MAFS 2024: Everything you need to know about the new brides and grooms

The eleventh season of Married At First Sight is now just weeks away from premiering, and this year's offering looks set to be the social experiment's most explosive to date.

Sources tell Yahoo Lifestyle that while there's “non-stop drama from the very first episode”, there’s “just as much heart as there is hate” as genuine love actually blossoms amid the inevitable chaos.

Although initial reports suggested this season would see the reality show steer away from casting wannabe influencers, an insider tells us that bosses “reversed this” at the last minute.

“There’s a good balance of people who producers knew could already perform on camera and have experience doing so, and participants more focussed on finding love than followers,” the insider shares.

Meet the cast of MAFS 2024:

Eden Harper

Micro-influencer Eden, 28, is tipped to be one to watch this year. When she's not sharing her stunning selfies with her 12,000 followers on Instagram, the Gold Coast-based bride works in recruitment.

Eden's last relationship ended three years ago when she found out her partner was cheating on her with her best friend, which, unsurprisingly, has created deep trust issues.

A self-confessed daddy's girl and very independent, Eden is hoping to find someone ambitious, generous and loyal.

Tori Adams

Melbourne-based business development manager Tori, 27, is said to be someone “all female fans are going to love” from the very start of the season.

Tori describes herself as independent and a "bulldog" who "doesn't do compromise", and while she might not need a man, she's willing to make room for one in her life - as long as they're the perfect fit.

She's picky when it comes to finding a man and is looking for an "alpha male". The right guy for Tori would be someone masculine, fit, career-focused, tidy, emotionally intelligent and a good communicator. Tori also admits to being high maintenance and a bit of a control freak.

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Sara Mesa

With thousands of Instagram followers and a job as a nutritionist and fitness coach for her own business The Fit and Hungry Girls, Sydney-based Sara, 29, is already used to rolling in influential circles prior to her newfound fame.

Sara was born and raised in Columbia before moving to Canada as a young girl, but she's been living in Australia for the past eight years. Her perfect guy would be a light-haired "pretty boy" and not a "gym bro".

She has high expectations and has admitted she can dismiss potential partners if they don't live up to those expectations. The nutritionist also believes she might come off too strong and unintentionally offend people with her directness and honesty. Sara realises she might help to find the right man and hopes she can find "the one' on MAFS.

Cassandra Allen

Another bride who will be more than comfortable being on camera 24/7 is model and micro-influencer Cassandra, 30, who currently calls the Gold Coast home.

She is outgoing, bubbly and social, however, after the devastating loss of her first love, Cassandra has struggled to build a relationship with anyone else. Cassandra hopes to meet someone who is family-oriented and loving, and who is also keen to raise a "small football team" of kids together.

Ellie Dix

After 12 years working as a nurse in “many different specialities”, Gold Coast-based Ellie, 32, has found her passion focusing solely on cosmetic work.

Ellie is very open, friendly and close with her family, and hopes to start her own with a partner who wants the same. She was sadly left heartbroken when her former fiancé cheated on her several years ago, resulting in the cancellation of her wedding just one month before they were meant to marry.

She now needs constant reassurance in a relationship and has a tendency to bend over backwards for people, even if they don't deserve it.

Lucinda Light

Byron Bay marriage celebrant and MC Lucinda certainly knows what she wants. The 43-year-old bride shared in early promos that she hopes to be matched with a “big burly character” who is “so on point that we would be making love with existence”.

Lucinda is a fun, easygoing, free spirit and loves to get as much as she can from life, so she celebrates big, enjoys travelling, and loves meeting new people along the way.

Not only does she work as a marriage celebrant, she also runs a speed-dating company and while she has met some incredible people through her work, she has yet to meet her other half.

Lucinda is looking for someone open-minded, vulnerable, and keen to have a good time and explore the world together.

Andrea Thompson

She may be this year's oldest bride at 51, but Yahoo Lifestyle is told that Brisbane-based wedding photographer Andrea “can still hold her own” amongst the younger participants.

Andrea is a fan of MAFS and ended her last relationship after realising she was being gaslit by her partner, a term she learned while watching the show. She describes herself as being giving, optimistic, kind, respectful, accident-prone and forgetful – hence why she has a to-do list tattooed on her arm!

