Married at First Sight sometimes gets it right, but let's be honest, the success rate for contestants on the show isn't exactly high. The well-intentioned experts can try their best to match up a pair but sometimes something just isn’t quite right. However, all is not lost, and it’s practically a MAFS tradition that a bride and groom catch each other’s eye despite being married to someone else. Truly, you could make an entirely new reality show out of all the partner swapping that goes on!
The recent MAFS reunion brought contestants from both the 2023 and 2024 UK series together for one explosive dinner party, and it didn’t disappoint in that department. Here's a rundown of every MAFS UK and Australia contestant who has gotten cosy with another bride or groom...
Shona Manderson and Matt Pilmoor
Shona Manderson and Matt Pilmoor made their grand return arm-in-arm in the latest reunion episode. Fans of the 2023 series will remember that Shona was originally paired up with Brad Skelly, but he was asked to leave the experiment after exhibiting some controlling behaviour— like telling Shona to ‘shut up’ at a dinner party or telling the experts that he didn’t 'allow' her to express her feelings.
However, Shona's MAFS journey wasn't over, and after filming wrapped she struck up a relationship with Matt Pilmoor. Matt had split from his wife Adrienne Naylor shortly after filming due to having different goals for the future, and he and Shona hard launched their relationship at the end of 2023.
Erica Roberts and Kieran Chapman
Erica Roberts— who was originally paired with Jordan Gayle on MAFS UK 2023— revealed at the reunion that she’d shared a kiss with MAFS UK 2024 groom, Kieran Chapman, five months after his marriage ended.
Geordie lad Kieran was paired with dog-walker Kristina Goodsell during his series, but the pair split up during the show. Now, it seems he has his eyes on another bride.
Erica revealed, ‘Kieran came up to Edinburgh, he stayed at mine for the night. We had a kiss.’ However, when she discovered that Kieran hadn’t disclosed this kiss to his partner, Kristina, Erica admitted that she felt ‘a little bit awkward.’ She said, ‘I feel like he's trying to keep it really hush-hush.’
Later, Erica revealed on Instagram that she had no intention of blindsiding Kristina. She wrote, ‘Kristina already knew and had been told off camera what had happened which is why I brought it up at the dinner table.
Amy Kenyon and Adam Nightingale
Although this one has yet to fully blossom, many fans think this pair could be dating before long after watching the reunion. Amy was married to Luke Debono while Adam was paired with Polly Sellman, but the pair formed a firm friendship while filming MAFS 2024.
However, when both of their respective marriages broke down, it became clear that people saw a spark between them. At the reunion, the pair didn’t deny that a romance could be on the table. When questioned why viewers and fellow contestants were so keen for them to become a couple, Amy said, ‘I think it's because we bring out the best in each other.’
She continued, ‘We bounce off each other, and we have an amazing friendship. We're always laughing. You care about my feelings, I care about yours, and we just support each other through everything.’
She told producers, ‘I'm not sure what the future holds for me and Adam. I don't think the book is fully closed.’ Meanwhile, Adam commented, ‘Maybe some little mini Adams could be on the cards? Or maybe we could just practice.’
Ellie Dix and Jonathan McCullough
We don’t want to speak too soon, but Jono and Ellie could be a rare MAFS success story— despite not being originally coupled up by the experts.
The pair met on MAFS Australia series 11 when Jono was paired with Lauren Funn while Ellie was married to Ben Walters. Although Jono and Lauren remained together during the show, Ben and Ellie broke up dramatically on camera. After the show finished filming, Jono and Ellie connected and quickly got serious, travelling around Australia together and posting sweet messages to each other on social media. The pair have even recently purchased a house together in Burleigh Heads.
However, not every MAFS couple swap is a success. Here’s a few MAFS stars that jumped ship but didn’t quite last.
Ella Morgan and JJ Slater
In MAFS UK 2023, Ella Morgan was initially paired with Nathanial Valentino, but cracks formed almost immediately. Halfway through the experiment, JJ Slater joined with Bianca Petronzi, but he soon admitted that he wasn’t attracted to her. Ella and JJ quickly began a relationship, much to the shock of their fellow contestants, but alas it wasn’t mean to be. These days, JJ is usually seen by the side of his new girlfriend, former glamour model Katie Price.
Anthony Poole and Alexis Economou
Back in 2021, Alexis Economou and Jordon Mundell’s marriage barely made it past the honeymoon, and Anthony’s wife Nikita Jasmine was kicked off the show for ‘aggressive behaviour,’ leaving Alexis and Ant single. Although the pair struck up a flirtation, Ant soon realised that he didn’t have romantic feelings for Alexis and felt their connection was more of a friendly one. The pair decided to leave the experiment during the third dinner party.
Hannah Norburn and Orson Nurse
Hannah walked down the aisle to Stephen Nolson, but during the experiment reportedly cheated on him off camera with fellow contestant, Orson Nurse. There were then rumours that Hannah had found a connection with yet another groom, Ryan Livesey, after the pair entered their reunion episode hand-in-hand, but Hannah later claimed that there’s nothing more to their relationship. She revealed on Instagram, ‘Me and Ryan built a really lovely friendship when we both got out of the experiment and that is all it has ever been. We have never dated and we have never been in a relationship. If anybody actually took a minute to ask us we would have both happily confirmed that, but no!’
Matt Murray and Whitney Hughes
Although Matt Murray was married to Gemma Rose and Whitney Hughes said 'I do' to Duka Cavolli in MAFS 2022, Matt and Whitney quickly discovered that they had a connection. Instead of leaving the show, the pair chose to recouple in secret. However, nothing in MAFS stays hidden for long, and their relationship was exposed during an explosive dinner party. By the time filming began for their reunion episode, Matt and Whitney had already called it quits.
