Every year on Married At First Sight UK we question whether the experts – Paul Carrick-Brunson, Mel Schilling and Charlene Douglas – had any involvement at all in pairing up the singles or if it’s entirely producer-lead, and if entertainment, not love, is the driving force behind the matches.
And it’s not just because the success rate is the lowest on the ‘box (with the exception of E4s Celebs Go Dating – it’s nothing personal, Paul). Statistically there’s going to be a lower chance of happy couples emerging than on a show which sees 753201.87 (approx.) potential matches occur. But more often than not, the matches on MAFS are downright inexplicable.
This year, as promised, has been more explosive than most, in no small part thanks to the scandalous wife/husband swapping that transpired when heavily tattooed barber Matt cheated on his heavily tattooed hair-dresser wife Gemma (seriously, you don’t need to be an expert to match these two on paper) for Whitney, another woman in the experiment. Whitney’s husband Duka was also jilted, but discourse has mainly sidlelined this narrative in favour of the more dramatic version of events from Gemma’s perspective.
Much to viewers dismay – and unlike the most recent Australian series which the storyline uncannily mirrors – Matt and Whitney were allowed to continue on in the experiment, with the experts claiming that, scientifically and based on the same tests that matched Matt with Jemma (and Whitney with Duka), they were compatible. Whether that’s true remains to be seen, but as it always the case with reality TV’s most divisive characters, the social media sleuthing is well and truly underway.
A cursory glance of his IG shows Matt wasn’t joking when he said that working out was a big part of his job. He wasn’t born with tattoos on his face – those appear to have been an ill-advised lockdown accrual – but his fitness journey has been a long time in the making, even previously taking a step back from full time work to focus on working out. He’s partial to a throw back pic showcasing the dramatic difference he’s made to his body with exercise, tattoos, and the addition of facial hair. He was even profiled on MailOnline where he was dubbed a ‘fat kid’, before, by his own admission, becoming ‘too skinny’ after too much cardio.
But the real thing people want to know is – what is going on with that hair style?
From his Insta is seems he’s adopted the weird cornrow like style for his celebrity debut, but the look has been divise at best. Despite this, Matt’s given a handy tutorial anyway, showing fans how to achieve their own version of the... unique hairstyle. Should you wish...