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Married at First Sight's Chris is the latest contestant to say his relationship was 'manipulated'.

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We all know reality TV is edited, but the current crop of Married at First Sight contestants aren’t holding back in letting us know just how much their season has been fictionalised.

The latest to admit that viewers aren’t shown the entire truth is Adelaide youth worker, Chris Nicholls. In an interview with The Daily Telegraph the 37-year-old – who is ‘married’ to Vanessa Romito – claimed contestants are “verbally beaten” by producers to share details they otherwise wouldn’t.

“You are forced basically into saying what it is they want,” he said.

MAFS Experts: UNCUT. Exactly what goes down behind the scenes (not really). Post continues below.

“If they don’t get that, they will ask another 10 different questions in other ways to get basically what they want and that is what they will roll with.

This behaviour even extends into the contestant’s sex lives, he adds.

“They manipulate you into thinking this marriage or this relationship needs to either be consummated straight away or you need to do things they say so they can get the storylines they need.”

Chris isn’t the only contestant to share these accusations. His fellow cast members Steve, Mikey and Stacey have also dished the dirt. Here’s what they said.

“They didn’t show it.” – Steve.

Speaking to Nova 100’s Chrissie, Sam & Browny, Steve Burley has shared what ‘really happened’ at Wednesday night’s dinner party, and apparently his heated demeanour had nothing to do with ‘mugging off his wife’ by not kissing her on the lips.

“What was put forward was me getting upset about a kiss. It had something to do with that but what really concerned me was that Michael said to the group at the bucks-do, ‘Let’s face it, none of us want to turn around and see a heavy chick walking towards us’,” he told Nova.

“Why didn’t you bring the fat-shaming comment up then?” asked Browny.

“I did, that’s the thing I did Browny but they didn’t show it,” he replied.

Steve also spoke to The Today Show, telling the hosts Michael loves stirring the pot, and his altercation with him was all planned by the show.

“Mishel and I had a conversation with a producer about an hour before the dinner party, and it was clearly outlined that the discussion was going to take place [with Michael] and it was just going to be a me and Michael situation. There wasn’t going to be any interruption,” he explained.

“Obviously it got to the point where Mishel started engaging in the conversation and I went like this [demonstrates putting his hand up] in a sort of ‘I’ve got this, I’ve got this’ kind of scenario. It was then portrayed that I was telling Mishel to shut up. At no point did I tell my wife Mishel to shut up,” he continued.

From what was aired, Stacey told the camera of the altercation: “[Steve’s] mindset is back in the 50s where women don’t have an opinion,” while Mishel remarked: “That was rude, Steve showed his true colours in front of everyone.”

“About two per cent of what actually happened.” – Mikey

Steve wasn’t the only one who had an issue with Wednesday night’s dinner party episode, with Mikey Pembroke telling Nova’s Fitzy & Wippa that he and wife Natasha Spencer weren’t actually getting along at all going into the dinner party, which is the opposite to how the show portrayed their relationship.

Mikey was upset after Natasha joked with other contestants that during their first sexual experience together he “only lasted 10 seconds”.

"I think there was about two per cent of what actually happened," he told Nova.

“Me and Natasha, we hadn’t been getting on that well in the experiment, they actually haven't portrayed that. I actually got the flowers in the morning to actually apologise for backing out of it and not putting my two cents in and always saying 'i'm not into it blah blah blah' and they haven't shown that,” he said, telling a different story to the flowers being a flirty gift the morning after having sex.

Mikey explained that the reason he didn't last long in the bedroom, was actually because he wasn't really vibing the relationship, and was finding it hard to "be into it".

Chatting to Kyle and Jackie O, the Kiss FM hosts noted that the Mikey they were speaking to wasn't the same person they'd "met on the show," adding he was a "totally different guy".

"It’s funny there’s another side of me and Natasha not told because we’re quite controversial with how we talk to each other. There have been some big fights that we’ve had and I think they just wanted to sort of soften it a bit," Mikey said.

"I’m not going to lie, not that I’m not a nice person but I look a lot nicer on the show and less cheeky than I probably am," he told them.

"They chopped that bit in." - Stacey

Stacey Hampton has also called out the show's producers for painting her in a negative light back at her wedding in week one to Michael Goonan.

We watched Michael attempt to grab her attention numerous times at their reception to a frosty response, only for the soon-to-be lawyer to change her tune when she found out he was a successful businessman.

After her bridesmaid shared what she'd found out about Michael on Google, Stacey says: "That shows me they’ve got a lot of drive if they’re in their own business. Maybe I judged him too quickly," which saw her labelled by viewers as a 'gold digger.'

Speaking to Nova's Fitzy and Wippa, Stacey said: "The phone thing... No one in reception had a phone so I felt it very bizarre my friend just happened to have one. That was very weird.

"Then it cuts to me giving him a chance. I said that before she even brought the phone out. They chopped that bit in after. Ask people who were there, ask my girlfriends."

Married at First Sight airs Sunday to Wednesday on Channel Nine. 

Feature image: Channel Nine 

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Top Comments

David S 5 years ago

Oh, please - signing up to a reality tv show and then complaining about the role they've cast you in is like going for dinner at McDonalds and then complaining about the quality of food. WHAT ELSE DID YOU EXPECT?!? Actually meeting someone you'd like to stay married to for the rest of your life? BWAHAHAHAHAHA!


Sarah 5 years ago

I call bullshit. This guy is just embarrassed he’s been caught out as a slimy old pig. I see his type at work all the time, think they’re the alpha and treat everyone around them, especially women, like shit that he can control.