MAFS NEWS MAFS producers congratulate themselves once again after casting blokes who think violent threats are a love language
BY: Kartya Vucetic
Yet again, Sydney’s most reliable soap opera, Married At First Sight, is making headlines for reasons that have nothing to do with actual romance and everything to do with questionable background checks.
As reported by The Australian, last Saturday night at Bondi’s Icebergs, new groom Chris Nield took a short break from pretending to look pensive for cameras to instead deliver an old-fashioned, violent threat to a journalist.
According to witnesses, Nield pulled MAFSFunny podcaster Josh Fox aside for what initially seemed like small talk, before clarifying that he would, in fact, happily “put him in a headlock.” Later, proving his commitment to the bit, Nield followed up with a phone call insisting that it wasn’t a “threat” but a “warning”. It’s a distinction rarely appreciated by police officers, courts, HR departments or probably anyone but Chris Nield.
Not to be outdone, fellow groom Daniel Hewitt was also spotted on the night allegedly threatening to smash a photographer’s camera. And I mean seriously, at what point do we start to feel like this type of behaviour is less of a scandal and more just a staple in the MAFS application process?
camera when leaving the venue
As it turned out, the entire cast of MAFS were reportedly in tow at Icebergs, despite producers allegedly imposing strict curfews on filming nights. Much like school kids sneaking out of the dorms at Year 9 camp, the group apparently decided those rules were optional, swapping bunk beds and Milo for overpriced Negronis and threats of grievous bodily harm.
Of course, none of this comes as a shock to longtime viewers of the nation’s favourite televised red flag parade. In previous seasons, grooms have punched holes in walls, racked up criminal histories, and cast straight off the back of a court appearance for domestic violence charges.
The show, however, has spun these resumes of chaos into primetime gold, proving once again that Nine and Endemol Shine are less interested in love stories and more in live-action case studies of the nation’s domestic violence crisis.
While most networks might view repeated threats of violence from reality TV stars as a PR catastrophe, it appears Nine’s publicity team are not only sitting pretty, but probably licking their lips at this upcoming season’s ratings potential.
“We’ve really nailed the brief this year,” one anonymous producer allegedly said, while sipping a $19 Aperol spritz at Opera Bar. “Every season we aim to scout out the bottom of the barrel, but these blokes have honestly dug through the floor and kept going. It’s inspiring stuff.”
With the show’s track record, fans can already start their bingo cards: violent outburst? Tick. Legal baggage? Tick. Producer silence? Tick. Entire cast sneaking out to Icebergs like delinquent school kids on muck-up day? Tick.
At this point, it’s less an ‘experiment in love’ and more a sociology thesis on how much chaos you can unleash before advertisers pull out, or the nation finally calls “enough”. But hey, if you thought last year’s crop of problematic grooms were bad, just wait until this lot hit your screens.
After all, love may be blind, but MAFS casting is clearly deaf.
Editor’s Note: The “anonymous producer” quotes in this article are a satirical invention. Nine and Endemol Shine, as usual, are yet to comment. All other details in this article are factually correct at the time of publication.
