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MAFS experts break protocol during commitment ceremony
Sunday night's episode was packed with emotion.
Season 10 of MAFS has already proven to be one of the most dramatic seasons yet, with a cheating scandal emerging early on, fights between contestants, and “disgusting” behaviour from some of the grooms. In tonight’s explosive episode, the MAFS experts broke protocol for the first time ever.
Two couples went into the commitment ceremony with their ‘marriages’ on the rocks, with Caitlin McConville furious with ‘husband’ Shannon Adams after his hurtful comments, and Josh White despondent after having his ‘manhood’ questioned by ‘wife’ Melissa Sheppard.
Viewers’ hearts broke for Josh when the couple appeared on the couch with the experts. The single father of two admitted that he wasn’t happy with the relationship and was struggling with Melissa’s alleged demands.
After Melissa told the experts that she was the “Alpha” in the relationship, Josh passionately defended himself.
“I cannot sit here and take this. It is untrue. And I will now speak my truth and talk about something that I actually think is at the heart of the issue,” he told the experts.
“There is a significant issue in this relationship about control. In this relationship, Melissa has attempted to restrict my access to the TV, she’s attempted to restrict my access to my mobile phone, she’s trying to place limitations on the times I can read my books, she’s trying to tell me when I can go out, where I can go out, who I talk to, when I talk to them,” Josh claimed.
“She has used degrading and dehumanising language to me, questioning my manhood. And can I say, that if I was a woman saying these things, the group would feel very differently about this.”
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The other participants looked shocked, and Duncan James let Melissa know that her view of a ‘manly man’ was outdated and archaic.
“I reckon one of the most frustrating things is when someone says, ‘You’re not a man’. What is a man? A man is someone who can really talk about their emotions and get deep and be vulnerable, that’s a man,” Duncan said, with the rest of the group agreeing.
After Melissa told the experts that the couple’s intimacy had become ‘just sex’ and ‘transactional’, Josh visibly shut down in shock, telling John Aiken that he was “broken”.
When it came to deciding if the couple wanted to stay or leave, Josh chose to leave while Melissa wanted to stay. The Married At First Sight rules state that if one person wants to stay, the pair have to spend another week in the experiment.
However, the experts could see the mental toll that was being placed on Josh in the toxic relationship and allowed him to quit the experiment.
SHOP:
“Josh, we can see clearly that you’re pretty broken right now. Considering what we’ve seen tonight and what we’ve heard, I’m going to do something that we’ve never done before,” John told him.
“We’ve been around long enough to know that there is no coming back for you in this experiment…right now, it’s up to you, Josh.”
Once Josh had made the decision to leave, he instantly looked lighter and happier, knowing that his relationship was finally over.
Caitlin makes a courageous decision
The experts also gave Caitlin the same option to leave when she explained what her ‘husband’ Shannon had put her through.
After he dropped the bombshell that he was still in love with his ex last week, he then took aim at Caitlin's looks in a disgusting tirade.
“I think the most hurtful thing for me was [when] he said if there was someone who walked down that aisle that wowed him, he would have cut it off with his ex then and there,” she told the experts.
“To me, I would never treat another human being like that, not a stranger, not a friend, which is why I did ask for a separate room,” Caitlin admitted.
The experts blasted Shannon, saying that his behaviour was “really disgusting”. While all his behaviour has pointed towards him deciding to leave the experiment, he stunned Caitlin when he chose to stay, offering a half-hearted apology to his ‘wife’.
Caitlin explained why she was deciding to leave the experiment in an emotional speech.
“I deserve to be respected. I deserve to feel wanted, I deserve to be treated like a human being. You don’t deserve me. I came in here really hoping to meet someone who I could love and who would love me,” she told her ‘husband’, before starting to cry.
“For me, I wanted someone to be proud of being with me, I wanted to appreciate me.
“This here, this isn’t what I wanted. And if I’m being honest, if I could do it all over again with someone else I would. Because I deserve that chance, but this man does not deserve me.”
After the couple left the couch, Caitlin was surrounded by the other ‘brides’ who hugged her while she sobbed.
“You are a queen, and we are so proud of you,” Claire Nomarhas declared.
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