First Transgender Contestant to Appear on the U.S. Version of Big Brother

The American version of Big Brother will welcome its first transgender “houseguest” on the upcoming 17th season, following in the footsteps of its British cousin.

Transgender contestant Nadia Almada won the fifth season of the U.K. show and now Audrey Middleton, a digital media consultant from a small town in Georgia, will aim to repeat that feat on the American version, Variety reports.

Born Adam, the 25-year-old Middleton applied to be on the show on the CBS website as a loyal “superfan” and was open about her transgender identity in her application.

In her bio on CBS, she says that she “loves to get dressed up and look fabulous head-to-toe, but also isn’t afraid to get dirty.” She also says that she enjoys “fabulous hair, lashes, makeup,” and is “the Beyoncé of her life story.”

Middleton plans on discussing her transition throughout the show and on the premiere episode of the season, Variety says. “I think there’s a chance I could be a misunderstood hero, but I’m going to be a hero,” she said in her introduction video.

[Variety]