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Filip Gregov and Stella Mickunaite are the only successful couple to come out of Married at First Sight (MAFS) 2026, making them the last true love match created on the show, partially by Mel Schilling, before her untimely death in March this year.

The three MAFS relationship experts, Alessandra Rampolla, Mel Schilling and John Aiken, worked with all of the couples on the show to help their relationships succeed, and, in an interview with Chattr, Filip shared that Mel’s advice was fundamental in the success of their relationship.

“She was very instrumental; her input was invaluable for us at important times. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have gone a distance,” he said.

Stella agreed, saying they “have a big job to do” as Mel’s final true love match, and that they hope to make her proud.

Filip went on to detail a sweet moment that happened with Mel at the reunion.

“As we were walking out of the reunion, [the experts] came up and gave us a hug, every single one of us, it was John, Mel and Alessandra. And Mel just said, ‘I’m super stoked for you two, and she gave [Stella and I] a really long embrace.”

What happened to Mel Schilling?

Mel was diagnosed with bowel cancer in December 2023. After a gruelling year of surgery, six months of chemotherapy and a number of lifestyle changes, Mel shared that she was officially in remission.

Mel also said the experience made her value time with her family more than ever, which played into her decision to leave MAFS Australia.

“This hasn’t been a choice I’ve made lightly. In recent years, my health challenges and living in the UK spending up to three months a year away from my family is no longer sustainable. It has become clear that I must make a change that puts my family, health and time at the very centre of my life,” Mel said in a statement announcing her exit

Just a month after Mel shared that she’d officially stepped back from the show, she revealed to her fans that she’d received a terminal diagnosis. Then, two weeks after sharing the grim news, her husband Gareth took to social media to share the sad news that Mel had passed away.

“Melanie Jane Brisbane-Schilling passed away peacefully today, surrounded by love,” Gareth began in the post which was shared on March 24.

“In her final moments, when I thought cancer had taken away her ability to speak, she ushered me closer and whispered a message for Maddie and me that will sustain me for the rest of my life. It took all of her remaining strength, and that gesture summed up our wee Melsie perfectly. Even then, her only thought was for Maddie and me,” he continued.

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The curtain has fallen on Married at First Sight (MAFS) for 2026 in Australia, but across the globe, the season is only just getting good. ICYMI: MAFS is a huge hit in the UK, where it airs annually just a few months after Australia on Channel 4 and E4.

In the latest episodes, UK viewers got to endure enjoy the couples’ retreat. You remember that saga? Everyone turned on Bec! Rachel cried an awful lot! Juliet dropped the C-bomb! What fun!

But for MAFS fans on the other side of the world, they watched a slightly different version of the couples’ retreat than what Australian viewers saw. For us, during Bec Zacharia’s beautiful toast, she kindly announced to the whole group that the couple, Rachel Gilmore and Steven Danyluk, had… umm ‘finger-banged’.

To sum up the group’s recent successful steps, Bec announced to everyone: “We’ve had I love yous. We’ve had a couple who I thought could not come back from the brink of hell, and we’ve had finger bangs!” Lovely!

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This was played without censorship on Australian screens, but in the UK? That whole part was completely beeped out.

This meant that UK viewers had to rush to Google exactly what was said by Bec that left Rachel in tears in a throwaway comment that dominated the couples’ retreat’s drama.

Given the UK’s strict laws around sexually explicit language, our friends across the world are probably a bit confused that this ever went to air. As Cosmopolitan UK wrote, “Yes, that was really said on Australian national TV.” It sure was, folks! No regrets!

And the ultimate culture clash is set to come when MAFS Australia and MAFS UK collide in an upcoming spin-off series, aptly titled Second Marriage at First Sight.

Everything we know about Second Marriage at First Sight

Airing in the UK on Channel 4, Second Marriage at First Sight will welcome eight ex-brides and grooms from both the Australian and UK versions of MAFS, who will get hitched to one another. They will spend half of the experiment in the UK before flying to Australia to test whether they can make their marriage work. What could go wrong?!

“These eight well-loved MAFS singles didn’t find lasting love the first time, but they haven’t given up – and neither have we,” Channel 4’s Steve Handley said last year. “Everyone deserves a second chance at love and this time they’re saying ‘I do’ to a stranger on the other side of the world.”

