WITH Married At First Sight Australia ending with just one success story (thank God for Jules and Cam) you might be wondering about the longevity of the current cohort.
Now a dating expert has revealed the one thing which will be a dealbreaker for each of the eight couples – plus those who might actually last.
Match’s Hayley Quinn spoke to Fabulous about the MAFS UK class of 2021, and her predictions for how they’ll fare….
Dealbreaker: Long distance
So far, Dan and Matt have had the strongest spark out of all the couples. Both seem to have turned up to the process really willing and able to commit – it also helped that they were undoubtedly pleased when they saw each other at the altar.
There’s lots of physical connection here which can be seen from their lingering first kiss, to Daniel asking if the cameraman could see love bites on his neck after the wedding night (!), and shared affirmations that their relationship is something ‘special’.
One potential spanner in the works is Daniel’s love of his native Northern Ireland, and Matt being a paid-up city boy from Leeds.
Verdict: With so much mutual commitment to lifestyle change, and so much attraction between them, I think they’ll be able to survive the long distance and ultimately choose to settle down together. Only time will tell where that’ll be!
Dealbreaker: Volatility
Most of our eyes widened when brash Nikita first walked onto our screens, declaring herself high maintenance and reinforcing her values that image is extremely important to her (perhaps more so than personality).
Ant certainly has the confidence, calmness, and boundaries to stand up to fiery Nikita.
This was exemplified during their honeymoon fight where Nikita pushed for a reaction from Ant by storming off from their sun loungers at the beach, throwing a cup at him in their room, and insisting that she didn’t want to share a room with “this knacker”.
Despite her aggression, Ant simply rolled his eyes and didn’t budge in the argument.
Ultimately, the constant battles won’t help to make it a successful long-term relationship. A relationship is meant to bring calm and stability to your life, not constant firefighting.
Verdict: This couple may last longer than we think, but ultimately will split.
With Nikita getting them kicked off the show last night, we’ll have to wait to see if they survived outside The Experiment.
Dealbreaker: No spark
Morag was matched up with the antithesis of the macho men she normally goes for in emotionally switched-on Luke.
So far, Luke has dealt with Morag’s uncertainty well, leaning in when she’s pushed him away.
But this couple seems to have very different needs for physical affection. Morag wants to be touched and held, whilst for Luke, physical intimacy definitely comes second to emotional connection.
It comes as no surprise that Morag and Luke have struggled to make physical contact: despite Morag more or less asking Luke just to take her!
The closest they came to physical affection was Luke awkwardly hugging Morag when she teared up about her dad.
Physical contact between this pair feels forced and unnatural, and doesn’t show any signs of easing as they get to know each other more.
They also have a huge point of difference in the fact Luke wants children, and Morag doesn’t.
Verdict: Despite their best efforts, this couple won’t last.
Morag won’t get her needs for physical connection met, which will cause her to inadvertently knock Luke’s self-esteem, making him less able to step up and be the man she wants.
Luke’s want for kids will also be his ultimate dealbreaker in this relationship.
Dealbreaker: Different needs for closeness
Bob is warm, friendly, loving, and extroverted. Megan is cooler, distant, and more introverted.
On the surface, you may think that opposites may attract but underneath I see two people with fundamentally different needs for intimacy.
Bob would probably love to spend every waking second with Megan, whilst this could be seen as a turn off for Megan.
Granted she’d only known him for a few hours, but she made it clear she didn’t want to share a bed with him on their wedding night.
She prefers more space in her relationships and finds Bob’s needs for closeness claustrophobic.
Verdict: Having mis-matched needs for intimacy is one of the biggest causes of friction in relationships.
When it comes to how much closeness they want, this couple are poles apart and won’t survive a longer run.
Dealbreaker: Maturity
Amy has had some difficult years, but they’ve equipped her with maturity and a desire for a real relationship.
Josh is a playboy who may want to reform, but who isn’t emotionally ready to give a woman like Amy what she needs.
Amy tends to want to get things out in the open, (waking Josh in the middle of the night to ask why there was a pillow down the middle of the bed).
Josh on the other hand prefers to create distance (that would be the pillow fort) and so brands Amy’s emotional needs as ‘needy’.
Verdict: This couple seemed like a stretch from the start, and I can’t see them lasting.
Dealbreaker: Long distance and overpowering stance
Franky and Marylise seem like a great match on paper. There’s mutual attraction and strong compatibility, with their desire to fulfil traditional gender roles.
Marylise wants a man to look after her, and Franky wants to be the leader.
The couple have harmony together, we saw a glimpse of this when Franky turned to his new wife and said ‘you’re gorgeous’ during the wedding speech.
The rest of the speech was cringe worthy to say the least – but as a stoical and straight laced man, chances are he just Googled funny things to say in wedding speeches.
We can’t hold this against him, as Franky also mentioned he’d be open to being a great stepdad to Marylise’s kids.
The only spanner in the works is that Franky is from Dubai, whilst Marylise is in the UK.
Upping sticks and taking her two boys out of school would be a massive commitment, so I’m hoping Franky will grow more open to returning to the UK.
By being a drill sergeant in his line of work (quite literally), Franky will need to work with Marylise as his partner and teammate and learn to compromise, rather than making all the rules.
Verdict: With everything they’ve got going for them, I can see this couple working out till the end of the process.
But I can see Marylise growing tired of Franky’s alpha-male behaviour and unwillingness to compromise on certain things.
Dealbreaker: The honeymoon period ends
Tayah faced an uphill struggle getting married to Adam, after facing serious disapproval from her parents.
But despite the bumpy start, this couple had one of the most romantic honeymoons of the series, declaring their love for one another and talking babies after just one week of knowing one another.
My fear for this couple is that their honeymoon period will end as both come back down to Earth, realising their partner is just a normal person with flaws.
Verdict: With their shared strong family values, there’s a chance this couple will make it.
But they both must be willing to put in the work to get to know each other beyond the surface.
Dealbreaker: The other woman
Alexis and Jordan were doomed from the start. What looked like a dull wedding, turned into Jordan being highly critical of Alexis on their honeymoon.
He told her she wasn’t his type and he didn’t like how much she swore, (when she was just terrified on that that boat tubing excursion!)
A cornerstone of a good relationship is acceptance, and not trying to change your partner.
But we now know the main reason Jordan was so closed off to Alexis, he was still in love with his long-term partner, who he’d broken up with just days before his wedding (and has now run back to).
Verdict: His love for another woman has been ousted, and we all know Alexis deserves better.
Fabulous previously spoke to Mel Schilling about why this will be the sexiest series ever – and what to expect.
Meanwhile, Megan revealed the show’s secrets and what contestants are banned from doing.