MAFS Australia: How do Rhi and Jeff know each other?

AWKWARD! 🙈

Author: Alex RossPublished 7th Mar 2025

With series 12 of Married At First Sight Australia airing on E4 now, viewers are being introduced to this year's brides and grooms, as the experts attempt to match the series 12 singletons.

During episode four of series 12, which aired here in the UK on Thursday 6th March, experts Mel Schilling, John Aiken and Alessandra Rampolla matched together singletons Jeff Gobbels and Rhi Disljenkovic, but it was quickly apparent the pair weren't meeting for the first time.

How do Rhi and Jeff from MAFS Australia know each other?

Unbelievably, out of all of the applicants, Rhi and Jeff actually previously dated!

A year before filming for the show took place, 34-year-old Rhi and 39-year-old Jeff dated briefly for a month, but things fizzled out, leading to the pair to friend zoning each other. Speaking on the show, Rhi admitted the timing wasn't right for the pair at the time they dated, going on to reveal they are still good friends, even running a marathon together and going for coffee.

Jeff said: "My initial reaction was pure shock. It was the last person I expected to see on my wedding day. We dated for about four or five weeks... the timing wasn't quite right.

"We had a conversation about going our own ways, and it was very grown up and very mature and very mutual. If it wasn't a mutual separation, it would have been very hard in the experiment!"

Are Rhi and Jeff still together?

As the 2025 experiment is still airing over in Australia, it's not yet know if Rhi and Jeff found a romantic spark, but we can't wait to see how their relationship unfolds here in the UK.

Check out all of the MAFS Australis 2025 couples below:

Carina and Paul

31-year-old Carina and 30-year-old Paul were matched by the experts.

Wedding day:
Carina and Paul were in for a shock on their wedding day when they met at the altar, having previously dated eight months prior. Although Carina initially asked to be matched with another man, after Paul 'ghosted' her, the pair were able to work things out after Paul's apology. Following the initial drama, Carina and Paul's wedding ceremony went very well, with the pair even enjoying a kiss.

Honeymoon:
The sexual chemistry between the pair heighted on their honeymoon, with the couple being intimate on more than one occasion during the honeymoon.

Jamie and Dave

28-year-old Jamie was paired with 36-year-old Dave by the experts.

Wedding day:
Things certainly got off to a promising start for Jamie and Dave, with Jamie very happy with the man she was greeted with at the end of the altar. Despite her non-stop talking after the ceremony, it was all positive vibes for these two on their wedding day!

Honeymoon:
The positivity continued on Jamie and Dave's honeymoon, as they enjoyed spending time together and finding more out about each other.

Katie and Tim

The experts matched 37-year-old Katie with 38-year-old Tim.

Wedding day:
Whilst Katie seemed to be happy, the same couldn't be said for Tim, admitting to producers he wasn't happy with his match. After a very awkward wedding reception, Tim later admitted to Katie that he had no initial attraction to her, leaving her in tears.

Honeymoon:
Things went from bad to worse during the honeymoon, when Tim once again confessed to Katie she wasn't the type he asked for, saying to her he usually goes for 'petite, blonde and short girls'. Despite the rejection, Katie continued to try and get to know her husband more, asking him questions and making conversation, but this wasn't reciprocated.

Sierah and Billy

The experts chose to match 31-year-olds Sierah and Billy together.

Wedding day:
Billy's upbeat personality and charm was certainly an instant winner with wife Sierah, with him even getting down on one knee and proposing before the ceremony went ahead. The couple seemed to get along very well during the reception, with their family and friends having high hopes for the pair.

Honeymoon:
Sierah and Billy's honeymoon continued in a positive way, with the pair getting intimate with each other. The couple enjoyed spending time with each other and getting to know each other more, both looking very happy together.

Awhina and Adrian

Both twins, the experts matched 30-year-olds Awhina and Adrian.

Wedding day:
Although initial attraction was certainly there between the two, Awhina was a little taken-a-back when Adrian joked in his vows about not having children, being a mum herself. Unable to find the right moment to tell him she has a little boy, Awhina's step dad and mum broke the news in their speeches, which left Adrian and his family in shock. After discussing the matter in private, Adrian didn't exactly give Awhina the reassurance she was looking for.

Honeymoon:
Things started off well for the pair on their honeymoon, with Awhina and Adrian being intimate and very playful with each other. However, on the last night, things took an awkward turn when the subject of family came up. When given the honeymoon box by the experts, Adrian admitted he doesn't know how he feels that Awhina has experienced having her first child with somebody else, and revealed he doesn't know if he will be able to love her child as much as he would love his own. Taken aback by the comment, Awhina admitted it could be a big issue for the pair.

Ashleigh and Jake

34-year-old Ash was paired with 30-years-old Jake by the experts.

Wedding day:
Ash and Jake immediately hit it off at the altar, with the pair seemingly getting on from the moment they clocked eyes on each other. Although there was a few moments of silence at the ceremony, it looks like this match will be a success!

Rhi and Jeff

34-year-old Rhi was matched with 39-year-old Jeff by the experts.

Wedding day:
It turned out Rhi and Jeff's wedding day wasn't the first time these two had met, as they'd previously dated, unbeknownst to the experts! Despite this the pair both seemed happy to see one another, revealing they remained friends, even running a marathon together. The pair were both keen to see how things panned out during the experiment.

Jacqui and Ryan

The experts matched 29-year-old Jacqui and 36-year-old Ryan.

Wedding day:
Although Ryan seemed to be impressed by his match, telling the camera everything was going accordingly, the same couldn't be said for Jacqui, who addressed a few concerns about Ryan. As the wedding reception went on and she got to know Ryan more, Jacqui admitted the pair had a lot of things not in common, and she wasn't too thrilled about his choice of dog breed. However, Ryan seemed to pull Jacqui back round with his personal wedding speech, where she admitted she's now got a lot of hope for the pair's future.

Morena and Tony

The oldest couple to take part in this year's experiment is 57-year-old Morena and 53-year-old Tony.

Wedding day:
Things got off to a good start for Morena and Tony, who seemed very pleased upon seeing each other for the first time. During the reception, Morena's children made a lovely speech, where they told Tony to treat their mum like the 'Queen she is', something Tony agreed he would do. There was a little tension with Tony's cousin at the wedding, who confessed he thought Tony should have been matched with a younger woman, but Tony seemed to dismiss his claims, telling him Morena is a 'beautiful woman'.

Lauren and Eliot - LEFT

37-year-old Lauren was matched with 35-year-old Eliot.

Wedding day:
Despite Eliot admitting to the camera he would walk out of the ceremony if he didn't find his bride attractive, luckily for Lauren he was pleased with the match. The pair seemed to get on well, and despite Lauren's sister Tamara causing problems throughout the wedding reception, Lauren and Eliot seemed to have an initial spark.

Honeymoon:
The day after the wedding, Eliot seemed to have a full change of heart and continued to slam the experts for giving him a bride who didn't match what he asked for. Eliot refused to take part in the experiment and decided to leave the show, leaving Lauren behind.

Series 12 of MAFS Australia airs every Monday-Thursday on E4.