Recap | Married at First Sight on Channel 9 and 9Now (11 Feb)

Married at First Sight on Channel 9 – Time flies when you’re having relationship problems… sorry, we mean fun!

The first official week of the Married At First Sight experiment has already come and gone, and all of the couples are in very different stages of their relationships.

Some are on cloud nine while others are on the verge of calling it quits, so we’ve dialled in 000 – aka the experts – to deliver some emergency advice.

Stream every episode of Married At First Sight for free on 9Now.

Grab your popcorn, it’s time for our very first Commitment Ceremony of Season 11!

Cassandra and Tristan

Tristan gives what expert Mel Schilling labels, “the most enthusiastic entrance to the couch [she] has ever seen”.

And there’s plenty to be enthused about, with Cassandra and Tristan saying their match is simply “incredible”.

MAFS 2024 — Slow and steady wins the race for these two. (Nine)

But what’s not so incredible is Tristan’s level of self-confidence. The groom goes as far as to say that he “hates” himself, and everyone’s hearts collectively sink for him.

MAFS EPISODE 8 RECAP: Alarm bells go off as one bride refuses to surrender her phone while another couple clash over kids

When he struggles to list anything he likes about himself, Cassandra swoops in with no hesitation.

“He is thoughtful, he is patient, generous, kind, absolutely hilarious, the cutest, [he has] dimples, he’s tall…” she strings together an endless list of compliments.

Tristan’s self doubt is having a domino effect on his relationship, and Cassandra admits she often withdraws in fear of saying the wrong thing.

The couple have some things to work, on but there’s no chance either of them are going anywhere just yet. They both vote stay and we’re over the bloody moon.

Lucinda and Timothy

Timothy gets the ball rolling by stating the glaringly obvious: “Lucinda and I are really different.”

Timothy is flattered that his bride has a “major crush” on him, but emphasises that he’s a slow burn. While Lucinda is ready to pounce on her groom like a cat on a mouse, he requires a bit more time and space.

Even still, it’s a big fat ‘stay’ from both of them and we’re hoping a romantic spark will cause a fiery passion for these two in the near future.

Tori and Jack

There’s no messing around here. Tori and Jack don’t even get to say boo before expert John Aiken delves straight into the matter of Jack’s ex-girlfriend.

You might recall an article came out claiming Jack was still in a relationship when he applied for MAFS, and also that he lied to her about moving overseas when he was in fact joining the experiment. A flawless plan, as there was no way she’d ever find out unless his entire relationship was played out to the world on TV.

EXCLUSIVE: Jack reveals he was once engaged in his MAFS audition tape

When grilled, Jack delivers a very polished and well-rehearsed version of his side of the story which we’ve heard a million times before.

But where Jack comes unstuck is his timeline.

John asks when he ended that relationship, and he answers by saying “six, seven, probably eight weeks ago”.

“Or eight or nine,” he adds, ensuring any answer he gives will be correct.

But John is doing the sums in his head and something isn’t adding up.

“I’m sitting here thinking, are you doing assessments with us while seeing someone else?” John says, clearly suspicious.

“You do the calculations,” he cockily responds.

“Just to be clear, you were seeing someone else while you were talking to us?”

Realising he’s been backed into a corner, Jack says one word. “Yes.” He was in a relationship with someone else while he was applying for the experiment.

BUT YOUR HONOUR, I’M INNOCENT!

Jack takes a stand against the judge aka John Aiken arguing: “It wasn’t serious, it was a weekend friends with benefits, it was of no significance, it was a casual relationship.”

We’d argue that even if the relationship was casual, there still would’ve been a conflict of interest. We the prosecution rest our case.

Despite all the obvious red flags, Tori says she has no reason to distrust Jack.

“What he was doing the morning of his wedding and beyond is my concern. What he was doing the night before I, to be brutally honest, couldn’t give a f–k,” Tori insists.

And for Tori and Jack, this hurdle has actually brought them closer together.

Not close enough though. Despite Jack being a very “sexual being” he and Tori are yet to do the deed, but Jack is simply waiting for his attraction to Tori to grow.

We can hear cackles coming from the couch and it’s none other than Timothy, who is calling “bulls–t” on the whole thing.

As you’ve seen above, Timothy is representing himself as Mr. Slow Burn with Lucinda, and the pair have definitely not done anything saucy in the slightest.

Richard quickly pipes up, and reminds everyone that on the Bucks’ Night Jack said he wouldn’t sleep with his bride on the first night while Timothy said he would. Burn.

This will probably teach Timothy to leave it to the experts.

It’s off to the decisions, and it’s a very smug ‘stay’ from both Tori and Jack.

Sara and Tim

Tim can’t get a word in when it’s his turn on the couch.

Every time the experts ask the groom a question, Sara finishes his sentence and not in the cute telepathic way that twins do.

John hushes Sara and Tim finally gets to talk about the Phone Swapping Challenge – which if you recall, Sara refused to do.

But finding out how Tim really feels is like pulling teeth.

“I’ve had enough,” John bubbles over. And thank God John because we’ve all had enough. SPIT IT OUT TIM. What’s the bloody problem?

“I am intimidated by Sara,” Tim eventually admits.

“I feel like if I express my emotions it’s not met with an ear.”

John asks Sara to be quiet for a moment and let Tim talk, and it looks like the silence is causing Sara physical pain.