The Aussie brides and grooms joining the spin-off are yet to be announced, but many expect Jessika Power’s name to be in the ring. Since relocating to the UK, the breakout 2019 bride is a frequent guest on British reality TV, so it’s a no-brainer. “I would definitely do it. I think it’d be fun,” Jessika previously told Chattr about doing an all-stars season.

According to The Sun’s reports, the first UK bride added to the line-up is Emma Barnes, a fan-fave 2024 contestant who got hitched to Caspar Todd in season nine.

We’ll keep you updated as soon as the Aussie brides and grooms are announced. Stay tuned!

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Married at First Sight (MAFS)‘s Danny Hewitt has issued an apology after unseen clips were aired of him making vile comments about both Bec Zacharia and Steph Marshall on Stan’s After the Dinner Party.

ICYMI, one of the clips showed Danny slagging his TV wife, Bec, off to producers, telling them to bring him “better women” and remarking that he could “f**king walk in Coles and get a better bird than that”.

And, his vitriol didn’t stop there. Later in the episode, another clip was shown of him coming for Steph when he didn’t think the cameras were filming, calling her a “f**king little skank”. Danny was angry because Steph told Bec she’d been messaging Danny post Final Vows, and Bec brought it up at the Dinner Party Reunion.

The savage clips sparked major backlash against Danny, with his Instagram follower count dropping rapidly and his comments section flooded by angry fans. Now, three days after the damning clips aired, Danny took to Instagram to apologise to the women his comments were aimed at.

“Most of you hate me, I don’t blame ya. I hate myself. So join the club. But I just wanted to jump on here and just apologise, obviously, for some of the comments I made — or all of the comments I made — on the Stan’s After the Dinner Party show. Horrendous. I’m so ashamed of myself,” he began.

“Obviously, I want to apologise to Steph for the way I spoke about her and Bec, of course, I’m so sorry to both of you girls.”

Danny added that he has a dry sense of humour, which can sometimes “come across wrong”.

“But I’m not here to make excuses or blame it on a sense of humour or anything like that. I’m here to own up to my mistakes and just apologise to anyone who watched it, any viewers who watched it and found it offensive, I’m so sorry.”

The real estate agent said he’s upset at himself for the way he acted and believes he deserves the hate he’s getting online, but wanted to take the time to issue an apology.

“Honestly, from the bottom of my heart, I’m so sorry to Bec, Steph, anyone who watched it and found it offensive, all of the participants who were on MAFS, I let all you guys down, the show as a whole, everything. I am actually so sorry, genuinely from the bottom of my heart.”

Fans call for Danny to personally apologise to Bec and Steph

While there is some support in Danny’s comments section, it has been largely overwhelmed by viewers rejecting his apology and calling him out as performative for apologising on social media.

“You should be apologising to Bec and Steph personally…not on here!” One person commented, while another wrote: “Hope you reached out to them directly and apologised to them as well individually.”

“You just apologised because it was broadcast. You never apologised to these women when it happened,” a follower stated.

Others mocked his apology, while making it clear that they were still team Bec.

“I don’t believe him. He knows how to be manipulative, and this is just another one of those times,” one wrote, and another chimed in: “Why is everyone getting fooled by his apology??? .. a leopard never changes his spots .. wake-up to yourselves ..his only doing this to save face and his career.”

However, there was a little support for the MAFS groom in the comments section, with some people telling him that the online hate will “blow over”.

“Dude, don’t worry about [it]. You are good just as you are, [and] also reality TV shows always blow things out of proportion.”

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Jamie Marinos became a standout bride on the 2025 season of Married at First Sight (MAFS). Between her rocky relationship with (incoming Perfect Match contestant) Dave Hand and her iconic one-liners, Jamie was embraced as a fan favourite.

And naturally, her popularity translated to social media followers. These days, Jamie has over 340k Instagram and TikTok followers, which gives her a reach of 780k folks online. No biggie! Her high following ranks in the likes of earlier success stories. earlier success stories from MAFS, with former brides like Martha Kalifatidis, Jessika Power and Jules Robinson all finding huge careers as content creators off the back of MAFS.

But based on the 2026 season, those days of instant Insta-fame are numbered.

The cast have just gotten their Instagram accounts back from Nine’s production and they might not be too impressed with the follower count that’s greeting them. Despite appearing on the highest-rated show in Australia for the past three months and the most-watched MAFS season ever, most contestants have failed to crack 50,000 followers.

Gia Fleur has lured 128k followers, Alissa Fay has 103k and Stella Mickunaite gained a respectable 98k followers, but other season standouts like Bec Zacharia, Danny Hewitt and David Momoh have all failed to find the Instagram success they may have expected.

