When it came to the matchmaking on Married at First Sight NZ, the experts didn’t always get it right – Lacey and Luke’s union fell apart on the honeymoon, Claire and Dom quit the experiment, and Haydn and Bel went bust after an explosive dinner party. MAFS expert Tony Jones has an idea or two why the couple that worked did, and the couples that didn’t, didnt.
When Tony, a relationship counsellor, was approached by Married at First Sight producers about appearing on the Three show, his first response was no. It was only when he went through an enlightening counselling session with a couple on the brink of divorce, that he changed his mind.
“They confessed that watching Last Resort, a show about couples trying to save their marriages, encouraged them to come see me. I thought, ‘If me doing this show gives other couples the confidence to do the same, then that’s totally worth it.’”
Despite the show’s failed marriages, Tony and his co-star Dr Pani Farvid – who whittled down 4000 entries to six couples – stand by their matches.
“We laboured over the entries for months,” says Tony.
“I’m a counsellor and it’s my duty to care about people, not ratings. I’m not saying they were the best couples in the world, but they matched and I genuinely hoped they’d find true love.”
Haydn Daniels and Bel Clarke
Playing with fire
“Theirs was a relationship filled with passion, with great highs but pretty dramatic lows. They both had values centred on loyalty, kindness, compassion and family, so they have a huge amount in common – moreso than many of the couples – but the challenge for them was communication.”
Dom Timmon and Claire Lawless
Make or break
“Circumstances dealt a devastating blow for this couple. Dom was smitten from the start and Claire was committed to giving it an honest go. With their shared zest for life, it was interesting to see whether these two confident personalities would either complement or dominate the other.”
Andrew Jury and Vicky Gleeson-Stokes
Not quite right
“These guys were both after loyalty and commitment, but this caused discomfort within the relationship. Vicky felt ignored in a previous relationship and wanted someone to spend lots of time with her. Andrew brought an energy and impulsivity that may have been too much for her.”
Ben Blackwell and Aaron Chisholm
Hidden potential
“A friendship definitely developed, but perhaps we saw more of the grubby bits of their relationship than the fun times, as it makes for good TV. I know they had some great times together, like the canyoning experience, which really showed the potential of the relationship.”
Luke Cedarman and Lacey Swanepoel
A promising start
“We really were excited about this couple and it was sad to see them exit so soon. It started so positively! Luke is highly reflective, expressing himself and his vulnerabilities quite impressively. Perhaps he just left it too late for Lacey’s liking to lessen the comedy and really open up.”
Angel Fulljames and Brett Renall
The perfect match
“This couple had more challenges than the others, such as their age gap and the fact they lived on different islands, but they saw the red flags and ignored the potential problems as they got to know each other. We were excited about these two but couldn’t have foreseen the speed and depth they connected on.”
