Season 12 of Married At First Sight Australia saw 12 couples hoping to find their life-long partner, with the help of relationship experts Mel Schilling, John Aiken and Alessandra Rampolla. After months of tears, tantrums and tantalising drama, the series has ended – but which of the couples are still going strong? (Spoiler: there's only one!)
Ashleigh and Jake – SPLIT
It was all going well for Ashleigh Ackerman and Jake Luik until his very outspoken comments during the photo ranking challenge, where they had to be honest about the attractiveness of their fellow castmates. Jake’s comments were a little too candid for his new bride.
He said that Jacqui had ‘crazy eyes’, Rhi has ‘a little lazy eye’ and Sierah’s face ‘screams I could stab you in your sleep’. He also said, ‘I’m not racist or nothing but I do like Caucasian people mainly, mostly,’ before adding, ‘Awhina, she’s not exactly like – she’s Maori, I think – probably why she’s not a bit higher. Just because, like… the physical features.’
Ashleigh voted to stay in the first commitment ceremony, but Jake opted to leave and quit the experiment in week three. ‘Even if we didn’t find love together I was really hopeful to even learn more about myself,’ she said. ‘For him to decide he wanted to leave without even communication how he was feeling, it did upset me. So I just think, shame on you buddy, you selfish, selfish little man child.’
Awhina and Adrian – SPLIT
There were high hopes for Awhina Rutene and Adrian Araouzou who made it to Final Vows. But Awhina’s revelation that she has a young son led to some strain between them, as it conflicted with Adrian’s preference for a partner without children. After ups and downs, which included him leaving the experiment briefly following a disagreement over a photo shoot, they chose to stay together. However, Awhina’s doubts about introducing her new partner to her son, amid the ‘chaotic’ nature of their relationship, spoke volumes about their instability.
There are rumours that both of them are dating other people from the show, with Awhina said to be with Billy while Adrian is thought to be with Maxine.
Beth and Teejay – SPLIT
Beth Kelly and Teejay Halkias were latecomers into the experiment as an ‘intruder couple’. Things seemed to be going well for them as they had an instant connection and mutual attraction – until Teejay decided to leave in the final week. Beth, who had never been in a relationship before, was heartbroken when Teejay told friends he couldn’t understand why they lacked a romantic spark during the Homestays week and before taking Final Vows, the pair decided their relationship wasn’t working and chose to break up.
‘I don’t want to stand there, put on another dress like I did on my wedding day, pour my heart out to you, pour my emotions out to you for you to just reject me again,’ Beth told him. She later said, ‘I was super embarrassed. I just remember the feeling in my stomach. It was horrible.’
Carina and Paul – SPLIT
Having dated eight months before the show, with Paul ghosting her after one date, Carina Mirabile and Paul Antoine decided to embrace the experiment and give things a go. Relations soured after Carina mentioned her past with a rapper, which triggered a very visceral reaction from Paul, who punched a wall.
The final blow came when he opted to meet his ‘back-up bride’ Hannah during the final week twist. It didn’t go down well with Carina, who told him, ‘I can’t be with someone who makes me feel like I’m not enough. And no matter how hard I try I can’t look at you in the same way. I was yours. You had me. You ruined it.’
Paul is now rumoured to be dating Hannah.
Jacqui and Ryan – SPLIT
Jacqui Burfoot and Ryan Donnelly made it through to the final week, after a rollercoaster ride on the show. From the start, she was open about how he didn’t fit her ideal man and lacked the assertiveness she wants in a husband.
Jacqui – who’s now with Clint Rice – revealed on social media that the pair split before the show and has accused Ryan of revenge porn.
Jamie and Dave – SPLIT
Jamie Marinos and Dave Thomas Hand hit it off immediately emerged with their instant and intense connection, with their mothers even getting ‘goosebumps’ at their nuptials. They quickly became one of the most perfectly matched couples from the start. Dave’s tattoos and height was a winner with his new bride, while he was taken with her personality, plus they had great communication and shared values.
