The morning after a fiery Dinner Party, Sandy and Dan try to make sense of what went on.
While Harrison was happy to leave Sandy under the impression that Dan got a girl’s number when really it was him, Sandy is deciding to believe her husband over Harrison. Good call Sandy.
“So far Dan’s actions say that he’s a truthful person and I can trust him,” she tells cameras.
Now that she’s wrapped her head around that, Sandy – along with the other brides and grooms – must decide whether to stay or leave the experiment as the next Commitment Ceremony looms.
Claire and Jesse
Not repulsed by each other’s presence this time, the experts barely recognise Claire and Jesse.
“This is a very different couple, have we met this couple?” Mel Schilling asks.
Jesse admits that he wouldn’t have had an outburst about the Claire and Adam rumours “if he wasn’t feeling some type of way about Claire”.
“Yeah I like her,” Jesse confirms he has romantic feelings for Claire.
And while Claire reciprocates the same feelings, she reveals the pair haven’t kissed yet.
A kiss is definitely something that Jesse is hoping is on the cards so he decides to stay.
“I’ve seen a side to Jesse that I really like,” Claire says. So she also writes ‘stay’ with a little ‘x’ to manifest the couple’s first kiss this coming week.
Bronte and Harrison
Bronte describes the past week as a “total 180” and Harrison agrees.
“To Bronte’s credit she came and apologised and made amends and that’s what fixed us,” Harrison explains.
He feels like he is finally in a place where he can forgive Bronte. Everyone is baffled and pinches themselves to check that this is in fact real life.
The experts decide to gloss over the fact that Harrison thinks Bronte is the issue in their relationship and redirect their efforts to the phone number fiasco from the Dinner Party.
John Aiken asks Harrison if he “supposes taking a girl’s number could be seen as a breach of trust” and getting a straight ‘yes’ out of Harrison is like pulling teeth.
Bronte says getting a girl’s phone number is no big deal because Harrison is a good looking guy and “it’s human nature”.
Alessandra Rampolla tries to coax Bronte out of the state of hypnosis she’s in but is unsuccessful.
“I’m secure, and I’m choosing to trust him,” Bronte says proudly.
Both Bronte and Harrison decide to stay in the experiment.
Sandy and Dan
Of course this couple were all smooth sailing until Harrison let Dan take the fall for his wrong doing.
Dan is frustrated that his “integrity was taken into question when the accusations weren’t true.”
But Sandy reveals the strong foundation the pair have built helped her get over this speed bump. “Up until now Dan hasn’t given me any reason not to trust him and he has a good moral compass and our values align,” she says.
But she says if the rumours that Dan had taken a girl’s number were true, she wouldn’t have stood for it.
“I’m not going to be like, ‘Yeah walk all over me that’s cool,'” Sandy says, making a not-so-subtle dig at Bronte.
If one good thing came out of the misunderstanding, it’s that Dan is now familiar with Sandy’s ‘Pataka’ side – that means fire cracker in Punjabi – and he likes a fiery lady.
Dan wants to spend another week with his ‘Pataka’ as does Sandy.
Tahnee and Ollie
As a mere formality, Tahnee and Ollie take a seat on the experts lounge because in reality, they don’t need their help.
Tahnee’s feelings are getting “stronger and stronger” and while Ollie he can’t put what he’s feeling “exactly into words” their relationship has “exceeded his expectations”.
In a move that surprises no one, they both opt to stay.
Janelle and Adam
While Adam jokes about feeling “stitched up” by some of the Intimacy Week challenges, he says the light hearted tasks are exactly what he and Janelle needed after a difficult week.
“We’re in the best position we’ve ever been in,” Adam glows.
Janelle feels the same way and they both write ‘stay’.
Melinda and Layton
Having a lot in common also has its downfalls and Melinda and Layton are proof of that.
“When we argue it gets really heated because we’re both really passionate,” Layton explains to the experts.
“We can’t have a conversation without the other one getting offended.”
But all hope isn’t lost for the power couple. The experts encourage each Melinda and Layton “to get curious” and “listen” to each other rather than speak over the top of each other.
Melinda believes that communication styles aside, they’re at “a strong point”.
The CEOs are in agreement over at least one thing – that the relationship is worth staying another week for.
Melissa and Josh
Melissa reveals her and Josh “aren’t going great”. But we soon find out that’s putting things very lightly.
“Josh doesn’t want to talk about sex and he’s really conservative and I respect that but then it just suppresses me and I feel like I’m the alpha in the relationship,” she explains.
But Josh is sick of Melissa making him out to be “some kind of shrew or 40-year-old virgin”.
“I cannot sit here and take this, it’s just not true,” Josh snaps.
He goes on to explain Melissa’s attempt to limit his access to the TV, his mobile phone, reading time and control who he can and can’t talk to – amongst other things.
