MAFS Aus fans in shock as experts CHANGE RULES for Josh and Melissa
Expert John Aitkin decided to intervene...
Last updated 28th Mar 2023
We are now into the third week of Married At First Sight Australia here in the UK, and now that the couples are settled into married life, it's safe to say the drama is only just getting started amongst the group.
Whilst the likes of Lyndall Grace and Cameron Woods, Tahnee Cook and Ollie Skelton, and Alyssa Barmonde and Duncan James seem very stable, the same can't be said for couples like Bronte Schofield and Harrison Boon, Caitlin McConville and Shannon Adams, and Melissa Sheppard and Josh White.
On Monday (27th March) night's show, viewers witnessed the second commitment ceremony with experts John Aiken, Mel Schilling and Alessandra Rampolla, and they were in for a MAJOR shock when Josh and Melissa hit the sofa.
Over the last two weeks, Josh and Melissa haven't seen eye to eye due to their different feelings towards intimacy, and fans were left with tears in their eyes for 40-year-old Josh, when 41-year-old Melissa said she didn't think he was 'man enough'.
Hairdresser Melissa told the experts: "Josh is really conservative and I respect that but it suppresses me and I feel like I'm the Alpha in the relationship, I'm the more dominant one and it's just showing."
Not happy with his wife's comments, Josh passionately hit back, saying: "I cannot sit here and take this. It is untrue. And I will now speak my truth and talk about something that I actually think is at the heart of the issue. There is a significant issue in this relationship about control.
"She has used degrading and dehumanising language to me, questioning my manhood. That is the core of the issue right there. And can I say, that if I was a woman saying these things, the group would feel very differently about this."
After breaking down and walking off set, Josh later returned to an apology from Melissa, but that wasn't enough to stop him writing 'leave' during the commitment ceremony.
However, clearly on a different page, Melissa said: "Josh is a nice, great guy so why would you not want to stay with him? He's really, really kind," before showing she'd written the word 'stay' on her card.
As fans of MAFS will know, if one person within the couple chooses to stay, both individuals have to stay in the experiment for another week to work on their relationship. HOWEVER, after seeing the situation between the pair, expert John stepped in...
He said: "When we look at what you're saying to him, that he's not enough of a man for you. These are heavy, emotionally charged words you're throwing at him. Josh, we can see clearly that you are pretty broken right now, considering what we've seen tonight and what we've heard, I'm going to do something I've never done before.
"I've never seen a relationship like this before in the experiment, and we've been around long enough to know there's no coming back for you in this experiment and we are not going to subject you any longer to this. But this clearly is an option that you have to be offered, as you know if one person writes stay and the other person writes leave then that couple stays in the experiment for another week to see if they can turn it around. Melissa, you wrote stay but right now it's up to you Josh, what do you want to do from this point forward?"
After Josh said: "Thanks, I'd like to leave," John added: "So we are going to respect your request, Josh."
After witnessing the drama, fans were quick to comment on social media, with many showing support for Josh.
One wrote: 'Josh is breaking my heart', with another adding: 'I’m glad Josh explicitly called out the gender biases too'. A third then wrote: 'That was 100% the right decision from the experts to allow Josh to make the final decision!! #MAFSAU 💔'. (sic)
A fourth commented: 'I hope the producers have given josh some great healing and counselling after this. The strain on his mental health after dealing with that emotional abuser. #MAFSAU'. (sic)
Melissa and Josh weren't the only couple to leave the experiment during Monday night's episode.
Check out which other MAFS Australia series 10 couples are still on the show:
Bronte Schofield and Harrison Boon
32-year-old builder Harrison was paired with 28-year-old online beauty educator Bronte by the experts.
Although the couple both seemed happy with each other during the wedding ceremony, things took a dramatic turn during the reception, when Bronte's friend dropped the bombshell that Harrison had been dating a 20-year-old before the experiment, and telling her he'd go back to her after the show.
After the revelation came out at the first dinner party, things then took another dramatic turn during the first commitment ceremony, when Harrison was called out by the experts for his behaviour. After apologising to Bronte for hurting her, Harrison made the decision to leave. However, after Bronte admitted she wasn't a quitter, she wrote stay, meaning the couple have another go to make things work.
