Married At First Sight never fails to get tongues wagging when a new season hits our screens, but how much of the show’s drama is amped up by sneaky editing?
There’s no denying that the cast bring a certain level of theatrics to the table every season, after all, no editing was needed when it came to Martha Kalifatidis pouring red wine all over Cyrell Paule.
But a show as racy and controversial as MAFS is bound to have a whole team of producers work behind the scenes to make things seem even more outrageous in the final edit.
Martha’s red wine moment will never be topped.
(Image: Nine)From taking contestants’ comments out of context, to limiting certain people’s screen time and even – dare we say it – setting up certain scenes, reality shows like MAFS have been accused of using lots of sneaky tricks to dial up the drama.
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On several occasions the show has been called out for its editing fails – just check this out.
So how much is MAFS really edited and how can you spot edited moments in the show? We’ve done a deep dive to find out.
The visual clues
One of the easiest ways to spot editing in shows like MAFS is to, well, literally spot it.
The biggest giveaway is when visual elements in the show such as lighting, time of day and location don’t line up.
For example, when Anthony arrived at the first dinner party this season he seemed to rock up late – but that was actually a bit of cheeky editing.
Footage from when he arrives for the party shows him sitting in a car while it’s clearly still light out, but when he walks in to meet the other brides and grooms, it’s nighttime.
WATCH: Anthony arrives late to the first MAFS dinner party. Story continues after video.
Reports suggest he was held back from the dinner party by producers to make his entrance more dramatic, but the inconsistencies between the time of day give it away.
Other obvious visual clues include things like styling.
If a person appears to be talking about a dinner party, but is dressed for a date they went on the day before, the footage may have been taken out of context and edited in to sound like they were talking about the party when they weren’t.
Also keep an eye on other people in the frame in group shots, especially when there is an “awkward silence” – oftentimes someone with their back to the camera is actually talking and the sound has just been removed.
How can you tell? Take a closer look at the side of their face and you can usually see their jaw moving.
Some MAFS stars have commented on dodgy edits – others keep their lips sealed.
(Image: Nine)Clues you can hear
Editing isn’t just about the visuals; producers and TV shows can also trick you with the conversations you hear (or don’t hear) on the screen.
Oftentimes MAFS stars will seem to say something dramatic on-screen, but part of their comment has actually been cut off to make it sound more controversial than they meant it to.
“They’re always fishing for one-liners,” season two MAFS groom Jono Pitman told TV WEEK.
“My famous line was, ‘She wasn’t what I ordered’ when my partner, Clare, was walking down the aisle.”
Sound editors can also subtly cut out on person’s comments or drag out a silence to make conversations seem more awkward than they actually are.
In extreme circumstances, one person’s entire involvement in a discussion or argument will be removed from the final edit to pain the other person as a villain or victim.
Some MAFS contestants end up with “the villain edit” like Bryce Ruthven last season.
(Image: Nine)“I was edited as a villain because I didn’t want to sleep with my wife who happened to wear a wig,” season five groom Nasser Sultan revealed in an open letter.
“She didn’t want to sleep with me either, but that magical edit made it seem like she was longing for little Nass to make a cameo.”
Music also plays a huge role – chats that were actually relaxed and level-headed can sound like world-ending disagreements with the right backing track.
In the clip below, Ella seems to be having serious doubts about Mitch, but a lot of it is just clever editing.
Pay attention to the music, as well as the dramatic pause before Ella says “That’s basically my criteria too,” – it sounds like a heavy break in the conversation, but Mitch was actually probably still talking and his comments have been muted.
WATCH: MAFS’ Ella asks Mitch the big questions on their wedding day. Story continues after video.
The downright obvious
There have been some real doozies when it comes to editing fails on MAFS.
From Jessika Power’s nail polish changing from nude to red and back again in 24 hours, to hotel room numbers changing between shots during Ines Basic and Sam Ball’s affair, the series has had its fair share of obvious blunders.
Obvious edits are usually given away by continuity issues, where things change randomly between shots and reveal that the scenes have been edited together from totally different footage.
These and other obvious editing fails usually get called out by fans or even past contestants, like when barista Billy appeared to be living in a beachside mansion during his season’s home visits.
The mystery of the changing door number during Sam and Ines’ affair in season six.
(Image: Nine)“No offence to Billy, but how does a 28-year-old barista live in a mansion in Byron?” former groom Dean Wells asked on Instagram.
He even added a detail about his own season, saying: “The house for my home stay was an Airbnb, as at my real home I had a flatmate that didn’t want to be filmed.”
While most of the blunders seem pretty innocent, they prove that there’s more going on behind the scenes of shows like MAFS than the producers want to let on.
It’s something 2018 star Sean Thomsen commented on in his tell-all memoir Married Lies…Secrets Behind Reality TV, where he said no one really realises “how manipulated and storyboarded the whole thing is.”
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