Recap | Married at First Sight – The experts are kicking off this week of Married At First Sight with the introduction of a world first phase of the experiment – Feedback Week.
John Aiken describes the brand new phase as “risky and controversial”. While feedback itself doesn’t seem so controversial, the first task of the week is very controversial – the Partner Swap Challenge.
In a bid to give the participants an outsider’s perspective on their relationship, the experts ask the brides and grooms to swap partners for three days. Disclaimer, this is not a ‘leave your keys in a bowl’ type of situation.
On that note the new pairings are, drumroll please… Evelyn and Duncan, Lyndall and Ollie, Tahnee and Rupert, Alyssa and Cameron, Bronte and Layton and Melinda and Harrison.
The couples receive the news with very different reactions.
Evelyn is “excited”, while Lyndall thinks “a little sleepover with some pals” will be “quite constructive”.
Duncan is hoping that time spent with Cameron will make Alyssa see that her husband “isn’t that hard after all”.
And after discovering that they will be sharing a room with their arch nemesis, Melinda and Harrison have both had better days.
Harrison says he’d “rather stick kitchen utensils in his eye” while Melinda would “rather jump off a balcony”. At least the enemies can agree on that.
But no one has a stronger reaction than Layton who believes the task is “fundamentally wrong”.
“Getting me to move in with another woman, it’s just something that I’m not gonna do. I’m really against this at this stage in the experiment,” he tells cameras.
Melinda just wants Layton to “trust the process” while Layton is “disappointed in Melinda” for not just supporting the fact that he doesn’t want to live with another woman.
The pair get into a blazing row over the matter and in the middle of it all, Harrison knocks on their door. Talk about timing.
Melinda and Harrison
Harrison doesn’t get the warmest welcome from Melinda and Layton, especially considering that he walked in in the middle of an argument.
And it’s the perfect opportunity for Harrison to take a swipe at Melinda and Layton’s relationship. “You guys just cannot agree on anything,” he smirks.
“I actually really respect that Melinda wants to give this a crack,” Harrison gives his sworn enemy an unexpected compliment.
Layton “is sticking to his guns and principles” by taking part in the task without moving in with Bronte.
Frustrated with her husband’s stubbornness, Melinda says Layton “is actually acting like a Harrison right now”. A dig which Harrison – who is sitting right there – doesn’t necessarily appreciate.
Layton can’t believe Melinda is willing to live with Harrison and is kicking up a stink about him not wanting to move in with another woman. He feels like he’s living in an alternate universe where somehow Melinda and Harrison are ganging up on him.
Completely flustered, Layton storms out to move into his own apartment leaving Melinda and Harrison to get frank with each other as part of the Hard Hitting Questions task.
Unsurprisingly, the Q&A reveals that Melinda thinks Harrison isn’t ready to let go of single life and that his relationship with Bronte is fake. While Harrison “sees Layton’s demeanor change over the weeks” thanks to Melinda being “a living nightmare”.
“It’s really tough to hear that. But I just don’t respect when someone wants to throw stones from a glass house,” Harrison tells cameras.
Melinda thinks the task “was one of the hardest so far”.
“I can’t wait to kick Harrison out and get Layton back in,” she says.
Bronte and Layton
Confused that she doesn’t have a new roomie, Bronte quickly learns why Layton hasn’t moved in with her.
“I actually really respect Layton for not wanting to stay here with me,” Bronte says.
They too have to face the Hard Hitting Questions Task. And when Layton asks if he is right in questioning Melinda’s morals for wanting to move in with Harrison so easily, Bronte uses the G word to describe the way Mel was “quick to squash” Layton’s feelings.
“She kind of gaslit you,” Bronte says with a bit of a grin.
“She made you feel like your emotions were invalid.”
Despite the brutal honesty, Layton appreciates that Bronte has “reinforced that he was being totally reasonable in the way he reacted.”
Having originally doubted the value of the challenge, Layton has changed his tune.
“I can see in hindsight some of the values, it was pretty confronting some of the questions and the answers,” he admits.
“It’s always hard to hear, no one likes to see the ugly mirror.”
