While Married At First Sight Australia promises drama, entertainment, and scandal, it doesn’t quite deliver on the lasting love stories.
Sure, there are a few isolated happily-ever-after love stories… but for the majority of couples, the MAFS experiment is where their relationships simultaneously start and end.
By Season 8, MAFS had a track record of 5 out of 72 matches staying together after the series, and unfortunately, Season 9 didn’t quite deliver any epic long-lasting romances either.
So will Season 10 be different? By the time the series wrapped only two couples remained together and it looks like they’re still going strong!
Lyndall & Cameron: Not Together
From the very first episode, it was clear Lyndall and Cam had something special.
And it’s wasn’t just the romantic soundtrack they played for every scene of Lyndall and Cameron’s screen time, the pair really did seem incredibly happy on their wedding day.
The first episode saw the two 27-year-olds get married and then get to know each other, and as far as first impressions go, the two hit it off!
Cam, a carpenter from Darwin with no previous relationship experience married Lyndall, an accountant from Perth who has a new outlook on life thanks to new Cystic Fibrosis medicine that has drastically improved her life expectancy.
And whilst the beginning of the season was smooth sailing – the couple quickly hit a few bumps in their relationship.
By the third commitment ceremony, the couple had hit a rough patch. The pair shared with the group how Cam’s refusal to hug Lyndall during a moment in the week caused a rift between the two.
“Hugging shouldn’t feel unnatural, it shouldn’t feel weird….am I that awful, and repulsive that you didn’t want to hug me when I was upset?” questioned Lyndall, before the experts agreed that Cam needs to work towards showing more affection.
Whilst the pair continued to try and make their relationship work, Cam’s lack of affection and his remote work has continued to drive a wedge in the couple’s happily-ever-after.
Although Lyndall hoped to see Cam in his ‘element’ during the home-visit week, their visit to the Northern Territory saw the couple jump back into old patterns – with the pair still disagreeing over public displays of affection.
The final vows brought a surprisingly cruel side to Cam. “I just don’t think Lyndall is going to fit into my life,” he bluntly told the cameras.
“I don’t miss Lyndall – that’s the hard truth.”
Unsurprisingly, Lyndall didn’t see their relationship moving forward either. “To put it plainly. Stay in your lane and I’ll stay in mine,” she said before Cam stormed off.
Bronte & Harrison: Not Together
It’s been quite the bumpy ride for Bronte & Harrison – and fans held their breath to see if the couple would last the whole season.
The pair’s relationship continued to jump between dramatic highs and lows – before the pair finally left the experiment for good.
Harrison also spilled some major tea to Fitzy & Wippa with Kate Ritchie during their dinner party. The hosts asked Harrison when was the last time he spoke to Bronte, to which he replied: “I texted her when the endometriosis episode aired.”
However, he confirmed that she didn’t reply. “We have spoken since via my lawyer but that’s about it…” Ouch.
Harrison has since gone public with his new girlfriend.
Sandy & Dan: Not Together
Although Sandy and Dan were nervous at the start, the couple relaxed in each other’s company throughout the big day. Whilst the sparks may have not been as strong as Cam and Lyndall, there was definitely some chemistry.
During the third commitment ceremony, the couple hit a rough patch after Dan revealed he wasn’t sexually attracted to his bride, however, the couple both chose to stay in the experiment for another week to see if they could make things work, but things went from bad to worse following the “butt-dial scandal” of the season.
The following week the couple chose to leave at the commitment ceremony.
During the final episode, Sandy revealed that she believed “Dan never came here [on the experiment] with the right intentions.”
And whilst Dan disagreed, he spent most of the episode disagreeing with Sandy and explaining that he doesn’t recall the exact details of the infamous butt-dial.
Claire & Jesse: Not Together
Following the whole Claire and Adam cheating scandal, it looked like Claire and Jesse were finally getting their relationship back on track.
However, Harrison’s deflection from his own drama at the dinner party took its toll on Jesse & Claire, whose delicate relationship finally crumbled.
