MAFS ‘villain’ Alyssa claims her final vows episode was supposed to go very differently.
MAFS ‘villain’ Alyssa claims her final vows episode was supposed to go very differently.
Married at First Sight’sAlyssa Barmonde has spilled the beans on what really went down behind the scenes at her hair-raising final vows.
The Sydney-based baker, who was known for her divisive nature towards her husband Duncan James in the Channel 9 series, was unexpectedly dumped in the final episode, which hit screens in March.
Taking to Instagram, Barmonde revealed that, while she said “yes” in the final episode, she contemplated ending the relationship at the final vows before producers convinced her otherwise.
“There was a part of me that kind of felt like he [Duncan] was going to say ‘no’ because he had been so distant the last couple of weeks of the experiment,” revealed Barmonde.
“And so even coming up to the morning of our final vows I had two answers, a yes and a no.
“And my producer really, really, really stressed on me to say ‘yes’, telling me, ‘You guys keep telling each other you live so close together, it’d be so easy to continue on the relationship outside, you’ve got to give it a go, you’d be cheating yourself if you didn’t give it a go in the real world.’ And I was like, ‘That’s true, you’re right.’
Alyssa Barmonde was unexpectedly dumped in the final episode by her MAFS husband Duncan James.
“And then I realised she was doing that so much because she knew that his answer was ‘no’, so they were trying to get me to say ‘yes’ and him to say ‘no’ so it would tie into the storyline. So those are real tears guys, I really was upset.”
The single mum claims that she tried to leave the experiment multiple times leading up to the final vows, but again, claims she was talked out of it by the show’s producers.
“Every time I tried to leave, which is probably like half a dozen times, they would stop me and be like, ‘Alyssa you’re so raw and real, Australia is gonna love you!’”
When speaking of her former husband, she revealed that producers would tell her: “’You need to expose him, we can see that he’s not being genuine, we can see that he’s not being authentic, we can see that he’s a politician, you need to expose him.’
“Like, this is what happens behind the scenes.”
Barmonde also spilled the tea on the MAFS relationship experts John Aiken, Mel Schilling and Alessandra Rampolla, who allegedly all wore earpieces when filming the commitment ceremonies. The former contestant believes that they were being told what to say in order to fit with certain narratives.
Barmonde also spilled the tea on the MAFS relationship experts John Aiken, Mel Schilling and Alessandra Rampolla, who allegedly all wore earpieces when filming the commitment ceremonies. Photo / ThreeNow
“So when you’re on the couch, they’ll ask you a question and then you answer it and then they sit there for a minute and you can hear voices in their ear about what they’re gonna say. I’m pretty sure that’s production telling them what to say,” she said.
“The few times that I had panic attacks, there was one time when it started raining really bad where we had to stop production when Duncan and I were on the couch and they had to separate us so we wouldn’t speak.
“I was in tears obviously, and Mel and Alessandra came over and gave me a hug. They were like, ‘We’re not supposed to do this, but you’ve got this, you’re gonna be OK.’
“So I don’t hold the experts accountable for anything, they’re just there to voice what the producers are telling them.”
Barmonde additionally confirmed her single status, while James has started seeing fellow MAFS contestant Evelyn Ellis.
Barmonde dodged talking about James’ new relationship, however she did admit that she was “so shocked” when he dumped her at the finale as they had been talking about their future and making plans before the ceremony.
“We had concert tickets that weekend … He had invited me to his sister’s birthday,” said the MAFS bride.
“Duncan is a great guy, totally, I just feel like he was saying and doing things in a particular way. He was just careful with his words and how he was presenting himself.
“Do I regret some of the ways I acted towards him? Absolutely. I definitely think he was a great guy, we just weren’t a right match.
“We had such good times together. I absolutely had real feelings for him. But it just didn’t work out.”
James, in an exclusive interview with news.com.au, loyally defended his former wife, saying she didn’t deserve the amount of online hate she was getting as a result of the show.
“The stuff that people are saying about her and to her … I hate it. I’ve seen some of it, I don’t see much of it, I do try to pull myself away from it,” James shared.
