Married At First Sight ’runaway groom’ Simon Flocco former owner of dessert bar 50sixone

Simon Flocco, a former purveyor of elaborate Adelaide desserts, is set to appear on Married At First Sight with a highly-anticipated plot twist.

Aussie reality TV fans are gearing up for yet another wild instalment of Nine’s ratings juggernaut Married At First Sight, kicking off on Monday night.

And this year’s season is already hitting close to home, with a former SA business owner central to one of the show’s juiciest, albeit short-lived, plot lines.

Meet Simon Flocco, former co-owner of freakshake paradise 50sixone and this year’s runaway MAFS groom.

Here’s what we know about the 39-year-old’s fleeting appearance in the controversial social experiment:

Who is he paired with on the show?

SA-based Flocco was chosen as one of this year’s same-sex pairings, matched up with Victoria salesperson Michael Felix.

However, it doesn’t last long, with the marketing manager fleeing the program in the very first episode.

MAFS’ runaway groom Simon Flocco once owned one of Adelaide’s most popular dessert bars. Picture: Channel 9

Rumour has it Flocco returns to the set, but mystery still surrounds why he left in the first place.

His bio on the Nine Network website reads:

“For most of his twenties, Simon was married. Just before his 30th birthday, he realised he could no longer lie to himself, or his family and friends, and decided to come out as gay.

“Simon still has a great friendship with his ex-wife and continues to co-parent their teenage son. Since their split, he has been in a seven-year same sex ‘situationship’, but it never eventuated to anything, leaving him wanting to find someone to share a connection with.”

Why does he leave the experiment?

While Flocco attended the infamous bucks’ party this season, and even filmed his backstory for a show package, he reportedly started to get “cold feet” before the wedding, eventually pulling out and leaving showrunners “blindsided”.

In October, he told Daily Mail Australia: “MAFS wasn’t what I thought I wanted at this point in my life, that’s all.”

He explained: “I just felt bad for whoever they set me up with. I did initially leave, but they managed to coax me back … I gotta look out for myself.”

Flocco was reportedly paired with Michael Felix, who will now enter the show as a mid-season intruder.

According to production insiders, it was “complete and utter chaos” when he left the show, with his intended husband instead paired with Perth hair dresser Stephen Stewart.

The couple will now enter as mid-season intruders.

In a recent trailer for the season, expert John Aiken hints at the scandal, telling the camera, “In all of our years of this experiment, this is unprecedented,” as he steps out of his car and knocks on someone’s door.

“Everyone’s going to want to know about it,” another groom whispers elsewhere before a bride adds: “Did you hear one of the grooms … is gone.”

A voiceover then confirms: “for the very first time, a groom does a runner”.

Claims Flocco is feuding with the network

The Daily Mail reports Flocco refused to hand over his Instagram login details to Nine after tapping out of the experiment – usually part of the contractual agreement with the network on successful application to a reality show.

Sources close to the one-episode reality star say he is “gobsmacked” he was even included in the show’s official line up given his short filming stint.

Simon Flocco is the only SA MAFS contestant this year. Photo: Matt Turner

Flocco’s enormous milkshakes were an Adelaide obsession. Picture: Matt Loxton

According to the publication, Nine photoshopped an old photo Flocco had sent the wardrobe department to create the illusion he was a castmember.

“Simon thought he was completely out of the picture. Seeing that photoshopped image was a real shocker for him,” the insider said, adding he “mentally checked out” of all things MAFS-related.

As it stands, Flocco is the only bride or groom not to have his Instagram tagged on the show’s official website, with Nine and EndolShine Australia said to be “disappointed” with his decision to leave and completely cut ties.

Inside Flocco’s former Adelaide dessert empire

50sixone, which first opened in Hyde Park in 2016, sparked a social media frenzy and drew winding queues down King William Road.

Boasting towering creations topped with all manner of treats, it headlined Adelaide’s freakshake craze, and became known for offering what was believed to be the most expensive ice cream in Australia.

At $55 a pop, the treat was made with fresh vanilla beans and laced with gold flakes before being dipped in white chocolate and 24-carat gold leaf.

The chain became a fast-favourite and quickly expanded, with openings at Mount Barker and in the Palace Nova cinema complex at Prospect in 2017, with an additional store at Henley Beach in 2019.

However, the expansion hit a bump in the road in 2018, when its Mount Barker outlet closed.

50sixone officially closed its doors in Hyde Park, Prospect and Henley Beach February 2020 after falling into liquidation, with works on King William Road said to have heavily affected trade at its flagship cafe.

The collapse affected close to 80 staff, who were mostly employed on a casual basis.

Infamous dessert stoush

This isn’t the first time Flocco has made headlines for control over his social media accounts.

In January 2018, The Advertiser exclusively reported Flocco and fellow 50sixone owners were embroiled in a bitter feud with their former IT guru, Steven Neumann.

Court documents accused Mr Neumann of refusing to hand over the passwords to the store’s website and its wildly popular Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Snapchat accounts.

Flocco and Neumann, once friends of 18 years, locked horns over 50sixone’s logo and intellectual property, with Flocco demanding a ruling that he and his business owner were the sole owners of the designs by Neumann.

Simon Flocco pictured in 2017.

Papers submitted by Flocco’s legal team asserted: “Wrongfully, and in breach of agreements and his employment obligations, Mr Neumann has failed, refused or neglected to provide the passwords.

“He continues to fail, refuse or neglect to transfer the website and social media accounts, and to provide control of the IT systems of 50sixone.”

In their statement of claim, 50sixone owners Azote Dessert Bar Pty Ltd and Arese Pty Ltd accused Mr Neumann of breaching his contract.

“Mr Flocco and Mr Neumann have been friends for approximately 18 years … Mr Neumann offered to assist in setting up 50sixone,” they said.

They asserted Mr Neumann “created and maintained” the store’s website and social media accounts, and designed its logo.

“It was an implied term that the plaintiffs would retain ownership of the website and social media accounts.”

In March 2018, Flocco dropped the case before Mr Neumann had filed defence papers.