In his special guest appearance on The Real Pod, with special thanks to Nando’s, Haydn Daniels from Married at First Sight NZ covered everything from the secret tapes to what happened to his wedding ring.
In his debut appearance on The Real Pod, Haydn Daniels from Married at First Sight NZ discussed the hidden camera scandal and other realities from life during and after the show. Invited onto the podcast to clear the air with The Spinoff’s Duncan Greive – who Daniels described as “a dickhead” and “weedy” – the 40-minute conversation covered everything from the secret tapes to what happened to his wedding ring.
On the discovery of the hidden camera in his and Bel Clarke’s apartment – reported here by The Herald last week – Daniels described the experience as “pretty surreal.” “I got a call from Bel who said ‘I’ve found a camera in our couch’”. The handycam had been recording for at least an hour. Clarke grabbed the camera and got in an Uber, with producers “chasing her” down the street and demanding she gives it back.
The pair watched the footage together at her house, which captured (off-camera but audible) Clarke in an emotional conversation on the phone in the nearby bathroom. The producers were also visible on the tape, at one point mocking Clarke’s emotion. “The producers would come and go and you could see them sort of imitating her be upset… It was quite shocking.”
“There was nowhere in our contract that says you can film us covertly. This was not Geordie Shore, this was Married at First Sight – which is probably worse.” Several days after the discovery, the couple met with producers and gave them back the camera. The producer who planted the camera was moved off production by Warner Brothers. “We never heard anything again.”
When asked for a piece of reality memorabilia by the swag-thirsty hosts, Daniels offered up his MAFS wedding ring. He once tried sell it – along with a date – on TradeMe, but ended up winning the auction himself. The bidder below him was Waikato celebrity Lisa Lewis, who had previously sent Daniels dozens of messages and had contacted members of his family.
Daniels is currently being represented by the former solicitor general, Mike Heron QC, to have his marriage dissolved through the family courts. He still spends time with many ex-contestants and the broader Mediaworks universe, including tooth-whitening outings with Jay Jay Feeney (scandal queenie) and hanging out with DWTS contestant Naz Khanjani, who is “good quality”.
On the topic of food, Daniels mentioned that the contestants were treated to $60 a day in per diems and a “couple of My Food Bags” during filming. He also revealed a burgeoning passion for popular chicken restaurant Nando’s, who sponsor The Real Pod. “I love Nando’s,” he told the hosts. “I eat it every week… Depending on how hungry I am, sometimes I get a half chook and a bit of corn. Sometimes I’ll get two half chickens.”
To close the encounter, Daniels participated in a customary arm wrestle with foe Duncan Greive, and won despite using his injured shoulder. Greive felt “quite confronted” by the devastating loss. “It’s tough to have proof of your physical weakness literally slapped down on the table in front of you. But I also felt a little bit high, the way you do when there’s a storm raging outside and you’re reminded again of nature’s awesome fury and power.”
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