Married At First Sight (MAFS) 2026 couple Mel Akbay and Luke Fourniotis seem doomed, and even their fellow cast members think so. From the beginning, Mel revealed she had the “ick” from Luke after he was chomping away at the altar on some chewing gum, and things only got worse.
From an awkward honeymoon when they seemed barely to speak, to a brutal photo ranking task where Mel placed Luke second after Grayson McIvor, the groom has since said his confidence has been knocked.
MAFS bride Bec Zacharia, who says she’s close friends with both Luke and Mel, tells Chattr she was shocked when she watched the episodes for the first time.
“Watching it back, it was quite confronting to see how little Mel was giving to Luke,” Bec says. “I understand her position in that she just didn’t feel it. But I also feel like she was quite harsh towards our farmer Luke.”
The bride claims Mel “didn’t really give him a chance”, and called her out for using jarring language before the Dinner Party.
“I think her demise was when she said, ‘You know, I’m looking forward to speaking to anyone other than Luke.’ I don’t think that represented her very well,” Bec adds.
Insider claims Mel is getting a ‘bad edit’
However, an insider close to production has told Chattr Mel is simply a victim of a “bad edit”. There could be unaired scenes that we haven’t seen which is causing Mel to act this way.
“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 said.
“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 went on to claim that Luke was also to blame for their crumbling relationship.
“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 insider alleged.
It will be interesting to see how Luke and Mel go at the first Commitment Ceremony. Will they Stay or Leave? We’ll have to wait and see.
Married at First Sight (MAFS) 2026 airs Sunday – Monday on Channel 9 and 9Now.
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