Lyndall and Ollie
Ollie gives Lyndall a grand tour of his and Tahnee’s home which features their pet fish, a wall of cute couple Polaroids, the puzzle they’ve been working on and a cabinet full of groceries.
Lyndall says the space feels like a real home and that her and Cameron’s apartment is nothing like it.
In the spirit of the Partner Swap Challenge, Ollie shares a theory he’s observed about Lyndall and Cameron’s relationship.
“I always feel like you guys are speaking about stuff for the first time on the couch,” he tells Lyndall.
“Maybe you guys don’t want to talk about that stuff because it’s a bit dicey-dicey.”
Lyndall agrees with Ollie’s observation and is glad they’ve been able to have such an open chat. “Ollie makes me feel really quite safe to talk about those [relationship] things. I haven’t had that for a while,” she tells cameras.
“It’s relieving but in a way that makes me quite sad. I feel like I’ve never had a conversation with Cam like the one I had with Ollie just then.”
Tahnee and Rupert
Upon entering Rupert’s apartment, Tahnee is bowled over by the overwhelming smell of perfume.
Rupert admits he sprayed Evelyn’s scent everywhere so that he can be reminded of her. How sweet.
The pair take part in the Hard Hitting Questions task and appreciate the reassurance they get from one another.
Tahnee thinks Evelyn and Rupert are compatible but encourages him to make the next serious move in the relationship.
Rupert gushes over Tahnee and Ollie’s relationship calling it “something out of a storybook” and reveals that Ollie “is definitely on the way to the big L word”.
Alyssa and Cameron
Cameron seems shocked that he and Alyssa “are getting along really well”.
First up on Alyssa and Cameron’s to-do list is to write an Honesty Letter to their real partners.
“The Honesty Letter Task makes me feel a bit sick,” Alyssa admits.
In her letter, Alyssa addresses her worries that Duncan will “cut and run” due to her family life and reveals her concerns that they haven’t spoken enough about a future together with her child as first priority.
Cameron assures Alyssa “that Duncan really does like her” and wants to talk about the future but might not know how to approach it for fear of making her upset.
Evelyn and Rupert
Duncan also writes an Honesty Letter in which he reveals his concerns about not being able to “have tough conversations together without having extreme emotions take over.”
He particularly expresses his sadness that Alyssa always tells him he “will never understand what it’s like to be a parent.”
“If I can never understand, how can I possibly integrate myself into you and your child’s life,” Duncan reads out his letter.
Evelyn encourages Duncan to just give Alyssa a bit more time to build “trust and reassurance”.
Alyssa and Duncan reunite
With a renewed perspective Duncan can’t contain his excitement to be reunited with his wife.
But Alyssa doesn’t feel the same way. “I’m really nervous to see Duncan today,” she admits.
“Having a third party’s take on my relationship, it has raised a few concerns.”
Alyssa gets a warm welcome home from Duncan. He showers her with gifts including a cheeky photo album of baker-themed pics and an Italian cooking class.
But Duncan’s grand romantic gesture goes down like a lead balloon.
Rather than jumping for joy, Alyssa reacts as if she’s been gifted a dirty sock.
When Duncan asks “What’s wrong?”, Alyssa says: “I had a lot of concerns in my honesty letter.
“We hadn’t really spoken about that you think it’s a concern that my child will be my first priority.”
But Duncan assures her that her child being first priority isn’t a problem at all.
Duncan says that while he may never fully understand what it’s like to have a child, he wants Alyssa to do her best to help him understand so he can help her.
“You will never understand that until you do it yourself. Full stop,” Alyssa snaps.
When Duncan says they should try to meet in the middle, Alyssa says if she needs time and space, Duncan will just have to “sit and wait”.
And Alyssa decides she needs time right now, and leaves the apartment with her bags, leaving Duncan devastated.
Duncan admits he feels rejected, “I feel…” the groom can’t finish his sentence as he chokes back tears.
“I feel more rejected in this relationship than any relationship I’ve been in.”
The groom can’t contain his emotion and breaks down crying.
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