Lauren Dunn

If there's one name viewers won't be forgetting this year, it's Lauren Dunn. The Perth-based food blogger and PR consultant, 32, broke up with Essendon AFL player Ryan Crowley just a few months before filming started after more than five years together.

Lauren has a dry and cutting sense of humour and calls it as she sees it. She also describes herself as "a little bit crazy" in relationships. The foodie is looking for someone who can match her own level of sarcasm, wit and banter, as well as someone calm to balance her out. Lauren hopes her match will be tall, dark and handsome. Oh, and funny – the opposite of the "red flags" she usually attracts.

Natalie Parham

After spraining her ankle while walking down the aisle, 32-year-old Melbourne-based osteopath Natalie certainly gets off to a rocky start in the experiment. She loves cosplay, gaming, and her dog, MieMie.

Natalie is family-oriented and loyal, which can bring out her feisty side if she says anyone is being treated unfairly - even if it's herself. She also describes herself as open-minded, encouraging and nurturing and is hoping to find her "Player 2" in life.

Jade Pywell

When it comes to speaking out amongst the group, no one will command attention quite like Gold Coast-based model Jade Pywell. The South African mother-of-one, who currently has the most Instagram followers amongst the cast at 12,600, is set to be an intruder in the upcoming season.

Maddy Jevic

Following years of speculation that producers cast actors on the reality show, this year producers have actually done it. Former Home and Away star Maddy Jevic, who played Amber Simmons on the soap opera from July 2020 to May 2021, will appear as an intruder bride this season. She also competed on Millionaire Hot Seat last year but left the quiz show empty-handed.

Jayden Eynaud

Professional kickboxer Jayden, 26, from the Gold Coast is already quite well known in the reality TV world as he is the brother of season nine groom Mitch Eynaud. It was also recently revealed that Mitch enjoyed a brief fling with former participant Carolina Santos in January 2023, with the Brazilian-born reality star telling Punkee she thinks he applied for MAFS because he liked the “clout” that came with dating her.

Jayden insists he and Mitch are nothing alike and describes himself as focused, disciplined and obsessive. He's a workaholic and works as a pro boxer by day and security guard at night, and has little time for love. Jayden often finds himself being mistaken for a "bad F boy", but is also used to keeping people at an arm's length. He hopes he meets someone fit, ambitious, independent and able to break his emotional walls down.

Jack Dunkley

This year's drama is rumoured to heavily feature Gold Coast-based personal trainer Jack Dunkley, 34, who Yahoo Lifestyle first revealed in August had broken up with his ex-girlfriend shortly before filming began.

Jack describes himself as an "alpha male" who wants a partner to be submissive to him. He has a long list of attributes he hopes his future partner will have, including that they must be fit, glamorous, tanned, brunette, and have a nice smile.

He also says that he is overly affectionate and a romantic at heart, and loves putting his partners on a pedestal.

Tim Calwell

He’s conquered the business world, and now Gold Coast-based marketing guru Tim, 30, is hoping to achieve similar success in his marriage. He's your typical surfer boy and describes himself as friendly, laidback and easy to get along with.

Tim loves his family and is working hard to achieve his goal of building a school in Ethiopia, where his sister was adopted.

His last relationship ended when his girlfriend cheated on him, and sadly, he hasn't fully healed from that heartbreak. However, he's willing to try! He hopes his partner is feminine, funny, emotionally stable, and a great conversationalist.

Tristan Black

Sydney-based entertainment manager Tristan, 29, will be more than familiar to the people of Manly where he works at one of the beachside suburb's most popular locations, the Manly Wharf Hotel. While he describes himself as confident, funny and adventurous, Tristan often finds himself stuck in the friend zone and is hoping the experts can help him find someone caring and loving.

While his last relationship ended badly and has made dating a bit nerve-racking, Tristan is ready to try again. He also doesn't have much of a checklist for a potential partner, just that they love him – so sweet!

As he's accomplished in his career, Tristan is ready to focus on his new partner and be the person to hype them up every day.

Ben Walters

After spending his life up to now travelling around the world and visiting over 50 countries, Newcastle-based travel guide Ben, 39, is now hoping to settle down. According to So Dramatic!, Ben was in the running to appear on the recent season of The Bachelors before joining MAFS.

