Advertisement
There's something deliciously unhinged about signing up for a reality show, marrying a stranger, and airing your love life to millions…
…all because you're not quite over your ex.
And yet, if the whispers swirling around Married At First Sight star Brook Crompton are true, that may be exactly what we're witnessing.
For those catching up: model Brook is one of the brides on the new season of MAFS, filmed in late last year. She's paired with a bloke called Chris Nield, who looks like he's been pulled straight from MAFS central casting.
But here's the plot twist: last week it emerged she was pregnant - and Chris isn't the father. They split during filming ages ago. Instead, the baby's father is her ex-partner Harry, who she broke up with just weeks before running off to film MAFS.
Oh, and Brook and Harry are now engaged. All's well that ends well?
Advertisement
Since appearing on MAFS, Brook Crompton (pictured on the Gold Coast on February 10) has revealed she is pregnant and engaged to her pre‑show partner
Brook married Chris Nield on the show, but returned to the arms of her ex once filming wrapped
The roaring online speculation is that Brook's brief stint on MAFS was part of a grand scheme to make Harry see what he was missing.
And I guess seeing the woman you love literally marry another man on TV is the kind of shock that can jump‑start even the most stalled relationship.
Harry admitted as much, saying: 'Yeah, I came crawling back. I missed her a little too much.' Brook added: 'He had to put in the hard yards, because he broke up with me.'
But if this really was Brook's strategy all along, she's far from alone.
Advertisement
Reality TV history is littered with contestants who freely admit they never truly went on the show to find love - they wanted a reaction from someone watching at home, often an ex.
Whether it's pettiness or unfinished business, the small screen has become the ultimate stage for post‑break‑up theatrics.
It sounds dramatic. It sounds slightly dreadful. But it's also deeply human.
Gosh, I'll admit I've done some wild things to get the attention of an emotionally unavailable ex in my time (I didn't go as far as starring on a dating show, though).
Maura Higgins (pictured) famously got revenge on a cheating ex by appearing on Love Island
Olivia Attwood (pictured) also went on the show to show her ex Bradley Dack what he was missing. She later married him - although the couple split again very recently
Advertisement
'It sounds dramatic. It sounds petty. It sounds slightly dreadful. But it's also deeply human,' writes Daily Mail columnist Jana Hocking
But perhaps, at the end of the day, she doesn't even care.
