Married At First Sight 2022: Simon Blackburn axed before first episode
The new season of Married At First Sight is yet to air but there is already drama behind the scenes with one contestant reportedly axed over social media posts.
Confidential
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The new season of Married At First Sight is yet to air but already there is drama behind the scenes.
Confidential hears there have been growing concerns about “deliberate mismatching” among contestants after explosive feuds between multiple brides and grooms during filming.
“There were tears and tantrums throughout filming and the producers certainly weren’t complaining,” one insider said.
In the past, questions have been raised about the show’s relationship experts and how much input they really have during the process of matching couples.
The latest season has been touted as the “wildest” yet and is said to be “bigger than ever”.
It comes after broadcaster Channel 9 reportedly removed one groom from the show after the bride who he was matched with allegedly began to feel “uncomfortable” during their honeymoon.
Melbourne FIFO worker Simon Blackburn has been axed from the upcoming season after complaints on social media about alleged offensive comments made off the show.
Blackburn told Confidential that controversial videos he posted on social media two years ago about the LGBTQ community are not an accurate representation of his views.
He also claimed producers approached him to be on the show after seeing the controversial videos in which he appeared to make sexist and homophobic comments.
“So what happened was MAFS contacted me to be on the show once they had seen videos that I made,” he said.
“I was doing a live video and people kept asking me, ‘Would you ever be with a man?” And I lost it. I had nothing against the LGBT community but everyone made out that I did.”
The father-of-two had also previously made comments claiming women belong in the kitchen which sparked outrage on social media.
Blackburn was paired with Melbourne florist Jessica Seracino, who he claimed was a “nightmare”.
“She completely lost it and should never have been on the show,” he said.
Now in its 9th season, the show appears to be making an effort to protect the welfare of contestants after coming under scrutiny following an investigation by The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) last year.
“We sincerely apologise for any concern or distress which may have been raised by your viewing of the program, as that was certainly not Nine’s intention,” Channel 9 stated at the time.
“Nine takes seriously the concerns raised by its viewers and makes every effort to ensure that the material it presents is consistent with community standards and complies with Nine’s regulatory obligations.”
In a recent Instagram post, the official MAFS page wrote: “ … Negative, offensive or personal comments against participants, experts or fellow MAFS viewers will not be tolerated.”
While the show was once known for casting girl-next-door type contestants, this season has seen a shift towards more extroverted characters with large social media followings.
NSW makeup artist and former aspiring actor Domenica Calarco is among this year’s brides and is no stranger to the spotlight following TV appearances on Studio 10.
The outspoken “pocket rocket” will join Instagram models Tamara Djordjevic and Samantha Moitzi among others.
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