MAFS is the show where singletons put their love lives in the hands of a team of experts, marrying complete strangers who they meet for the first time at the altar. And as Married At First Sight UK has us glued to our screens with a brave new bunch of brides and grooms (plus plenty of drama), it got us thinking about what really goes on behind the scenes. What happens during the application process? Who organises the weddings? And just how involved do the producers get? Here, we reveal the show’s biggest secrets…
The application process is intense
Former contestant Amy Christophers, 37, who took part in the show in 2021, has detailed exactly what goes down when you apply for the show. ‘I applied and the next day they phoned me, and they were like, “We love your application. We think that you would be an ideal match for somebody we’ve already got.” So, I was fast-tracked,’ she tells heat.
‘There was a really long questionnaire – I think it’s meant to take five hours, or even longer. You have to do a narcissist or empath test, and then there’s questions about your family, what you’re like as a person and just everything about relationships. Near the end, you also have psychologists making sure that you’re of sound mind to do it, because it’s not for the weak.’
And the research doesn’t stop there. ‘You have to give them phone numbers of your exes,’ Amy spills. ‘They phone them to see what you’re like in a relationship – it’s all really intense.’
Amy also reveals that she gave the casting team plenty of details about what she was looking for in a husband. ‘I don’t think I really gave them a chance to ask me any questions. I sent them my list – the sort of character I want them to be, the sort of jobs I want them to have and ambitions,’ she explains. ‘Then, I went on Instagram and I was just looking at the hottest guys who I fancied on there, screenshotting them and sending that over – I was bombarding the casting team daily! So, they were just like, “OK, we get it. We see what you want. Don’t worry, we think we’ve got the perfect person for you.”’
There’s a wedding budget
While contestants have a say in what they want their big day to be like, not everybody gets what they asked for. ‘They give you a mood board – that’s another thing you get sent through and you answer questions,’ says Amy. ‘It’s like, “Would you prefer boho? Do you want a church? Do you want pampas grass? Would you prefer roses or lilies?” Obviously, they can’t deliver what everybody wants, because your husband might have different taste as well. So, it’s trying to find a happy medium.’
She continues, ‘When I was originally speaking to the casting team, I was like, “I’ve got X amount in my savings. Is that going to be enough to cover the wedding? And they were laughing on the phone, like, “You don’t have to pay for the wedding, we sort it all.”’
But they do have to stick to a strict budget. ‘I think it was £1,200 for us. That was for my shoes, my dress and then my bridesmaids’ dresses and their shoes,’ Amy says. ‘The dress that I wanted cost five grand and I just was sort of like, “Can you let me have it for £1,200?” So, I blew the whole budget on the dress!’
She adds, ‘And for the boys, I think they only had like £500 or something to get their suit.’
Producers create drama
Amy also reveals that the producers have ‘quite a lot of input’ when it comes to creating drama for the show. ‘You’ve got a story producer with you who’s basically there the whole time. In our season – I can’t speak for other series – they lived next door to us in the apartment,’ she says.
Amy adds, ‘It is quite intense. And we were doing it in lockdown as well, so we couldn’t even grab a coffee outside of the apartments without somebody coming with us.’
She continues, ‘I look back at it now and do feel like I was manipulated –and I walked right into that. Some days, you’ve been talking for so long and you’re so tired, after the dinner parties and whatever, and you just want to get back. At some points, I’d be like, “What do you want me to say? I’m tired and I can’t be arsed anymore.” So, they’ll prompt you with things. They know the bits that they’re going to feature, so they’ll hone in on that.’
Amy adds that she was encouraged to talk about other people, saying, ‘They want you to say something, because they want those cutting comments. I did find that a bit difficult, because it didn’t really align with who I am as a person, speaking about other people’s relationships.’
You have to give up your freedom
Former contestant Luke Worley revealed that the filming schedule is so busy and intense, the brides and grooms are only allowed out of the house a certain amount of times per week.
No phones allowed
All the contestants’ phones are confiscated before the weddings. Stars are instead given a production phone to prevent them having too much contact with the outside world.
Dinner parties are for night owls
Erica Roberts spilled that the famous dinner parties went on into the early hours, saying, ‘There were times we weren’t getting out of the dinner parties until one in the morning.’
There are alcohol limits
Erica also revealed that they weren’t allowed to get too drunk. ‘If [the crew] could see someone was having too much, or it was getting a bit out of hand, the alcohol would stop.’
They get paid their regular salary
Bob Voysey said, ‘We just basically got paid our wages, you know, like what we’d get if we’re doing our normal jobs. We sent over our payslips before the show.’