After Bronte moved back in with Harrison, it had looked like the drama was over for these two, until it was revealed Harrison gave another girl his number during a night out with the boys. After Harrison said he immediately deleted the number, Bronte chose to trust him, with both writing 'stay' during the second commitment ceremony.
Although Bronte didn't attend the third commitment ceremony due to illness, both chose to stay in the experiment for another week.
The fourth week also went well for the pair, with Harrison enjoying drinks with Bronte's sister and introducing his son to Bronte. Following the good week, the pair both chose to stay during the fourth commitment ceremony, with both admitting they are 'falling' for each other.
Things quickly turned sour during the couple's retreat, when the pair's fellow cast mates called their relationship 'fake', leading Bronte to question Harrison's intent. Ahead of the penultimate commitment ceremony, Bronte chose to end the relationship but the pair reunited on the couch, where Harrison defended himself after being called 'controlling' and 'manipulative'. Despite the drama, both Bronte and Harrison chose to stay for another week.
The final commitment ceremony just might serve as the most shocking for the pair. To sum it up, after skipping the previous dinner party due to the rocky status of the pair's relationship, Bronte returned to the couch to face Harrison and the experts. Harrison detailed two 'boundaries' which Bronte had 'crossed'. After a group discussion, involving revelations from Lyndall, Melinda and Ollie, it became clear that Harrison had also 'crossed' these 'boundaries'. Following allegations of behaviours such as manipulation, gaslighting, lying, fake, and hypocrisy, the pair left the group in shock as they both chose to stay, despite Bronte claiming her 'rose tinted glasses' had been lifted, and Harrison claiming at the dinner party that he would be 'unequivocally' writing leave.
Despite being eager to show Harrison where she is from, Home Stays week was incredibly rocky for the pair, with Bronte's sister 'calling him out' on his behaviour. After Harrison claimed the pair 'attacked' him, this lead to Bronte walking out of the following dinner party, claiming she was 'done' with Harrison and never wanted to see him again.
Lyndall Grace and Cameron Woods
The experts paired together 27-year-old accountant Lyndall and 27-year-old carpenter Cameron.
Sparks were quick to fly between these two, with Lyndall and Cameron getting along very well with no drama on their wedding day. Lyndall also bravely opened up to Cameron to tell him she has Cystic Fibrosis.
Things continued to go well for the pair during confessions week, where Lyndall educated Cam further on the drug she's taking for her condition. During the first commitment ceremony, the pair admitted they can see potential of falling in love with each other, with the couple choosing to stay.
Despite experiencing a little bit of drama during intimacy week, when they had different views on Lyndall getting involved in other people's business, these two still looked strong and both chose to stay another week.
Lyndall and Cam experienced a few problems after Cam refused to give his wife a hug, admitting he felt 'pressured' by Lyndall's mum. However, the pair both chose to stay another week during the third commitment ceremony.
The fourth week also brought with it some problems for the pair, but after a chat with the experts, both Cam and Lyndall chose to stay in the experiment to work on their relationship.
Following a good time at the couple's retreat, Lyndall and Cam both chose to stay during the penultimate commitment ceremony.
Things then took a turn when the couple took to the couch for the final commitment ceremony, and discussed the logistics of a long distance relationship. Cam's remote work left him unwilling to relocate, and would also involve him being away for months at a time. Lyndall expressed how she was reluctant to discuss the topic, due to being 'scared' of his reaction. With Cam agreeing that he is willing to compromise, and Lyndall wanting to work on their communication, the two of them both chose to stay.
Tahnee Cook and Ollie Skelton
The show's youngest couple this year is 27-year-old PR manager Tahnee and 26-year-old voice-over artist Ollie.
These two seemed to hit it off from the off during their wedding vows, with both Tahnee and Ollie revealing their hate for online dating.
Things also looked very positive during confessions week, with both Tahnee and Ollie getting along and having an intimate relationship. After confessing their feelings for each other during the first commitment ceremony, the pair unsurprisingly both chose to stay.
The pair also strolled through intimacy week, both deciding to stay for another week after admitting they can see themselves falling for each other.
It was a similar story at the third commitment ceremony, with Tahnee and Ollie both looking happy and deciding to stay.
During the fourth week, the pair met each other's family and once again gushed about each other on the couch at the fourth commitment ceremony. Unsurprisingly, both decided to stay.
