Now that it’s over: The biggest MAFS Australia scandals of season 12 now burned into our brains

Scandals, breakups, and poor editing aside, season 12 of MAFS Australia has been a wild ride despite literally only one couple remaining together. Praise the lord for Jeff Gobbels and Rhi Disljenkovic!

If you’re like me, then you largely watch reality TV for the drama, so I won’t waste your time. Here are the biggest scandals of MAFS Australia 2025.

1. The Tim Gromie of it all

Reality TV villains are a natural part of the genre, and in MAFS Australia 2025, there was no one more villainous than teacher Tim Gromie. He was matched with literal angel Katie Johnston, but during their wedding it became immediately clear that he had no intention of trying to make the experiment work.

He might have left the experiment in the first few weeks, but his blaming of Katie for their failed relationship was one of the most diabolical MAFS moments to date.

2. Paul’s punching moment was one of the biggest MAFS scandals of 2025

Paul Antoine was a huge red flag for most of the show, but our worst fears were confirmed when he got physical with a door because of his wife’s connection to the rapper Quavo.

“It was unacceptable. I walked out of the room, and I lost control. The moment it happened, I instantly felt shame. I felt disgusted,” he said after. “They brought me into a private room the next day. I couldn’t stop crying. I told them, ‘If you need to kick me off, I understand.’ But they gave me another chance. I was so grateful — I wanted to make things right and show that wasn’t who I am.”

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MAFS producers imposed strict rules on Paul as a result, though people did spot a moment where he broke them.

3. Eliot’s dramatic exit and return

Though he’s basically the favourite groom now, Eliot Donovan’s MAFS journey got off to a super rocky start. He was initially matched with Lauren Hall, but on day two of their honeymoon, he ditched her.

He then dug himself an even deeper grave by sitting down with expert John Aiken and saying: “The person I was matched with was nothing like that. I was expecting to meet a cute librarian girl who was younger than me,” he said.

“And I ended up with what felt like a Kardashian sister, and I really value moving my body and I have to do it everyday. And I want to meet someone healthy. When we were talking about exercise, she had trouble running from one side of the tennis court to the other, and I want someone who is under 30, that’s something that works.”

In a Married at First Sight first, Eliot and Lauren were invited back into the experiment with brand new partners. Both relationships went as well as their first, but now Eliot is with Jamie Marinos!

4. The Adrian X Billy X Sierah love triangle

There were several cheating scandals in MAFS Australia season 12, but none were messier than Sierah Swepstone getting involved with Adrian Araouzou when she was still married to Billy Belcher. It became a huge talking point about halfway through the season, and while Adrian and Sierah insisted they were only friends, do you really show your friends x-rated videos of yourself?

5. Jake’s photo ranking challenge was MAFS at its worst

During the photo ranking challenge, which, to be honest, should be axed anyway, Jake Luik said Jacqui had “crazy eyes” and Sierah looked like she “could stab you in your sleep.” He then proceeded to make overtly racist statements about women of colour.

“I’m not racist or nothing. I like Caucasians mainly, mostly,” he added. “Awhina she’s not exactly like — she’s Māori I think — probably why she’s a bit higher, the physical features.”

6. The breakup literally no one saw coming

Jamie Marinos and Dave Hand were the couple to beat at the start of the season. Their chemistry was magnetic, they were clearly physically attracted to one another, and before long, wedding bells were chiming in the distance. But little did we know that the relationship would combust, with both parties making jabs at one another on Instagram.

They have slightly different versions of why the relationship ended, with Dave blaming it on family issues and pressure. Meanwhile, Jamie said it became “bloody obvious” that he simply wasn’t into her.

“When we went back into our home life, it was glaringly, bloody obvious he wasn’t into me… I initiated the break-up about two weeks after Final Vows, and his response was everything I needed to confirm that I was making the right decision, which was silence and just being agreeable,” Jamie said.

7. Just Jacqui being Jacqui

We might have to do a rundown of Jacqui’s most scandalous moments because there were almost too many to count. From the moment she rolled onto the MAFS Australia scene, Jacqui Burfoot was a messy queen, and we loved (and hated) her for it. Between crying in most scenes and issuing some of the wildest claims in reality TV history, Jacqui is one MAFS bride we won’t be forgetting anytime soon.

The chaos has even continued after the show wrapped, with Jacqui caught donating money to herself.

8. Awful men sparked a petition with 12k signatures

Between Adrian’s past domestic abuse charges, Ryan’s treatment of Jacqui, and Awhina Rutene’s backup groom also having a past, MAFS Australia 2025 was the year of problematic men. People have clearly had enough, hence a petition that has over 12k signatures and counting.

“One of Australia’s most-watched reality TV programs, Married at First Sight (MAFS), has a responsibility to uphold the highest ethical standards regarding domestic, family, and sexual violence. Reality television can shape public perceptions of relationships, making it critical that production prioritises participant safety, ethical storytelling, and responsible media representation,” the Change.org petition reads.

“To address ongoing concerns, we urge MAFS Producers, Channel 9 and Endemol Shine to implement the following measures as a matter of urgency.”

The petition’s creators have called for: A zero-tolerance policy for abuse, real-time intervention and producer accountability, content warnings for viewers, education on healthy relationships, responsible editing and storytelling, access to individual therapy, comprehensive background checks, clear post-show support and safeguards, and accountability and transparency.

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