Home Entertainment Reality TV

How much pull do the producers really have? We found out what really goes down behind the scenes of a MAFS dinner party

The real low-down.
Loading the player...

It’s a show that has Australia on the edge of their seats, shocked at what unfolds and desperate for more to come.

But is the drama really real on Married at First Sight?

Woman’s Day goes behind the scenes of a dinner party to give you all the goss – here’s 10 juicy secrets from the set.

  • Dinner party shoots can last from six to eight hours, with the cast arriving for hair and makeup at 3pm. Filming begins at around 4pm.

  • The entire process of the couples entering the cocktail party takes around two hours.

  • Place cards are written up during the cocktail party so producers know which contestants to sit next to each other – and surprise, surprise, the ones with a beef always end up near each other.

There’s some surprising things happening behind the scenes.

(Channel Nine)
  • Despite the cast’s previous claims of producers constantly intervening, they actually sit in an off-set location and watch the entire dinner on TV monitors.

  • The dinner is shot entirely organically with no reshoots, so if producers want to chat to someone, they must inconspicuously pull them away from the dinner without interruption.

  • While it’s called a dinner, there’s very little eating going on, with the meals sometimes sitting untouched for hours until the contestants are given the green light to dig in.

The dinner is shot entirely organically with no reshoots.

(Channel Nine)
  • There’s just one break during filming, which occurs at the handover of the cocktail party to dinner. It’s a 30-minute window where the cast are told to do their pieces to camera before being asked to walk back in.

  • The cast are told not to talk to each other off camera so all of the juicy conversations are caught when the cameras are rolling.

  • There is a lot of booze on offer, with a large range of wine and beer available for the cocktail party. However, the alcohol is toned down for dinner – surprisingly, just six bottles of red are put on the table. Drink rounds only happen around three times – and the alcohol is always served warm.

  • Someone is cut off from the bar every week and if one cast member starts a fight, they’re cut off immediately, whether they’re intoxicated or not.

We’re unpacking all the relationship, sex and dating woes of this season’s Married At First Sight stars in our juicy new podcast, Love In Reality. Listen, like and subscribe below!

Related stories