‘I was given the mean girl edit’: Tayla rips into her portrayal on MAFS Australia

Like any reality TV show, cast members have no control over how people perceive them or how things get played out each episode. In every show there is always a villain, and usually whoever gets given that title doesn’t wholly deserve it.

Married at First Sight Australia 2023 cast member Tayla Winter spoke with The Tab about what it’s like dealing with the repercussions of being given, what she calls, “the mean girl edit”. As the show is now airing in the UK, viewers have seen Tayla and Hugo not get along and many people have shared their dislike towards the MAFS bride on social media.

Tayla urged people to remember how edited a reality TV show can be and that viewers only see a condensed hour out of an entire day. “I was given the mean girl edit. There was no female villain therefore I was given that character,” she told The Tab.

“You don’t realise the consequences in that moment and how what you said can be taken out of context.”

via Instagram @taylawinter

Tayla said viewers only see a “glimpse” of what actually goes down during the various dinner parties, commitment ceremonies and activities in the apartments, and that “90 per cent of filming isn’t shown”. The bride also shared how difficult it can be seeing her cast members receive hate from episodes on the show.

She said: “It’s hard seeing what people say about your fellow cast members because you know they’re lovely people but their storylines have been unfavourable.”

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Just on Twitter alone, Tayla has been called “awful”, “pathetic” and a “control freak” from viewers tuning in, as a result of her “mean girl” edit on Married at First Sight Australia. She told The Tab the bullying she has received online is “intense”.

“It’s the luck of the draw with the edit. It’s important for people to realise how heavily edited reality TV is because the bullying that comes with these shows is intense,” she said.

Tayla previously told The Tab she regrets ever going on the show due to her portrayal and that it has taken its toll on her and other Married at First Sight Australia cast members. She continued to defend herself and said: “I know I go out everyday with good intentions. I do my best work and never judge anyone. Everyone has a story so I just try to be kind.”

via Instagram @taylawinter

Despite receiving a ton of hate from trolls, Tayla has found sanctuary being back home in Tasmania where everyone has rallied behind her. She said former bosses, clients, family friends and even patients of hers have defended her online, “which has been lovely”.

Since leaving the experiment, Tayla returned to her day job as a nurse in a mental health ward which has allowed her to “forget the nonsense”. She said: “I work in the homeless shelters for kids in Hobart therefore I am thrown into reality pretty quickly and forget the nonsense. I’m also a nurse in the mental health ward and even patients have been very kind to me.”

For all the latest Married at First Sight Australia news and gossip and for the best memes and quizzes, like The Holy Church of Love Island on Facebook.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• MAFS Australia ‘villain’ Tayla says she flat out regrets going on the show

• Here’s what you need to know about the sexting scandal about to unfold on MAFS Australia

• Here’s what our favourite CEOs Melinda and Layton have been up to since the show ended

Featured image credit via Nine Network Australia.