Strap in, folks, the new season of Married At First Sight Australia is finally here!
Now in its 13th season, fans of MAFS are aching with anticipation as a whole new bunch of brides and grooms gear up to walk down the aisle to tie the knot with a stranger.
While the country’s most controversial reality show has resulted in a handful of couples that have stayed together long after the show, it’s most known for dramatic emotional blow ups and fights at the dinner parties. But with such addictive television, we can’t help but love it!
Below, we’ve compiled everything we know about MAFS 2026 so far — including all the episode updates and goss you need.
Table of contents
- Latest MAFS 2026 gossip, news and recaps
- Meet the MAFS 2026 couples
- Is there a MAFS trailer?
- Who are the experts on MAFS?
- When is MAFS on?
Latest MAFS 2026 news and recaps
Episode 9, February 15 recap: It’s Commitment Ceremony time! And coming off the back of Revelations Week, some couples are stronger than ever while others are barely hanging on by a thread.
Mel and Luke are first up to chat with the experts – who quickly take Mel to task for her poor treatment of her husband and unwillingness to step out of her comfort zone and rise to the challenge of MAFS. While Luke unexpectedly chooses to stay, his bride writes ‘Leave’ – meaning they must stay in the experiment for one more week to try to salvage their relationship.
Rachel and Steven, who have been struggling to form a romantic connection, are applauded for making strides in their relationship, while poor Rebecca is blindsided when husband Steve insists they’re in the friend zone.
Cracks show in the relationship of another strong couple, Julia and Grayson, with Grayson admitting to feeling like their relationship is very much on Julia’s terms.
Following their Revelations Week blow-up, Stella calls out Brook for not wanting her relationship with Filip to succeed – causing Brook to explode! As the experts urge them to chill, Brook goes on an epic rant, calling Stella a “fool” and declaring she never wants to see her again.
Episode 8, February 11 recap: As Revelations Week continues, the brides and grooms are separated into two groups for the new red flag, green flag challenge.
In a surprising turn of events, seemingly strong couple Steve and Rebecca are rattled by Steve’s diatribe of his wife as he reels off a long list of incompatibilities.
While Luke is coerced to open up to his fellow grooms about how dire his relationship is, Mel is sharing her own truth – that Luke has been putting her “through hell” all week.
Brook unleashes a side of herself we haven’t seen before, arguing, shouting and calling out the women for “fake showmances”. Firmly in her sights are Stella and Alissa.
Episode 7, February 10 recap: It’s time for our newlyweds to move into their new digs – and for those not in the best place, being under each other’s feet only accentuates their incompatibility.
To make matters worse, it’s also the start of Revelations Week – and Luke is dealt yet another blow as wife Mel fails to put him first in the photo ranking challenge. Later, she admits to stalking her ex-boyfriends after breaking up with them, leaving Luke concerned to say the least. In fact, needing some distance, he stays elsewhere for the night.
As the couples get to watch their spouse’s audition video, for Brook, this new glimpse into husband Chris’ turn offs is incredibly eye-opening – and she doesn’t hold back taking him to task for the rude and disparaging things he said.
Bec continues to be hurt by husband Danny’s insistence that they don’t have strong sexual chemistry, while Gia and Scott – who certainly aren’t lacking in the chemistry department! – are confronted with their first real hurdle with Scott’s revelation that he doesn’t want to pay for another man’s child, much to single mum Gia’s dismay.
Episode 6, February 9 recap: The first Dinner Party of this season didn’t fail to deliver! As the newlyweds gathered en masse for the first time since their bucks’ and hens’ parties, things started off promisingly enough as the couples introduced each other to their new spouse.
But it’s not long before the night descends into chaos, as old tensions between Bec and Gia flare. And Bec’s worst fears – that husband Danny is more Gia’s type – appear to come true as Danny is unable to take his eyes off the busty blonde.
Elsewhere, things go from bad to worse for Luke and Mel, as Mel isolates her husband and spends the entire night bagging him out to the girls.
Episode 5, February 8th recap: Sunday night’s episode introduced us to two more couples: Stella and Filip and Julia and Greyson. Both of these couples had incredible chemistry and seemed to be the smoothest weddings yet. Well, until Stella’s friend Leila quizzed Filip on his intentions, certain that he’s not really there for love.
