MAFS 2025 cast are the 'most fame hungry in the history of the show'

This year’s MAFS cast has been branded the "most fame hungry in the history of the show". Many of the brides and grooms started capitalising off their rise to infamy long before it even hit our TV screens and the public had any idea who they were.

Yahoo Lifestyle can reveal that during production, cast members were attending gifting events where they’d be given free clothes to wear on camera, they reached out to local hair and makeup artists to glam them up for free before dinner parties, and some even started reaching out to influencer management companies before filming their weddings.

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On September 13, Lauren and Clint settled into the experiment by attending a gifting event at sportswear brand Stax, which some media insiders have laughed has become the show’s “unofficial sponsor” after they managed to give so many pieces to the participants to wear during filming.

On another occasion, 53-year-old groom Tony Mojanovski was seen collecting a car full of suits to wear on camera.

A show source also added that producers would laugh at how many participants did a daily “pap walk” – where they’d dress up simply to walk to their local Woolworths in the hope a roaming paparazzi outside would snap a picture.

Now the show is airing and the cast has become known, Yahoo Lifestyle understands that some participants have been busted reaching out to restaurants and venues asking for free food and drink in exchange for “media articles if they bring a pap”.

Why reality shows like MAFS are no longer creating 'overnight celebrities'

While shows like Married At First Sight, The Block and The Bachelor used to create overnight celebrities with huge followings online, this opportunity is almost non-existent in recent years as participants are required to hand over their social media accounts while the show airs.

“Fans of reality TV may not know that when they interact with their favourite participants online, their messages are being viewed by a third party,” an industry executive told Yahoo Lifestyle last year. “More than 70 per cent of current shows require that you hand over your passwords before, during and after the shows are screened.”

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Reality stars across a variety of shows have shared their frustration over the social media ban with Yahoo Lifestyle. One MAFS participant admitted in 2024 they “would’ve never signed up to the series” if they knew how strict the contracts were in terms of making money off the show.

“It has been a nightmare and the access you give to a complete stranger feels like a massive invasion of privacy,” a former competitor on The Block adds.

A contestant on last year's season of Farmer Wants A Wife said they considered pursuing an influencer career after the show but it was "too late" once they regained full control of their social media accounts.

“I had so many messages about collaborations/sponsorships in my inbox when I was allowed access to my Instagram but by the time I was in the driver’s seat those opportunities had dried up,” they revealed.

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