Brihony June Dawson[1] (born 1984) is an Australian
television presenter, sports commentator and singer.[3] In 2022, they were billed as the first
non-binary presenter to front a major TV show in Australia,[4][5][6] as well as the first non-binary host of The Challenge reality TV franchise.[7]
Dawson has toured extensively as a vocalist, including between 2011 and 2015 in the band Last Mistress, alongside fellow members Gabriel Atkinson on lead guitar, Ken Hennessy on bass guitar,
Anthony Troiano on drums and Dean Williams on rhythm guitar.[8] Since 2016, Dawson has been with the band LadyHood as a singer.[9][10] They have played with acts such as
Aerosmith,
Guns N' Roses and
Daryl Braithwaite.[11]
In August 2022, Dawson was announced as the host of
Network 10's The Challenge: Australia, a local spin-off adaption of the long-running American reality show The Challenge, which was first broadcast in November 2022. [17][18] They were widely reported as being the first
non-binary presenter fronting a major Australian television series,[19][5][6][a] as well as the first non-binary, non-male host of The Challenge TV franchise.[7] Dawson has described The Challenge as "like Survivor meets Big Brother meets Ninja Warrior".[7] After trying out various approaches as host, they decided with producer Stephen Tate against imitating the "ominous" style of U.S. host
T. J. Lavin, and to "do the Brihony version" instead.[7]
Dawson has been married to Shae Dawson since March 2020.[25]
Notes
^Brihony Dawson themselves told Geelong Advertiser they were the "first non-binary host in Australia on a major TV network".[20] Meanwhile, TV Week reported that Dawson was "the first ever non-binary host on primetime Australian TV".[21]