“Never judge a book by its cover,” a deflated, yet reflective Eliot told Married At First Sight expert John Aiken.
Who would’ve thought that one of the experiment’s most petulant grooms would leave the process somewhat a changed man.
Viewers would’ve probably felt a few conflicting emotions while watching the latest commitment ceremony, where both Eliot and his bride Veronica decided to call it quits.
The groom initially came across as arrogant, demeaning, and immature when we met him at the start of the series, leaving the now-departed Lauren high and dry on their honeymoon and getting into a heated argument with Aiken.
Eliot and Veronica hardly saw eye to eye. Photo / Nine AU
But when Lauren and Eliot both re-entered the experiment with different partners, things took a drastic turn as Eliot started to take accountability for his bad behaviour and attempted to make it work with Veronica. Lauren, on the other hand, showed her true colours as being rather difficult.
For weeks, we saw Veronica berate Eliot for “not opening up” and for him not meeting her romantic expectations. Now, in a Game Of Thrones-esque commitment ceremony confessional, the former “villain” of the show made his final stand.
“She hates my guts with little moments of kindness in between,” Eliot bluntly said, referring to how his wife had treated him.
“I feel like I’ve pushed myself outside my comfort zone trying to make it work. This isn’t something we can overcome as a couple”.
Accusations about “blatant lies” and saving face were thrown around the room as the conversation went around in circles, but one couldn’t help thinking Veronica’s refusal to accept her husband for who he was led to most of the conflict.
When it came time to reveal a stay or go decision, both wrote leave, but not without a final reflection from Aiken and Eliot.
“I’ll leave knowing I gave it my best shot,” Eliot said, a far cry from his abrupt departure at the start of the series.
“I want to commend you for facing the music,” Aiken said like a proud dad. “What we wanted to see was a different Eliot, and we are thrilled with the progress and development”.
Sure, Eliot did some unforgivable things, and we’ll never truly know if he was just putting on a face for the cameras, but in terms of reality TV redemption, I reckon this was a slam dunk.
Eliot will go down in history as a notable Mafs character arc. Photo / Nine AU
While Rhi and Jeff, Beth and Teejay (despite some small road bumps), and Adrian and Awhina are seeing the light at the end of the Mafs tunnel, other couples are still on the fence.
“Sometimes, I feel like we’re in a university debate,” Ryan told Aiken, describing his relationship with the high-standards Jacqui.
The pair have been at odds since Jacqui voiced her concerns about Ryan not being a “breadwinner” among other bizarre relationship expectations.
“Feedback’s a gift,” she tells Ryan, as the pair both write stay despite clear tension between them.
Carina and Paul still haven’t managed to get over Paul’s brutal “snob” comment in his confessional letter, or the fact Carina’s “calibre” comment about Awhina’s sister was shared openly.
“I just got caught up in the [couple swap week] tasks. The task said raise concerns, so I wrote stuff”.
While Carina still feels betrayed and uncertain, the pair also vow to stay and work things through.
The biggest will-they/won’t-they moment of the night went to Jamie and Dave. The usually picture-perfect pair hit rock bottom last week after Dave revealed his feelings weren’t as strong for Jamie as hers were for him.
“I knew he was lying to me last night,” Jamie told producers after Dave tried to push the blame on Jamie the morning after.
“Don’t pull me aside and tell me you’re going to show up for me if you can’t even show up the next morning”.
The experts tell Dave he needs to get out of his head and start showing up for this relationship in order for it to repair and bloom. Some tears and a “heartfelt” apology later, both write stay.
One more dinner party and commitment ceremony to go now, will the final six couples see their marriages through or will some falter at the last minute.
Mitchell Hageman joined the Herald’s entertainment and lifestyle team in 2024 and has taken on the unofficial role of Mafs correspondent for this season. He previously worked as a multimedia journalist for Hawke’s Bay Today.
