Married At First Sight is set to return for its twelfth season on Monday.
And while the show has created a few lasting love stories, many viewers remain sceptical of the relationship experts’ matchmaking abilities.
Since its Australian debut in 2015, 82 couples have tied the knot on the hit reality show.
However, only seven couples have gone the distance, equating to a success rate of just 8.5%.
Statistics highlight the show’s track record, with most marriages failing to last longer than a few months.
Despite this, relationship expert John Aiken and executive producers John Walsh and Alex Spurway have pushed back on claims that couples are intentionally mismatched for drama.
Since its Australian debut in 2015, 82 couples have tied the knot on the hit reality show. However, only seven couples have gone the distance. Pictured L-R: MAFS relationship experts Alessandra Rampolla, John Aiken and Mel Schilling
Statistics highlight the show’s track record, with most marriages failing to last longer than a few months. (Pictured: Rhi Disljenkovic and Jeff Gobbels)
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Walsh firmly denied accusations of orchestrating mismatched pairings for entertainment, stating: ‘No we don’t mismatch anybody, our fingerprints are all over the couples. We know why they’re together.
‘And there’s a lot of ingredients that go to compatibility. But, then once we press play on the experiment, we sit back like everybody else and watch how they connect.’
Relationship expert John Aiken echoed Walsh’s sentiment, explaining that the unpredictable nature of human relationships makes the experiment compelling viewing.
‘When they go in, we are confident and we are hopeful with all of them. But what makes it so compelling is that it’s very unpredictable,’ he said.
Viewers, however, have been vocal about their frustration with the show’s track record, questioning whether the experts prioritise drama over genuine love connections.
Over the course of 11 seasons, only seven couples have remained together, and of those, just three are legally married.
Notable success stories include Cam Merchant and Jules Robinson from season six, who are married with a son, and Bryce Ruthven and Melissa Rawson from Season eight, who share twin boys.
Producer Alex Spurway also rejected suggestions that mismatching couples is part of the show’s formula, calling such claims ‘lazy’ and ‘unoriginal.’
Despite this executive producers John Walsh (pictured) and Alex Spurway have pushed back on claims that couples are intentionally mismatched for drama
John Aiken echoed Walsh’s sentiment, explaining that the unpredictable nature of human relationships makes the experiment compelling viewing
‘If we were intentionally to mismatch, it’s incredibly lazy, I think. It’s unoriginal. And also, our MAFS audience, they just see straight through that. They’re incredibly smart; they’ve watched it for nine series,’ he said.
‘For it to be a successful experiment, we need couples at the end to be together, and we hope that they will then go outside of the experiment and succeed.’
Despite its low success rate, the Channel Nine dating show remains one of Australia’s most-watched reality TV shows, with its mix of drama, heartbreak and occasional romance keeping fans glued to their screens.
From surprise engagements to growing families, here’s a look at the show’s most successful relationships — and the secrets to their lasting love.
Erin Bateman and Bryce Mohr, Season Two
The show’s longest-lasting couple met during the 2016 season and despite a brief breakup in 2017, have been inseparable ever since.
Erin credits their success to staying out of the public eye.
‘I’m sure it infuriates a lot of people that they’re not kept in the loop because the nature of reality TV is you then go on to flaunt your whole life on social media,’ she told The D&M podcast.
She added: ‘I don’t think it’s normal. I know personally people who portray their relationship on social media as this fairy tale, who are some of the most miserable people I’ve ever met.’
Erin also revealed that the couple’s relationship is built on authenticity.
‘The Bryce I got the day that I met him is the Bryce I have today. He hasn’t changed at all.’
Erin Bateman and Bryce Mohr (Season Two): The show’s longest-lasting couple met during the 2016 season and despite a brief breakup in 2017 have been inseparable ever since
Cam Merchant and Jules Robinson (Season Six): Cam and Jules became MAFS’ golden couple in 2019, with their relationship culminating in a real-life proposal at their final vows
Cam Merchant and Jules Robinson, Season Six
Cam and Jules became MAFS’ golden couple in 2019, with their relationship culminating in a real-life proposal at their final vows.
While Cam admitted Jules wasn’t his ‘type’ initially, their bond quickly grew.
‘Once we met and sort of locked eyes, there was this comfortable warmness that came over, and all the judgement went out the window,’ Cam shared on The Babble podcast.
The couple married in November 2019 and welcomed their son, Oliver Chase, in October 2020.
Martha Kalifatidis and Michael Brunelli, Season Six
Martha and Michael have remained one of MAFS’ strongest couples, using their shared family values to build a solid foundation.
‘I can definitely imagine my future with Michael,’ Martha told TV WEEK.
The pair announced their engagement in 2021 and welcomed their first child, Lucius Brunelli, in February 2023.
Martha Kalifatidis and Michael Brunelli (Season Six): Martha and Michael have remained one of MAFS’ strongest couples, using their shared family values to build a solid foundation
Bryce Ruthven and Melissa Rawson (Season Eight): Though controversial during the show, Bryce and Melissa proved their critics wrong by building a happy life together
Bryce Ruthven and Melissa Rawson, Season Eight
Though controversial during the show, Bryce and Melissa proved their critics wrong by building a happy life together.
Their journey wasn’t without challenges, including cheating rumours and Bryce ranking Melissa as the ‘fourth most attractive bride.’ However, they declared their love for each other and went on to start a family.
In July 2021, the couple announced their engagement and the news that they were expecting twins. Levi and Tate were born prematurely in October 2021, and the family now lives in Melbourne.
Kerry Knight and Johnny Balbuziente, Season Eight
Joining the experiment as intruders, Kerry and Johnny connected immediately and had one of the smoothest journeys on the show.
After the show, Kerry relocated to Brisbane to be closer to Johnny, and the couple got engaged in July 2022. They tied the knot in January 2023 in a romantic ceremony attended by MAFS alumni Jules and Cam.
‘The amount of love we’ve received from the public has been absolutely amazing,’ Johnny told WHO.
Kerry Knight and Johnny Balbuziente (Season Eight): Joining the experiment as intruders, Kerry and Johnny connected immediately and had one of the smoothest journeys on the show
Evelyn Ellis and Duncan James (Season 10): One of the most surprising pairings, Evelyn and Duncan were originally paired with other participants but found their way to each other after the experiment ended
Evelyn Ellis and Duncan James, Season Ten
One of the most surprising pairings, Evelyn and Duncan were originally paired with other participants but found their way to each other after the experiment ended.
Their connection blossomed following a ‘couple swap’ episode, leading to months of speculation before confirming their relationship with 9Honey.
‘Some of the warm fuzzy feelings happened in the stomach and I thought ‘what is this?’ Duncan revealed.
Evelyn humorously reflected on Instagram, ‘Sometimes I come into a conscious state and it really makes me giggle how life works… Did I really sign up for an EXPERIMENT and walk out with this guy?’
With their love story still unfolding, fans are eager to see where life takes them.
