Married At First Sight star Tamara Djordjevic has fast made a name for herself as one of season nine’s most outspoken and polarising brides, with viewers wasting no time in dubbing her the “villain”.
From her controversial views on retail workers and blatant penchant for the finer things in life, to her staunch defence of Selin at the latest dinner party, Tamara is showing no signs of holding back.
In an exclusive chat with Now To Love, the 29-year-old exclusively sets the record straight on her “villain” edit, her future with husband Brent Vitiello, and the alliances forming among the cast.
Tamara and Brent’s wedding was marred by awkwardness and bickering.
(Image: Nine)Tamara says she isn’t surprised by the backlash she has received from viewers following her explosive wedding day, where she nitpicked at Brent and feared he didn’t have any ambition.
“From the wedding day and the first episode there was definitely a lot of backlash and being labelled as a villain straight away was hard to take. There was definitely a lot of criticism in comments and on social media, but it’s one of those things that is inevitable with how the wedding played out,” she tells us.
But viewers were able to see a softer side to the straight-talking businesswoman during her and Brent’s honeymoon, where they began to form a strong bond and get over their initial bickering. Tamara said the response from viewers has since turned around.
“I have different sides to my personality. Hopefully people have a better understanding of me. When you first meet me I’m hard to take. I come out with whatever I’m thinking. It’s not always taken the right way unless you know me, and my personality it can be quite hard to take in,” she says.
Viewers saw a softer side to Tamara during her honeymoon with Brent.
(Image: Nine)“People can see Brent and I getting along and having a laugh. We both laugh about how funny and ridiculous the wedding day was. On our honeymoon I said: ‘I’m ridiculous, I’m taking accountability for carrying on’ and I did carry on,” she laughs.
“It’s nice to have people understand that what you see in a short episode isn’t all of someone. It’s heightened.”
Tamara admits she knew going on to a controversial show like MAFS would open her up to public scrutiny and the dreaded “bad edit” that former contestants have claimed they were the victim of.
“I knew and I did have that feeling of my personality would not be taken by everybody. I don’t see myself as a villain and I don’t go out of my way to upset anyone else. I do have strong opinions though,” she says.
Tamara teases that “alliances” get formed throughout the season.
(Image: Nine)“As much as people say they like honesty, It’s hard [for them] to handle. I can understand why that would have been portrayed as a villain. Being such a confident in myself I don’t think a lot of people can relate to.
“A lot of people are negative on themselves. It’s not as relatable. I’m not upset at the fact that I’m displayed as a villain,” she continues, adding that her antics at the wedding came down to “stress and hunger”.
Tamara also breaks her silence on her infamous wedding night comments, where she outraged viewers by claiming retail workers don’t have any “ambition”.
“It is really quite upsetting that that context was blown up to what it wasn’t. There was a lot of conversation that wasn’t shown. We actually had quite a funny wedding and that part of the conversation stemmed from talking about what we’re looking for in a partner,” she says.
“I said I’m looking for a man who’s ambitious and goal driven because I’ve dated in the past men who aren’t like that. They don’t understand that my life is stressful.”
Tamara, who herself as worked retail jobs in the past, insists she doesn’t have any judgement about anyone who works in that industry.
“I couldn’t articulate myself properly. What I wanted to get across is I want a man who also has drive and ambition, it suits my lifestyle.”
She also regrets saying she felt “embarrassed” by an ex-boyfriend who worked in retail.
“I shouldn’t have said I was embarrassed. But it does bring me down… if you surround yourself by people who are going where you’re going in life then you’re going to progress as well,” she says.
“I worked really hard to be where I am now. I had to work so hard and do it by myself, I wasn’t born with a silver spoon I don’t have parents who come from wealth.”
While she remains tight-lipped about what viewers can expect from the rest of the season’s no-doubt explosive dinner parties, Tamara does hint that some initial friendships crumble as the experiment goes on.
Tamara says she didn’t grow up with a “silver spoon” and has worked for her success.
(Image: Instagram)“The group dynamic changes a lot throughout the experiment. You see friendships form and as we all start to get to know each other that’s when there starts to be a huge shift in friendships and alliances get formed.
“The girls were backing each other then it sort of turns more to more, I guess, from my eyes, there’s some bullying.”
And in true Tamara fashion, she admits she doesn’t hold back when it comes to defending those she deems have been wronged.
“I’m someone who likes to stick up for people who don’t have a voice. Sometimes I feel like when some people don’t have a voice I can assist them with that. You will see at the dinner parties there will be a lot of drama and a lot of tensions between people,” she teases.
Tamara also reveals her hesitations over Brent, and claims he may not have been his true self in front of the cameras.
Tamara fears Brent put up a “facade”.
(Image: Nine)“You see at the wedding where I have my concerns on Brent. My girlfriend who was at the wedding, she’s quite intuitive, she said ‘I’ve got this strange feeling that Brent is putting on a bit of a façade’ and that wasn’t shown [on TV],” she says.
“I had this gut instinct that he’s not as mature as what I hoped for. I’m unsure of what Brent’s intentions are with this experiment, and being a 33-year-old man, what if his ambitions and goals isn’t where I’m headed?”
The operations manager also hints at what’s next for her and Brent, whose relationship has so far not turned intimate.
“Brent and I, throughout the experiment, our journey is quite unusual. We’re very real and we’re quite a relatable couple, very authentic and genuine in the way we do things,” she says.
“I think, it’s not an easy road for us but at the end of the day we’re two people how to work out how to do this.
Want more on Married At First Sight season nine? Check out the links below:
Is Married At First Sight real or fake? Let’s examine the evidence
Is Married At First Sight legal in Australia? Why the Marriage Act makes things complicated
How much do Married At First Sight contestants get paid in Australia?
The most shocking, hilarious and downright disturbing Married at First Sight bombshells
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