MAFS experts open up about ‘regret’ over past couples: ‘Unpredictable’

Throughout eight seasons of Married At First Sight there have been quite a few memorable couples, whether it’s because they found true love in the experiment or completely fell apart.

Fans of the reality show would remember Hayley Vernon and David Cannon’s explosive pairing in 2020 when they were forced to leave due to the toxic nature of their relationship, or Jules Robinson and Cam Merchant in season six who hit it off from the start and are now married with a child.

Ahead of this year’s premiere, experts Mel Schilling, Alessandra Rampolla and John Aiken spoke with Yahoo Lifestyle about past seasons of the show and whether they have ever regretted putting two people together.

“I guess that's part of the unpredictable nature of the experiment,” Mel said.

“There are times where we have such high hopes for a couple and then we just watch them breakdown before our very eyes, and vice versa where we might have had real doubts about a pairing and they just rise to the occasion.”

RELATED:

• MAFS experts tease a ‘problematic group dynamic’ in season nine

• MAFS 2022: All the brides and grooms taking part in the show

• MAFS: The most controversial moments from the show over the years

The confidence coach went on to explain that because the participants experience a sense of pressure during filming that’s unlike anything in real life, the experts often can’t predict how they will behave.

“So yes, we do, and it's not regret so much because we do the best we can with the information we have, but I guess it's just greater insight as we start to watch the way this relationship blossoms or doesn’t,” she added.

Speaking about the actual matchmaking process, Alessandra said that it always comes down to a consensus between the three experts.

“It’s not just John saying ‘I think these people are perfect’ and Mel saying ‘This is it’. If it were just up to me then I would be super behind [the matches], but sometimes I'm not completely convinced,” she admitted.

“But then I see other things that perhaps John or Mel call to my attention that they feel are important and there's a balance. And I think we do a really good job of listening to each other and then trying to find a consensus taking everything into consideration.

“And then even doing all of that and with all of our expertise and all of the experience, it’s an experiment and there's no formula, it does not exist in the world.”

Time will tell if any of this year’s couples last the distance, with season nine premiering Monday January 31 at 7.30pm on Channel 9.

Never miss a thing. Sign up to Yahoo Lifestyle’s daily newsletter.

Or if you have a story idea, email us at lifestyle.tips@yahooinc.com.