Ben was forced to change jobs during the Covid pandemic and is now working part-time in construction, but craves the adventure and excitement that he previously enjoyed while travelling the globe. He is extremely picky with his partners and admits to sometimes having unrealistic expectations, as well as having a fear of settling. Ben can also get bored easily, so no doubt it'll be tricky for the experts to find his perfect match.

Timothy Smith

We're told that one groom who will not be biting his tongue this season is Melbourne-based real estate agent Timothy. Photos obtained by Yahoo Lifestyle in September show the groom being followed by a cameraman and sound engineer as he walked out of filming.

Timothy describes himself as a bit of a Peter Pan, as well as being social and outgoing, but he doesn't let people in very easily. His last relationship ended six years ago and after the recent loss of his father, Timothy realised he is lonely and craves the love and support of a partner.

Timothy hopes to be matched with a genuine person who is fun and flexible, with the real estate agent ready to feel butterflies when he sees his bride walking down the aisle.

Richard Sauerman

Sydney-based motivational speaker Richard, who is the oldest groom to ever appear on the reality show at age 62, is said to be a “very big personality” this season.

Richard is charismatic, self-assured and loud, but he's found trouble finding love on dating apps.

He ended his marriage to his wife of 27 years when it lost its spark and has since dated a woman 27 years his junior, but the relationship ended because she wanted children. Richard has three children and doesn't want more, so this is a huge dealbreaker for him.

Richard hopes to meet someone with a zest for life and someone he has undeniable chemistry with.

Jonathan 'Jono' McCullough

After working in finance for over a decade, Brisbane-based groom Jono, 39, gave up his business of 15 years following the breakdown of his last relationship. Since then he decided to sell everything he owned and travelled the world for 15 months, living on remote islands for weeks at a time and even hunting for his own food to survive – clearly, he's an adventurer and risk taker!

Jono believes he's still single because he's unlucky in love and he made poor choices throughout his 30s. He hopes to meet someone who is similarly motivated and put together, and someone he can start a family with.

Collins Christian

Collins, who was raised in Perth and currently lives in Sydney, recently appeared in an advertisement for hair loss treatment business Ashley & Martin. The 28-year-old works as an executive assistant by day and hosts trivia events by night.

Collins describes himself as quirky, a chatterbox and a bit awkward. He is always put in the friend zone and has never actually been in a relationship. Collins sees himself as a kind and respectful person and hopes to finally get himself out of the friend zone and meet his perfect match.

Michael Felix

This year's season of MAFS will also feature its first same-sex couple in four years, with openly gay groom Michael set to walk down the aisle. Michael was raised in Ohio and currently lives in Melbourne where he recently finished working as a Tesla sales advisor for the past three years.

Michael isn't afraid to stand up for what he believes in and will do anything for those that he loves. In relationships, Michael struggles to let his walls down and has been single for five years. He also hates the dating scene and is keen to find the right person to settle down with and start a family.

He hopes to meet someone who is tall, dark and handsome and matches his confidence and family values.

Simon Flacco

Simon is Michael's original partner on the show, however, it's reported that he quits after filming his backstory and attending the Bucks' Party. The 39-year-old didn't stay long enough to take part in the promotional shoot, which is why his photo looks different to his co-stars.

Simon was married to a woman, but before his 30th birthday, he realised he couldn't lie to himself and his loved ones anymore and came out.

He still has a great relationship with his ex and they co-parent their teenage son. Since their split, Simon has found himself in a seven-year 'situationship' that never became anything more. He hopes to find a relationship like his previous marriage but with a man this time.

Though, sadly, we know how this works out!

Stephen Stewart

After Simon quits the show, Stephen Stewart is set to enter the experiment as Michael's new match.

Ridge Barredo

After previously appearing on First Dates, professional weightlifter Ridge is already used to being in the spotlight – especially after competing at the Commonwealth Games in both 2018 on the Gold Coast and 2022 in Birmingham. He is set to enter as an intruder this season.

Ash Galati

Rounding out the cast is Melbourne-based pest control worker and former builder Ash, who is set to enter the experiment as an intruder.

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