Married At First Sight stars ‘struggling to pay their bills’ while on the show – after cast members refused to hand over their Instagram accounts

Cast members on the new season of Married At First Sight are struggling to pay their bills, according to a new report. 

The brides are grooms are paid just $1,178 per week, when accounting for a day rate and a food allowance, an alleged participant told Yahoo. 

‘Nothing could prepare me for what I had signed up for and while you do get sucked in by the glitz and glamour the remuneration is appalling,’ the source said. 

‘You get $150 a day plus a $128 food allowance for the week. 

‘All up you get $1,178. The way we are paid as ‘contributors’ and not as a proper job is how they can pay you so little.’ 

The insider felt that the pay was too little for what often amounted to 8-12 hour shooting days. 

Cast members on the new season of Married At First Sight are struggling to pay their bills, according to a new report. Pictured: Lauren Hall

The pay rate left some struggling to pay bills, Yahoo claimed, with many stars returning to their fulltime jobs after the show.   

It comes after news that several scorned participants of Married At First Sight 2025 are already causing drama before the first episode even airs.

Multiple cast members are refusing to hand over control of their Instagram accounts—a standard requirement for cast members during the airing of the show.

Daily Mail Australia can exclusively reveal that business owner Lauren Hall, 37, and Melbourne-based teacher Tim Gromie, 38, are at the centre of the controversy, with both defying Channel Nine’s expectations after their on-screen marriages ended in disaster.

A source close to Lauren revealed the corporate gifting entrepreneur has no interest in being a reality TV star or growing her social media following.

‘Lauren feels like she wasted her time on this experiment,’ the insider spilled.

‘She genuinely went on the show hoping to meet someone she wouldn’t come across in her usual circles, but she quickly realised the whole thing was a farce. 

‘She’s not about chasing clout like some of the others. And the experts? Don’t even get her started—they were just parroting whatever the producers fed them through an earpiece.’

The brides are grooms are paid just $1,178 per week, when accounting for a day rate and a food allowance, an alleged participant told Yahoo. Pictured: Jamie Marinos

‘Nothing could prepare me for what I had signed up for and while you do get sucked in by the glitz and glamour the remuneration is appalling,’ the source said. Pictured: Eliot Donovan

Lauren, who was paired with businessman Eliot Donovan, reportedly clashed with her husband almost immediately after tying the knot.

According to a production insider, Eliot ‘packed his bags and booked a flight home’ before the pair even got to their honeymoon suite.

‘Eliot was disrespectful from the moment he laid eyes on Lauren,’ the insider dished.

‘He didn’t give her a chance and made it clear he wanted out. By the next morning, it was like, ‘I’m done,’ and he walked away without so much as a second thought.’

The fallout was so bad that crew members were left scrambling during filming, with photos taken on August 6 showing staff shielding Lauren as she arrived solo at the first dinner party.

Meanwhile, school teacher Tim Gromie has also refused to hand over control of his account, reportedly wanting to sever all ties with the show.

‘Tim felt completely betrayed by the so-called ‘experts,’ a source close to the teacher revealed.

‘He poured his heart into the process, only to feel like the producers and experts set him up to fail.

‘He didn’t even show up for publicity day—Channel Nine had to Photoshop an old image of him for his official portrait!’

Adding fuel to the fire is 57-year-old mum-of-two Morena Farina, who is refusing to relinquish her professional DJ account.

With 3,390 followers, the wedding MC regularly uses the platform to promote her gigs and connect with clients.

Despite repeated warnings from producers and Channel Nine, Morena has been posting updates about her life, including a series of snaps of her spinning tracks from a recent appearance.