“She has used degrading and dehumanising language to me, questioning my manhood,” Josh continues.
He doubles down that that “is the core of the issue” not sex.
Melissa acts totally oblivious to all of Josh’s claims and continues to voice how Josh isn’t enough of a man for her: “I don’t feel protected by Josh, I don’t feel any love or support or protection or anything from him. I want a manly man.”
Even Harrison throws his head in his hands while Bronte urges Melissa to just “stop talking”. You know your relationship is bad when even Bronte and Harrison are shaking their heads.
Feeling the need to step in and defend Josh, Duncan chimes in and says: “One of the most frustrating things someone can say is you’re not a man, what is a man? A man is someone who can really talk about their emotions and get deep.”
After that not-so-subtle hint from the group that they’re siding with Josh, Melissa decides to build her case by labelling her and Josh’s last intimate night as “just a transaction”, “quite awful” and “really awkward”.
Everyone in the room is horrified. Alyssa says “she feels sick”. Expert John calls it a “low blow”. And Josh finally breaks, he’s in tears.
“It’s just overwhelming, it’s hard because you come out of a long term relationship and this doesn’t help, wondering whether you’re enough and I feel like I’m pretty broken,” Josh wells up.
Unable to contain himself, Josh walks out of the room and all the boys follow him in support. The grooms assure him that the type of ‘man’ Melissa wants is “archaic”.
“It’s what people said a man was 60 years ago,” Duncan says.
Every single groom assures Josh they’ve got his back. Yes guys, this is the kind of boys club Australia can get behind.
Like she’s been living under some kind of rock, Melissa says she’s never ever seen this side of Josh. Her ignorance is the final straw for Josh and he decides it’s time to leave and go home to his kids.
But after everything she’s said and done, Melissa decides to torment Josh one final time, by revealing a card that says ‘stay’. John is absolutely flabbergasted and doesn’t know why on earth Melissa would stay.
For Josh’s peace of mind – and probably his own – John decides to do something he’s never done before.
He disregards Melissa’s decision and hands all the power over to Josh.
Josh doubles down on his decision to leave the experiment and with no choice of her own Melissa will be leaving too.
Alyssa and Duncan
On a much happier note, Alyssa and Duncan take to the couch.
Duncan describes Intimacy Week as “the perfect balance of dominance and delicacy” and while Alyssa wants to keep the details tight-lipped she confirms the week “ended with a bang”.
No surprises here, the happy couple stay.
Lyndall and Cameron
Up until this point Lyndall and Cameron have been a benchmark couple but their conflicting views on how to handle group drama saw them coming to blows this week.
The experts explain that they can still maintain their own individuality within the relationship and encourage Lyndall and Cameron to hear each other out.
With their first argument out of the way, the pair have hope for the next week and decide to stay in the experiment.
Caitlin and Shannon
The couple are in tatters after the “insulting things” Shannon said to Caitlin.
John labels Shannon’s behaviour as “disgusting”. But when he tries to hold him to account, Shannon says, “he doesn’t really have an answer for it”.
That’s not good enough for John and he decides he won’t quit until Shannon “just owns it and answers the question”.
When Shannon struggles to give an answer, John makes the task easier by making it a multiple choice question.
When given the options was he trying to A) hurt Caitlin or B) explain himself, Shannon admits that he was trying to hurt Caitlin.
Shannon apologises to the experts, to the other brides and grooms but “most importantly” to Caitlin and it’s play-by-play almost exactly what happened on the couch last week when he was profusely apologising for being in love with his ex.
And even though Shannon’s put Caitlin through enough he seemingly wants to punish her some more by staying for another week.
Shocked by Shannon’s decision, John says: “I’ve got to jump in.”
John decides that if Shannon is ballsy enough to write ‘stay’ he can damn well explain how he’s going to change.
Shannon’s best attempt at that is this lacklustre apology: “Please just come back to the house and give me one more chance.”
But John isn’t happy with that and wants Shannon to “spell it out”.
Shannon spitballs a few foreign concepts like buying Caitlin flowers and treating her with respect.
“I’d really like to give her a hug right now but I don’t even think she’d want that because I’m a monster,” he wallows.
Not very impressed by Shannon’s response, John decides to do something he’s never done before but did just three couples ago and hands all the power over to Caitlin.
“You don’t deserve me,” Caitlin tells Shannon.
She decides to leave. Everyone – except for Shannon who slams his wedding ring on the table and storms out – applauds Caitlin’s decision.
John leaves Caitlin with this parting message: “Let me be very clear you are worthy, you are a great catch and you will make someone very happy.”
Married At First Sight continues Monday to Wednesday at 7.30pm and Sunday at 7.00pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.
