Days into what could shape up to be Married At First Sight’s most controversial season yet, inside details of what’s really been going on behind the scenes of the hit Channel Nine show have been revealed.
While sources have told Daily Mail, cast members “literally cannot stand each other” and the season has been a “crisis management nightmare”, it seems that’s not even the whole story.
A source tells Woman’s Day that around the second week of filming the cast went to the trendy Icebergs Dining Room and Bar in Sydney’s Bondi Beach where things “got pretty wild”.
“Production were absolutely furious. They had to bring in a strict curfew for them all,” the mole reveals.
Rules mandating that cast members be back in their apartments by 10pm during the week and 11pm on weekends were reportedly moved even earlier to keep errant brides and grooms in check.
According to Daily Mail, a leaked email showed producers expressed “utter disappointment” in the cast’s behaviour and warned that hotel key fobs would be deactivated after the curfew times, unless prior approval was given for late entry.
Additionally, the cast members were reportedly required to undergo weekly drug testing during filming, with any participant returning a positive result shown the door.
The new revelations come as an insider told Daily Mail that most of the 2026 cast had “blocked each other” after the show wrapped.
“Exes, former friends, even people who were close during filming. Nobody wants to be in the same space,” the source revealed.
“This cast is next level. Next level loud. Next level toxic. Next level fun to watch – but absolutely impossible to manage. They literally got what they needed from the cast from dinner parties in a record two hours.”
For the 2026 season, Nine implemented stricter background checks and more targeted psychological screening for those taking part in the reality show.
“Go hard on challenging the participants, but keep the drama out of the courtroom,” Nine told production company Endemol Shine Australia, according to Skynews.com.au.
While this year’s cast is said to be “impossible to manage”, Tahnee Cook – a bride on season 10 of MAFS Australia – previously told Elle that rules were broken in her season too.
“Something I’m not sure viewers know is that you’re actually not allowed to hang out with any of the other brides and grooms off camera, except your partner,” she shared in a 2025 interview.
“Production was super strict on this because it can really affect the storylines when things happen off camera, and makes it harder to show the audience what happened.
“When people broke the rules on my season, we had a curfew enforced, and all had to be back in our rooms by 9pm every night.”
In the same chat, she answered one question that is often on viewers’ minds as the show unfolds on TV: Is MAFS scripted?
“Speaking from my experience, I’m definitely no actress and nothing at all was scripted during my time on the show,” Tahnee told the outlet.
“However, I will say the producers can definitely play a part in encouraging certain storylines and making sure they get what they need out of people to fit this.”
