A former Married at First Sight Australia producer hosted a spicy AMA on Reddit revealing tonnes of juicy BTS secrets about the show.
On March 3, the Redditor who was verified as an ex-reality TV producer posted on the r/MAFS_AU subreddit to “answer almost any questions you have about [MAFS].”
The producer refused to “[talk] about specific couples/storylines or anything that might give away [their] identity,” but nonetheless, they managed to spill some major tea about everyone’s favourite reality show.
The producer exposes the Married at First Sight casting process
When asked how people like Shannon Adams “get past all the interviews/checks for the show,” the producer claimed that the casting process “is a lot like the first few dates with someone.”
“They’re showing you the best version of themselves. And pathological people are very good at presenting a charming and attractive face,” they spilled.
“We don’t know how people will react in stressful situations until it actually happens.”
Well, it seems like these contestants are even gaslighting the production team!
Another Reddit user asked whether it’s easier for influencers to get on MAFS than it is for “the regular Jane or Joe.”
“We couldn’t give less of a sh*t how many Instagram followers someone has before selecting them on the show,” the producer stated.
They explained that people with big social media followings usually have personalities that work well with reality TV.
“[Influencers] are typically the kind of people you notice, that you want to know more about. And that’s the kind of person you want,” they said.
The Redditor also elaborated on the casting process, revealing they specifically look for people who have “strong opinions and can articulate them in engaging ways.”
“We do a series of interviews and independent psychologists do a full and confidential evaluation,” they explained.
The Redditor spills juicy details about the matchmaking process on Married at First Sight
The producer also shed some light on the matchmaking process on MAFS, revealing that couples are matched by executive producers and we knew it!
“You want a few that will go the distance and have a genuine shot of lasting and you want the rest to give you good content,” they said.
The Redditor stated that it was important to match “drama couples” who “won’t immediately leave.”
Ahh! It’s no wonder Harrison Boon and Bronte Schofield are still around!
The Redditor also confirmed that there was “less than zero” consideration for geographical constraints when matching couples.
“If anything, it can be a good source of tension for couples that are really connecting,” they revealed.
Another Reddit user asked if producers ever felt guilty for intentionally mismatching couples.
“I think if you go into MAFS now without being aware you might be matched with the wrong person that is a you problem, not a me problem,” they joked.
“But you might meet the love of your life, it’s a roll of the dice. Just like life.”
The Redditor then confirmed that “some couples are matched purely for drama,” but TBH, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out…
The former producer admits to intentionally making contestants cry
Another Reddit user asked if there were ever moments of moral discomfort when the production team were trying to manipulate situations on MAFS.
The producer said that these days, “the issue is about getting people to say what and how they actually feel,” because contestants “don’t want to say anything that would make [them] look bad.”
However, they admitted that they were once “asked to make a person cry” which made them “feel good and bad at the same time.” Savage.
The Redditor confesses that producers intervene A LOT on Married at First Sight
When asked what the couples do all day in their apartments, the former producer spilled that “they’re encouraged not to do anything too exciting off camera.”
“The whole reason we are here is to capture those moments, this is drilled into them at the start,” they said, stating that fun dates and fights should both happen on camera.
They also confessed that storylines are “magnified and amplified” on reality TV.
“I wouldn’t say entirely fabricated but it’s the job of post-production to take a storyline or scene that was maybe a 6 or 7 out of 10 and make it an 11 out of 10,” they revealed.
Another user asked whether producers intentionally “lead couples to drama.”
The Redditor explained that they tried to avoid “collaborating” with contestants to allow them to have a “real experience on the show.” However, some people are open to working closely with producers.
“Some contestants you can have that relationship with, and yes, you’ll work with them,” they spilled. Harrison, we’re looking at you…
“A big example is the dinner party, you want all the big drama to happen after they sit down. So you make sure that happens by telling them not to talk about certain things until they sit down.” Now that’s some tea!
The MAFS producer reveals whether they’d sign up for the marriage experiment
When asked if they’d ever star on MAFS, the Redditor gave an interesting response
“I would only go on it if I wanted to be famous,” they spilled.
The former producer went on to reveal the secret for success for future MAFS contestants.
“If you want the best possible chance of getting famous after the show your best bet is to make your own relationship as boring as possible but throw yourself headfirst into other people’s drama. [Martha Kalifatidis] did this perfectly.”
Clearly, this hot tip was leaked to some of this year’s cast members…
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