Clashes between female cast members are sadly nothing new to Married At First Sight, just as we’ve seen instances of misogyny and gaslighting from men on the show. Not only have conflicts between women been consistent over the years, but they’ve proven to be textbook examples of bullying. Except, well, how would you put it… a lot meaner?
While everyone’s experiences are different, much of the bullying I’ve witnessed and experienced in adulthood has been subtle and covert. It’s been sneaky and sometimes hard to prove, yet it hasn’t made the impact any less hurtful. But the problematic behaviour on MAFS is far easier to recognise and call out.
It’s not two women whispering as you enter the room. It’s not your boyfriend’s female best friend not inviting you to a party. It’s not passive aggressive text messages or being given the silent treatment. Rather, it’s shameless, in-your-face behaviour. Think of Martha and Cyrell throwing wine on each other in 2019, and Olivia circulating Domenica’s OnlyFans photo in 2022. The severity of bullying on MAFS has only accelerated in recent seasons, and this year has unquestionably been the worst.
Even last night, as we watched the last dinner party before final vows, we saw the nastiness on display. In Stan’s spin-off show called After The Dinner Party, unseen footage revealed Bec admitting that she’d framed Gia and set her up at the dinner party, where she and Scott called time on their relationship. You can watch it below:
@jshfx The unseen moments on this week’s After The Dinner Party are savage hahaha #mafs #mafsau ♬ original sound – Joshua Fox
Throughout this season, there’s been name-calling (including ‘see you next Tuesday’ references) and throwing one another under the bus with receipts, lying and snarkiness that you could argue has been taken straight out of Regina George’s burn book. What’s more, remorse has come across as non-existent, delayed or insincere. While they’ve apologised at commitment ceremonies after being held to account by the show’s experts, Bec and Gia, for example, have repeated their behaviour throughout this season. Gia and Alissa have berated their grooms to some extent, which has helped paint the men in an even greater light after a very tame edit to begin with.
If I cast my mind back to the 2025 season, there were instances of gaslighting, body-shaming and cheating at the hands of men, and one groom even disrespectfully divulging details about his wife and their sex life. By pairing strangers who get married after meeting at the altar, Married At First Sight has consistently held up a mirror to society, with the ugly sides of misogyny on full display.
Yet, why is it that in this season, we’re seeing more female feuds, politics, catfights… whatever you’d like to call it? Is it because apart from Tyson and a bit of Danny, to be honest, that most men have been depicted as rather respectful towards their wives and one another on the show? Is it because these women want fame, because afterall, the ‘villain edit’ on dating shows is an express ticket to getting airtime, right? Or is it because the pressure cooker environment of such a social experiment can get the best of you and your confidence?
In a video shared on TiKTok earlier this season, former The Bachelor star Abbie Chatfield weighed in on some of the ‘mean girl’ incidents on the show, saying insecurity isn’t an excuse for such behaviour.
@abbiechatfield ♬ original sound – Abbie Chatfield
“People say that they’re shocked at Bec’s behaviour last night. Have we been watching the same show? You guys, insecurity doesn’t make you pious,” said Abbie.
“Insecurity doesn’t make you a good person. Insecurity actually is a reason why people are mean,” she continued, adding, “I’ve seen comments going, ‘Oh my god, I’m so shocked that Bec would partake in this. Why was Bec brainwashed?’ She wasn’t brainwashed! She has been mean the whole time. She’s been doing mean things the whole time, it appears in the edit anyway.
“They’re all being mean,” Abbie reflected. “They’re all mean.”
While some viewers have felt sorry for these women, not everyone has been as sympathetic. Gia, Bec and Brooke have reportedly lost their jobs after their time on MAFS, and some fans don’t want to watch anymore due to “the childish, mean girl, bullying”.
Perhaps these are collectively a sign of the times that enough is enough, and that as much as meanness has scored ratings and generated something to talk about, it has finally, after 13 seasons, run its course. But as the final vows play out tonight, we’ll surely see promos encouraging people to sign up for the next season – and something tells me, it’s not worth holding my breath for change just yet.