The Bridge 2022 contestants: Meet those taking part in new Channel 4 series

The Bridge returns this week to Channel 4 with a brand new series – meet the contestants taking part!

The unique reality competition show sees members of the public attempting to win a huge cash prize – all they need to do is build a bridge to get to it.

Series 2 sees two teams go head-to-head to be the first to get their hands on the £200,000 jackpot, unaware at first of the scale of the challenge they are walking into.

Hosted by AJ Odudu who is joined by adventurer and explorer Aldo, in the series the contestants must put egos and differences aside to tackle the ultimate test of physical ability, mental skill and teamwork.

Teams have 12 days and 1,000 feet of water to cross – but along the way they’ll face surprise dilemmas and devious temptations that disrupt the whole competition as we discover who is prepared to deceive their teammates for their own personal gain.

The Bridge airs on Channel 4 from Tuesday, 7 June at 10PM.

The Bridge 2022 contestants

Meet North Beach

Alim

Age: 31
Location: London

Alim is a “hard of hearing, English/Indian, queer, Muslim”. Both his parents are deaf and he works professionally as a sign language interpreter. As one of the only hearing people in his family, Alim took on the role of the role of interpreter at a young age and has only recently been diagnosed as hard of hearing himself, which he found difficult to come to terms with. Growing up, Alim struggled with his sexuality and his culture but is now in a place where he feels he can take on anything. Alim describes himself as a leader and a meditator as well as a bit of a control freak. He is extremely competitive and would like to win enough money to help good causes.

 

David

Age: 36
Location: South Wales

Lorry driver David is a cheeky chappy who describes himself as a “Karl Pilkington type character, moaning about most things in life.” David grew up in a small Welsh town and admits to being quite narrow-minded, but hopes being taken out of his comfort zone will do him the world of good. He says his opinionated nature and inability to think before he speaks can get him into trouble. David is very competitive and will do whatever it takes to win, he is in the competition for himself and would use the prize to start a new life. David admits he struggles to hold down a relationship and the main woman in his life is his mum.

 

Rikaya

Age: 30
Location: Liverpool

Liverpool-born Rikaya moved to London in her early 20s with just £400 and now runs her own fashion business and teaches yoga, as well as working day to day as an estate agent. Rikaya says she is completely bonkers and up for anything and thinks her positive approach to running a team enables her to be a strong leader. Rikaya is highly competitive and doesn’t like people who take themselves too seriously and don’t have a sense a humour. She doesn’t have any time for cheats, either. If Rikaya won the cash, she would open her own yoga studio.

 

Crystal

Age: 52
Location: Liverpool

Crystal grew up in a small town in Somerset before moving to Brighton at the age of 23 where she found her true self. Crystal underwent full gender reassignment surgery at the age of 30 and describes her life since transitioning as colourful. Crystal admits she is brutally honest and doesn’t have a filter, which can sometimes get her into trouble. She has no time for liars, cheats or people who think they’re better than others. She says she’s a “good friend but not the best enemy” and you don’t want to get on the wrong side of her. Crystal is extremely competitive and plays to win: “If someone wants to play dirty, I will play filthy.”

 

Frankie

Age: 30
Location: London

Canadian-born Frankie lives and works in London; he is the founder and CEO of a speech and debate company. Frankie was previously listed in Forbes 30 Under 30, he is a former Mr Canada and he also got to the final of Mr Universe. But things haven’t always been great for Frankie, he was bullied at school for being gay and he didn’t have the most privileged upbringing, which has given him the drive to excel. Frankie describes himself as risk taker and the puppet master in a group. He says he can achieve almost anything but the one thing he can’t do is build! He will do anything to win, he doesn’t need the money but will take it anyway.

 

Keira

Age: 24
Location: Wrexham

Keira is in training for the Paris 2024 Paralympics to represent Team GB in taekwondo. She had her left arm amputated when she was 21 following an accident when she was 15 and says the decision to amputate was the best decision she ever made. Keira now works as a public speaker and is a disability ambassador, speaking in schools about equality and diversity and to big corporations about resilience and change. Keira copes well under pressure and she’s stubborn. It took her a year to learn how to tie her hair up one handed and six months to learn to do her shoelaces: “It may take me longer to get there, but I will get there”.

 

Lotti

Age: 20
Location: Cornwall

Lotti is born and bred in Cornwall, growing up in a small village near the coast. She is currently studying for a degree in broadcast journalism, having moved to London when the pandemic put pay to her gap year plans. Lotti says she thrives under pressure and is a social butterfly who can make friends with anyone. She says she’s often underestimated as a city girl who doesn’t want to break a nail, but she was raised in the wild countryside and she’s not afraid to get stuck in. Lotti is a born leader and says it’s a role she naturally gravitates towards. She is prepared to go as far as she can to win and will bend the rules if needs be.

