Uh-oh… she’s barely stepped foot into the experiment, and already, Married At First Sight 2020 contestant Hayley Vernon seems to be gaining enemies faster than friends.
WATCH: Bride Hayley’s off to a shaky start…
In the first episode of the 2020 season of the hit reality show, we watched as the girls got to know each other at their hens’ do.
“It’s great to meet this group of women,” said Mishel Meshes, 48.
“There’s such a good energy. And I think we’ll have the best time during the experiment.”
There was a sense of camaraderie in the room as, one by one, each of the ladies looking for love arrived for drinks and nibbles.
But with bubbly finance broker Hayley’s arrival, the energy in the room shifted, as she pulled attention – and tried to keep the focus firmly on herself all night.
Hayley’s been embroiled in drama since trailers for the hit reality show first dropped – and within just minutes of joining the rest of the season 7 girls, the busty brunette had made an impression.
“Hayley – you look like you train?” asked Cathy Evans, who’d been the first to arrive to the hens and was keen to get to know each bride as they joined the group..
“I do, like, I wanna say bodybuilding but it’s not bodybuilding, it’s competitions,” explained Hayley, who clearly works hard on her chiselled physique.
“So I can help yous all get booties if yous want!” she offered, laughing – the unspoken implication being that she felt the other women needed to exercise more.
That faux pas aside, it was clear Hayley was excited to share what she was hoping to get from the experiment. But she was so keen to talk that she ended up hijacking questions intended for the other girls, putting her foot in it again.
Asked what she was looking for in a man, financial analyst Natasha Spencer answered:
“I want tall, dark and handsome and a gorgeous soul – I don’t want to have to pick.”
But before she could go any further, Hayley leapt in, rambling at a mile a minute:
“One hundred per cent, because you’ve got to be sexually attracted to the person as well, like let’s face it, at the end of the day you’ve gotta go sleep next to them, what did we think of the tee shirt thing?” (Referring to the pheromone test the experts had given each of the contestants.)
And Natasha looked far from impressed about being cut off.
“Hayley does talk a lot,” Mishel offered to camera, saying what everyone was thinking.
“I think she’s got a lot of things to say and she’s quite excited. But some people are a little bit quieter, and it’s hard to get two words in sometimes.”
But while Mish was taking Hayley’s ways with a smile, things took a turn when the feisty former drug addict didn’t give the new girl, Vanessa Romito, a chance to get to know the group.
As Vanessa was trying to answer a question about her vocation, Hayley’s voice rose over the room.
“…I need someone that’s masculine,” she said, speaking to Natasha and apparently oblivious to Cathy’s attempts to intro Vanessa to the group.
Engrossed in her own conversation, Hayley continued: “… It’s so f–king difficult to find, I’m…”
Until Stacey Hampton stepped in and put a stop to her chatter – and quite possibly ignited what could become the year’s first feud.
“HAYLEY. We need to reel this in and we need to stick to Vanessa for a bit…”
“I know, you’re amazing but…” Stacey patted her on the shoulder. “She’s the newest, we need to talk to her.”
Not surprisingly Hayley wasn’t happy about being chastised, taking a big swig from her wine glass while offering an unapologetic sorry (and an eye roll).
The show’s first gay bride, Tash Herz, didn’t seem to be a fan of Hayley’s, either.
“I’ve got a lot of drive, I’ve got goals and I’ve got ambitions. I want someone that can balance me,” Hayley later gushed to her fellow brides, prompting a laugh-slash-snort from Tash – who’s set to marry Amanda Micallef in the series’ first same-sex wedding since marriage equality laws were changed in Australia.
“Good luck!” Tash said, quickly adding, “To him… Sorry…” before taking a big sip from her very full wine glass.
Before the show even began, Hayley was already hitting headlines – most recently for tearing into Channel Nine for allegedly photoshopping her pics.
After the promotional photos for this season’s contestants were released, the 32-year-old took to Instagram to slam the TV network, accusing producers of heavily doctoring and photoshopping her face.
“Me after training tonight vs MAFS edited pics… whoever did these pics should be fired,” the tatted-up finance broker captioned the post, showing the contrast in her appearance before and after the edit.
The fitness fanatic’s dig at the network came after her arduous battle with drug addiction was shown in the new trailer for the Aussie reality series.
“As a recovered drug addict, Hayley has been through a tougher life than many,” Nine Now reported.
“But it was health and fitness that pulled her out of the darkness, and she has never looked back.”
