The most iconic moments from the last 10 years of MAFS Australia

Before there was “Cyclone Cyrell” or any hint of partner swapping, there was fiery marketing manager Clare Tamas, who sparked some of the most explosive clashes in the very first season of Married At First Sight Australia in 2015.

Her infamous honeymoon fight with husband Lachlan McAleer – where she told him to “f**k off” for trying to plan time together in their schedules – has gone down in history.

While it pales in comparison to what is said on the show now, Jono Pitman telling the camera that his bride Clare Verrall was “not what I ordered” was all anyone could talk about when the second series aired in 2016. And from there, things only got worse for the newlyweds.

At a painful dinner party with the rest of the couples in Sydney’s Blue Mountains, the duo engaged in a slanging match that saw Clare call Jono a “prick” and abandon their marriage just two weeks into the experiment.

With the LGBTQI+ community calling for the show to be cancelled, season three in 2016 saw the first same-sex couple walk down the aisle. And the timing was perfect as Australia had just announced a referendum on gay marriage, which finally became legal in 2017. Unfortunately for Andy Ankers and Craig Roach, it wasn’t meant to be, with the pair calling it quits just a few days after exchanging vows.

Cheryl Maitland and Andrew Jones’ initial 2017 matches were miserable failures, but they were delighted when they were given another shot at love by being paired up with each other.

However, things were even worse the second time around, when Andrew was caught making fun of his new wife during a boys’ night, making jokes about Cheryl’s intelligence and appearance, while saying former bride Lauren Bran was “more fun to hang out with”.

A cheating scandal dominated the 2018 series of MAFS, starting when Davina Rankin and Dean Wells met at the first dinner party of the fifth season.

Despite Dean being married to Tracey Jewel and Davina being paired with Ryan Gallagher, he and Davina hit it off and went on to send flirtatious messages, have controversial conversations and even share an on-screen kiss – all while hiding their lustful connection from their partners and sending viewers into a frenzy!

Some viewers laughed when feisty Ines Basic (above) made it clear she was repelled by her husband Bronson Norrish and yearned for “hotter” participant Sam Ball in 2019. She and Sam went on to share a steamy night on the Gold Coast, where they were holidaying with their partners.

Ines was all in for Sam, but he got cold feet and abandoned the experiment – and Ines. “It’s so embarrassing,” confesses Ines, 34. “The affair being played on TV is a whole new level of cringe. I haven’t seen or spoken to him since.”

Plus: Cyrell & Martha’s showdown

When Cyrell Paule heard Martha Kalifatidis had repeated a rumour that Cyrell’s husband Nic Jovanovic may have been flirting with someone else, she blew up. She lunged at Martha, calling her a “bitch”, and had to be dragged off her by producers. It didn’t end there. When Martha giggled as Cyrell was being escorted from the room, an enraged Cyrell threw a fruit bowl in her direction, which smashed on the floor. It created a MAFS moment to remember and earned Cyrell the nickname “Cyclone Cyrell”, which has stuck around to this day.

Elizabeth Sobinoff was robbed of her romantic MAFS experience in season six when her partner Sam cheated on her with Ines. The experts decided she deserved a second chance at love, so Lizzie returned for season seven in 2020 and was partnered with Seb Guilhaus. While the pair had a beautiful journey and dated for more than a year afterwards, they broke up in 2021. But it’s OK – she’s now happily married and expecting her second child!

When Belinda Vickers and Patrick Dwyer suggested rock star Booka Nile was “too self-obsessed”, and needed to dedicate a night to her husband Brett Helling in 2021, she took the task rather too literally. Booka created a palace decorated in “all things Brett”, hilariously dressing as a “housewife” and tending to his every need.

An unimpressed Brett thought she’d made the task into a “joke”, but Booka, 35, now looks back and laughs, “It was a ridiculous thing to do, but I have no regrets. I clearly had some big feelings at the time and they manifested in a pretty funny way.”

In 2022, the infamous couples’ retreat took a turn when Domenica Calarco and her archnemesis Olivia Frazer clashed after Olivia declared she was “bored” with hearing Domenica’s voice.

An angry Domenica ended up smashing a wine glass against the table, later being accused of using it as a weapon. Allegedly, all glassware was replaced with plastic cups after the incident – what a legacy to leave!

Jaws were on the floor in 2024 when Jack Dunkley (below) asked Jonathan McCullough to “muzzle your woman”, referring to bride Lauren Dunn (above), whom he was debating at the dinner party.

The remark caused outrage, with many participants at the table coming to Lauren’s defence, as did the show’s relationship experts who – at the next commitment ceremony – gave Jack a legendary lesson in basic table manners and how to behave.

Season 11 of Married At First Sight Australia premieres 7pm Monday on Three and ThreeNow.