Fans of Married at First Sight Australia have unanimously voiced their opinions after the show’s “messiest” plot twist to date.
The 12th series of the popular reality TV programme made its comeback on E4 on Monday (March 3) evening, introducing a new batch of hopeful singles to the renowned marriage experiment, all in pursuit of finding true love.
Audiences were taken aback upon discovering that the first couple, Paul and Carina, had previously gone on a date eight months prior. The situation escalated in awkwardness when it was disclosed that Paul had ghosted Carina after their date, though it appears they’ve managed to leave their history behind them.
In the episode aired on Thursday (March 6), viewers met 34-year-old account manager Rhi and her soon-to-be husband Jeff, a 39-year-old electrician hailing from Victoria.
The couple seemed to be off to a good start as their principles appeared to be in harmony, with expert John Aiken predicting they could be one of “the strongest couples” of the season, reports OK!
But the wedding day brought a jaw-dropping moment for the attendees as Jeff turned to face Rhi and blurted out: “Oh my god. Hey, Rhi.”
It was then revealed that the two weren’t exactly strangers tying the knot “married at first sight”. They had previously encountered each other in Melbourne through friends at the gym and dated for around a month.
However, since both had recently exited long-term relationships just before their meeting, they mutually agreed that staying single was the preferable choice for them.
“Is this actually happening right now? Yeah, I know my husband well. We dated last year. It kind of just fizzled, we both went our separate ways but we remain friends. We ran a half marathon together, we’ve had coffee and stuff since then, so yeah, it ended very amicably,” Rhi explained.
“I guess we friend-zoned each other, it’s a bit bizarre,” Jeff added.
Despite their initial surprise at being matched with one another again, both Rhi and Jeff appeared optimistic that the unique situation presented by the experiment might reignite a spark between them.
Yet, fans of MAFS voiced their exasperation with the matchmaking, flocking to X (formerly Twitter) to express their frustration.
“Is the Australian dating pool THAT small?! 2 couples already knew each other,” one viewer lamented, while another was incredulous: “What are the chances they know each other AGAIN!”
“So that’s two brides and grooms that knew each other already! You’d expect that in a small country like Cymru, but Australia’s about the size of the whole of Europe!” a third commented, echoing the disbelief felt by many, as another noted: “Another couple that already know each other.”
On the flip side, some viewers were captivated by the unfolding drama on the show, with one commenting: “This is the messiest season. They must of hired private investigators.”
“Ohhh Jeff and Rhi! This is interesting!” exclaimed another fan, with yet another sharing: “Interesting. I like this genre of #MAFSAU ex flings marrying each other could be interesting lol.”
Married at First Sight Australia airs Monday to Thursday on E4 at 9pm