The contestants who made Season Five of reality TV juggernaut Married At First Sight a success have been blocked from the series Instagram account in a bid to keep them away from the show’s current stars.
Dean Wells, Sarah Roza, Telv Williams, Nasser Sultan, Carly Bowyer, Ashley Irvin and even Melissa Walsh all woke up on Thursday January 10 – just weeks out from the Season Six premiere – to realise they no longer had permission to view the MAFS Instagram account.
“We did everything you asked, we kept our mouths shut and didn’t defend ourselves and this is the disrespect we get? Good way to alienate people, Channel Nine,” vented Carly.
While controversial groom Dean wrote, “Makes a couple of comments about how MAFS really works [and] gets blocked… Guess they don’t want the truth getting out and ruining their fairytale.” Eek!
Now the former stars, including Dean, are threatening to reveal “the truth” about what went on behind the scenes on their series.
Yep, while Dean has announced a YouTube tell-all is to come, Sara has fumed, “Maybe they’re worried I’ll spill the beans on what REALLY happened behind the scenes and expose their negligence, lack of duty of care and mistreatment of pretty much ALL of us on the show.”
Sarah Roza even dm’ed the MAFS admin team. (Source: Instagram/Sarahjaneroza)
But it’s not just last season’s stars who’ve been shut out. Even Season Four groom Jesse Konstantinoff has been blocked, “Even the nice guy gets the #door shut on him,” he wrote in a post.
Yesterday, Dean took to Instagram in a bitter rant about the program.
Commenting on a new trailer for the show, he wrote: “Seems legit”.
The trailer showed one of the new brides facing horrific opposition from her family members, to which a fan wrote:
“This add [sic] broke my heart. I hope you find love and happiness regardless where you’re looking for it. I already love her and cannot wait to watch her journey. I hope her family find a better understanding of her choices and are able to support her because they look like a very loving family.”
But Dean was having none of it and responded: “Really?” with a face palm emoji.
READ NEXT: MAFS’s Nasser Sultan’s blunt advice to 2019 contestants
Dean Wells and Tracey Jewell on Season 5’s Married At First Sight. *(Source: Channel 9)
Another fan then commented, “@deanwells I bet you’re already reclined in your seat with the popcorn in anticipation lol.”
To which he responded: “A yeh [sic] kinda. Looks entertaining. It’s kinda sad that people still think this show is really about finding love,”
“Watch it, enjoy the drama, but realise the producers’ goal is not to find love for these people, it’s to create a good TV show. That’s the only criteria [they] match people on.”
“I thought they were gonna match me with a compatible partner. Tracey’s a great girl but her and I were not right for each other. They just matched us cos she said she likes a man who takes charge, and I said I like being a leader. That’s the only thing we had in common,” he continued.
“And they realised they could make a public controversy over that and make me out to be an overbearing, controlling male. Which if you watched the actual show you would see is not even close to true.”
Another fan then weighed in: “Well, Dean, they were really showing the fact that at the start u [sic] did find love? And she did fall for u [sic]? But then it wasn’t enough for u [sic]. So u went looking elsewhere,” they said. “Maybe people do go on this show to find love and really give it a chance with the person they were matched up with.”
“Yeh [sic] that’s what u [sic] saw in the edit. The reality is a whole other story. Just trust me on this. Sarah and Telv, and every other couple “gave it a chance”. Where r [sic] they now?” Dean responded. “I’m not saying people don’t go on it for love anyway. I’m saying the producers don’t care about finding love.”
“I guarantee you the woman in this trailer was only cast because she has a hot-headed brother that will cause drama at the ceremony. Which they probs [sic] encouraged him to do anyway.”
WATCH NEXT: Dean meets Tracey at the altar on Season 5, Married at First Sight
And it seems that last year’s contestants are not taking this lying down.
Now, Nasser has also taken to his Instagram, taking aim at the hit show.
“If you ever wanted to know what reality TV is like behind the scenes, this is it. The series five cast now officially blocked from the @MAFS page as they groom the new bunch. Which is funny, since we’re all still locked into contracts with Nine, who are still banning us from taking on new work and making a living.”
“Threatening legal action if we even try. Last year they promised us care, assistance and help with dealing with the media. They said don’t worry, trust us, we really do want to find you love. Then the second they’d exploited our story lines for all they could, turned people against us with their scripted produced rubbish and made as much money as they could off us – we were nothing.”
“Even months after they said they wanted nothing to do with me anymore they still sent an email from their lawyers banning me from doing another show. Good luck to the new lot… you’re going to need it. If you wonder why some of us speak with such distaste about the show that made us – this is it.”
Following his post, his former cast mates commented, just as irate, which he screenshot and added to his story.
“I’m honestly so offended by this.” Carly Bowyer commented on Nasser’s post. (Source: Nasser Sultan/Instagram)
“I wonder how many paid actors they’ve hired this year,” Telv commented on Nasser’s post. (Source: Nasser Sultan/Instagram)
“I am mortified and pissed off,” Melissa also commented. (Source: Nasser Sultan/Instagram)
A Nine spokesperson said: “We have blocked participants in the past, so there is nothing unusual about it. We are focused on the upcoming new season of Married At First Sight, and the journeys of the new participants.”
