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Something To Talk About

Breakfast TV’s ‘crab girl’ Taylor Haynes on going viral

23 May 2026

Transcription

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Chapter 1: What incident made Taylor Haynes go viral?

8.317 - 21.972 Sarrah Le Marquand

Hello and welcome to Something to Talk About, the Stella podcast. I'm Sarah Lamarquand, your host, and every week I sit down with some of the biggest names in the country because when Australia's celebrities are ready to talk, they come to Something to Talk About.

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22.778 - 41.922 Sarrah Le Marquand

Some television segments are forgotten by the time the next ad break rolls around, but some go viral, ensuring they'll live on long after the cameras have stopped rolling. For Taylor Haynes, it was a live weather cross from Sydney's fish markets that had her starring in one of Australia's most intense television interactions of the year.

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42.462 - 50.552 Sarrah Le Marquand

A crab, an ill-fated kiss, a trapped finger and a Today Show clip endlessly replayed around the world.

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51.514 - 66.439 Unknown

Oh! Oh, he's got my finger. He's got my finger. He's got my finger. He's actually got my finger. Oh, no. Guys, we'll go back to you. He's got my finger.

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66.919 - 81.692 Sarrah Le Marquand

But behind the shares and the Crab Girl headlines is a young broadcaster who's spent more than a decade working towards her dream career. In today's episode of The Stella Podcast, Taylor takes us inside that now infamous crab encounter.

Chapter 2: How did Taylor's background contribute to her career?

82.027 - 85.254 Taylor Haynes

I can't believe I'm sitting in your guest chair from a crab.

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85.394 - 87.478 Sarrah Le Marquand

The injury she's still recovering from.

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87.498 - 92.969 Taylor Haynes

I am so, so lucky that I still have my limb because I'm not meant to.

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93.01 - 96.677 Sarrah Le Marquand

And what it feels like to become a viral sensation.

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96.792 - 110.358 Taylor Haynes

I don't read the social media stuff because I'm a girl that take things, you know, personally. Taylor Haynes, welcome to the Stellar podcast. Hi, Sarah. I can't believe I'm here. I'm such a big fan of the podcast.

110.698 - 112.742 Sarrah Le Marquand

I know you're a fan of manifesting.

112.722 - 124.041 Taylor Haynes

Was this anywhere on your bingo card or your wish list or the things that might happen this year? To be on the Stella podcast? Absolutely not this year. But I can't believe I'm sitting in your guest chair from a crab.

124.061 - 129.55 Sarrah Le Marquand

I wanted to say your name very clearly at the start because some people will go, oh, I know Taylor.

Chapter 3: What happened during the infamous crab encounter on live TV?

129.59 - 146.109 Sarrah Le Marquand

I've seen her on Instagram. I know Taylor. I've seen her doing some crosses on the Today Show. A lot of people at the moment I imagine are going, are you – The woman who was on TV doing a live cross and you've got almost lost a finger to a crab. I'm known as the crab girl.

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146.57 - 154.22 Taylor Haynes

Everywhere I go, supermarkets, airports, on the streets. It's just such an Aussie thing, Sarah. It's hilarious.

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155.321 - 182.981 Sarrah Le Marquand

So let's unpack how you came to be known as the Crab Girl. You were doing a live weather cross on the Today Show on Good Friday and you were given a huge crab to hold. It was Michael Atkinson and Alison Petroski. They were back in the studio and Michael suggested that you kiss the crab you did. But then it held on to your finger and you're there holding your own on live TV.

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Chapter 4: What were Taylor's immediate reactions during the crab incident?

183.561 - 185.204 Sarrah Le Marquand

Take us inside that moment.

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185.864 - 198.901 Unknown

Oh my goodness, you didn't tell me it was a big crab. Look at the size of that claw. Don't get too close, Tay. It's alive, right? It's alive. Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness, it's like suffocating my hand right now.

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198.941 - 200.303 Taylor Haynes

Taylor, can you give it a kiss?

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200.323 - 208.32 Unknown

That's huge. Wow, we're not mucking around. Can you give it a kiss? Oh my goodness. Oh, he's got my finger! He's got my finger!

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Chapter 5: How has Taylor managed the aftermath of becoming a viral sensation?

208.34 - 214.684 Unknown

He's got my finger! He's actually got my finger! Oh, no. Yeah, let's...

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215.761 - 216.662 Taylor Haynes

Oh, my God.

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216.682 - 218.484 Unknown

Leave them to rectify that situation.

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218.925 - 238.53 Taylor Haynes

Well, that was the second last cross. So we were like, okay, you know, let's get a bit interactive with weather crosses. We want to showcase the best content possible. So we thought, okay, let's actually showcase what's on offer here at Sydney Fish Market. So a great friend of mine, Mike, who was in the second with me, who's a seafood educator, he's like, Taylor, what do you want to showcase?

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238.55 - 245.579 Taylor Haynes

And I'm like, let's do a crab. He goes, small, medium, large. I said, medium. let's get the biggest crab at this fish market.

