MAFS 2025 hasn't even started yet but the drama definitely has.

In life, three things are certain: death, taxes, and the return of Married At First Sight Australia.

The reality TV juggernaut has been running for 11 seasons. And with each passing year, it only seems to grow in popularity. Now that the US and UK audiences have caught on to the glorious nature of Australian MAFS, there's simply no stopping it. 

The Channel Nine series will return in 2025, with a new batch of hopeful singles looking to "find love" with a total stranger. 

And it's been reported that the show is off to an unhinged start, with behind-the-scenes drama reigning supreme during filming.

Yahoo Lifestyle has reported that a whopping six contestants walk out of MAFS... within the first week of filming.

According to the publication, two couples quit during the very first commitment ceremony, while one groom walked out on his bride before they even made it to their honeymoon.

The Daily Mail have reported that Eliot Donovan was the first contestant to quit, because he was "unimpressed" with his bride, Lauren Hall. Big yikes! Poor Lauren.

"Eliot was anything but impressed when he met Lauren. From that moment, it was downhill," a source reportedly told them.

"By the next morning, Eliot wanted out — no second thoughts, no hesitation. Everyone was shocked."

Eliot Donovan reportedly quits just hours after his wedding. Image: Instagram.

But that's not all.

It's also been revealed the Married At First Sight experts "accidentally" matched two exes together. 

Jeff Gobbels and Rhi Disljenkovic dated "casually" for several months, and continued to keep in touch with each other after their romance had ended. They both wound up on MAFS, and in a super mysterious and not at all planned turn of events, they were paired together by the experts.

On the marriage mishap, former bride Olivia Frazer wrote on Instagram, "considering you have to list your exes in the audition process… 'mistake' is a bit of a stretch." 

So, that's the tea, let's get to know the participants set to rain chaos down on MAFS producers this season.

Who are the Married At First Sight 2025 brides?

Sierah Swepstone.

Sierah Swepstone joins MAFS 2025.

Rhi is the first Married At First Sight 2025 contestant to be revealed. Image: Instagram.

Her professional influencer Instagram account is shared with her friend, Shayna Kotzur. Together, they review the best Melbourne-hot spots for fitness training and recovery. Not only is she a blogger, but Rhi also works as an IT account manager. 

Rhi is also friends with fellow reality TV stars, including MAFS alum Eden Harper and The Bachelor stars Matt Agnew and Sam Wood. They all follow her now-private personal Instagram account, which will be made public again when the show premieres next year.

Lauren Hall.

Image: LinkedIn.

Lauren Hall is a Queensland native who is hoping find love on Married At First Sight Australia 2025. Previously linked to former MAFS contestant Jono McCullough, their three-month relationship ended amicably in January 2023 according to the Daily Mail. 

As mentioned above, Lauren's groom quickly departs the experiment. It's not yet known if Lauren is allowed to remain on the show with a new groom or if she chose to high tail it out of the experiment. 

Morena Farina.

Image: Top Dog Events.

Morena Farina, who’s in her mid-40s, is a wedding MC and DJ in Melbourne. As the oldest contestant this season, she’s got that "cool mum" vibe and is a mum of two. 

Her friends say she’s super authentic and engaging, which makes sense considering she has a background in entertainment, Morena might bring a unique take on love and relationships.

Carina Mirabile.

Image: StarNow.

Carina Mirabile is a digital marketing specialist and aspiring actress from Perth. She helps out at her family's tool store and has done some small commercials. Carina’s known as a "firecracker" who loves living large. With her lively personality, she’s set to be a standout on the show.

"When you see her you will know why she’s been cast," a source told So Dramatic!. “She’s a firecracker and will make for some interesting TV. She loves the high life."

Katie Johnson.

Image: Instagram.

Katie Johnson is the definition of wholesome. When she's not on MAFS, she's busy running her own social enterprise restaurant, EATS HQ, which serves up "meals that matter."

