Married At First Sight (MAFS) 2026 bride Mel Akbay wasn’t on the show for very long, but she still spent between $6K and $10K while she was there. The bride tells Chattr it’s an expensive exercise, so for anybody looking to go on the show in the future, you should probably start saving now.
“Going on MAFS is expensive, you don’t go on MAFS if you don’t have enough money to support yourself while you’re on the show,” Mel says.
According to the reality TV contestant, everybody is given $1000 per week while they’re filming, along with a weekly $175 budget for groceries. While Mel says it’s enough money to “survive”, people need to remember this stipend also has to cover expenses back home, whether that’s rent, a mortgage payment or other bills.
Plus, there are beauty expenses that add up quickly. “You’re [also] on TV, so you constantly kind of want to buy clothes… get your hair [done], buy new makeup, you want to get your nails done, and it ends up being a lot of money,” Mel explains.
“We work with these really amazing makeup artists, hairstylists [and] dress hire companies that really do help us, but day to day, you do spend a lot of money.”
The reason Mel spent upwards of $6K on MAFS is because while she only spent six weeks on the show, she needed to take time off work afterwards due to trauma.
“I also didn’t go back to work straight away. MAFS is a really traumatic experience, so I had to have about three weeks off after the show just to fully recover from that, and I had to use my savings while I was off.”
Before any haters come her way, she says six weeks doesn’t sound like a long time, but fans need to remember the immense pressure contestants are put under.
“It’s six weeks, but it’s 24 hours a day. It’s not like you’re working six hours [per day] for six weeks… it’s 24 hours, and you’re consumed by it,” she declares. “That’s why it’s a lot.”
Would Mel go back on reality TV?
Three months ago, Mel would have said she would never step foot on a reality TV set again. Now that there’s been some distance from her and the MAFS journey she went on, her tune has changed.
“I’ve become a much stronger version of myself, I kind of feel like I think I would go on a reality TV show again, just so I can redeem myself,” Mel spills.
“I can be like, hey guys, the MAFS version of me wasn’t accurate! This is who I am.”
She’s in no rush to get on the next show though, as she’s busy on a wellness journey and has returned to her regular job.
However, if Mel does end up back on our TV screens again, it won’t be for MAFS: All Stars or Love Island. “I would definitely be more interested to do a reality TV show that’s not based around love,” she reveals.
“I think love is one of those things where obviously [with] my personality, if I’m not interested in someone, I can’t fake it and I don’t want to waste my time or anybody else’s time.”
Could we see Mel on Big Brother? Only time will tell.
Stream Married At First Sight Australia 2026 on 9Now.
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