What is 'frankenbiting'? Reality star Abbie Chatfield calls out editing trick used in Married at First Sight, The Bachelor and The Real Housewives franchise

Chatfield, who was on reality dating show The Bachelor and is now a TV host and a panellist on The Masked Singer Australia, has revealed exactly how the show creators ensure there are juicy storylines.

She has uploaded a video to TikTok to explain the “tricky” editing technique called “frankenbiting” at a time when many of this year’s Married at First Sight Australia participants have hit out at the way they were edited as this year’s show airs. Jacqui Burfoot and Tim Gromie are among those who complained about the way they have been portrayed on season 12 of the hit Channel Nine dating show.

They join contestants from previous seasons, such as season 9 bride Olivia Frazer, who have spoken out against being given a villian edit. This is despite the fact that brides and grooms allegedly sign a contract, which was leaked by season 11 groom Ben Walters, which states that they “may or may not be shown in a way [they] consider favourable or unfavourable”.

But, how can producers ensure they will have a villian each season, or more than one for that matter? It could be because they are using a hack called “frankenbiting”, according to Chatfield. So, just what is it and how does it work? Keep reading to find out.

What is “frankenbiting”?

In a TikTok video, Chatfield said that idea that “you can’t make contestants say things they didn’t say” is the “biggest misconception about reality TV”. When a reality TV contestant is called out for something they have said they may blame the way they have been edited, but the general view of the audience tends to be “they can’t edit what you don’t say”. But according to former reality star Chatfield, this is “unequivocally false”.

“It is too easy to make people say things they didn’t say,” she said. “And when I say that I don’t mean they’re holding a gun to your head, I mean they are using something called frankenbiting. It’s a really tricky editing trick. They use it on almost every reality show.”

Frankenbiting is sees producers string sentences together from multiple moments, sometimes hours or even days apart, to make it seem as though someone has said something - but they really haven’t. They’ve created a completely fake sentence, and therefore a completely fake idea, which the person has not actually expressed at all.

Chatfield also said producers not only use moments from things TV stars have said when they are being recorded for the show, but also moments when they still have their mic on and are talking to the producers.

Frankenbiting is a reference to Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein’s monster, which is of course created using multiple body parts.

How can you spot “frankenbiting”?

Chatfield has said it is possible to know when producers of shows have used “frankenbiting” in MAFS because of “disjointed” sentences that sound almost robotic. The tone, pitch, and volume of specific words might be different to what you might expect, she said.

There are also other telltale signs in the edit. “There’s also usually really emotive music underneath,” she added. “Really dramatic, really serious, there could be snake sounds. There could be funny music underneath. It kind of adds to your understanding of what’s happening on the show because often people’s faces and reactions won’t match the frankenbiting because the frankenbiting didn’t happen.”

What other reality shows use “frankenbiting”?

In her video, Chatfield said “frankenbiting” is used in “almost every” reality show. She then named the Housewives franchise, The Bachelor and even Top Gear. “Any show you can think of, it’s being used”, she claimed.

In the comments of the star’s video, other people who say they have worked in reality TV agree with her. They shared their experiences with the edit technique and have also said it’s prevalent in so many TV shows.

“I’m a sound engineer and have worked on MANY paramount shows through Viacom contracts. The majority of my job was frankenbiting and laying undertones (the music that lays the tone of the situation),” one person alleged.

Another said: “I worked as an editor on a couple of TV shows. That’s completely true. For example, we once did edit an argument between three guys (reality TV) that seemed real but was stiched from 5 conversations from 3 days ago.”