 

Ethan

Age: 28
Location: Wiltshire

Ethan followed generations of men in his family and joined the army at the age of 21. He is a member of the Royal Military Police and has been deployed in Germany and Afghanistan, amongst other places. Ethan says his biggest strength is his self confidence and admits he can come across as arrogant when you first meet him, but he does have a softer side. With so much experience of working in a team, Ethan says he will make the extra effort to make sure everyone is okay and that keeping the team morale up is integral to the success of any mission. If he won a significant amount of money, Ethan would like to give back to his parents to thank them for supporting him.

 

Meet South Beach

Basit

Age: 27
Location: London

Bubbly, ball-of-energy Basit was raised by Nigerian parents near Dublin. He says he is a “cheeky Irish guy” and “one of a kind”. Basit moved to London at the age of 18 to study finance but soon quit to pursue his dream of becoming a model and hasn’t looked back since. Basit considers his biggest strength to be his positive and upbeat energy, he’s a team player and would never leave anyone behind. If Basit were to win, he would save the money to have a big Nigerian wedding. Basit is a hopeless romantic and, having come out a couple of years ago, hopes to meet the man of his dreams sooner rather than later.

 

Alex

Age: 24
Location: London

Alex is a Cambridge graduate now working as a private tutor and research assistant in London. Alex thinks his optimism is a strength which allows him the determination to do anything he puts his mind to, even if he lacks the skills to complete a task. He is also hyper-competitive so never gives up. Alex’s strong analytical skills make him the “critical thinker” in a team and, if needed, he is prepared to manipulate his teammates into turning against each other. He is prepared to lie, cheat and betray whoever he needs to in order to come out on top. If Alex were to win, he would love to give back and support his grandma in Hong Kong after she helped pay for his education.

 

Glasgow

Age: 24
Location: London

Originally from Scotland, Glasgow now lives in London and is a PhD student reading History of Art at University College London, as well as working in an art gallery. Glasgow struggled with their sexuality and identity for a long time and would like to help people understand more about non-binary people. They volunteer with a charity which talks about and normalises LGBTQ+ issues in schools. Glasgow says they are quite competitive and their family try to avoid playing games with them because they always win. Glasgow considers themselves to be a problem-solver, however, they don’t necessarily have the confidence to put their ideas forward. If Glasgow were to win the jackpot, they would pay off their student debts.

 

Dawn

Age: 48
Location: London

Dawn is fun-loving mother of four grown-up children. She works as a carer for the elderly and lives her life “to the max, with no regrets” having had a difficult childhood. She has never been married (despite the offers) and lives in hope of one day tying the knot in Las Vegas. She is a typical Gemini and says, “we have two faces, we can be kind and loving but if you piss us off, you’ll know about it.” Dawn describes herself as an Alpha female and is highly competitive. She likes to see fairness and believes everyone should have a go. Dawn would use the prize money to extend her kitchen and then save some money for her dream wedding for when she finds Mr Right.

 

Kim

Age: 35
Location: London

Account manager Kim lives with her mum in North London. Kim’s twin brother died in early 2020 and now Kim wants to “live for us both and do it well”. She has a passion for travel and she laughs about people her age who are settled down with families – that’s not for her. Kim considers her best virtue to be caring for others and she loves working in a team, motivating her teammates and cheering them on. She considers herself a leader and is fiercely competitive. She doesn’t like working with people who think they’re better than others. If Kim won the jackpot, she would take her mum on a luxury holiday and then go travelling.

 

Richard

Age: 36
Location: Birmingham

Richard worked as a chef before trading in the long, unsociable hours for a career in IT sales. The nature of his job means he’s highly competitive and believes in ‘work hard, play harder’. Richard went through a divorce in his early 30s and he’s now ready to move on and thinks this is the adventure to help him achieve that. Richard considers his strengths to be confidence and respect towards others which allow him to integrate into any team. Building relationships within a team is important to Richard but he admits he isn’t afraid to “play the game” to win.

 

Lauren

Age: 29
Location: Stoke-on-Trent

Lauren describes herself as “positive, enthusiastic and overly energetic”. She works as a product manager for a confectionary company and she has recently taken up figure skating. Lauren thinks her biggest asset is her smiley personality and ability to deal well with negative situations. She says she’s a great communicator and can think with a sensible head. Lauren could be the leader in a group and would lead with motivation and positivity, though she would struggle to deal with negative people. If Lauren won a lot of money, she would like to buy herself a house and take her nephews to Disneyland.

 

Shaun

Age: 29
Location: Birmingham

Shaun grew up between Cornwall and the Philippines. He now works as a model having previously pursued a career in professional basketball as well as working in a school to support children with special educational needs. Shaun is extremely motivated and “fuelled by pain” rather than deterred by it, he considers one of his biggest strengths to be his work ethic. He likes to lead by example, doing the things no one else wants to and he has no time for people who don’t put in any effort. Shaun’s family is very important to him and his mum is his best friend. His dream if he won a lot of money is to help him mum retire.