It’s game on and could soon be “game over” for some Married At First Sight Australia couples, with the highly anticipated homestay week starting with a flurry of furious family members and even some bickering over a beard.
Meant to be the final test before couples decide if they want to stay together after the experiment, seeing how the other half lives proved a bit too much for some as “the make week” slowly turned into “the break week”.
Strong-willed sisters Georgia and Cleo gave grooms Dave and Adrian a reality check after their respective brides Jamie and Awhina had voiced their concerns over the way they had been treated, and once again Ryan claimed he had been pushed to breaking point by his overbearing wife, Jacqui.
It started with Jacqui not wanting Ryan to put his shoes on the bed in her Manly beach home, then quickly spiralled into tears when the groom refused to shave his beard.
“Jacqui is the most difficult person I have ever tried to date in my life,” Ryan told producers.
The bride is frustrated that Ryan “doesn’t take responsibility” for his appearance and “isn’t open to anything”. When Ryan tries to shrug it off as a joke, she hits back.
“We’re not in a banter place Ryan," she said, requesting sincerity.
Could homestay week spell the end for Jacqui and Ryan? Photo / Nine AU
But Ryan (for I think about the fifth time in this experiment) is inches away from calling it quits and asserted that if things fall apart during the week, “it’s looking like game over”.
While Awhina and Adrian are slowly rebuilding trust at a snail’s pace, Awhina’s sister Cleo still isn’t convinced his intentions are pure after the last time they met and butted heads.
Speaking at a joint dinner with the sisters' mother, Cleo once again lays down the law for Adrian with her no-holds-barred honesty.
“I don’t know much about your guy’s relationship. It feels like a fake relationship,” she bluntly exclaims, still adamant that Awhina has been taken along for the ride.
“I feel like you’ve dismissed her feelings on multiple occasions”.
Adrian previously told producers that he “wasn’t there to get yelled at,” and that if it goes the way it did last time it could “potentially be a dealbreaker”.
“If our families can’t be together then we can’t be together”.
Things end at a stalemate, with the viewers left wondering if there will be another sudden exit from the groom, who is notorious for running off at any sign of frustration.
Dave also gets a grilling from Jamie’s sister Georgia, who is sick and tired of her sister putting all the effort into her relationships and never getting anything back.
The pair are sleeping in separate houses this homestay week, so a tense dinner provided the opportunity to ask hard questions.
While Dave claimed his recent walls-up behaviour didn’t represent him as a person, Georgia said it was “really f*****g simple” that he wasn’t committing the way he should.
“They are going to be quite protective and strict,” Carina said as the pair were directed to sleep in separate rooms.
Paul received a bit of a shock when religious paraphernalia was spread all across the room, with Carina suspecting her mum was “trying to send him a message”.
But in the end, Paul accepted that he was open to exploring religion should the couple’s relationship extend past the experiment.
Cliffhangers and unfinished business seem to be the name of the game as the experiment drags on, but perhaps next week there will finally be some closure for some of the most controversial couples.
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.
