MAFS 2023: Meet the New Brides and Grooms Entering the Experiment

We’ve already been thrust into the lives of 20 new participants embarking on a wild “Married At First Sight” journey in search of love (or some new Instagram followers) after being matched by relationship experts John Aiken and Mel Schilling and clinical sexologist Alessandra Rampolla.

And now, we’re about to watch four more singles take the plunge of marrying a stranger in hopes of finding love. Are they here to actually find love, or will they cause some drama as we’ve seen in the past? (Ahem, Carolina and Daniel’s 2022 cheating scandal).

Only time will tell, but, for now, here are the new singles entering the experiment.

The Brides

Evelyn, 26, NSW, Marketing Manager and Model

Despite her model looks and no-BS policy, Evelyn can be vulnerable in love. People often assume the 26-year-old’s got it all together in life and relationships, but when it comes to past relationships, she’s been burnt in the past.

Evelyn was devastated when her ex applied for a dating show while they were living together, and she’s been guarded ever since. Lately, she’s been choosing the company of her two dachshunds, Pickles and Mustard, over the risk of heartbreak, but she’s ready for a change.

She believes her Chinese-Australian upbringing and being a child of divorce is the reason she struggles to show affection or say “I love you”, because she rarely saw it growing up. She’s also cautious about starting a relationship because when she says yes, she’s all in. And while she wants marriage and kids, she’s vowed to never be the stay-at-home type.

Tayla, 27, TAS, Nurse

Tayla is a self-professed rule breaker. She loves to be the centre of attention and isn’t shy about competing for a man. We can already see where this is going!

The Tassie nurse has been single ever since discovering her boyfriend of six years was cheating. The new bride has vowed to break her cycle of unhealthy relationship patterns and dating men who are ultimately unfaithful to her, which is where the experts come in.

With ambitions of becoming a young mother, Tayla is looking for a man to start a family with, but there’s some boxes he needs to tick for that to happen. She needs her partner to put her on a pedestal — but not be too nice. He’ll have to have good morals and be willing to back her, whether she’s right or wrong.

The Grooms

Hugo, 32, NSW, IT Account Executive

Hugo admits to wearing his heart of his sleeve and wants help to find a partner who can be his best friend and teammate. Goofy by nature, the 32-year-old has extremely high standards when it comes to women, right down to their dress size. *Sigh*

The new groom is no stranger to falling in love, having done it four times before. He falls hard and quickly, and describes himself as a hopeless romantic who can’t see red flags in a relationship.

Despite being confident with the ladies he can get the ‘ick’ easily and be oblivious in hook-ups because he will often prioritise himself. Hugo’s main challenge is putting the work into relationships, something he is hoping to change with the experts’ help.

Rupert, 27, QLD, Electrician

Rupert is a cheeky larrikin tradie who says he can “scull a beer faster than Bob Hawke”. Having only been single for six months after his last relationship fizzled out, the electrician admits that when women first meet him they think he gives off “city boy” vibes (a polite way of saying they think he’s a f**k boy).

Rupert considers himself a flirt, and so do his friends. In fact, they’ve nicknamed him “the cattle dog”, because he will go up and chat to anyone. Yet he knows he can be cold sometimes, and once a woman does something to put him off, he’s out. It’s a trait he’s trying to work on.

If Rupert doesn’t have an initial connection with a girl, he won’t allow himself to explore it further. But if a woman is able to make it past his long checklist, Rupert is loyal and only has eyes for his partner.

“Married At First Sight” continues tonight at 7.30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.

Related: Which Couples Have Called It Quits on MAFS 2023?