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Married At First Sight's most dramatic moments

With several sensational seasons under our belts, Aussie viewers have lapped up all the juicy scandals, hook-ups and bust-ups Married At First Sight has to offer.

Before we plunge headfirst into the reality show’s highly-anticipated eighth season — as well as the drama-packed ‘Grand Reunion’ two-part special — let’s take a trip down memory lane and relive some of the most outrageous moments from MAFS so far.

A screenshot of Married At First Sight contestant Ines Basic looking surprised in season six
MAFS star Ines Basic was 'married' to Bronson Norish - but later cheated on him with Sam Ball. Photo: Channel Nine.

Here comes the bride... and the groom and a whole lot of chaos!

Ines and Sam’s cheating scandal: Season 6

One of the most scandalous, well, scandals in MAFS recent history has to be Ines Basic and Sam Ball’s affair in the early episodes of season six.

Ines was ‘married’ to Bronson Norish but appeared to dislike him from the start, particularly his eyebrow piercing which she asked him to remove at the alter. Sam also didn’t seem keen on his ‘bride,’ Lizzie Sobinoff, who he said was ‘bigger’ than the women he usually dates on their wedding day.

Ines and Sam hooked up behind their respective partner’s backs but the pairing wasn’t to last, with Sam calling time on their relationship and branding Ines a ‘clinger’. For her part, Ines said something ‘felt off’ about Sam and that their split didn’t come as a surprise.

Ines copped a fair amount of backlash from viewers when the cheating scandal went to air, prompting Channel Nine to disable comments on all social media posts featuring Ines.

A screenshot of Married At First Sight contestants Ines Basic and Sam Ball in bed together in season six
Ines and Sam's affair stunned the nation. Photo: Channel Nine.

Jessika and Dan’s affair: Season 6

Another messy extra-marital affair that turned heads was between Jessika Power, who was paired with farmer Mick Gould, and Dan Webb who was paired with Tamara Joy.

When it became clear that things between Jessika and Mick weren’t working out, he voted to leave the show but Jessika was determined to stay — mostly to pursue her feelings for Dan.

They hooked up and in a stunning twist asked the show’s experts if they could remain in the experiment as a new couple, which was given the OK.

A screenshot of Married At First Sight contestant Jessika Power and Dan Webb on Talking Married in 2019
Jessika and Dan hooked up on the show, despite being married to other people. Photo: Channel Nine.

Their relationship continued after filming ended but it all came crumbling down during the reunion dinner when Dan discovered Jess’ earlier flirty proposition towards Cyrell Paule’s ‘husband,’ Nic Jovanovic.

Jess and Dan had a heated exchange on the spin-off show Talking Married the following night and they broke up soon after.

Lizzie’s big comeback: Season 7

After her ‘husband’ Sam Ball cheated on her with Ines Basic, Lizzie Sobinoff left the experiment empty-handed. She gave fans quite the shock when she signed on to give love another shot as an ‘intruder’ on the 2020 season.

Before her big return, Lizzie ditched her platinum locks for a fresh brunette ‘do and debuted a slimmed-down figure which sparked concern from some of her followers on social media.

Married At First Sight contestants Lizzie Sobinoff and Sam Ball on their wedding day in season six
MAFS couple Lizzie Sobinoff and Sam Ball on their wedding day. Photo: Channel Nine.

Lizzie joined season seven in episode eight and was paired with newcomer Seb Guilhaus, a personal trainer from Adelaide.

The couple hit it off and took their romance into real life after the show ended, but sadly split following their participation in the All-Stars special in December.

"We are both respectful of each other and are still involved in each other’s lives. We both have cherished each other and have grown together,” Lizzie wrote of her breakup with Seb on Instagram at the time.

Lizzie Sobinoff crosses her fingers in a promo for Married At First Sight 2020
Lizzie gave love a second chance on MAFS in 2020. Photo: Channel Nine.

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Dean and Davina’s affair: Season 5

Season five contestants Dean Wells and Davina Rankin caused a stir when they cheated on their partners, Tracey Jewel and Ryan Gallagher respectively.

Tradie Ryan didn’t do himself any favours on his honeymoon with Davina when he gagged and spat out an oyster during dinner. Things later got steamy between Davina and Dean who ended up sharing a kiss. Davina convinced Dean they should run off together only for him to backtrack at the last minute.

Dean Wells and Davina Rankin cuddle up on Married At First Sight 2018
Dean and Davina had a steamy encounter behind their respective partner's backs. Photo: Channel Nine.

When word of the affair got back to Tracey, Dean won her back over with a self-penned rap and the pair stayed together until the end of the season.

Tracey ended up finding love outside of the show with her high school sweetheart Nathan 'Nate' Constable. The pair are expecting their first child together, a sibling for Tracey’s daughter from a previous relationship.

Davina Rankin with her husband, Ryan Gallagher, on Married At First Sight 2018
Davina with her husband, Ryan Gallagher, earlier on in the experiment. Photo: Channel Nine.

Martha and Cyrell’s showdown: Season 6

‘Cyclone’ Cyrell lived up to her name when she confronted co-star Martha Kalifatidis about rumours that her ‘husband,’ Nic Jovanovic, had a flirtation with Jessika Power.

Martha initially quizzed Nic about his feelings for Jessika and when word got back to Cyrell she stormed into Martha’s room and let rip.

Martha Kalifatidis and Cyrell Paule have a heated argument on Married At First Sight 2019
Martha and Cyrell almost came to blows over rumours about Nic and Jessika. Photo: Channel Nine.

