The 13 secrets behind Married At First Sight Australia

Will we ever get enough of this series? Nooooo. OF COURSE NOT. And you would think that after a work week including overtime spent binge-watching a series, you would be done with it. That is absolutely not the case. Not by a long shot. Because I wanted to know how all the participants were doing (or well, I just wanted to know where the most drama could be found) and once I had dug that up to the bottom, of course, I was left with new questions.

Because how do those recordings actually go? Participant Lauren ‘Loz’ (who got former virgin Matthew as her husband) said that producers forced her to make certain statements. Well, then you have my attention. I don’t want to talk about everything being fake, you understand. So I dove into a new rabbit hole, called ‘the secrets of Married At First Sight Australia’. Read, shiver, and in the meantime the new season that has already started on Videoland.

1. They don’t really eat at the dinner parties
Well, there is food, of course, but not really much. So little that the word ‘dinner’ can actually be omitted, or they should add the word ‘liquid’, because they do drink quite a bit. A leaked production schedule of a shooting day tells the participants that they recommend a ‘substantial meal’ before these dinner parties. Snacks are also allowed (relief) and they have to hand in their personal phones. They get those back after that evening.

2. The clothing is also screened
The outfits they wear at these (liquid) dinner parties must first be approved by the producers, as can be read on the schedule. In fact, they were told what kind of clothing they had to wear. Jess had to have tight outfits that showed off her figure and Melissa had to wear as little makeup as possible. The producers thought this suited their personalities.

3. The candidates don’t really get married
WHUT? A bit of a bummer, because that is really the whole concept of the show. But here’s the thing: in Australia, you have to apply for your marriage license at least a month in advance, and that’s quite difficult if you don’t even know who you’re going to marry. And they can’t arrange that a month in advance either, because you both have to sign it and well… Then you obviously know who you’re going to marry.

4. The location of the dinner parties is anything but glamorous
The shot is well known to every regular viewer by now: the large building where they are driven to for the weekly dinner party. Looks quite chic, right? Well, appearances can be deceiving. This is really on an industrial site and that building is quite small in real life. Also, the entire interior is fake (yes, even the sliding door they always come through and yes, all the walls are fake).

5. The ‘stay’ and ‘leave’ answers are not a surprise for everyone
The producers check all the cards before the participants are called to the couch. This way they can make the order go a bit smoothly (the most shocking last, for example) and they also choose who should speak first of the two.

6. Almost no one auditioned in season 6
Most participants were scouted, except for Matthew (the former virgin): he did sign up and came for an audition. The rest were approached on Instagram, on the street, or at events. By the way, the fact that Matthew was still a virgin was immediately decisive: they would have ‘ratings gold’ in their hands with him.

7. It’s not necessarily a gold mine
The participants receive 150 Australian dollars per day they participate. Side note: the mandatory press events are unpaid, but they have to be there. Participant Melissa (who didn’t make it to the end with Dino) said she was broke and almost homeless because of this. She had quit her job to participate but wasn’t paid for the further obligations after the recordings.

8. And what about social media collaborations?
Yaaa, that’s of course where some *cough* Jess, Ines, and Martha *cough* are interested in, in that Insta-fame, but they had to wait a bit for that. The seasons have over 40 episodes and only after everything has aired on TV can they enter into paid collaborations. Detail: during the recordings, all social media accounts are monitored by the television channel. Yes, even those naughty messages from Ines to Sam.

9. The producers wanted Sam and Ines to get together
Well, you might have seen this coming a bit, but it’s even more intense: Sam knew he was being used to boost the ratings. The producers had already told him that if he didn’t like Lizzie, he could ‘choose’ someone else. That turned out to be Ines and Sam went along with it for the publicity. Ines knew nothing about it and really developed feelings for him. Aiii, ugly.

10. During their home visits, it’s often not their own house
Jess, Tamara, and Billy for example: it has been confirmed that they used an Airbnb that had to serve as their own house. Not very unusual in reality shows, but it does explain why some houses lacked a bit of atmosphere.

11. Jess’s brother hasn’t been idle either
You remember, that guy with all the tattoos — even on his face. Multiple sources have spilled the beans that he shared a bed with a female participant during the recordings, but who… That remains unclear. I’m betting on Ines. Or Martha. Who else could it be? UPDATE: We have a name. It’s Tamara with whom Rhyce Powers has been to bed. This also immediately explains why Jess and Tamara are suddenly BFFs.

12. Martha had to stay silent from the producers
She wanted to inform Tamara about the affair between Dan and Jess, but the producers held her back. It would be too good for the ratings and Martha supporting Jess fit more into the ongoing storylines. Hmmm.

13. Two men also got into a fight
Cyrell and Martha had quite a clash. Broken fruit bowls, red wine being wasted (such a shame)… But they weren’t the only ones. Between two of the men, it also turned into a fight, but that isn’t on film. Seriously, makers? You had one job.

Did I just ruin all the magic of the show? Of course not. In fact, there’s a new episode online today. HATSEEEEE, I’m going to watch again.