A deep dive into the eye-watering amounts of money the MAFS Australia cast spend to be on TV

Being a bride or groom on MAFS Australia can cost a lot more than just your dignity. Participants don’t get paid for being on the show in the way you might expect, and some cast end up spending thousands on the show. Here’s a deep dive into what money going on MAFS Australia can cost.

Er, there may be a reason so many MAFS participants have unconventional jobs

The application form for MAFS Australia 2026 requested wannabe participants be available from July to November 2025. If you have a nine-to-five job, your boss might not be too keen on you going on holiday for four months. This explains why a lot of MAFS participants are tradespeople or freelancers. It could also be a reason why so many people on the show are already influencers, or millionaire business owners, or just wildly rich. Signing up to MAFS might be an easier decision if you can afford to take several months off work.

Some MAFS Australia participants who did have more conventional careers before the show lost their jobs over how they came across on TV. The 2026 bride Bec was reportedly “fired” from her job in sales after her bosses watched her argue at a dinner party. Alyssa Barmond, Jacqui Burfoot, Olivia Frazer and Tim Gromie all reportedly struggled to go back to their day jobs.

Grayson runs his own business, and Julia is a ‘confidence and charisma consultant’
(Image via Channel 4)

MAFS Australia participants do get paid… but not as much as you’d think

You do get money for being on MAFS Australia, but it’s more of a stipend to cover expenses than a salary. This is standard procedure for a lot of reality TV shows with non-famous people, such as Love Island and The Traitors.

We don’t know exactly how much money the MAFS Australia 2026 cast got. However, an anonymous participant told The Daily Telegraph in 2024 they got $150 AUD per day (£80) and a $125 AUD (£65) food allowance. The contestant claimed: “I am broke after having appeared on the show. I couldn’t even make my rent payments with what we were being paid. We would film late so I would be ordering takeaway most nights.”

Some contestants have spent thousands on their clothes

Participants on MAFS Australia are responsible for finding their own clothes and make-up. The cast have to assemble more outfits than there are dinner parties and commitment ceremonies. Producers sometimes veto contestants’ suggestions, to ensure nobody wears similar things, or colours that really clash.

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The show gives participants about $2,000 AUD for wedding day outfits, but many brides pick dresses which cost more than this.

Carina from the 2025 season spent around $12,000 AUD (£6,243) on outfits, plus up to $1,500 AUD (£780) per week on hair and make-up. Really.

Carina worked with a stylist
(Credit: Nine)

Mel Akbay from this year told Refinery29: “[I] probably spent around like $3,000 AUD (£1,560) to $4,000 AUD (£2,080). A lot of the time, I would just buy heaps of clothes from Zara or Kookai, try them all on, and whatever I didn’t wear, I would just return.”

Since many former MAFS brides have ended up with huge social media followings and lucrative brand deals, people who splash cash on their clothes might view it as an investment.

You can be more strategic about how you acquire outfits, though. The 2026 bridge Rachel partnered with a dress rental company. Jacqui Burfoot from 2025 reached out to brands before filming started, and many sent her clothes for dinner parties.

And hey, there’s always Vinted! Jamie Marinos said to Refinery29: “I couldn’t afford to be getting hair and makeup done, I did my own hair and makeup. I couldn’t afford to be buying new extravagant dresses, so most of my stuff was from Shein… like $12 dresses and calling it a day, or like Depop.”

So, it’s possible to be a MAFS bride on more of a budget… but many cast members don’t take that approach.

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