we're coming back from shoots. We would often because I was able to have my own hair and makeup guy there, when we would be on our way back from shoots, and we'd just be like, he said, oh yeah, it's just hilarious. It's so dramatic, so dramatic in the in the challenges and stuff.
We've seen a lot of these guys on like Master Chef, Big Brother, Love Ireland, The Bachelor. You know, there's some of them a sports starf, some of them have problematic backstory as we kind of know. But do you think a lot of people have turned up on this show to maybe show us a different site? Are we going to get to see redemption or do you think this will be a whole lot of history.
I'd say it's a little of Colin, a little from Colin B. But I do I do agree with you. I think that a lot of them have come to
put themselves in a different light. And that's probably one of my most favorite things about the show is that you do get to see them in a different light and a lot of them do go on this journey that is unlike you've ever seen them before, and especially because they do these like massive challenges, right and you know, there's a certain bond that comes with that kind of kind of stuff, like in a team and that kind of thing, and then you've got all this adrenaline pumping
through your body you're on a TV show and it just I think it gives you like a vulnerability. And then sometimes the person that you don't really get along with, you two experience this thing together and then you have this bond and it's like hard to hate them. It's like we're being on a footy team, right, and you might not get along with everyone, but you still need them to pass you the fucking ball every now and again,
you know what I mean. So it's a really like interesting concept and like story arc that some of them go on. And that's one of my most favorite things about the show.
I always think though the movie Speed Love that movie Canna Reeves Sandra Bull like both gods. Yes, relationships based on intense situations never work out, so you know, it's interesting. You do make friends with people in reality shows like this, and it's an unlikely pairing and it works on the show, but then you put them in the real world and it just fizzles out. There'll be a lot of that going on post show.
There's definitely you know, people who have been hanging out post show and people who are like, we can see them again, so we'll.
Read about it the daily mail. You know, these types of reality to contestants are very well versed with the media Daily Mail, for example, how will you keep their mouth shut on what went down in Argentina? That's what I want to know, that.
Is that is an excellent question that I don't really have the answer to. I think that everyone believes in the show. I think everyone believes in the integrity of the show. I know a few things have been leaked, and I definitely thought about where those things might have come from. But I think that most people really believe in the integrity of the show.
We have to get to the end of this because I know that you're talking to a lot of people today. Yes, busy person, how do you think we're going to stack up against the world in the Challenge World Championship. This person who takes this competition out is going to represent Australia. You know, how do you think we're going to go.
Australians are excellent export and we're always very competitive, so I'm sure that we're going to do very very well over there.
Everyone who joins the podcast gets this question, what is something from behind the scenes, something that we won't know that we won't see on TV when it plays kind of like a behind the scenes secret from the challenge.
One thing that was a surprise on the challenge was how good the crew was. So we went in there and this crew has like they've been there since February filming like the UK version, the US version, then US and then the Argentinian version, and they were they had been there for a long long time. I know, people come off these things sometimes and they're like, oh my god,
everyone was so great and blah blah blah. This team like when we got introduced, we got introduced from the like one of the head producers there and he was like stood us in front of the whole crew and he's like, you know how, we're a family. These new people from Australia, they're our family now, and so you treat them like they're our family.
Are they filming twenty four hours a day?
Though?
Are they there? Is there a crew?
Yeah? So you got like ABC crews like it was it's nuts. They're filming twenty four hours a day.
So there's like a and so people recording certain people like do you have a team. Like I remember with Big Brother, there would be like story producers and they'd be like, go and follow these people or go and follow them, so it's a bit like that.
It was. It was unbelievable and like, I've got best friends over there now.
Who I will have for the rest of my life.
And I said to Stephen the producer from Australia, I was like, it's like I could like cry at how much I love these people. And he was.
I was like, are all I was like, all TV shows like this and he goes, this is like an anormally, this is the one in a million, and I was like, because he was, he was feeling it as well.
He was like, these people are just it was just like just a big love best we came. I came away from there just being it'll go down in history, I'm sure as one of my most incredible TV experiences.
Ever until the next series and you know of the challenge. Speaking of the next series, hit me up. I know so many reality TV people that were so upset that they weren't on it. Some of them even told people that they were going to be on it. And then I always think, why tell people are going to be on a reality show when you know you're not, because you're only going to let people down.
Yeah, Yeah, it's a season two.
It's going to be hused, watch it, watch it so we can get to season two.
I don't think you're going to need to beg people to watch this show. Just I'm just saying, there is enough buzz about this that I feel like we're being catered for, and like, even just to get a preview of the first episode, I literally had to give blood and donate a liver, and you know there's.
And we thank you for your servants.
Thank you very much. I'm feeling a little woozy after giving that much blood. No, no, no, it was just thank you so much for coming on the podcast and talking and being so generous with your time as well. I really appreciate it. I have been in your audience for the last week, and I feel like I'm going to be in your audience for the rest of your life.
So I think we're pretty much going to be best friends from now we're r IV It was great. One season of the Challenge.
The best. Thanks mate, I really appreciate it, all right.
Thanks Ben,