After Harrison revealed he thought Claire was still on the experiment to fix her image rather than develop a relationship, the seed of doubt struck a chord for Jesse and ultimately the two chose to leave the experiment.
Janelle & Adam: Not Together
Full-time content creator Janelle had one type of person in mind when thinking of who she could see herself marrying – a financially stable, career-focused man.
Enter Adam. An entrepreneur in the crypto space who also wants to start a podcast. A match made in heaven? Maybe not, considering their rocky wedding day.
Not only was money a tense subject between the couple, but Adam’s personal vows at the ceremony also kicked off some drama.
“I haven’t lived a perfect life, I’ve done things I’ve regretted, I’ve made mistakes and I’ve lost myself along the way, but they have all taught me lessons and made me the person I am today,” Adam emotionally explained.
Whilst it may sound sweet, it rose some red flags for Janelle’s protective brothers, who quickly got to the bottom of Adam’s backstory, and learnt that he cheated in a previous relationship.
After Adam had a MAFS cheating scandal of his own, the damage was irreparable, with both individuals choosing to leave in the third commitment ceremony.
Ollie & Tahnee: Still Together
For Tahnee, 27, and Ollie, 26, the Married At First Sight Experiment was a last-ditch attempt at finding true love, after struggling to make a connection in the real world, away from dating apps and technology.
It went great! And as the experts explained, the following weeks would be an interesting look at how a younger generation will adapt to the challenge.
So will Gen-Z love conquer all? Only time will tell, but it is looking like smooth sailing so far. The couple have been pretty open about their relationship working, appearing at Nova’s Dinner Party looking every bit loved up.
And the final vow ceremony saw the strong couple reveal that they were falling in love with each other.
During the final episode of the season, the couple also made the exciting announcement that Ollie would be moving to Sydney to live closer to Tahnee and in the weeks since the show finished airing, the couple have continued to post cute photos together looking every bit loved up.
Caitlin & Shannon: Not Together
For Caitlin and Shannon, their wedding day was anything but dramatic with the two cheeky lovebirds hitting it off thanks to their shared sense of humour.
Despite the couple hitting it off, the pair didn’t make too much of a first impression as other dramas of the episodes took precedence.
But the peace and quiet didn’t last for long following a dramatic confessions week. The experts warned that Shannon could lack empathy at times, and boy were they right. During the photo ranking task, he had no problem in explaining why he didn’t find Caitlin the most attractive of the cast.
“I haven’t seen these girls without makeup…but I have seen you without makeup,” he told a shocked Caitlin. Things went from bad to worse when he revealed he thought Melinda was the most attractive as she was the one “who would impress your mates,” and told Caitlin other women in the competition’s “natural beauty shines more than yours.”
After the truly painful confession week task, Caitlin proceeded to hear Shannon on the phone with his ex-fiancee, who he shares a very long and tumultuous relationship with. When asked about their relationship, Shannon broke down, revealing that he was stuck in a toxic cycle and admitting he still loved his ex, with whom he shares a child with.
Things went from bad to worse during intimacy week, with Shannon showcasing some truly abhorrent behaviour – which was why it came as such a surprise that he wrote stay during the commitment ceremony. However, the experts gave Caitlin the choice to leave the experiment, which she took.
Duncan & Alyssa: Not Together
As far as MAFS wedding goes, Alyssa and Duncan’s big day went off without a hitch. Sure, Duncan doesn’t cry at the alter which was what Alyssa was hoping for – but he was “absolutely beyond” what she expected.
“I could see him being the one,” she happily explained.
Alyssa and Duncan genuinely seem like they’re made for each other. Duncan is “looking for love that knocks your socks off,” and Alyssa is looking for “her prince charming.” Duncan wants kids – Alyssa has a three-year-old son. Duncan’s from the northern beaches. Guess what? So is Alyssa! It really was going well…until all of a sudden, it wasn’t, with the couple finding new issues in their relationship.
As the series reached the end of the season, the couple, who were once one of the stronger couples of the entire show found a range of problems they couldn’t seem to move past. As they attempted to move forward during the home-visits week, Duncan was forced to face some difficult truths about their relationship as Alyssa explained he would only be seeing her one Wednesday night and every second weekend.