There were rumours that Cyrell’s husband Mick had something going on with Jessika Power, and Martha had confronted Mick about it - when Mick told Cyrell about it she flew off the handle and confronted Martha in her room

The feuding pair faced off again at the reunion dinner party when Martha infamously threw a glass of red wine at Cyrell, who returned fire with her own drink. The altercation got out of hand and several male co-stars had to step in and restrain Cyrell.

Cyrell Paule is held back by Mike Gunner and other male contestants during a heated argument on Married At First Sight 2019
Things got heated between Cyrell and Martha the series’ final reunion dinner party. Photo: Channel Nine.

Troy and his toothbrush: Season 5

On a funnier note was season five groom Troy Delmege whose enthusiasm for oral hygiene left viewers in stitches.

Footage of Troy vigorously brushing his teeth before his wedding to Ashley Irvin was so bizarre that it went viral and even ended up getting a mention on Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show.

Not wanting his extra 15 minutes of fame to go to waste, Troy made an appearance on Today Extra to discuss his cameo on The Ellen Show.

“I’m glad they can share those tooth brushing techniques with more people out there,” he said.

Troy Delmege brushed his teeth while looking in a bathroom mirror on Married At First Sight in 2018
Troy Delmege went viral for the bizarre way that he brushed his teeth. Photo: Channel Nine.

Hayley’s toothbrush terror: Season 7

From a funny toothbrush story to something altogether terrifying — those with a sensitive stomach have been warned!

Viewers collectively gagged when season seven star David Cannon used his TV wife Hayley Vernon’s toothbrush to clean the toilet after he learned of her affair with another contestant, Michael Goonan.

Hayley Vernon and David Cannon on Married At First Sight in 2020
Hayley and David in 'happier times'. Photo: Instagram/hayleyvernon_.

While the ‘repulsive’ move wasn’t captured by the MAFS camera crew, David made sure to film it on his phone and the footage ended up getting back to Hayley before long.

At the next dinner party, a visibly upset Hayley confronted her ‘husband’ who palmed off the incident as a ‘practical joke’.

David was widely slammed by fans, MAFS experts and his co-stars and later admitted he was ‘ashamed’ of his actions in a podcast.

Before the episode went to air, Hayley had described the toothbrush incident as “bordering on abuse” in a radio interview.

David filmed himself using his TV wife Hayley's toothbrush to clean the toilet. Photo: Channel Nine.
David filmed himself using his TV wife Hayley's toothbrush to clean the toilet. Photo: Channel Nine.

The Stacey-Mikey-Natasha love triangle: Season 7

If viewers thought earlier seasons were salacious they had another thing coming in 2020. Season seven was the setting for a large-scale wife-and-husband-swapping scenario that is as scandalous as it is confusing.

As mentioned with regard to that toothbrush toilet incident, Hayley Vernon and Michael Goonan hooked up while on a boozy night out without their respective partners, David Cannon and Stacey Hampton.

Married At First Sight bride and groom Natasha Spencer and Mikey Pembroke on their wedding day
MAFS bride and groom Natasha Spencer and Mikey Pembroke on their wedding day. Photo: Channel Nine.

Michael, however, denied Hayley’s claims that they kissed ‘numerous times’ throughout the evening but did admit that he was ‘really sloshed’.

His ‘wife’ Stacey said she was at home with her kids in Adelaide when she was sent a video of Michael pashing Hayley on a bed in a hotel room. She later confronted Hayley about it at a dinner party and, in a shock twist, reportedly got her own back by sleeping with co-star Mikey Pembroke.

Mikey told news.com.au the tryst happened after he and his own ‘wife,’ Natasha Spencer, called it quits, however, Stacey said it never happened at all.

A selfie of 2020 Married At First Sight contestant Stacey Hampton
Stacey, who was 'married' to Michael Goonan, denies hooking up with co-star Mikey Pembroke. Photo: Instagram/staceylhampton.

To set the record straight once and for all, Mikey agreed to take a polygraph or ‘lie detector’ test which, according to the operator, proved he was ‘being truthful’ about his fling with Stacey.

Despite this, Stacey continued to deny they’d ever had sex but it appears that the damage was done and she and Michael split up.

The drama wasn’t over quite yet, with Michael confirming in the season finale that he’d coupled up with ‘intruder’ KC Osbourne five weeks earlier.

In an interview with Yahoo Lifestyle, Stacey said, “Hopefully he can keep this girl longer than a month.”

When does Married At First Sight start?

Well, that depends on which MAFS show you’re talking about. An air date and cast details have yet to be announced for season eight, which was confirmed as going ahead at the end of 2020.

Just don’t expect to see any Victorian brides and grooms as it’s rumoured that producers refused to include anyone from the state due to the serious COVID outbreak at the time of filming back in August.

The ‘Grand Reunion’ special, however, will air two nights: 7pm Sunday, January 31 and 7.30pm Monday, February 1, on Channel Nine.

The Grand Reunion special will air over two nights. Photo: Channel Nine.
The Grand Reunion special will air over two nights. Photo: Channel Nine.

What is the MAFS ‘Grand Reunion’ all about?

Back in December, the network confirmed that filming for a two-part reunion special was underway, leaving fans champing at the bit to learn which familiar faces would be returning.

It was later confirmed that an explosive mix of contestants from the 2018 and 2019 seasons were on board, including Cyrell Paule and Jessika Power — who have a very heated run-in on the night — along with Ines Basic, Ryan Gallagher and Mike Gunner.

Dean Wells and Nasser Sultan — who reportedly also had a tiff with Cyrell during filming — along with the recently-split Lizzie Sobinoff and Seb Guilhaus are also set to appear.

And it’s not just the single stars making a comeback either with MAFS success stories Martha Kalifatidis and Michael Brunelli as well as new parents Jules and Cam and mum-to-be Tracey Jewel also heading back to where it all began.

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