It’s no secret Australian reality TV stars struggle to find work after they appear on our screens, mainly due to the fact they’re rarely portrayed in a positive light.
WATCH: Ivan explodes when the experts ask about his sex life with Aleks
And despite being one of the most loved contestants on this season of Married At First Sight, rumours are swirling that Ivan Sarakula’s job was compromised in the process.
As per Daily Mail Australia, after taking a three-month leave of absence to film the series, his McGrath employers feared his appearance on the controversial show could potentially tarnish their brand or reflect badly on those who he works alongside. As a result, the real estate agent had no choice but to leave his job two years after scoring it.
“It became apparent to both Ivan and us that he could no longer devote the necessary time to meet performance levels required by McGrath,” Gary Vouris, head of sales for McGrath Sutherland Shire and Illawarra, told the outlet.
Now working as a property partner at another agency, Ivan said of his departure: “The business model of the franchise I was working for no longer suited me and I decided to align myself elsewhere as a result.”

Sadly, Ivan isn’t the only MAFS contestant who’s out of work. An insider close to the controversial dating experiment told Daily Mail Australia that multiple brides and grooms quit their jobs before filming began in the hope of following in Jess Power’s footsteps and becoming an Instagram influencer.
“Several cast members quit their jobs and have been banking on making it as influencers, certain it would happen overnight,” the sneaky source revealed.

“They expected to have a lot more followers than they do, and are now concerned they won’t get enough to sustain a full-time living through sponsored posts.”
Although Nine is less perturbed about this year’s cast scoring sponsorship deals, it’s doubtful their careers will last more than a few years.

“The biggest names will earn around $3,000 for each nightclub appearance in the next month or so because there’s still a buzz around the show,” said the source.
“But once the bookings dry up and everyone moves on to the next reality show, that’s when they’ll need huge followings on Instagram to secure enough sponsored posts each week to pay the bills. But it looks like they’re not going to achieve that.”