MAFS marriages fail to deliver real love as ratings take hit three-year low
Almost 60 couples have tied the knot on Married At First Sight and only a handful remain together. After the reality TV show’s finale last night resulted in its worst ratings in three years, we take a look back at the failed relationships over the years.
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- MAFS bride Poppy reveals what really happened with Luke
- Bikie bash threat forced MAFS star Mikey into hiding
Since its first season in 2015, controversial social experiment Married At First Sight has never failed to deliver memorable contestants, bombshells and scandals.
It has however failed to deliver many positive outcomes, with majority of the couples calling it quits during or post filming.
This year not one single couple remain loved up and many have become enemies.
And this year, last night’s finale delivered the worst ratings in three years with half a million less viewers than last year.
The season’s postponed finale clocked 1.48 million viewers across the five metro cities. These ratings were also far lower than the 2018 season, which drew 1.761 million and only marginally beat 2017’s season, which drew 1.4 million.
The finale ratings come after an entire season of significantly lower ratings, with the 2020 season dipping substantially lower than last year.
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Relying again on a cheating scandal, mismatched couples, fiery fights and plenty of tears, this season did not offer much different to previous seasons and perhaps that is why audiences did not gravitate towards it in the same way they have in the past.
After last season, petitions circulated the internet calling for the show to be cancelled, saying it was “morally unsound and should not be aired on Australian television”.
Ratings figures show while MAFS viewership was down 15.4 per cent overall this season and down 16.1 per cent in the show’s 25-54 target demographic.
But this year, even with a captive audience, MAFS ratings declined with the final week’s episodes hovering around the 1.3 million mark so far, about a 35 per cent decrease in viewership.
In comparison, news programs and in particular, Channel 7’s 6pm news, saw huge jumps as viewers sought updates about COVID-19 as opposed to trash TV.
The grand finale episode was scheduled to air on Wednesday but was moved to Sunday.
An industry expert noted the trend was interesting, saying it would suggest the public’s affinity with reality romance shows may be weakening, especially in the midst of a global crisis.
“It’s interesting that as TV audiences have grown off the back of COVID-19, to see that audiences aren’t flocking to reality relationship shows like they once did,” they said.
“What’s being seen is massive growth in the viewership of trusted news and information sources, particularly at 6pm, with 7 News being the leader.”
2020 CONTESTANTS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP STATUS
* Poppy Jennings and Luke Eglin – WAS OVE BEFORE IT BEGAN
* Cathy Evans and Josh Pihlak – DONE AND DUSTED
* Natasha Spencer and Mikey Pembroke – DEAD AS A DOORKNOB
* Amanda Micallef and Tash Herz – WAS NEVER GOING TO WORK
* Hayley Vernon and David Cannon – NO CHANCE
* Chris Nicholls and Vanessa Romito – SHE TRIED AND TRIED AND TRIED BUT NO GO
* Aleks Markovic and Ivan Sarakula – REPORTS SUGGEST THEY ARE STILL ON BUT IT’S OVER
* Connie Crayden and Jonethen Musulin – JUST FRIENDS
* Mishel Karen and Steve Burley – HARD NO
* Michael Goonan and Stacey Hampton – FOLLOWING TWO CHEATING SCANDALS, NO DEAL
* Lizzie Sobinoff and Seb Guilhaus – JURY IS STILL OUT, HOWEVER LOOK TO BE KEEPING THE ROMANCE ALIVE FOR THE PAPS
* KC Osborne and Drew Brauer- DONE AND DONE
MOST MEMORABLE MAFS CONTESTANTS
2015
Erin Bateman and Bryce Mohr met and wed in Melbourne on the show’s inaugural episode. They are one of the few couples currently still together.
Zoe Hendrix and Alex Garner were the show’s poster couple and got married after meeting on the program in 2015. They have a baby, Harper Rose, 3, however split in 2018.
2017
Davin Rankin was arguably one of the show’s most controversial contestants ever after having an alleged affair with another husband on the show. She has since settled down with Jaxon Manuel and he pair share a baby daughter, Mila-Mae.
2018
Polarising contestant Susie Bradley appeared on the 2018 season of the show and was paired with nice-guy Billy Vincent. She walked all over him, dumped him and has since shacked up with former NRL player Todd Carney.
2019
Martha Kalifatidis and boyfriend Michael Brunelli are still going strong with the pair recently moving to Sydney’s Bondi together from their hometown, Melbourne.
They’re tipped to be the next Cam and Jules.
Cyclone Cyrell Paule aka Martha’s arch nemesis had a whirlwind 2019. Shortly after MAFS finished airing, Cyrell started dating former Love Island Australia star Eden Dally, and two months into their relationship they learned they were expecting a child together.
JULES ROBINSON AND CAM MERCHANT
Married and expecting a baby, Cam and Jules are one of MAFS’ biggest success stories. They
tied the knot during a lavish ceremony in Sydney on November 17, which was aired on A Current Affair.
JESSIKA POWER
Jessika Power, aka on-screen husband stealer was paired with Mick Gould in 2019, but husband swapped and ended up with Dan Webb. However their romance was short-lived. Following a texting scandal with former NRL player Sam Burgess, Power has since found romance with a long-time friend.
“Coming off of the show I battled my fair share of toads and reality star wannabe’s that only wanted to date me to extend their spot in the limelight longer,” Power said.
“It was hard to date also because I was seen as the liar and the cheater, the girl who had broken the poor farmer guys heart.
“I’m now in the early stages of a new relationship with one of the most kind-hearted, down-to-earth men I’ve ever met.”
MELISSA LUCARELLI
Melissa Lucarelli was paired with eccentric single Dino Hira, however they called it quits during filming. She is yet to find love.
“I’m not dating anyone currently,” she told Sunday Confidential this week.
(Apart from the di*# pics I now get sent. The show hasn’t really affected my ability to date either way. Just still trying to find my person.”
MICK GOULD
It seems Mick Gould has a thing for reality TV stars. After being humiliated by Power,
The Gympie hobby farmer has been dating Kayla Gray, who was from Nick Cummins’ season of The Bachelor Australia.
2020
CHRIS NICHOLLS AND VANESSA ROMITO
These two called it quits midway through the experiment and it sounds like Nicholls is a tad scarred by the ordeal.
“I’m not dating anyone now either,” Nicholls said.
“The experiment has affected me in a way that makes me so cautions of what people tell you to your face and what people do behind closed doors. You think you know someone after spending day in and day out with them. Time is of the essence in everything in a relationship.”
TASH HERZ AND AMANDA MICALLEF
The show’s first lesbian couple weren’t able to make it work, however Herz has received a fairytale ending.
“Amanda and I left at the second commitment ceremony,” Herz told Sunday Confidential.
“I’m now dating Madison Hewitt. The show actually helped me in terms of finding romance, Madison was meant to be on the show and imagine if she had been! It would have been the fairytale lesbian love story Australia deserved.”
ALEKS MARKOVIC AND IVAN SARAKULA
Sources claim this couple remain together post-show, however we’re here to tell you it’s over. Markovic has since moved on with someone else.
“My relationship after the experiment lasted with Ivan until February where he decided to end things,” Markovic said.
“Our values and lifestyles didn’t match up so it was hard to keep the relationship going. I am talking to someone now and seeing where it goes.
“The show taught me so much about myself and what I truly and want and deserve in a partner. I really want kids and to settle down where as some men aren’t ready for that and want to party a little bit longer.”