It’s the show that always gives us our reality TV drama fix. Of course, we’re talking about Married At First Sight (MAFS) Australia which is back on our screens for its ninth season.
While we wait with bated breath to see whether Selin and Anthony will make it past the next episode, let alone to the end of the season, and keep our fingers crossed that Domenica and Jack will go the long haul, we can’t help but think back to the MAFS Australia cast from the past, and which couples are still together.
Currently, five couples have lasted long-term since their respective seasons ended, with one couple expected to celebrate their seventh wedding anniversary this year.
Read on to see which MAFS Australia couples are still going strong.
Erin Bateman and Bryce Mohr, season two
The longest-lasting couple from MAFS Australia are Erin Bateman and Bryce Mohr, who got married in 2016, during season two of the series.
The pair will be celebrating their seventh wedding anniversary in 2022 — filming for the show took place the year before it aired — but they didn’t appear in last year’s reunion special.
“We were not invited, we knew nothing about it. And to be honest I would rather crawl over glass than go to that,” Bateman, a food blogger, told The Wash at the time.
The notoriously private couple have kept their relationship out of the spotlight since their season ended, the last time Bateman posted a picture of the two of them together on her Instagram was in 2019. Mohr’s Instagram account is private.
Speaking to podcast The D&M in 2020, Bateman said: “I’m sure it infuriates a lot of people that they’re not kept in the loop because the nature of reality TV is you then go on to flaunt your whole life on social media. I don’t think it’s normal.
“The Bryce I got the day that I met him is the Bryce I have today. He hasn’t changed at all. He is exactly who he is, and I’d like to think he feels the same about me.”
Jules Robinson and Cam Merchant, season six
Cricketer Cam Merchant married businesswoman Jules Robinson in 2019 during season six of the series, and he admitted he was worried about their height difference at first.
“I was way too short and Jules was red-haired, curvaceous, tall and I thought ‘This is a stitch up here!’” Merchant told The Babble podcast in 2020. “But once we met and sort of locked eyes, there was this comfortable warmness that came over [me] and all the judgement went out the window.”
He added: “We were able to put all that s*** aside and see what’s actually on the inside and we fell in love that way.”
The pair welcomed their son, Oliver, in October 2020 and regularly post pictures of their family life to each of their Instagram accounts.
Celebrating their second wedding anniversary in November last year, Merchant captioned a picture of Robinson and him on their wedding day with: “In a world full of uncertainties, you are my certainty & I thank you for being my rock & my best friend every single day.”
Martha Kalifatidis and Michael Brunelli, season six
Another success story from season six is Martha Kalifatidis and Michael Brunelli, who appeared to tie the knot in the 2019 season of the series. However, all initial MAFS marriages aren’t officially binding, so the pair have been dating ever since their season ended.
Fans were delighted when the pair announced their engagement in December 2021, meaning they will officially get married some time in the near future.
Influencer Kalifatidis and personal trainer Brunelli regularly post pictures of each other to Instagram with loved-up captions.
Following their engagement Kalifatidis wrote on Instagram: “It’s crazy to think we started our relationship on TV and many of you saw the first time we locked eyes on each other. Fast forward three years and so many people are still following our life journey, something we are truly grateful for.”
She told the “Shameless” podcast in February last year that meeting Brunelli was “fate”.
“I know it’s so cheesy because I hate saying cheesy s*** like that but I really think it is otherwise it doesn’t really make sense,” she said.
“I think we were going to meet no matter what. Michael actually lives in Melbourne five minutes away from my parents’ house. No matter what happened, in this lifetime we were going to meet and be together.”
Melissa Rawson and Bryce Ruthven, season eight
In last year’s season of MAFS, Melissa Rawson and Bryce Ruthven were undoubtedly one of the season’s most controversial couples, but they have also been one of the most successful pairings.
Following the season finale, the pair announced that they had moved in together, were engaged and were expecting twins.
The couple welcomed twin boys, Levi and Tate, on 16 October last year. The twins were born 10 weeks premature.
Rawson and Ruthven welcomed their newborn babies home just before Christmas. In February, Rawson took to Instagram to ask for advice on wedding planning, stating that the date is “less than a year away”.
Kerry Knight and Johnny Balbuziente, season eight
Kerry Knight and Johnny Balbuziente are another success story from season eight.
Despite coming in late to the season as “intruders” (those who join the cast later in the series), the pair quickly hit it off and Knight moved to Brisbane following the show to be with Balbuziente.
In January, posting a picture of themselves to celebrate Balbuziente’s birthday, Knight hinted that there may be children on the horizon.
“Thanks for bringing endless laughs and good times to me and everyone you know,” Knight wrote in the caption. “You truly are one of a kind and it’s a real honour to stand by your side today and every day.
“Happy birthday my love, so proud of you xxx
“Ps - I hope our future kids get your eyes… and bowl cut, ya big cutie 👦🏽🥣💕.”