So what’s happening? Jamie told Chattr she ‘isn’t surprised’ that the 2026 cast have failed to win the social media following of previous contestants. “Every season, there are usually individuals or couples that viewers really connect with and get behind, but this year that strong likeability just wasn’t there,” she exclusively told Chattr.

“Australia doesn’t rally around villains.”

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Jamie reckons this season gave much more airtime to ‘villains’ than the sorts of people that Australia would get behind. “There were participants who potentially could have built strong followings, but they just weren’t shown enough, so they naturally faded into the background,” she said.

“If you replayed seasons like Domenica’s or Cyrell’s, people would still rally behind the same personalities who went on to build careers from the show. At the end of the day, it comes down to the individuals. Audiences still gravitate towards authenticity, people who are genuine, relatable and can be a good role model.”

Jamie Marinos offers her predictions on the future of MAFS

If being a contestant on MAFS no longer guarantees a career as an influencer, Jamie believes that the kind of people being cast on the reality show could shift.

“It would limit the number of people going on purely for fame or to build a platform. This season did feel more image-conscious and more focused on clout. There was a lot happening behind the scenes, with people speaking to press, being present on social media throughout the season airing and trying to control narratives – it created an inauthentic feel at times.”

Jamie admits that if the show no longer guarantees social media success, this could actually be a ‘good thing’ for the series. “It might attract people who are there for the right reasons, which would hopefully lead to more genuine behaviour, more authentic relationships, and a better viewing experience overall.”

Jamie Marinos gives her unfiltered thoughts on the 2026 season of MAFS

With the MAFS reunion commitment ceremony wrapping up on Monday night, Jamie said it “wasn’t my favourite” season of the show.

“It felt really different to previous seasons because there was such a heavy focus on group dynamics and friendships rather than the actual relationships,” she said.

“The bullying/mean girl behaviour was horrendous.”

By comparison, Jamie said that her season of MAFS felt like a much safer space. “Our cast had a lot of genuine and authentic personalities, and I think that’s what audiences connected with,” she said.

“Of course, there was drama – that’s part of the show – but it felt more organic. It came from real emotions and real situations rather than feeling driven by image or perception, and I think audiences can tell the difference.”

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Controversial Married At First Sight (MAFS) groom Danny Hewitt’s venture of starting a sex toy line — specifically, dildos modelled on his own manhood — has been rubbished by an industry expert, who says such a product would be “out of step” with industry trends.

ICYMI, Danny is releasing a dildo line to capitalise on his post-MAFS fame, and he has plans to promote it while on tour with his stripper friend, Will Parfitt, for Magic Mike Australia. According to our source, Danny is apparently quite proud of his anatomy and wants the dildos moulded to his likeness.

“When a product centres male anatomy as a main selling point, it tends to feel out of step with where the industry has moved,” Michelle tells Chattr, who founded Melbourne-based sex shop Passionfruit almost 30 years ago.

Industry pros say that while there was a time when female sex toys were very phallic, that’s because they were being designed by men with blinkered understandings of female pleasure. But a rise in female designers has changed the game, making women’s sex toys much less phallic and more in line with what women actually want.

“Products that centre male anatomy or ego as the primary selling point tend to feel out of step with a market that has been steadily moving toward more inclusive approaches, led by the user,” she adds.

Expert says a Danny-shaped dildo line would probably flop

Michelle commented that in the case Danny’s idea came to fruition, going to market and getting on shelves, it is unlikely that sales would be strong.

“Products like this are typically viewed as short-term novelty rather than serious, sustainable offerings,” she explains.

“While controversy and reality TV visibility can drive initial curiosity, that doesn’t translate into meaningful commercial success. In sexual wellness, trust, design integrity, and user experience matter far more than personality-driven hype.”

Given that Danny has made many comments that suggest he has a low opinion of women, it is perhaps strange that he would want to market a product to them.

“I suppose the industry has never been short on men eager to position themselves as authorities on women’s pleasure,” Michelle says, “often while reminding us they’re doing so ‘as a man’.”

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Former intruder bride Juliette Chae has taken to TikTok to weigh in on the abuse she’s copped during her time on Married At First Sight (MAFS).

As we know, the former MAFS bride did not take well to being matched with 33-year-old model Joel Moses, and repeatedly described him as “performative and theatrical”. At the couple’s first Dinner Party, she memorably called Joel a “c*nt”, and made fun of him for sleeping with a teddy bear.