However, their relationship faltered during Confessions Week, when Jamie revealed to Dave she was falling in love with him – which wasn’t reciprocated – only for things to get rockier after Partner Swap week when he got with Veronica Cloherty, making him realise that his feelings about Jamie weren’t as strong as hers were for him. ‘Veronica and I obviously had a connection and we got along and that was it,’ he said.
Katie and Tim – SPLIT
Katie Johnston and Tim Gromie’s relationship got off to a poor start when he admitted that he was disappointed with his match on their wedding day. ‘Katie was totally not what I wanted,’ he said. ‘I normally go short, petite, blonde or brunette… there’s no attraction, there’s nothing there.’ Despite his rejection, Katie was eager to give the experiment a go and remained positive. ‘My hope is that we just have fun, we can let our guards down and let our expectations go and hopefully a spark can grow,’ she remarked.
Unfortunately, the spark and connection didn’t grow, leaving Katie heartbroken. The pair left after the first commitment ceremony. ‘To be rejected, that’s my worst nightmare. I don’t know what I’ve done wrong or why this keeps happening. I feel really humiliated,’ she said.
Lauren and Clint – SPLIT
After a short-lived partnership with first husband Eliot Donovan, Lauren Hall returned to be partnered with Clint Rice. It was second time unlucky for them both as they both left the experiment after the Couples’ Retreat. In the photo ranking task, Clint revealed that he also found Jacqui attractive and Lauren admitted he isn’t ‘alpha’ enough for her as he gets spray tans and shaves his chest.
Clint is now happily dating Jacqui.
Morena and Tony – SPLIT
Morena Farina and Tony Mojanovski, who are both in their 50s, were the oldest couple in this year’s series, leading to high hopes that they could be successful. Morena said, ‘I don’t want to grow old alone. I still believe in love and I can’t wait to feel love and to love. I want to meet somebody to match my energy’, while Tony said he wanted to meet someone to ‘grow young with’.
However, they clashed over his desire for children. Morena, who already has a family, said, ‘Tony and I have been on this experiment for weeks and weeks and weeks and he’s never uttered a word that he wants to have a baby.’
They chose to leave during the fourth commitment ceremony, with Morena writing, ‘Good riddance’ as her parting message.
Rhi and Jeff – TOGETHER
There’s one success story from this year’s series and it’s Rhi Disljenkovic and Jeff Gobbels. The former exes were able to work through their issues second time around and get their relationship off to a stronger ground. ‘We dated for like a month last year. Luckily we ended on really good terms, as we’d both come out of long-term relationships,’ Rhi said.
Despite being at differing life stages – she’s looking for a partner who’s up for adventure while Jeff is more settled and established – the couple made it to Final Vows, even using the L word, and are excited to see what the future brings. ‘I knew I wanted to be in a relationship. Final Vows for me was a very easy decision,’ Jeff said. Rhi added, ‘In the end, I wouldn’t change a thing. I think this is what we’re going to do for about a year and we’ll reassess from there.’
Sierah and Billy – SPLIT
With their shared sense of humour and excitement for the experiment, we were hopeful for Sierah Swepstone and Billy Belcher, but things were not meant to be. Their romance got off to a stumbling start during Intimacy Week, when Sierah felt a lack of physical connection while Billy said he was more of ‘a slow burn’ and preferred a deeper emotional connection first.
The major turning point in their relationship came after Sierah developed a close bond to Adrian, leading to accusations of flirting and they were even seen playing footsie at a dinner party – making Billy feel betrayed. ‘We [Awhina and I] signed up to be with our partners and when we watched them getting closer, it wasn’t nice. It was very difficult to watch. I felt a bit sad,’ Billy said.
Sierah and Billy became the fourth couple to leave the show, at the third commitment ceremony.
Veronica and Eliot – SPLIT
After his brief partnership with Lauren, Eliot was matched with Veronica Cloherty and while things started well between them, the relationship came under strain when Eliot spoke about his ex-‘wife’ Lauren. Unimpressed with his behaviour, Veronica began to form an alliance with Lauren, which soon led to a fracture between her and Eliot. At the sixth commitment ceremony, both Veronica and Eliot chose to leave.
Shereen Low is a senior news and entertainment writer for Grazia, and lives and loves all things showbiz