Married At First Sight (MAFS) 2026 bride Mel Akbay is one of the most disliked cast members this year, with fans turning on her and supporting her jilted husband Luke Fourniotis. However, a production insider close to MAFS tells Chattr Mel is actually “beautiful inside and out”, but has suffered from a “bad edit”.
“It’s so crazy to see her edit. If anyone was ever sick, Mel was the first to check in to make sure they were okay. If a bride needed support, Mel was the first to offer it,” the insider says.
“The hate is really hard for her. She hasn’t been watching MAFS because the hate is just so messed up. They’ve cut out everything that is the beauty of Mel and how everyone sees her.”
The source adds that the cast are “heartbroken” for Mel because the edit she’s receiving isn’t anything like her in real life.
When one bride was feeling anxious, Mel was apparently her biggest support person. “Mel was the one on the phone making sure that she was okay,” the source says. “Literally had her back the whole time to check in and be that support for her, and really helped that bride through it.”
Mel’s sweet moment during the Intruder wedding
While we are yet to see the Intruder wedding take place, the production insider notes that Mel went out of her way to make sure one of the intruder brides felt welcome.
“Mel ran up to the family of the bride and said, ‘This is my mobile number, if you ever need to contact me or anything, just to check in on how she’s going, I’m always there. I’ll be her support. I’ll look after her. It is a crazy journey, but I want to make sure that you know she’s supported in every way’,” the source spills.
“She’s so thoughtful and everything that makes Mel such a beautiful person has been edited out.”
While Luke has been getting a great edit, the insider adds that he also wasn’t trying to get to know Mel either.
“Luke really didn’t put in any effort as well. I mean, Mel admits to not putting in effort, but Luke didn’t either. He also spoke badly behind the scenes about her, so why would she give him another chance after that?” the source alleges.
Married at First Sight (MAFS) 2026 airs Sunday – Monday on Channel 9 and 9Now.
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