The pair both chose to stay during the penultimate commitment ceremony, with Ollie revealing he'd be happy to move location in order to be with Tahnee once the show is over.
Following the partner swap challenge, Tahnee and Ollie seemed stronger than ever, with them both agreeing that the challenge brought them closer together and heightened their feelings for one another. Despite this, Ollie revealed that it had caused him to realise certain insecurities he has, including feeling like he is not 'enough' for Tahnee. There to reassure her man, the couple came out stronger and expert John praised Ollie for his courage. With the week encouraging the pair to more vocally express their feelings for each other, they both chose to stay.
Alyssa Barmonde and Duncan James
35-year-old Executive Assistant Alyssa was paired with 36-year-old Cybersecurity Sales Regional Director Duncan.
The pair seemed pretty smitten on their wedding day, with sweet Duncan offering an emotional Alyssa a tissue. Things appeared to be going well as they head off on their honeymoon, with Alyssa saying she thinks Duncan is a 'hopeless romantic', which she's never had before, but is extremely excited about.
The love continued when the pair moved in together during confessions week, with both Alyssa and Duncan telling the experts during the first commitment ceremony that they are falling for each other. Of course, the pair both chose to stay in the experiment.
After getting intimate during intimacy week, things couldn't get any better for Alyssa and Duncan, with them both deciding to stay during the second commitment ceremony.
Alyssa and Duncan had their first argument when Alyssa didn't agree with Duncan supporting co-star Adam, following the cheating scandal. Despite their different views on the situation, both chose to stay in the experiment.
During the fourth week, the pair had some hard discussions about how their future will look, with Alyssa admitting she was concerned the relationship wouldn't work outside of the experiment. After some powerful words by Duncan, the pair both chose to stay during the fourth commitment ceremony.
The issues continued for the pair during the couple's retreat due to Alyssa's insecurities, with Alyssa walking out of the penultimate commitment ceremony in tears. When Duncan followed her, Alyssa confessed she wanted to go home, but later returned to the sofa. However, following a chat with the experts, both Duncan and Alyssa chose to stay in the experiment.
The final commitment ceremony was another emotional one for the pair, with Duncan opening up about crying during the "hardest day he had in the experiment". Alyssa expressed concern that he had not discussed this with her prior to sitting on the couch, causing more friction between the two. Alessandra reminded Alyssa that this moment was about Duncan, and not her, provoking another emotional discussion for the pair. Despite this, both Alyssa and Duncan chose to stay.
During Home Stays, Alyssa dropped the bombshell of her availability to see Duncan in the outside world, after the experiment. Surprised by this information, and her choice to not tell him this until now, Duncan raised doubts about the future of their relationship.
At Final Vows, Alyssa expressed how much she cared for Duncan, and how she wanted to 'help him' dig deep into his heart, and 'feel what my soul is feeling for you'. Despite her wanting to stay with him, Duncan thanked her for her words but labelled the couples' retreat as a 'turning point' in their relationship. Feeling 'emotionally rejected', Duncan claimed he didn't want to hurt her, or continue getting hurt, and decided to say goodbye.
Melinda Willis and Layton Mills
The final couple matched during the 2023 series was 31-year-old CEO's Melinda and Layton, with the experts hoping they could be a 'super couple'.
Although Melinda didn't seem best pleased after meeting Layton on their wedding day, he seemed to win her over at the reception, with Melinda admitting she'd probably judged him too soon.
After getting over her first bad impressions, Melinda and Layton enjoyed a successful confessions week, with the pair both deciding to stay in the experiment during the first commitment ceremony.
Despite admitting during the second commitment ceremony that they argue a lot due to communication issues, Melinda and Layton both chose to stay.
The pair continued to grow stronger and stronger, also making the decision to stay during the third commitment ceremony.
Following a few struggles during the fourth week, the pair opened up to the experts on the couch at the fourth commitment ceremony, and despite a few tears, both Melinda and Layton chose to stay.
Despite a few rocky moments during the couple's retreat, Mel and Layton once again chose to stay in the experiment to work on their relationship.
The partner swap challenge proved difficult for the pair, with multiple arguments erupting due to their differences in opinions concerning taking part. Meldina pleaded that Layton needed to put himself in her shoes, and following an emotional sit-down on the couch, she revealed that she was apprehensive about the future of their relationship. Despite this, Layton inspired hope with his couch discussion, leading to both of them choosing to stay.