Episode 4, February 5th recap: Now that we’re almost through the first week of weddings, the couples are really getting to know each other. Gia and Scott are growing closer during their Townsville holiday, with Gia contemplating taking their relationship to the next step after two years of celibacy. Conversely, other couples like Mel and Luke and Rachel and Steven are struggling. Mel is still not feeling the spark with Luke and things are just… awkward. Whereas Rachel and Steven are both trying, but Steven keeps putting his foot in it and hurting her feelings. Ouch!
The most dramatic moment in the episode is between Bec and Danny while they’re on their picturesque Fiji honeymoon. Everything was going great until they had sex, and Danny admitted to Bec that he didn’t feel a sexual chemistry between them, leaving Bec feeling gutted. Things only got worse when she accused Danny of staring at another girl staying in their accommodation all day.
In a chat with TV WEEK, she explained how awful the experience truly was.
In this episode, we meet the eldest contestants in the bunch: Rebecca and Steve. They’re both in their 50s and hoping to find a second chance at romance after their previous marriages fell apart. So far, it’s looking pretty good for these two.
Episode 3, February 4th recap: In episode three of MAFS 2026, it’s time to meet Bec and Danny. The pair seem to have a great connection until Danny makes a joke about being bailed out of prison. For Bec — who spilled to TV WEEK that she’d been engaged before — it was all a bit too much. Well, until a heart-to-heart conversation with Danny won her over.
Meanwhile, MAFS’ most sceptical groom has entered the experiment. His name is Chris and he truly believes that the experts are a joke. However, he seems to be pretty happy when he sees gorgeous model Brook walk down the aisle. Maybe she will make him believe in the experiment after all?
Episode 2, February 3rd recap: In episode two of MAFS 2026, we didn’t have a runaway bride — we had a very, very late groom. On the morning of his wedding, Luke Fournitis was on his way to the venue when he realised he’d forgotten the rings. Haphazardly, he turned back but by the time he got back, his bride Mel Akbay was already waiting for him at the end of the aisle.
While he thought she’d forget about the mishap once he got there, Mel was not impressed, even telling TV WEEK that she felt the day was “ruined”. Can they come back from these frosty feelings?
We’ll have to wait and see.
The next couple to strut down the aisle was Scott McCristal and Gia Fleur. According to the experts, these two had the “highest level of sexual chemistry that we’ve ever seen” on the show. During the wedding, there was clearly a spark but Gia was worried that Scott wouldn’t be interested in her when he found out she had a daughter.
Thankfully, Scott wasn’t bothered at all and was excited to get to know his bride, and her daughter.
Episode 1, February 2nd: We are one day into Married At First Sight 2026 and there are a lot of emotions, feelings and disasters. In episode one, we almost had a fit when our very first bride, Alissa Fay, told her groom-to-be David Momoh that she couldn’t marry him. Well, until he got down on one knee and proposed for real. Thankfully, he did and they eventually started to get to know each other — and feel a spark!
We also met Rachel Gilmore and Steven Danyluk, who after years of struggling to date, seem to have hit it off after a bit of an awkward start.
In Tuesday night’s episode, we’ll meet Luke Fourniotis — a groom who is coming on the show after struggling with the grief of his father’s death and a relationship break down. HERE, he tells TV WEEK why it made his MAFS experience more challenging.
Later in the week, we’ll meet Adelaide socialite bride Bec Zacharia. Speaking to TV WEEK, she revealed that this isn’t the first time she’d been engaged and dished the real reason her first engagement fell through.
Who has been paired up together on MAFS 2026?
This year’s cast seem like a very big mix! We’ve got the full list of 2026 MAFS brides and grooms for you here, but so far we’ve only met two couples who have tied the knot on the show.
David and Alissa
She showed David who was boss during their wedding, when she declared she wouldn’t marry him until he got down on one knee and proposed, but Alissa seems to have met her match in her husband.
Alissa certainly has her detractors – with Gia incredibly vocal about not buying into her “theatrics” – but Alissa isn’t letting that interfere with her relationship.
Will the couple remain strong amid all the negative chatter or will it infiltrate their relationship?
