Married at First Sight promises to find contestants their most compatible marriage match based on what seems to be most important in a long-term relationship: having similar interests and sharing the same goals.
While this approach — supported by the show's experts, including Aussie MAFS veteran Mel Schilling — has proved to be successful in some instances, it also spectacularly backfired, leading to heartbreak and public humiliation. Here's a collection of the franchise's most shocking twists that have had audience members raise eyebrows at the "forever" MAFS supposedly stands for.
7 Married At First Sight UK's Matt Murray And Whitney Hughes
Let's start with the show's most recent scandal. Married at First Sight UK has had its own dose of drama when two spouses went behind their partners' backs to pursue their own connection.
Matt Murray, originally paired with Gemma Rose, and Whitney Hughes, in a relationship with Duka Cavolli, shared a kiss that made them realize they were ready to explore their feelings for each other.
The two contestants then asked experts Paul C. Brunson, Mel Schilling, and Charlene White to reenter the experiment as a new couple, a request that was ultimately denied.
Taking to his social media after the episode aired, Matt admitted having listened to producers and not having spoken to Gemma prior to the big announcement. He explained he regrets not having told her sooner, leaving her to learn what happened in front of the other couples and people watching at home.
"If I've got any regrets from last night's episode, which I knew it would come, it was that production asked me not to speak to Gemma until the dinner party and stupidly out of frustration, I listened," the barber explained in his Instagram Stories last week.
Murray also used his social media to confirm his relationship with Whitney, with the pair making it Instagram official.
6 MAFS UK's April Banbury And George Roberts
While this started as a cheating rumor, it quickly turned into something else entirely.
On this season's of MAFS UK, April Banbury and George Roberts shared a connection and continued with their Commitment Ceremony. An episode aired last month saw George accusing April of having cheated on him with a fellow hotel guest during their honeymoon in Jamaica.
April admitted sharing a kiss with a woman, but explained it meant nothing and then worked to regain George's trust.
As the pre-recorded episodes continue airing in the UK, George has been arrested on suspicion of controlling and coercive behavior. This comes after The Sun reported the story of three of his ex-girlfriends accusing him of harassment — allegations he has firmly denied.
5 Married At First Sight Australia's Carolina Santos And Daniel Holmes
The ninth season of Married at First Sight Australia shocked viewers when Daniel Holmes and Carolina Santos walked into the show's Commitment Ceremony together while she was still "married" to her TV groom Dion Giannarelli.
Daniel and his own bride, Jessica Seracino, had decided to go their separate ways in a previous episode, giving him the chance to pursue a relationship with Carolina.
The budding couple was denied the chance to reenter the experiment, but continued their relationship in the outside world. For a while, the two seemed to be going strong, but recently announced their split on their social media.
4 MAFS Australia's Coco Stedman And Cameron Dunne
During season eight of MAFS Australia, Coco Stedman and Cameron Dunne bonded over their failing relationships.
Paired with Samantha Harvey and Sam Carraro respectively, the two contestants had secret meetings and shared a kiss while still on the show.
During the reunion, Coco and Cameron revealed they had slept together after leaving the series. Their relationship didn't last very long as things fizzled out when Cameron moved to Queensland while Coco stayed in Sydney.
3 MAFS Australia's Jessika Power And Dan Webb
The sixth season of the Australian show had the bizarre privilege to air one of the most jaw-dropping double twists courtesy of bride Jessika Power and groom Dan Webb.
Originally matched with Mick Gould, Jessika opted to stay in the experiment to pursue a relationship with groom Dan Webb, who had been paired with Tamara Joy.
They were given the chance to do so, but not even the experts' blessing saved them from breaking up on national television. It happened on Talking Married, the weekly recap of Married at First Sight. During an episode aired in April 2019, it was revealed that Jessika had secret meetings with another groom, Nic Jovanović.
2 MAFS Australia's Ines Bašić And Sam Ball
Season six of MAFS Australia also saw another scandal entertain viewers.
Ines Bašić was originally in a relationship with Bronson Norrish, though the two never really hit it off. Feeling disappointed in her TV marriage, Ines pursued Sam Ball, who was paired with Elizabeth Sobinoff.
Sam and Ines ended up sleeping together during a trip to the Gold Coast, with the truth being revealed only at the next Commitment Ceremony. While Ines hoped for her and Sam to continue their romance outside of the show, he blindsided her when he said he couldn't see a future for them.
1 Married At First Sight Australia's Davina Rankin And Dean Wells
Davina Rankin and Dean Wells were the key players in a dramatic twist during season five of MAFS Australia.
They both had agreed to leave their respective partners, Ryan Gallagher and Tracey Jewel, after realizing they had a better romantic connection.
However, Dean changed his mind during a Commitment Ceremony and left a hurt Davina to win back Tracey. The original couple made it all the way to the Final Vows. There, Tracey dumped Dean, explaining she was better off without him after he had betrayed her.
This year, Davina married her partner Jaxon Manuel, while Tracey tied the knot with her high school sweetheart last year. As for Dean, he is in a relationship with Beauty and the Geek's Aimee Woolley.
