Married At First Sight is a show about love and the sanctity of marriage.
But as we approach its ninth series, fans are aware that it’s more of a social experiment than a love matching exercise.
While romance-seeking individuals go into their marriages in hopes of striking gold, they are also faced with the highs and lows of intense pressure-cooker friendships.
It’s basically a show built for people to become incredibly close, then turn to enemies within weeks or even days.
After all, the contestants are navigating a new relationship, sharing that intimate experience with strangers and fighting for peace at a dramatic cocktail party every week.
MAFS has an infamously low relationship success rate, and at the time of writing, only five couples are still together.
As for friendship, the tally isn’t faring much better if you calculate every fallout that has taken place publicly, during and after filming.
But a true friendship can warm our hearts as much as seeing two people in love can, so we’ve rounded up the former MAFS contestants who have maintained their platonic bonds.
Belinda Vickers, Melissa Rawson and Bryce Ruthven
Belinda Vickers, Melissa Rawson and Bryce Ruthven
Even though the MAFS edit made it appear like these three weren’t friends, Bryce cleared the air for his fans after they questioned why Belinda was at Liss’ 33rd birthday.
He revealed, “Belinda was actually really nice to us & stood up for us when others did what they did, but it was never shown on TV. That’s why we’re still friends to this day ☺️.”
Bryce Ruthven and Jason Engler
Bryce Ruthven and Jason Engler
These mates have gone from strength to strength since wrapping up MAFS, and Jason has spent time with Bryce while he takes care of his twins. The former reality star shared a picture of them hanging out with Levi and Tate in the living room.
Jason captioned the post, “Yeah The Boys! 💙,” and Bryce’s fiancée Melissa commented, “We love you Uncle Jason x.”
Bryce also shared some love by writing, “What a boys club that is 💙,” and the father-of-two invited his friend to Liss’ 33rd birthday party.
Jules Cameron Kerry Knight and Johnny Balbuziente
Jules Robinson and Cameron Merchant & Kerry Knight and Johnny Balbuziente
They are the only friendly couples to come out of MAFS, and although Jules and Cameron, who appeared on season six, and Kerry and Johnny from season eight, weren’t on the show together, they have struck up a bond.
For Cam’s birthday, the foursome took a group snap which featured them laughing hard while trying to pose, and the former cricketer captioned the fun, “All I know is we are all having a jolly good time..🥳.”
Kerry commented on his post, “FAKE NEWS 😂,” and followed up with, “Just kidding!!! Love you! Happy birthday 🎈,” to which Cam replied, “😂No kidding! Just getting vodka cranberry’s YES!!!.”
While they clearly make each other laugh, it seems they have a deep bond too! Kerry shared a picture of her embracing Jules during the celebrations on Instagram with the revealing caption, “✨ S O U L S I S T E R ✨.”
But it isn’t just the girls having all the sweet feels. Johnny posted a picture with Cam of them holding drinks with unbuttoned shirts while smiling.
“Student becomes the master… 👔#howmanybuttonistoomanybuttons,” he wrote, and Cam responded by commenting, “One of the greats!🥳What a specimen you are😍.”
Jessika Power and Martha Kalifatidis
Jessika Power and Martha Kalifatidis
The girls were inseparable on MAFS but infamously feuded when the cameras stopped rolling, and the show began to air. However, they were able to rekindle their friendship, and in March 2021, Jessika told Unpopular podcast that it was “the best thing” that happen during their Grand Reunion Special.
When speaking on the podcast, she hinted to another contestant swaying her judgement of Martha.
“I was influenced by other people… I’m not gonna say who, but I influenced to lean more towards disliking [Martha], just from little things I’d heard,” she explained. “I was very grateful that I could mend that relationship with her, because Martha was my rock.”
Seb Guilhaus and Lizzie Sobinoff
Seb Guilhaus and Lizzie Sobinoff
Seb and Lizzie’s relationship may have come to an end, but for them, that didn’t mean they couldn’t be in each other’s lives. In March 2021, they put their followers through a spin when they went on a trip to the Gold Coast together, post-break up, but Seb explained that they’re just good mates.
In an Instagram post featuring pictures from their holiday, the 32-year-old explained they “love each other” but are just “close friends.”
Melissa Rawson and Kerri Knight
Melissa Rawson and Kerry Knight
The season eight brides became friends during their stint on the show and have retained their bond ever since. In April 2021, the mother of twins revealed on Instagram that she sees Kerry as a “lifelong friend.”
Her gushy caption shared incredible praise and respect for her fellow reality contestant.
“I came on the experiment to find love and made a lifelong friend during the process!,” she began.
“Kerry Knight is the most genuine, kind and caring friend I have had the pleasure of meeting. She always had my back,” she finished.
The women always had each other’s backs on the show. One sweet moment occurred when Kerry comforted Melissa during girls night when fellow bride Samantha Harvey revealed her husband Bryce Ruthven’s secret girlfriend.
Cyrell Paule and Nasser Sultan
Cyrell Paule and Nasser Sultan
These MAFS friends have also travelled down the friend to enemy to friend path. During the show’s reunion ep in 2021, the two went head-to-head when Cyrell blasted Nasser for disrespecting her family after he accused her of having a baby for publicity.
It seems like it was over for life until Nasser made a surprise appearance at Cyrell’s sons first birthday. On an Instagram post with pictures of him at the event, Cyrell commented, “A “SINCERE” apology goes a long way.”
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