Rachel and Steven
Their wedding got off to a raucous start, with bubbly bride Rachel bringing down the house with her infectious laughter. But early on, it became clear that Rachel and Steven may be destined to remain firmly in the friend zone.
It’s clear that Rachel wants more from her husband and is willing to give it a red hot go, but Steven’s awkwardness and seeming inability to see his wife in a romantic light looks sure to be their undoing.
Luke and Mel
After Luke forgot the rings and was late to his own wedding, his relationship with Mel failed to launch. Still holding a grudge over being left waiting at the altar, Mel hasn’t given her husband the time of day, continually blocking and putting him down at every turn.
With the experts calling Mel out on her behaviour during the first Commitment Ceremony, she vowed to give things a proper crack in what could be their last week in the experiment.
But will she stay true to her word and can the pair recover from their early issues?
Bec and Danny
They may have been struggling with sexual chemistry after first sleeping together on their honeymoon, but things are looking up for Bec and Danny – thanks to Revelations Week.
The challenges put forward by the experts allowed them to break down their boundaries and work through their issues, and they’re now back on track – much to Bec’s relief.
But with Bec and Gia locking heads at every turn, can she block out her negativity and build a solid foundation with her husband?
Gia and Scott
Gia and Scott have been hot and heavy since the get go – and they show no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Seemingly perfectly matched, the pair have connected on every level.
Clearly determined to be this season’s success story, can anything break them or will they go the distance?
Chris and Brook
Brook and Chris – who has already been dubbed this season’s villain – got off to a rocky start. And there doesn’t seem much hope that things get any better.
On February 16, our sister publication Woman’s Day exclusively confirmed the news that Brook is pregnant and engaged to her ex-boyfriend, Harry.
“This is everything I’ve ever wanted – to be with a partner who supports me and loves me for me,” she declared.
With his MAFS wife having confirmed her happy news and, in the process, revealed that she and Chris are no longer together, Chris is distancing himself from the show as he focuses on himself.
“I’m focusing on myself,” he tells TV WEEK. “I’m going forward from the show because it’s been a whirlwind of experiences and emotion. I came out of it wanting to push forward in life and work on certain things in particular that are of my interest.”
Rebecca and Steve
This season’s most mature couple, Rebecca and Steve got off to a brilliant start with their picture-perfect wedding ceremony.
But while all seemed to be going well, Steve revealed that was far from the case during the Revelations Week red flag, green flag challenge.
Rebecca may be ready and raring to go, but her husband isn’t on the same page and there is a huge disconnect between them. Can they get on the same page or is this relationship destined for unhappily ever after?
Julia and Grayson
One of the experiment’s strongest couples, Julia and Grayson hit it off from the moment they met. And, after revealing her bisexuality to her groom during their reception, Julia was thrilled when Grayson insisted he was nothing but supportive.
However, during the first Commitment Ceremony, Grayson shocked his wife when he told the experts he felt like their relationship was being dictated by Julia, who prefers a slow and steady approach to building a connection.
Julia appeared completely thrown by her husband’s revelation and we saw the first cracks in their seemingly perfect facade start to show.
Can they recover from their first hurdle?
Stella and Filip
Stella’s friends may have had their concerns that Filip isn’t in it for the right reasons after his vows caused a stir, but the newlyweds have shaken that off and are now vying for this season’s strongest couple.
But not everyone is buying it. The couple’s over-the-top affection with one another, compounded by Stella’s admission that they’ve already picked out baby names, has riled Brook and Gia up no end.
Can Stella and Filip block out their haters and remain strong?
Is there a MAFS 2026 trailer?
With so much anticipation for the season, Channel Nine has released a teaser trailer to give us a taste of what’s in store this season. And, if its anything to go by, we’re in for a dramatic yet heartfelt treat.
In the clip, we can see a bunch of close ups of the brides and grooms, including moments with single dramatic tears rolling down cheeks, some screaming matches at dinner parties and moments of joy.
You can check it out below.
Who are the experts on MAFS 2026?
The experts are returning for another round of match-up madness. That means John Aiken, Mel Shilling and Alessandra Rampolla are coming back to our screens.
Welcome back experts!
When is MAFS 2026 coming out?
Married At First Sight 2026 continues Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 7.30pm AEST, and Sunday at 7pm AEST on Channel Nine and 9Now.