Juliette also said to the group that Joel thought he was the “star” of MAFS — something she later admitted on Stan’s After The Dinner Party she’d misheard.

“The way Joel has continued to speak about me online, in the press and on his own socials, should at least show that there was more going on than what was aired,” Juliette said in a text post.

Former Married at First Sight (MAFS) groom Sam Stanton has come out sounding rather sympathetic of Danny Hewitt after the Brit was seen boasting about being able to find a “better bird” at Coles.

“It’s not anybody’s fault and nobody’s worse in that situation,” Sam said to Daily Mail reporter Ali Daher in an on-camera interview. “I just think that they were both dealing with really complex emotions and feelings. So it’s really tough to navigate yourself in those situations.”

At times, Sam also positioned Danny as a victim, stating: “I think Danny really struggled with Bec at the Dinner Parties, like her behaviour there, and it really put him on the back foot every single time. You know he probably built up his attraction and feelings for her every week and then [he’d] see her behaviour and then fall backwards.”

Sam’s comment will likely come as a surprise after MAFS: After The Reunion dropped unseen footage of Danny saying to camera, “You’re telling me that’s the best you could bring me?” presumably in reference to Bec. “You ought to be ashamed of yourself, MAFS dude… I can f**king walk in Coles and get a better bird than that, f**k me,” he said, at one point declaring, “bring me better women!”

While the footage has sent shockwaves through MAFS audiences, many point out that Danny has been making problematic statements about women from the beginning — for example, when he quipped “b**ches all love me” in reference to Bec’s dog, and that moving into a woman’s house would make him him “feel like a b*tch.”

Sam admits that Danny stayed on MAFS for too long

To be fair, Sam did say that Danny likely knew that Bec wasn’t right for him early in the experiment, and hung around a little too long. “I think maybe in my honest opinion he pushed it a bit further than he should’ve.”

” I think it was probably a couple of weeks [in] that he realised that maybe it wasn’t going to work, but i think at that point he thought maybe i’ll just ride it to the end because we’re that close anyway,” the 34-year-old said.

Responding to the unseen footage while on the couch at MAFS: After The Reunion, Bec said: “Who do you think you are? This is why I say he’s come on for fame… if that’s how you feel about me, why did you sit there for three months straight?”

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Married At First Sight’s (MAFS) Dave Thomas Hand is set to appear on another dating show – but this time he’s going international and will be looking for love on Netflix’s Perfect Match.

Early this morning (April 17), Dave posted an official cast photo on Instagram with a caption confirming he’ll be on the reality show, and updated his bio to include the show name.

“It’s officially out… see you May 13. Perfect Match Season 4 on Netflix,” he wrote.

The show sees contestants from all sorts of reality dating shows like Love Is Blind, Too Hot To Handle, The Bachelor franchise and more to see if they can find love again. And, Dave is the first MAFS cast member to cross over into the Netflix world.

He’ll be heading into the Perfect Match alongside Vanderpump Rules’ Ally Lewber, Love Island USA’s Kassy Castillo, and Love is Blind‘s Jimmy Presnell — and a bunch more familiar faces.

MAFS’ Jamie Marinos confirms she turned Perfect Match down

While it was rumoured Dave’s ex Jamie could be joining him on the show, she revealed to Chattr in 2025 that she turned the opportunity down.

“I was approached earlier this year, which was flattering, but it didn’t align with where I’m at personally or professionally. When I applied for MAFS – and throughout the entire process – I was completely authentic and genuinely hoping to build a real relationship. Maintaining that authenticity matters to me, and stepping into a dating environment that didn’t reflect that intention didn’t feel right,” she said at the time.

Jamie said she’s now focused on future opportunities and while she’s open to love, she’s not looking on reality TV.

“Right now, my focus is on my mental health, my career, and opportunities that align with the direction I’m moving in. For me, it was the best decision not to be involved,” she continued.

“But yes I’m still looking for my husband but he’s probably not on reality TV!”

Who else will be on Season 4 of Perfect Match?

The confirmed cast includes men and women from Too Hot To Handle, Love Island, Temptation Island, Love is Blind and more.

Speaking of Love Is Blind, remember Jimmy from season 6, who was engaged to Chelsea, aka Miss Megan Fox? He’ll be on it.

And for Vanderpump Rules fans, DJ James Kennedy’s ex-girlfriend Ally is among the cast — and she’s already in Dave’s comment section. Could they be one of the matches?

