MAFS: Former contestant Sean Thomsen unleashes on Mel Schilling

A former Married At First Sight contestant has ripped into the show’s expert Mel Schilling and revealed what really goes on behind the scenes.

A former Married At First Sight contestant has publicly slammed “relationship expert” Mel Schilling, as a petition calling for her axing surpasses more than 50,000 signatures.

Sean Thomsen appeared in last year’s season of the show and was matched in an ill-fated “marriage” with Blair Rachael before dumping her and re-emerging for the finale with fellow contestant Tracey Jewel. The couple broke up just a couple of months later.

Sean and Tracey’s romance was short-lived.

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In a lengthy new Instagram video, the 35-year-old fly-in-fly-out worker unleashed on the show’s producers and “experts”, claiming the public backlash was a long time coming.

“It makes me realise I’m not going insane,” Sean said. “Like, the last year — especially during the filming process — I was just kind of losing my mind. It was completely insane and one-sided and not fair.

“I know deep down … I’m a good person that I’m a good person and I couldn’t believe the way they were trying to portray me.”

He went on to describe his own experience with Ms Schilling on the show, claiming that she totally “ignored” him.

“Hopefully the petition gets 50,000 (signatures) and they kick Mel out. Everyone goes, ‘Oh, Mel’s awesome’ — well, she wasn’t awesome to me. (She) ignored me the whole time because I didn’t fit in that category.”

Sean added that he’d like to see the whole show pulled off air.

“So f***ing kick her out, I don’t give a f**k. Get rid of her, cancel the show. It’s a f***ing load of s**t, so I’m pretty happy it’s gone the way it’s gone (with the petition).”

Sean also posted this message in support of the petition on his Instagram story.

Annoyed viewers first took to social media to complain about Ms Schilling reprimanding Bronson Norrish for calling Ines Basic a “c**t” during Sunday night’s episode.

“When you use language like that in relation to a woman, how do you expect her to respond to you? A tip from me to you: Don’t use language like that if you want any chance of a relationship,” Ms Schilling told Bronson.

Mel Schilling has been at the centre of heavy backlash this week.

While Bronson found himself in hot water over his comments Ines did not, despite berating her “husband” throughout their wedding and honeymoon.

On Monday, a Change.org petition was created calling for Ms Schilling to be sacked over her “double standards”. As of Wednesday, it had attracted more than 53,000 signatures.

MAFS viewers on Facebook have also made similar claims that they are being blocked on the network’s social media channels for criticising Ms Schilling.

In response to the backlash, Ms Schilling told 9 Honey she was “gender blind” when she gave advice to MAFS contestants.

“Abusive or harmful behaviour is something I’m going to call out whether it’s men or women doing it,” she said.

Ines and Bronson’s “marriage” is toxic.

Ms Schilling also said as an expert she was “not privy” to everything that happened between the couples.

Meanwhile, Nine executive producer John Walsh said he was “shocked at the backlash Mel has received for defending another woman”.

“There were 12 women in the room that night and a man used language that was highly insulting and inflammatory in reference to his wife,” he said in a statement to 9 Honey.

“Mel acted in the only way appropriate by calling out the language — language that is not ever considered acceptable anywhere, anytime.”