The place helps people get back on their feet, either through job opportunities or donations.

Yeah, we're impressed with Katie already. 

Jamie Marinos.

Image: LinkedIn.

Usually, MAFS contestants blow up on social media after the show, but Jamie seems to be ahead of the game. The Melbourne accounts manager has already racked up over 362,000 likes on TikTok. However, since the cast announcement, she’s set her profile to private.

"She’s very loud and will for sure bring the drama this season as she shares her thoughts openly and proudly," an insider told So Dramatic!.

A friend of hers told the Daily Mail that not only is Jamie a huge fan of the show, she's also ready to stir up some trouble.

"She’s watched a few seasons of the show and would always joke about wanting to sign up for it," they said. "She won’t hold back at the dinner parties and will definitely not put up with anyone else’s sh*t."

Ashleigh Ackerman.

Image: ALDC.

Gold Coast resident Ashleigh Ackerman is set to make her mark on the upcoming season of MAFS. An entrepreneur, she owns a dance studio where she’s not just employed her younger sister but also her mum.

According to the Daily Mail, Ashleigh only recently became single, and her last breakup wasn’t exactly amicable. Fingers crossed she finds better luck on the show!

Awhina Rutene.

Image: Instagram.

Like all the other contestants, Awhina's Instagram has been set to private after it was announced that she would be appearing on the show. However, what we do know is that she lives in Perth.

We're sure more information about her background will come out soon enough!

Who are the Married At First Sight 2025 grooms?

Paul Antoine.

Image: Network Ten.

Watch out, we have a reality TV veteran over here! Paul Antoine is a 30-year-old fitness coach based in Perth, originally from France. He gained recognition as a contestant on The Real Love Boat Australia 2022 before joining Married At First Sight Australia 2025. 

During his time on The Real Love Boat Australia, Paul described himself as a great cook who has his life together.

"I offer stability, respect sensitivity and independence," he said. 

"The perfect date would be the date that makes me forget that I’m in one. Long chats about our lives, past, present and future. I like it when things are spontaneous, and haven’t been planned ahead too much."

Billy Belcher.

Image: Instagram.

Billy Belcher is ready to keep Aussies on their toes. The UK native is set to be a big personality, and we’re looking forward to seeing his English sense of humour on the show.

An insider described him to the Daily Mail as a "top bloke".

"We knew he would bring something unique to the show… casting someone from England was important. The show’s success overseas has shown us that viewers love seeing a mix of backgrounds and cultures."

Adrian Araouzou.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by PAKD (@pakdsport)

Adrian is a businessman who launched his brand, PAKDsport, two years ago, and he's also a Jiu-Jitsu white belt. Talk about multi-talented!

We don’t know too much about him yet, but a source told the Daily Mail that he’s expected to be a real "stand-out" this season.

Dave Thomas Hand.

Image: Instagram.

Dave Thomas Hand, also known as a "TikTok tradie," runs a caulking business in Victoria and has built a following of about 30,000 on TikTok. 

He shares his renovation projects online and is set to bring a relatable and engaging vibe to the show. He’s even been spotted filming his wedding ceremony. 

Jeff Gobbels, @jeffgobbels..

Image: Facebook.

Jeff Gobbels, a former Neighbours actor, has been involved in some drama during the filming of MAFS 2025, with reports from Yahoo Lifestyle indicating he was accidentally matched with an ex. 

It turns out Jeff was paired with his ex-girlfriend Rhi by mistake. But if there’s one thing we know about MAFS, it’s that nothing is ever truly accidental.

Before venturing into reality TV, he had a few small roles on The Whistleblower, The Warriors, Undertow and A Promise Carved in Flesh.

Eliot Donovan.

Image: Instagram.

All we know about Eliot at the moment is that he's originally from Brisbane and seems to have friends in high places. Before his Instagram was set to private, there were photos of him rubbing shoulders with influencer Krystal Dawson and The Bachelor's Kiki Morris. 