Although the pair had struggled with communication, Melinda revealed at the final dinner party that she loved Layton. During Final Vows, Layton revealed he was falling in love with her, and the pair decided to stay together.
Evelyn Ellis and Rupert Budgen
26-year-old Model Evelyn Ellis and 27-year-old Electrician Rupert Budgen were the final couple to enter the 2023 experiment.
Things didn't get off to the greatest of starts during their wedding day, when Rupert's nerves got the better of him. However, during their honeymoon, Rupert started to open up to Evelyn, with the pair admitting during the first dinner party they were getting on well.
During the pair's first commitment ceremony, the experts asked Rupert to step up in the relationship, with both admitting they'd like to stay.
The following week certainly saw an improvement for the couple's relationship, especially when Rupert had his wife's back during 'butt dial' gate. Both chose to stay in the experiment.
After enjoying time together at the couple's retreat, Everyln and Rupert enjoyed a number of kisses and flirty banter, before choosing to stay during the penultimate commitment ceremony.
After Evelyn dedicated some of her couch time to addressing Harrison and his behaviour, she revealed how she felt 'targeted' by him during partner swap week. Despite this, things seemed good between her and Rupert, with her only concern being her desire to be 'courted'. Rupert showed his willingness to up the romance, and both of them chose to stay.
LEFT: Claire Nomarhas and Jesse Burford
John, Mel and Alessandra chose to pair 31-year-old kindergarten assistant Claire with 30-year-old marriage celebrant Jesse Burford.
Although Claire seemed to tick Jesse's boxes on initial meet, he was quick to get the 'ick' when Claire mentioned her love for crystals and star signs. Things took a worse turn when the pair fell out on their honeymoon.
After moving in together and taking part in confessions week, things seemed to take a positive turn for these two, until they went out for drinks with the rest of the group. After seeing Claire getting on well with fellow contestant Adam, Jessie saw red and accused the pair of calling each other. When the matter was brought up during the first commitment ceremony, Jessie apologised for taking things too far and later chose to leave. However, after Claire made the decision to stay, the couple were forced to stay together for another week.
Intimacy week worked wonders for Claire and Jesse, with the pair confessing during the second commitment ceremony that they are excited to have their first kiss.
Things all went sour when Claire confessed to kissing co-star Adam behind Jessie's back. However, after writing Jesse an apology letter and expressing her feelings for him, Claire chose to stay in the experiment. Although Jesse wrote leave, he agreed to stay another week after Claire's decision.
Following the drama, it was clear to see Claire was prepared to make an effort to save the relationship, and she certainly got back in the good books with Jesse. After a great week, which also involved some kissing for the pair, they both chose to stay at the fourth commitment ceremony!
However, after co-star Harrison meddled in their relationship, Jesse was unsure if he could trust Claire, with him later deciding he could no longer continue in the experiment after she cheated on him.
LEFT: Tayla Winter and Hugo Armstrong
27-year-old Tayla Winter and 32-year-old Hugo Armstrong were late arrivals into the experiment, joining in week three after being matched by the experts.
Despite things initially going well on their wedding day, the pair had a number of issues with each other during their honeymoon, when Tayla made Hugo sleep on the floor. During their first commitment ceremony, the pair admitted they were keen to get to know each other more, both deciding to stay.
It wasn't a great second week for the pair when Hugo was caught saying nasty things about his wife during a night out with the boys, which was heard during a 'butt dial' to Evelyn. The experts also called out Tayla for her behaviour towards Hugo, which didn't go down well with her. Following the tense conversation on the couch, where they both blamed each other for their relationship not working, Tayla chose to leave, with Hugo deciding to stay. Despite the rules of the show, Tayla walked out and refused to remain.
Although they headed on the couples' retreat, which was pretty disastrous for the pair, Tayla and Hugo mutually agreed to leave the experiment at the dinner party prior to the fifth commitment ceremony, despite Tayla offering Huge a 'second chance'. The pair left the experiment and didn't attend the fifth commitment ceremony.
LEFT: Sandy Jawanda and Dan Hunjas
36-year-old dental hygienist Sandy was paired with 42-year-old digital marketing business owner Dan by the experts.
