Yahoo Lifestyle 
MAFS 2025 introduces never-before-seen twist after six cast members quit
EXCLUSIVE: The upcoming twelfth season has been thrown into chaos with a familiar face returning to the experiment.
From toothbrush scandals, smashed wine glasses, plenty of affairs and the odd love story or two, viewers have seen it all on Married At First Sight. While you might think there’s nowhere else for the popular reality series to go, the upcoming twelfth season is set to feature a never-before-seen twist.
In case you missed it, it was reported last month that six cast members had quit the show within the first two weeks of filming. Eliot Donovan was the first participant to leave after being “unimpressed” with his bride Lauren Hall and flew home to Brisbane just a few days after their wedding.
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It’s since been revealed that Lauren has re-entered the experiment as an intruder alongside a brand new groom, professional golfer Clint Rice. The pair tied the knot in Sydney last Friday and attended their first dinner party together on Monday night, leaving the cast gobsmacked by Lauren’s return.
This comes after Yahoo Lifestyle revealed that the casting team behind the social experiment were frantically searching for a replacement groom on Instagram, which is now understood to have been for Lauren.
But wait, there's more
If you’re a longtime MAFS fan then you might remember a very similar storyline back in season four. During that season, Andrew Jones and Cheryl Maitland re-entered the experiment as intruders after their initial relationships ended during the first two weeks of filming.
The big difference between that storyline and this recent incident is that Lauren’s original match is also set to re-enter the experiment, with a production insider telling Yahoo Lifestyle that Eliot made a surprise appearance at Monday night’s dinner party,
“The cast were shocked to see Lauren had been matched with a new man, but they were even more surprised when Eliot walked in by himself,” the source tells us.
“There’s a lot of confusion surrounding Eliot’s re-appearance. Has he changed his mind and wants Lauren back? Will there be a love triangle between Eliot, Lauren and Clint? Or will he try and hook up with someone else? This might be the first time there’s a groom in the experiment without a partner.”
Why did Eliot return to the experiment?
An insider told Daily Mail Australia that the show’s cast and crew were “in a state of disbelief” when Eliot arrived at the dinner party and “everyone has no clear [idea] what the f**k is going on”.
“Lauren and Clint had just started to get comfortable with each other when Eliot showed up out of the blue. The look on Lauren's face was priceless - she was completely gobsmacked. And Clint? He was not impressed at all,” a source told the publication. “Clint let him absolutely have it.”
The insider added that Eliot has no intention of getting back together with Lauren and instead wants to “clear his name” as he believes he was “misunderstood”.
“He's back to clear his name but isn't apologetic about his behaviour. Him and Lauren were a complete mismatch, and hasn't changed his mind about wanting out of their romance,” they continued. “Eliot's comeback has put everyone on edge, especially Lauren.”
MAFS experts spill on major 'shock'
This comes after MAFS’ relationship experts John Aiken and Alessandra Rampolla told Yahoo Lifestyle that the major theme for season 12 will be “shock and awe” as fans will be surprised by the storylines that unfold.
“You're gonna see some things very early that you've never seen before,” John shared. “I've done 12 seasons - this is the twelfth season now - and a couple of things happen that I've never witnessed.”
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“That part never ceases to amaze me, how every single year we can have different storylines that have not happened before,” Alessandra added. “And there's quite a few of those this year!”
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