MAFS 2018: Channel 9 bosses have final say on cast

CONTROVERSIAL contestants on dating show Married at First Sight are going rogue — flouting producer’s rules in a desperate quest for fame.

CHANNEL 9 bosses have revealed they — not relationship experts — have the final say on who is picked for hit dating show Married at First Sight.

It comes as this year’s controversial contestants go rogue — flouting producer’s rules in a desperate quest for fame.

Insiders said some had even been caught tipping off paparazzi in the hope of getting their photographs in national women’s and gossip magazines.

MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT: DEAN SPOTTED WITH MYSTERY WOMAN

MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT 2018 RECAP, EPISODE 23

MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT: DEAN TIRADE OVER VILE BOYS’ NIGHT.

Channel 9 head of content Adrian Swift acknowledged network bosses — not just relationship experts John Aiken, Dr Trisha Stratford and Mel Schilling — had a hand in controversial casting choices such as Davina and Dean.

Contestants Davina.

Contestant Tracey.

“We (Nine) do have a say about who is in the final mix,” he said.

“We go on the casting tour and we meet people (prospective contestants). The psychs (Aiken, Stratford, Schilling) don’t come on the casting tour with us.

“I’m not going to be disingenuous and say we pick them purely on whether they’re going to be a great match.

“I’m never going to sit and go, ‘It is just the best matches we can find’. Often times we’ll say — particularly when we pick the first person before we match them — ‘They will be interesting television’.”

Channel 9 has dismissed claims Davina, paired with Ryan, and Dean, paired with Tracey, were paid money to have their controversial affair. But Mr Swift didn’t shy away from the fact that Davina’s past as a bikini model and her 250,000 Instagram followers boosted her chances of being on the show.

Married at First Sight’s Davina and Dean embracing.

“The reason we picked Davina in the first place (was that) we knew she looked good and was great talent,” he said.

“We actually worried about Davina (because) we don’t like casting people who just want to be on the telly. But I remember watching her audition interview … and she is all full of confidence and she looks great and committed to who and how she is and then she starts talking about her dating history and she quietly starts to lose it and says, ‘I’ve got it wrong so many times’.”

Badboy Dean initially wasn’t selected for the show.

“He was actually our second or even third-round pick,’’ Mr Swift said.

Married at First Sight couple Dean and Tracey. Picture: Tim Hunter

“We picked Dean because we had already picked Tracey — we really liked her — but we couldn’t find anyone for her. We went back and picked Dean. The psychs said it would be a great match.

“We never say to anyone, ‘Have an affair’ or do anything like that. Someone said to me the other day, ‘You picked her (Davina) to have an affair, didn’t you’. Absolutely not. We didn’t think that would happen. We couldn’t stop it.

“We weren’t out there shock casting. The fact that they match is still the overarching principle — and it has to be otherwise you don’t have a show.

“Basically we’ve got to have single people looking for love who we put into a big casting net. We’re a lot less brilliant and Machiavellian than people give us credit for.”

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