Chapter 6: What lessons did Taylor learn from the crab incident?

245.599 - 270.354 Taylor Haynes

It was a huge crab. Over 10 kilos. So not obviously expecting I'd be attacked by that crab. But obviously, you know, when you finish up a weather segment, you have a bit of interaction with the host back in the studio. And I'm a yes girl and I'm always up for a challenge or a laugh. So I thought it'd be cute to give the crab a little kiss on Good Friday and just all went downhill from there.

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270.435 - 291.878 Sarrah Le Marquand

And then what happened because – Anyone that's listening or watching or reading this that's ever done any kind of live TV would know that it's such an all-consuming moment. You've got so many variables going through your mind. Timing. People want to get their weather. What if someone behind you starts yelling out? People back in the studio talking to you. A lot of things going on in your mind.

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292.219 - 292.9 Sarrah Le Marquand

Yeah.

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Chapter 7: How did Taylor's personal experiences shape her resilience?

292.88 - 299.768 Sarrah Le Marquand

The bit that you probably didn't see coming is like, oh my God, this crab is really got hold of me and he ain't letting go.

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299.868 - 315.164 Taylor Haynes

We obviously went through all the safety protocols and the claws were zip tied. And I was with a professional who was holding it. So I thought, okay, I'll have a crack and be a big boy and be a strong man and hold it as well. It was just not my day. It was, you know, I didn't have luck that day.

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315.224 - 340.513 Taylor Haynes

I put my hand in the wrong position, but I wanted to be really fast because I knew we were short on time as well. So I thought, okay, I don't have time to put the gloves on. So I'll just go straight into hold it. And it was five minutes until we could get that crab, which cost two and a half grand to get off my finger. And I actually haven't watched the video back because it's just, yeah, a lot.

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340.553 - 351.386 Taylor Haynes

And my dance teachers would be very proud of me because I've somehow kept a smile on my face the whole time when the control room didn't realise, oh, she's in danger.

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351.427 - 370.693 Sarrah Le Marquand

I thought about that when I was watching it because you did keep it together so well. And in fact, I think Mike, who you spoke about, that was at the fish markets with you, he later said he just had no idea what was going on because you seemed so calm, which is such a compliment for the media professional that you are.

Chapter 8: What are Taylor's aspirations for her future in broadcasting?

370.673 - 393.423 Sarrah Le Marquand

But I have spoken to a few people like this. Dave Hughes, for example, was on the Stellar podcast. He had been in a celebrity AFL game where he got really badly injured and no one realised because he kept it together, but also he was making jokes. But that is what he does. And it was the same for you. No one understood the seriousness of it.

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393.443 - 410.164 Taylor Haynes

Totally. And I just, the performer in me and the training I've had for performing, I was just like, keep smiling, keep smiling, keep smiling. And I had that instinct that they were still on me. The cameras were still on. And then as soon as I knew they were off and the control room cleared me, which he didn't see, then I started smiling.

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410.144 - 431.832 Taylor Haynes

crying, panicking and collapsed on the floor because I couldn't move my finger. The more attention that crab was getting from everyone that rushed to the scene, the tighter it was munching on my finger. So I've got really nice scars. that are quite fashionable that I'm rocking at the moment. But yeah, I just held it together for as long as I could.

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431.852 - 452.09 Taylor Haynes

And then when I knew the time was right during an ad break, but I believe that, you know, my producer quickly like spoke in my ear and said, hey, the viewers are very concerned about That's why I did go back on, you know, before we went to hospital. I just wanted to really show my gratitude and thanks that everyone was concerned, obviously to keep my parents, you know, settled as well.

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452.11 - 470.914 Taylor Haynes

They were watching at the time. It's a crazy experience and I am still talking about it to this day with people on the streets and them having their own relatable stories because crabs are meant to take fingers off. So I am so, so lucky that I still have my limb because I'm not meant to.

470.894 - 480.788 Sarrah Le Marquand

Because at what point, Taylor, did you start to clock all those things that you're processing? I imagine you were thinking, am I going to lose my finger?

480.828 - 493.425 Taylor Haynes

That was my mindset. I went in a flight or fight mode and I thought, I'm losing a finger. And I just screamed and screamed and said, please, I don't want to lose a finger. That's all. I just don't want that to happen.

493.405 - 514.991 Taylor Haynes

like it still kind of shakes me talking about it and that's why i haven't watched the segment back because it brings back that feeling and look i was with such a bunch of professionals and to my cameraman to my my soundo to my producer everyone jumped on the scene Poor guy next to me actually couldn't let go of that crab because it would have taken my whole finger.

515.071 - 533.752 Taylor Haynes

So he couldn't do anything, but he's trying to yell and scream. This is what you do. This is what you do. We're getting car keys. We were getting everything to try and separate those claws. It wasn't until five minutes and I thought, this is it. It's my fingers. It just went numb and it was completely, completely crushed like A4 paper.

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