He's reported to have left the experiment a few hours after marrying Lauren.

Jake Luik.

Image: Southern River College.

Well, look who we have here—a normie! Jake is as sweet as they come. He’s not internet-famous and doesn’t have a shady past. In fact, he works as a wellbeing coordinator at a public school.

Cute!

Aside from our first brides and grooms of the season, here's everything else we know about Married At First Sight Australia 2025.

When will Married At First Sight 2025 premiere?

There's no official start date for MAFS 2025 just yet. However, the series typically premieres around the end of January or the beginning of February. The show often drops "after the tennis" when the Australian Open finishes.

The Aus Open 2025 is currently set between January 12 and January 26, which means we could be tuning in to the first MAFS episodes in the following days.

The Spill talks about why the Kardashians are burning in a hell of their own making. Story continues below.

What has been said about the Married At First Sight 2025 cast?

Now that the cast members have been revealed, it's all starting to feel very real and we can't wait to see them on screen.

"Channel Nine are always hopeful the new cast is more dynamic and this year there is a buzz around a few of the selected couples that this next season will have Australia talking," a source told Yahoo of the casting. "This batch will keep the experiment fresh."

"The audition process is quite long and complicated," the insider revealed. "The producers ultimately knew what they were looking for, even before meeting the first round of applicants. You want to find people who mirror current relationship issues, so people at home can see themselves in these situations."

What is the MAFS audition process like?

The source said that the application and audition process is long and complicated. Well, we put that to the test with one of our own Editors going through the process for the 2025 season.

The questions on the application form ranged from asking about your weight, to whether or not you've ever declared bankruptcy, to the reason you're looking for love. You can read more about the application here. 

The only requirements for contestants are that you have to be an Australian citizen or a permanent resident of at least two years, and over the age of 25. 

Following applications, there are multiple rounds of interviews with producers. Then, at some unidentified stage, the contestants are submitted to the MAFS Love Experts, John Aiken, Mel Schilling and Alessandra Rampolla. Whether or not the experts actually do the matchmaking has long been up for debate. 

MAFS experts John Aiken, Mel Schilling and Alessandra Rampolla. Image: Nine Network.

Are the MAFS Love Experts real or fake? 

Yes, all three love experts are actually professionals in their own fields. Mel is a dating and confidence coach, Alessandra is a clinical sexologist with a master's degree in marriage and family therapy, and John is a relationship expert.

Mel has claimed that they do, in fact, make the matches themselves. She said the three experts work together to bring their different perspectives to the process, because they have "such different backgrounds." 

"That's great, as it leads to some really interesting debates," she said.

What it does not lead to, however, is many successful matches. There are just eight couples who are still together after 11 seasons. That’s eight out of 106 matches. Much like The Hunger Games, the odds are actually not in your favour. But that won't stop hopeful singles from applying.

How much do MAFS contestants get paid?

Viewers often assume reality TV stars are on the hunt for fame and riches. While the first part may be true, the latter isn't exactly guaranteed.

MAFS contestants are paid a working wage during their time on the show. 

Season 9 bride Olivia Frazer said contestants were paid "$1,100 per week." Domenica Calarco told The Kyle & Jackie O Show that it's enough to "cover your rent and living expenses" and is "about an average salary."

But the contestants also need to quit their jobs, or at least put their careers or studies on hold during filming. While most are keen to take the risk in order to boost their celebrity profiles and social media followings, the end result isn't always as desired. 

While the show is airing, most contestants will achieve a level of fame or notoriety. But after a few months, public interest wanes and the opportunities to cash in on their newfound celebrity start to dwindle. At least they'll always have fond memories of rogue dinner parties, cheating spouses and endless drama to keep them company.

This article was first published in July 2024 and has since been updated.

READ NEXT: All the Married At First Sight couples who are still together.

Calling all snack lovers! Complete this survey now to go in the running to win a $50 gift voucher.