This season proves it: MAFS UK is unethical and sets up brides and grooms to fail

Married at First Sight UK seeks and tells audiences often that it exists as a serious experiment to help people find love, matching them with their soulmate. You don’t have to have watched the new season of MAFS UK to know that this is clearly a bit of a stretch taking more than a few liberties. This is a show that exists to maximise drama – and if you have per chance watched the 2024 debut week then you will know that the show feels more unethical than ever. An episode is incapable of going by without tears and disaster and without leaving you wondering how on earth these people got matched in the first place. We all like the chaos and the drama of MAFS UK, but is it finally time to admit these practices are just unethical?

The show sets people up to look stupid

Draw your attention initially to Lacey and Nathan’s wedding. A lot of time is spent establishing how Lacey struggles with her self esteem because of her twin sister, Paige – who Lacey feels always got treated as the beautiful one out of the pair and Lacey felt in her shadow. Cut to the show having Nathan waiting at the end of the aisle for his bride, only to turn and see Paige walking down and he makes the blunder of presuming that’s who he’ll be marrying. He wows at Paige’s beauty, and then a big part of the storyline centres on how he didn’t wow as much for Lacey.

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If this was an accidental thing that just happened – fair enough. But evidence shows this isn’t something that happens at every MAFS UK wedding, and the producers made the unethical choice to set this mishap up to maximise drama. How is this fair on Lacey, or Nathan?

A moment on the show’s handling of weight

Twice now this season in its first week, two brides have been left feeling not attractive enough for the men they’ve been put with after both men have moaned their brides aren’t petite enough for their interest. It’s a hard watch, when both of these women have struggled with confidence and overcome it only to feel like they have to vy for the attention and approval of men who are, to be blunt, no spring chickens themselves.

Like no, you don’t need to spend your time and energy convincing BORING men to ‘look beyond your size 😍’ when there are loads of people out there who’ll find you gorj for who you are xxx

— Hannah VDP (@hgvandepeer) September 19, 2024

Writer Hannah Van De Peer said it best and most succinctly here, last night writing “Finding it mildly triggering that you’ve got two men who’ve openly said their ‘preference’ is petite women – and the producers have matched them with mid-plus-sized gals and now they both feel they need to beg and convince them to be attracted to them.

“Like, no, you don’t need to spend your time and energy convincing boring men to ‘look beyond your size’, when there are loads of people out there who’ll find you gorgeous for who you are.”

The conflict between Eve and Charlie is equally icky – watching two people at emotional loggerheads because the show has paired up incompatible women with completely polar opposite approaches to attachment in the name of drama. What is the result of this on their mental and emotional wellbeing?

There is also the casting issue of Alex being accused of abuse off the show, and Channel 4 confirming they will not be removing him as a cast member because their checks came back fine. Women’s Aid released a statement speaking out about it. This is all week one of the show.

It just isn’t that fun anymore. Keep it to the dinner party drama that will happen organically anyway, and MAFS UK should stick to trying to match based on genuine reasons rather than an unsavoury and honestly unethical approach to casting.

The Tab has approached Channel 4 for comment, and in a statement to The Tab a spokesperson said “MAFS UK scenes represent a fair and accurate reflection of events as they happen. The matching process is careful and thorough, often requiring people to look beyond their usual types, and has an impressive success rate, resulting in four MAFS babies and several couples who remain in happy relationships.”

For all the latest MAFS UK 2024 cast member news, scandals, gossip and updates – like The Holy Church of MAFS on Facebook. 

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• This detail about the other MAFS UK 2024 weddings proves Nathan and Lacey’s was staged

• Wait, has Eve already posted some massive spoilers about her MAFS UK 2024 future?!

• Women’s Aid already forced to comment about alleged ‘abuser’ in the MAFS UK 2024 cast