Despite Sandy's parents not giving their approval and not attending the wedding, the pair seemed to get on immediately, with Dan's family and friends loving Sandy's vows.
Sandy and Daniel cruised through confessions week, where they both opened up about difficult moments throughout their life. During the first commitment ceremony, the pair admitted they really like each other, both deciding to stay.
Sandy and Dan had a slight hiccup during intimacy week, when Harrison told the group Dan got another girl's number during a night out. However, after it was established it was only Harrison who did that, the pair chose to stay in the experiment.
The third commitment ceremony saw both Sandy and Dan stay another week, but after admitting they suffer issues with sexual chemistry, there's plenty of work for the experts to do.
Despite being intimate following the third commitment ceremony, Sandy and Dan didn't have a great week, with Dan being heard slagging his wife off by fellow co-star Evelyn during a 'butt dial'. After realising they weren't going to work out, both Sandy and Dan chose to leave the experiment during the fourth commitment ceremony.
LEFT: Janelle Han and Adam Seed
The experts matched 28-year-old beauty influencer Janelle with 25-year-old business owner Adam.
Although the pair both seemed happy on first sight at the alter, Janelle's brothers were quick to speak to Adam, where he revealed he has cheated in the past. Janelle also seemed a little concerned about Adam's career aspirations.
The couple were dragged into drama during the first week alongside fellow contestants Jessie and Claire, when Jessie accused Adam of getting too close to his wife. Despite the drama, Janelle admitted she had no 'hard evidence' of Adam's wrongdoing, but did reveal she now feels a little insecure. The pair both chose to stay.
After enjoying intimacy week together, Janelle and Adam admitted during the second commitment ceremony that they were in the 'best place so far', both deciding to stay.
However, things quickly went bad when news emerged that Adam had kissed co-star Claire earlier in the series. Not happy with Adam's apology, Janelle kicked him out of their apartment and later chose to leave the experiment during the third commitment ceremony. Adam also wrote leave, before storming out of the room.
LEFT: Melissa Sheppard and Josh White
41-year-old hairdresser Melissa was matched with 40-year-old advertising client director Josh by the experts, making them the oldest couple in the series.
Although Melissa's friends had reservations over Josh's quiet personality on the wedding day, Melissa seemed to be over the moon with the match. However, after hearing the thoughts of her friends and family, Melissa started to get doubts, but these were later put to bed by her twin sister, who told her Josh was 'the one'.
During confessions week, the pair had their differences over sex, with Josh admitting he felt more like an object to Mel. During the first commitment ceremony, Josh revealed his reservations to the experts, but the pair both decided to stay, with Mel admitting she's keen to work on things.
During the second commitment ceremony, following intimacy week, Josh and Melissa once again argued about their differences, resulting in Melissa calling Josh out for not being 'man enough'. Although Josh wrote 'leave', Melissa chose to 'stay'. But expert John Aiken shocked fans by changing the rules to allow Josh to leave, after noticing the pair's relationship was beyond repair.
LEFT: Caitlin McConville and Shannon Adams
The experts also matched together 27-year-old Makeup Artist Caitlin and 30-year-old Personal Trainer Shannon.
The pair were both pleased with their coupling at the altar, and it certainly looked like we had a perfect match on our hands, with Shannon gushing with compliments for his new bride.
However, things took a shock turn during the first week, when Shannon admitted he was still in love with his ex-girlfriend, who he last saw just one week before the experiment started. When the matter was brought up during the first commitment ceremony, Shannon apologised to Caitlin and the experts for 'wasting their time', with expert John ripping into him for applying, and calling him 'selfish'. Despite the shocking revelations, Shannon actually chose to stay in the experiment admitting he is now 'all in', as did Caitlin, who said she owed herself a chance.
However, things turned sour between the pair again during intimacy week, when Shannon said some brutal things to Caitlin, as well as admitting he didn't find her attractive. Shockingly, Shannon chose to stay in the experiment, but as Caitlin wrote 'leave', the pair went their separate ways.
With two couples leaving, viewers will get to see some brand new couples enter the experiment during Tuesday night's episode, in the form of Tayla Winter and Hugo Armstrong, and Evelyn Ellis and Rupert Budgen.
Married At First Sight Australia airs Monday-Thursday at 7.30pm on E4.
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