It may have only just started, but the latest season of Married At First Sight Australia is already delivering on shocks, drama, laughs and tears aplenty!
In episode one, we met bride and groom Rachel Gilmore and Steven Danyluk, a couple with a huge amount of potential.
From the moment Team Leader Rachel burst onto our screens, her vivacious personality and infectious laugh had us hooked!
Bubbly, gorgeous and full of zest for life, the 35-year-old from Victoria is looking for a serious commitment, after finding herself in a series of situationships over the past 14 years. Having never been told by a partner that she’s beautiful before, she’s desperate for her groom to compliment her and give her the boost she needs.
Lacking in self-confidence, marine technician Steven, 34, from NSW, worries he’s too short and not good looking enough to find a lasting relationship. Single for more than a decade, he’s the first to point out his flaws.
“I’ve got insecurities and vulnerabilities,” he candidly admits.
“I’m not the fittest guy in the world, I’m not the tallest guy in the world. That might make people swipe left. If I could be six foot three, I’d do it. I’m very aware I’m far from perfect,” he adds. “She might not like me!”
Thankfully, his bride is feeling the exact same way.
“Worst case scenario for me today is that when he sees me, he’s instantly disappointed,” Rachel says.
“I’ve not experienced a man making me feel beautiful. I long for it.”
A bundle of nerves as he stands at the altar, Steven has to be prompted by his pals to say hi to the bride’s loved ones.
“I didn’t mean to be rude there, just trying to compose myself here,” he sheepishly admits.
And he’s not the only one feeling the pressure, with his mum already crying from the front row!
As soon as her groom turns around and lays eyes on her, Rachel descends into fits of nervous giggles.
Breaking the tension, her laughter spreads amongst the guests. Having cited an easy-going personality and a good sense of humour as his prerequisites, Rachel’s vivacious personality immediately wins Steven over.
“She’s great, I was excited,” he says of meeting his bride-to-be. “She had a big smile and the moment we met … it was just, ‘We’re OK here, we’re OK. It’s all good.’”
So begins a cacophony of rapturous laughter that threatens to derail proceedings! Composing herself just long enough to recite her vows, Rachel opens up about her past heartache and insecurities.
“I know I’m a lot, but in the best possible way,” she declares.
“I wear my heart and all my emotions on my sleeve because, to my core, I am a person filled with an immense passion for life, laughter and, most of all, putting smiles on people’s faces.”
Rachel clearly strikes a chord with her groom when she reveals how difficult it’s been on dating apps, never feeling like she measures up.
“Her vows were beautiful and I can relate – I’ve been single for a long time and I know the battles that’s out there,” he tells the camera. “And I feel like she’s gonna be supportive because of that.”
As Steven begins his own vows, it’s evident the pair are perfectly matched in the personality department. But he digs deeper, too.
“Behind all the silliness and loud laughs, I have a big heart and when I care, I care,” he says.
“I’ll always choose laughter over silence, adventure over comfort and you over everything else. I’m not perfect – I’m very far from it – but I’ll show up every day, ready to build something real.”
Seemingly thrilled with her partner, Rachel says he’s the kind of person she would match herself with. “I’m actually shocked that no-one’s snapped him up,” she notes.
Sealing their union with a kiss, Rachel couldn’t be happier as she admits she’s “100 per cent attracted to him”.
“I’m feeling optimistic – I have a really good feeling about him and about this match,” she says.
However, while the wedding got off to a great start, it’s when the newlyweds have to pose for photos that things start to go south.
“I’m noticing I’ve not had a compliment on the way that I look today,” Rachel notes.
“I’ve told him he looks very handsome. That has stung a little bit. It is a little bit disappointing,” she says, clearly deflated.
Sensing that he’s closed off, his brother having asked her more questions about herself than he has, Rachel takes the bull by the horns.
She asks Steven outright how he feels about her being his match.
“I don’t remember getting a compliment from you on how I look today. At all,” she explains. “It probably feels really small, but I was like, ‘Gosh, maybe he’s just not that into me.’”
Seemingly oblivious to his shortcomings, Steven immediately apologises.
“I’m really sorry you felt that way,” he says, adding, “You do look gorgeous today. You do, you look fantastic, and I’m really sorry that I didn’t say it when it mattered. I feel like that is a really bad thing on my behalf and I really dropped the ball there as a groom.”
Bonded by their insecurity as all is forgiven, is this the beginning of a blossoming relationship?
Are MAFS’ Rachel and Steven still together?
Rachel and Steven are another couple that got off to a rocky start. And things got much, much worse before they got better.
During Intimacy Week, Rachel blindfolded herself and held up signs, Love Actually-style, for her husband to read. They culminated in her asking him to “Kiss Me” – and make her feel something.
She was brutally rejected by Steven, who admitted he wasn’t sure he could make her feel anything. Rachel was devastated and understandably took it personally.
After some time apart, the couple regrouped and hashed it out, and Steven gave his bride the kiss she had been longing for! And it’s been all systems go since.
As the whole world and his dog knows due to Bec’s lack of tact at the Couple’s Retreat, the pair have made leaps and bounds in their intimacy in recent weeks.
While they’ve yet to seal the deal as far as we know, they’ve also decided to stop sharing so much about their private life – which is a good thing if you ask us! – and have been focusing on building their trust.
Though we’re really rooting for these two, they have a lot to overcome – including the revelation during a recent episode of MAFS: After The Dinner Party that Steven had been talking poorly about his wife to Bec, which is what led to her vulgar public declaration during the retreat in the first place.
Poor Rachel looked totally blindsided and upset all over again, which has probably set them back a million steps and doesn’t bode well for happily ever after for this couple.
Still, it sounds like we’ll have to stay tuned to find out. Watch here.