Despite Alyssa’s previous hesitations, she entered the final vows with the hope they could make things work and in truly hard-to-watch scenes Duncan’s decision to leave the relationship blindsided Alyssa.”I don’t want to hurt you and I don’t want to continue getting hurt, so I have to say goodbye” explained Duncan as she broke down in tears.
After a heartbroken and angry Alyssa confronted Duncan during the reunion dinner part, she was able to take a step back and re-watch the relationship from a different viewpoint during the last episode. And the insight proved to be eye-opening.
“Watching it back I should of seen it coming,” she explained. “There were a lot of times I probably shouldn’t have just walked away…I do regret a lot of things through this experience and I never wanted to hurt Duncan.”
Melissa & Josh: Not Together
Whilst the wedding may have gone smoothly, the rest of Melissa and Josh’s relationship was anything but.
During the second commitment ceremony of the season, the pair became the first couple to leave after experts learnt shocking details of their relationship.
“Josh we can see clearly that you are pretty broken right now. Considering what we’ve seen tonight and what we’ve heard, I’m going to do something that I’ve never done before because I have never seen a relationship like this before in the experiment,” explained John.
“We’ve also been around long enough to know that there is no coming back for you in this experiment, Josh, and we’re not going to subject you to it any longer to this,” he continued, before giving Josh the option to leave – which he took.
Melinda & Layton: Still Together
Melinda and Layton seemed like they would be the perfect pair on paper thanks to their similar work ethos and lifestyles had one of the more awkward weddings of the season after some miscommunication.
0After an awkward first kiss and an even more awkward first night where the vibes were off and Layton began to work on his laptop instead of getting to know his new wife – fans didn’t have high hopes for the couple.
However, audiences were pleasantly surprised when the slow spark saw the couple become one of the stronger pairs of the season. However, Harrison’s meddling almost saw the end for this couple, who had their share of communication issues.
But fans had a sneaking suspicion the couple made their relationship work after the show after they were both potted in the ‘real-world’ looking very much together.
And as spoilers may have revealed, the couple did in fact choose to stay together during the final vows ceremony! In the weeks since the finale aired, the couple have continued to look every bit loved up on social media.
Tayla & Hugo: Not Together
Tayla and Hugo started on some pretty rocky ground…
The intruder couple didn’t have the smoothest of honeymoons, with self-proclaimed “controlling” bride Tayla making Hugo sleep on the couch.
1Over dinner, Hugo asked Tayla what she was looking for in a partner, to which she replied, “It was probably someone the opposite of you. 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?”
“The part I have a problem is… I feel like you looked at me and said, ‘He’s not a blokey tradie, he’s not my type’. You’ve been a b—h to me the entire time,” Hugo replied.
“You’ve been frosty as hell, yeah. No part of you wants to work on it.”
“Shut up!” Tayla shot back. “You love the sound of your own voice too much and it actually annoys me.”
Things went from bad to worse following the butt-dial drama, and in the end, the couple chose to leave the experiment during a dinner party.
In the weeks that followed Tayla was dragged into the demise of Cam and Lyndall’s relationship after it was reported that she and Cam were in a relationship.
2Evelyn & Rupert: Not Together
Things were awkward between Evelyn & Rupert, that’s for sure. The shy groom never quite managed to get a hold of his nerves following the wedding and the honeymoon didn’t calm him.
Fans had a fairly good idea the duo wouldn’t be together at the end of the series, especially since Daily Mail Australia got their hands on some footage of Evelyn’s viewing party. The party, which was held in Sydney was attended by four of her male co-stars, but her Brisband-based husband was nowhere in sight.
Turn out – it pretty much was all the proof we needed! Evelyn and Rupert decided not to take their relationship any further following the final vows and safe to say fans are not that surprised. Whilst they got along just fine, the pair just didn’t seem to click. But as far as breakups go on the show, Evelyn and Rupert have seemingly ended on friendly terms.
Watch Below: Married At First Sight’s Evelyn parties with Duncan and Harrison
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