MAFS groom surprises fans as he appears on bizarre Australian dating show

Hugo Armstrong’s shortlived marriage to Tayla Winter on Married At First Sight Australia left him single and ready to mingle, and the IT executive has signed up to another dating show

Former Married At First Sight groom Hugo Armstrong surprised fans as he appeared on a bizarre Australian dating show.

The IT executive, 33, was paired with Tayla Winter on last year’s Australian series, but the couple were not compatible, and Tayla was dubbed a ‘bridezilla’ by viewers who felt sorry for Hugo. The couple went their separate ways after Tayla left the dating show without telling her new husband, and despite a brief reconciliation, they announced they had split before the series had even finished.

Now, Hugo is still looking for love and made a surprise appearance on the new dating show Pop The Balloon. Made famous on TikTok, the hit series is hosted by creator Tekkers, and each of the contestants has to evaluate each other’s looks before popping their balloon and eliminating them. Those with their balloons still intact will go on a date, and Hugo was revealed as one of the potential suitors on the show. “We're bringing in contestants that people already know and love - or love to hate,” Tekkers teased to the Daily Mail.

Hugo’s marriage to Tayla was a disaster, and the couple had blazing row after blazing row, with tensions running high from the moment they exchanged vows. Tayla disappointed her new husband when she refused to sleep in the same bed as him after she bluntly told him she wasn’t attracted to him. Viewers were gobsmacked when Hugo asked Tayla on their honeymoon what she was looking for in a partner, and she replied: “It was probably someone the opposite of you.”

Much to Hugo’s horror, she continued to list the reasons why she didn’t fancy him, as Tayla explained: “When I first saw you I thought... I don't think he's very sporty. I actually requested someone who didn't talk much... a man's man. A Tradie, footballer, a bit rowdy, likes to drink beer. That's definitely my type of guy. You're probably not my type. There you go, you happy?”

Their relationship went from bad to worse when Hugo was overheard talking badly about his wife on a night out with the other grooms, as he said Tayla was a “nightmare” and “frigid”. Devastated, Tayla fled and went home to Tasmania, but then returned to give Hugo another chance. Sadly, they decided to call it quits and announced to the other couples that they were parting ways and leaving the show.

Hugo previously spoke about his time on MAFS Australia, and said his ex-wife was “disingenuous.” He told Today Extra: “It was largely mixed messaging. If you say someone isn't your type and you put in zero effort from day one, and then you flee back to Tasmania and return to say you wish to give the experiment a go! It was all quite a lot and quite confusing for me.”

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