Check out the full cast below.

What a lineup! Dave may have his work cut out for him when it comes to bringing the drama.

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The Commitment Ceremony Reunion saw the main Married at First Sight (MAFS) 2026 couple sit down with the relationship experts on the couch, but there was one glaring omission: Alissa Fay and David Momoh.

Viewers were left scratching their heads when Alissa and David were nowhere to be seen, especially given that they were one of the season’s most dominant couples and made it all the way to Final Vows, where their relationship imploded in a fiery final showdown. Meanwhile, intruders Stephanie and Tyson got airtime, despite only being on the show for a few weeks and having no romantic connection whatsoever.

Now, some of the MAFS cast have revealed what really went down in Alissa and David’s couch session, and why they believe it didn’t make it to air.

“I don’t think it was something major that happened. I think it’s just probably due to time,” Stella Mickunaite diplomatically told Chattr.

“It was a time thing,” Filip Gregov added. “And let’s just say that everyone agreed to disagree. She thought she had a version of what happened in her head, and Dave just came in and said, [his version].”

Filip added that David and Alissa’s disagreement on the couch was “basically” what we’ve already seen play out on TV.

However, Joel Moses had a spicier take on what really went down on the Commitment Ceremony couch.

“They got on the couch, and that was the first time I saw the real Alissa. I was shocked and disgusted by how she treated David. Dunno why they chose not to air it. I also can’t really remember what the experts said, probably knowing them, they let the woman get off with a slap on the wrist,” he wrote on Reddit.

Joel believes Juliette’s choice to skip the Reunion cost him a couch session with the experts

While Joel was invited to the MAFS Reunion, he didn’t get a chance to sit down with the experts and reflect on his time on the couch, and he believes that it’s because his TV wife, Juliette Chae, decided not to show up at the last minute.

“I think we would have been on the couch if she came, and maybe they substituted [fellow Intruders] Tyson and Stephanie. Tyson and Steph had a really long couch session, and I thought either they were our substitutes or we were going to split half-half, because me and Juliette obviously had some of the biggest moments of the season. So that was a bit disappointing to me,” he told Chattr.

Joel added that while he was disappointed he didn’t get that final opportunity, he’s happy with how his MAFS experience played out overall.

“The experts hardly touched on [my experience], they asked me questions about the cast, but they didn’t even ask me anything about my relationship with Juliette, and how that was for me, which pissed me off, to be honest, because I thought I deserved more.”

“It’s been a great season for me, so no complaints,” he said. “All in all, super happy how the season went, it’s been an amazing journey.”

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As you may have heard, former Married At First Sight (MAFS) bride Gia Fleur is the first of the 2026 flock to sign with an agency, and she’s landed a big name in Max Markson of Markson Sparks.

As Max has previously managed names like Kim Kardashian and Pamela Anderson, things are certainly looking up for Gia, who looked pretty crestfallen by the time MAFS reached its end.

So, how do the rest of the MAFS cast feel about Gia’s boon? “Look, more power to her,” Bec tells Chattr. “I think if that’s going to help her reputation and help her get to where he wants to be in life, I’m happy for her. You know. More power to you.”

Joel, on the other hand, had a different view. “I think you cannot manage Gia… she’s unmanageable,” he quipped. “So that’s all I’ll say about that.”

Others hadn’t yet heard the news, with former bride Mel Akbay looking happy to hear about Gia’s good fortune. “Ooh, I didn’t know that Gia is signed by Kim Kardashian’s former manager, but I’m like, props to you queen! You go! I love that for her!”

Max Markson confirms they’ve signed Gia

Founder and director of Markson Sparks, Max Markson, told Chattr he’s excited to work with Gia, adding that he’s pleased to have her join his rolodex of big names.

“Gia is someone that everybody is talking about, and I’m delighted to be representing her. Past MAFS alumni I’ve represented and continue to, include Jessika Power and Cyrell Paule — both of whom have gone on to star in multiple reality TV shows since,” he said.

“I’ve worked with Kim Kardashian, Rachel Hunter, Pamela Anderson — to name just a few. I see big things ahead for Gia.”

Gia also put together a video that has been posted to Max’s Instagram account, confirming that anyone who wants to contact her will have to go through Max. A flex!

At this stage, we haven’t heard about any other MAFS 2026 cast members who have signed with talent agencies, but if last year’s trajectory is anything to go by, it won’t be long before we do!

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