Yahoo Lifestyle 
MAFS 2025: Major change coming to show after shocking dinner party act
EXCLUSIVE: An insider reveals that two couples nearly had a physical fight the first dinner party, leading to some big potential changes.
MAFS 2025 is already looking to be one for the history books as filming for the new season has already hit a few snags - and not the yummy kind you find at Bunnings on a Sunday. From a former couple being "accidentally" paired at the altar to producers scrambling to find replacement cast members, it seems the relationship reality show is hitting some hurdles.
Speaking of hitting, a source tells Yahoo Lifestyle that Channel Nine is looking to introduce security at the MAFS dinner parties after the very first week saw "two couples stand up and almost have a physical altercation". The insider went on to say that some of the cast told production that they didn't feel safe and added, "It would have turned into 'fisticuffs' if they weren't separated."
Physical fight or sneaky ploy?
The source revealed that the altercation may have been part of a bigger plan on the participant's behalf suggesting it could have been a ploy for more screen time and that "the cast have already worked out the producer's secret tricks.”
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“Conflict at the dinner parties is not unusual but it has become the centre stage for storylines to pull focus for the season's biggest personalities," the source said. "The fact that it was week one and everyone had already locked horns was unusual for the Australian version of Married at First Sight.”
Our insider also explains that plenty of the 2025 cast have gotten advice from previous participants and "done their research."
2025 MAFS cast came prepared
“Last year Jayden Eynaud was coached by his brother, former MAFS contestant Mitch, on how to be a big player in the MAFS rink," the source told Yahoo Australia. "He knew way more than the others and he was positioning himself to be a major player in the group dinner parties. He was the instigator in a lot of the conversations and he did that to be noticed.”
A former MAFS contestant has confirmed that fighting for the spotlight is a very real concern when attending the dinner parties. “You know you are one of the main storylines if you are sitting in the main six - in the middle of the table," they said. "If you’re on the rails of that dinner table producers don’t really care for your story. It’s a fight to win these spots."
Former MAFS bride Tahnee Cook also previously confirmed this in her column for Yahoo Lifestyle writing, "If you take notice of who is placed in the middle of the table, you’ll get an idea of who will be at the centre of the drama that night. Ollie and I were never put in the middle, we always had seats at the end of the table which was great to stay out of the drama but annoying when we couldn’t hear what was going on."
Security guards may have to be present at dinner parties
Despite the participant's apparent desire for screen time - and willingness to do whatever is needed to get it - the source says: "No one was expecting the blow-up so early into the season and it shouldn’t be production responsibilities to pull people apart."
While the health and safety of the cast and crew are obviously incredibly important to Channel Nine and Endemol Shine, insiders also say that if they were to bring security guards in and have them shown on camera, it could be a bad look.
SHOP:
“It is all very Jerry Springer when the cast come prepared for drama and are willing to throw down," the source says. "It will no doubt upset viewers who will see this addition as promoting that kind of physical conflict.”
“One thing is for sure, there needs to be a solution in terms of how the dinner parties run," they said. "Especially if there is going to be more than wine being thrown.”
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