After what seems like an age, Tim finally explains that Sara’s refusal to hand over her phone made it feel like she was hiding something.

One thing Sara is happy to show us is her decision. She chooses to stay as does Tim.

Ellie and Ben

These two have been mostly smooth sailing… apart from the fact that Ellie definitely wants kids while Ben says he’s “50/50 on it”.

It’s news to Ellie, who thought they’d cleared that difference up the other day.

Ben puts Ellie’s mind at ease by sharing that he is in fact open to fatherhood if that’s what his partner wants. And with Ellie being his partner and her wanting kids, that means yes… right?

This back and forth is making our heads sore. Let’s move onto the next couple.

Oh, and by the way they both write ‘stay’.

NEXT!

Lauren and Jonathan

Expert Alessandra Rampolla has a keen eye and she clocks that Lauren and Jono’s body language is very comfortable.

And there’s a good reason for it.

Lauren confirms she and Jono were intimate “the second the doors closed and the producers left” on their wedding night.

Lauren is a giggling mess on the couch, but they hit a bit of a bump when Jono says he’s looking for “deep emotional conversations” while Lauren finds them “horrific”.

But she’s committed to working on being more vulnerable. It’s a ‘stay’ from Lauren and Jono, and we’re over the moon our chaotic bride lives to cause more havoc next week.

Eden and Jayden

No guessing what these lot will be hashing out – Jayden’s stunning Confessions Week admission, of course!

Remember him telling his horrified wife that after his girlfriend cheated on him, he agreed to give her a second chance only if he slept with one of her friends and she watched? That’s the one.

Even though we’ve heard this confession thrice before now, we are still just as shocked as the first time.

For some of the other participants this is the first time they’ve heard it and well… their faces say it all.

We wouldn’t bring up this excruciatingly awkward topic again if it wasn’t for a good cause.

“I do regret it, it was absolutely the wrong thing,” Jayden admits.

EXCLUSIVE: Jayden reveals what went wrong in his past relationships in his MAFS audition tape

“This story is shocking and unacceptable and toxic”, John says, making the experts’ stance clear.

But John commends the way that Eden has handled and moved forward with this. Kudos to her.

Eden is willing to give Jayden another chance, they stay and hopefully we never have to hear of this God awful story again. Happy endings all round.

Natalie and Collins

Cue the couple in crisis – Natalie and Collins.

The pair have already lived a lifetime in the experiment and have made a grand exit and return in under a week.

Clearly having a tough day in the office, John skips the niceties and asks Collins the hard questions straight up: “What affection have you showed Natalie?”

For the first time in history, Collins is genuinely lost for words.

He admits he needs to make more effort, but claims that with Natalie still coping with the recent loss of her father her grief has impaired her ability to be fully present in the experiment.

EXCLUSIVE: Collins reveals he was once in love but it all went ‘horribly’ wrong in his MAFS audition tape

John asks Collins to “put the grief aside for a moment”.

But that’s where Collins draws the line. “I’m sorry, but I don’t agree with you,” he claps back at John.

“You can’t just put grief to the side, this is a huge huge factor.”

Ladies and gentlemen, we have our first participant versus expert showdown. Ding, ding ding!

“John, let me tell you something…” Collins pipes up with a confidence that although ignorant is admirable.

But John is quick to remind Collins who runs the couch sessions.

“I haven’t finished talking,” John scathes in response. “Let me be clear. You’ve never been in a relationship before and you are talking to me as if you’re an expert.”

For a brief moment, we forget Natalie (as the other half of this couple) is still on the couch. John asks Collins to take the spotlight off himself and put it back on his wife.

“I don’t trust him,” she tells the room about her husband. “The answers he gives… I feel like he’s just giving me the answers he thinks I want to hear.”

After calling John “mate” an abundance of times, Collins concludes that he thinks Nat is a “top top lady.” Ahh, the words every woman wants to hear.

But even a top top lady gets tired and Natalie for one has had enough, and she reveals she’s voted to ‘leave’ the experiment.

It’s a decision that leaves Collins “absolutely heartbroken”.

There’s a lot of waiting around as Collins has the internal monologue you have when you’re mulling over your decision aloud.

“I don’t know what I’ve done or said to lose that trust,” he babbles, head in his hands. He even lets out an “Oh my God!” as he comes to terms with his wife’s honest opinion.

After what feels like an eternity, Collins reveals he wants to stay and locks the pair into the experiment for another week.

Whether or not these two have a chance of building a connection we’re not sure, but one thing we do know is that it’s hard to build something on a pile of rubble.

Andrea and Richard

We like to end things on a high around here, so up come Andrea and Richard who giggle like two giddy high school kids.

“It feels really really right for both of us,” Richard says, admitting he hasn’t felt a buzz like this since his 20s.

Trying to make us read between the lines, Andrea explains that their “intimacy came naturally and beautifully”.

Richard also adds that it comes “two to four times a day every day”.

And with that kind of news, there’s no doubt these two will be sticking around.

With next week being Intimacy Week, it looks like Andrea and Richard have a bit of a head start on everyone else.

For other couples… well, we’ll have to wait and see.

Married At First Sight continues Monday to Wednesday at 7:30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now. Catch up on every episode of MAFS for free on 9Now.

Stream every episode of Married At First Sight for free on 9Now.