Across its nine seasons, Married at First Sight Australia has facilitated the conception of some of the worst, most head-scratch-inducing couples to ever grace Aussie (dare we say, global) reality TV screens.
There have been a whopping 105 matches throughout the duration of the experiment. However, only *checks notes* eight of them are still together. Sheesh!
Those deadset shocking statistics indicate that the experts are pretty dreadful matchmakers. However, they are damn good at creating dynamics that act as a tinderbox for drama.
So, from the incidental failures to plain f*cked, take a trip down memory lane as we recount the worst couples in MAFS Australia’s history.
Tori Adams and Jack Dunkley — Season Eleven
Fans compared controversial couple Jack Dunkley and Tori Adams to Bryce Ruthven and Melissa Rawson, and we can see why!
From dumping his girlfriend to star on MAFS to allegedly sleeping with her during filming, offering Tori up to his fellow grooms and fat-shaming his co-stars, Jack (A.K.A. the Glazed Christmas ham) left a horrible taste in viewers’ mouths.
And despite his f*cked antics, Tori stood by his side no matter what.
Even though they’re still together and low-key thriving, we can’t help but cringe every time we think of their on-screen relo. Ick!
Ellie Dix and Jonathan McCullough — Season Eleven
Despite not being matched on the show, 2024 stars Ellie Dix and Jonathan McCullough made fans collectively roll their eyes at the telly.
Sh*t hit the fan when Ellie, who was paired with Ben Walters, was caught messaging Jonathan whilst he was still with Lauren Dunn.
Things went from bad to worse when the duo walked into the Reunion hand-in-hand, flaunting their new relo in front of their former baes. Ouch.
Besides the whole cheating thing, their sneakiness and smugness have earned them a place on this list of *worst* MAFS couples. And also because our queen Lauren deserved better!
Bronte Schofield and Harrison Boon — Season Ten
Harrison Boon and Bronte Schofield… where do we even start?
From entering the experiment with a secret girlfriend and a pregnancy scandal, becoming the show’s resident gaslighter, to being downright vile, Harrison has cemented himself as one of the WORST grooms in MAFS history.
So, by extension, his relo with Bronte was one of the most jarring on-screen marriages we’d ever seen.
After multiple fights and LOTS of tears, Bronte finally walked away from the human red flag. And good riddance!
Dion Giannarelli and Carolina Santos – Season Nine
Dion Giannarelli and Carolina Santos entered as intruders halfway through the cursed AF experiment, and their relationship crumbled pretty damn fast.
Carolina continuously took jabs at her husband’s height and relished every chance had to put him down.
Their dumpster fire of marriage was over when it came out that Carolina had been cheating on Dion with Daniel Holmes.
The adulterous pair even had the gall to rock up (uninvited) to a Commitment Ceremony and ask to reenter the experiment as a new couple, but fans hated it.
Brent Vitiello and Tamara Djordjevic – Season Nine
Right from the get-go, it was clear that Brent Vitiello and Tamara Djordjevic were going to be one of the worst couples in MAFS history.
During their reception, the bride panicked when she found out her new hubby worked in hospitality. Accordingly, she proceeded to go on a wild spiel about how retail and hospitality workers are “unambitious“.
Tamara continued to make her disapproval of Brent’s career clear throughout the season.
After somehow making it through the whole experiment, their crappy marriage came to a crash-hot end at the Final Vows, with Brent roasting his bride with no mercy. Good riddance!
Bryce Ruthven and Melissa Rawson – Season Eight
From having a secret girlfriend outside the show to constant gaslighting, Bryce Ruthven‘s treatment of Melissa Rawson was some of the worst we’ve ever seen.
In fact, it was so bad that viewers launched a petition to have Channel Nine apologise for failing their duty of care to the bride throughout the experiment. ‘Nuff said.
However, they are one of the only MAFS pairings that are actually still together. So, maybe there is something to be said for that?
Coco Stedman and Sam Carraro – Season Eight
While they certainly aren’t the worst couple in MAFS history, Coco Stedman and Sam Carraro are easily one of the most poorly matched.
From day dot, their personalities clashed, and their wedding was just one big ball of chaos and awkwardness. We still cringe thinking about this sometimes.
Their time on the show culminated in Coco cheating on her groom with Cameron Dunne.
Hayley Vernon and David Cannon – Season Seven
Cheating, glass-smashing and nude-photo scandals aside, no MAFS controversy was quite as mind-blowing as the “toothbrush poo” scandal of the show’s seventh season.
The scandal broke out after it came to light that David Cannon had cleaned the toilet with his wife Hayley Vernon‘s toothbrush because he found out she had kissed another groom. Yuck.
If they weren’t already one of MAFS worst couples ever, then they certainly were after that debacle.
Ines Basic and Bronson Norrish – Season Six
Ines Basic and Bronson Norrish‘s “marriage” kicked off with the bride patronising her new groom for sporting an eyebrow ring at their wedding.
This was followed by a sh*tstorm of a honeymoon where she told Bronson to STFU… which was followed by an explosive commitment ceremony in which Bronson retaliated, saying she was “acting like a c*nt.”
Ines ended up cheating with Sam Ball, just as a kicker.
Surprise, surprise! Their marriage flopped.
Melissa Lucarelli and Dino Hira – Season Six
Melissa Lucarelli and Dino Hira were another poorly paired couple in season six.
The duo didn’t gel from day one, and fun and bubbly Mel clashed repeatedly with her spiritual yogi husband.
Their relationship descended into chaos when Dino decided that it was acceptable to record his wife’s phone conversations (wut?), and Mel disagreed.
He broke up with her via poem, which was just as ridiculous as it sounds.
Mike Gunner and Heidi Latcham – Season Six
Wow, season six of MAFS really was a cesspit for crap couples!
Mike Gunner and Heidi Latcham had a toxic AF “marriage” and are up there as one of Married at First Sight‘s worst couples of all time.
Mike was a textbook gaslighter, constantly speaking down to his wife. The experts failed to call out his behaviour, and their relationship was quite painful to watch at times.
Spoiler: They broke up only two days after filming the Final Vows.
Deb Brosnan and John Robertson – Season Four
Deb Brosnan and John Robertson weren’t the worst MAFS coupling, but Deb was fo’ sure up there as one of the most delusional brides.
Basically, Deb really (like really) wanted a Polynesian husband. And, well, John was not Polynesian.
She held that against him for the entirety of their time on the show. Wild.
Consider these couples a cautionary tale for anyone out there considering signing up for the marriage experiment!
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