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Remember when former MAFS Australia star Jessika Power proudly declared that earning $30,000 in a single month was a “bad” return for her?
If not, hold on because it’s a goodie and we can quickly recap…
The blonde reality star – who appeared in the 2019 season of the hit Channel Nine show and well and truly cashed in on the moment – said her “best month” would see her raking in $110,000 on OnlyFans, and she once made $90,000 in a week from a topless photo.
“The amount of money I’ve earned is just ridiculous,” Jessika boasted to KIIS 106.5 in 2021, adding, “The more money you get the more boring it gets, because then it’s like, you have to get a financial advisor, a really good tax agent.”
Who is the richest person on MAFS?
Jessika, who was originally matched with Mick Gould, and later became involved in a major storyline with Dan Webb, was one of the most talked about contestants of Season 6.
After appearing on the show and making a whole heap of headlines, she moved to the UK where she appeared on shows including Celebs Go Dating and continued to leverage her profile for paid content and opportunities.
Most recently, she’s returned to screens on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins – which has already aired in the UK and returns soon to the screens of Seven and 7plus in Australia.
Jessika is certainly a MAFS rich list success story – and yet the 2026 crop of bride and grooms are steeling themselves for a very different experience.
Daily Mail reports the cast are outraged by a decision from Channel Nine to lock them out of their social media accounts until June – effectively banning them from becoming influencers and cashing in on their TV fame.
Those taking part in the show usually regain access to their accounts in May – with the network posting on their behalf – but that is reportedly no longer happening.
“We’ve been submitting photos for weeks, expecting them to be shared like every other year,” one cast member told Daily Mail.
“They’ve just said no – and we’re furious.”
Insiders say the cast are “worried” by the move – fearing they have lost the ability to turn MAFS fame into financial gain.
And the fear is perhaps not unfounded, given that over the years it’s become more difficult for those on the show to break through in a meaningful way.
Public relations strategist Adrian Falk puts it succinctly.
“In the early years the show created real stars, people the public genuinely rooted for. Now it is about who can go viral. It is fame without foundation,” he told Daily Mail.
“Until the show shifts back to authenticity, it will stay a zoo. And no one makes it big living in a zoo.”
Outspoken bride Gia Fleur is perhaps the most likely to become a top earner from the 2026 cast.
With a savvy approach to media dealings and a secret past – which includes going by a different name and embracing acting, modelling, singing, dancing and rapping – she has what it takes to forge a financial future away from reality TV.
So who else has already made it into the MAFS rich list?
Who earned the most money from MAFS Australia?
Jessika Power isn’t the only former MAFS star who snapped up a whopping sum from their OnlyFans shenanigans.
In 2023, Season 7 star Hayley Vernon revealed she was making a “bucketload” of cash on the platform too – up to $90,000 a month.
“I want to say that I did heaps of work, but just coming off the back of the show, I don’t know, I did nothing pretty much. It was pretty basic content, because everyone wanted to see the girl that was on telly nude! It was crazy!” she told B105’s Stav, Abby and Matt.
“I didn’t even get nude. I think they were like bikini photos, and it was more the inquisitiveness of the experience that got people buying in,” she clarified.
A year later, however, everything had changed. The star revealed she had quit the porn industry and turned to God, marking a new chapter.
“In my late thirties, I had everything the world offers… and I still felt helpless,” Hayley shared in an emotional Instagram post in December 2025.
“The grit: I was living a life the world applauded, but it left me empty. The grace: God spoke — and I listened.
“Walking away from my old life didn’t make my life smaller. Following the Word made it abundantly and exceedingly better than I could have ever imagined.”
Away from OnlyFans, there are other MAFS alumni who have forged successful careers off the back of their TV fame.
Jules Robinson and Cameron Merchant remain perhaps one of the most commercially successful couples – earning thousands of dollars through sponsored posts and commercial partnerships.
They were the ultimate (and rare) Married at First Sight success story – forming an authentic connection in season 6 of the show and going on to marry and become parents.
In 2022 they dropped a cool $3.65 million on an 875sqm home on the Gold Coast, boasting six bedrooms and five bathrooms. They also have a $1.8 million home on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
In addition to their real estate portfolio, Jules has more commercial interests via her shapewear brand FIGUR By Jules.
The other MAFS success story worth talking about is the union between Michael Brunelli and Martha Kalifatidis.
The couple have been together since they met on the 2019 series of the show and are expecting their second child together.
With almost a million combined followers on Instagram, it’s estimated that Martha can earn as much as $36,000 for a couple of months’ work on that platform alone.
They have collaborated with the likes of Calvin Klein, skin care company Olay and Target and Martha reportedly received a five-figure sum for her stint on Celebrity Apprentice in 2021.
The duo are also podcast hosts which adds to their earnings, and they famously live with Martha’s family in Melbourne – something she insists is not for financial reasons.
“Our living arrangement has nothing to do with money,” she said in an Instagram Q&A in 2024.
“The sad thing is you probably believe we live with my parents to capitalise off of the situation, that is furthest from the truth.”
And what about those who have graced MAFS more recently?
Jamie Marinos is reportedly one of last season’s highest earners, thanks in part to a major commercial partnership with Lynx which is said to have netted her more than $40,000.
How much do MAFS contestants get paid?
For those trying their hand at reality TV, it’s not surprising they are keen to net the financial rewards – given the meagre pay they receive to actually appear on a show like MAFS.
In an interview with Yahoo Lifestyle, one MAFS star from 2025 branded the remuneration they received as “appalling”
“You get $150 a day plus a $128 food allowance for the week. All up you get $1,178. The way we are paid as ‘contributors’ and not as a proper job is how they can pay you so little,” they revealed.
“Some shoots were twenty hours and paying us as ‘contributors’ is a loophole that allows for no overtime,” they continued.
“The weekly ‘dinner parties’ could go well past midnight and the ‘commitment ceremonies’ averaged between eight and 12 hours.
“You don’t actually get paid for any ‘publicity opportunities’ while the show is on. It’s kind of expected but not enforced.”
