The cast of Married At First Sight 2025 have been left devastated after an Instagram glitch caused several contestants to miss out on thousands of followers.
Daily Mail Australia can exclusively reveal that brides Rhi Disljenkovic, Jamie Marinos, and Morena Farina, as well as grooms Jeff Gobbels and Adrian Araouzou, have been ‘shadow-banned’ on the social media platform, making them virtually invisible to fans during the crucial premiere week.
The glitch effectively means the budding reality stars’ potential earnings as influencers have been hamstrung during the biggest moment of their public lives.
And the timing could not be worse, as premiere week is when reality stars typically experience their biggest surge in online followers—a major boost for future opportunities.
‘This is an absolute nightmare,’ a production insider told Daily Mail Australia.
‘For many contestants, growing their social media presence is one of the biggest benefits of going on the show. Now, they feel like they’re being left behind.’
Followers drop while co-stars skyrocket
Morena Farina has been one of the hardest-hit, with her follower count sitting at just 997—a stark contrast to the thousands typically gained by contestants in premiere week.
Similarly, Jamie Marinos has just 4,599 followers, while Rhi Disljenkovic isn’t faring much better at 4,740.
Over in the grooms’ camp, Jeff Gobbels’ account sits at 2,004, while Adrian Araouzou has managed just 2,549.
Meanwhile, other cast members have experienced massive surges in their social media following.
Katie Johnson has skyrocketed to 20,200 followers, while Carina Mirabile boasts 15,000.
Dave Thomas has surged past 11,400, while Sierah Swepstone sits comfortably at 6,838.
Even Awhina Rutene has grown her profile, amassing 5,642 followers within days, while Paul Antoine is siting at 4,506.
‘The difference is staggering,’ a show insider explained.
‘Some cast members are watching their numbers climb by the thousands, while others feel completely invisible.’
Channel Nine Scrambling to Help
While MAFS producers are aware of the issue, sources confirm there is little they can do to fix Instagram’s algorithm.
‘It’s completely out of the hands of Channel Nine,’ the insider revealed. ‘They’re doing everything they can to promote the affected cast members, but ultimately, Instagram is in control.’
Several contestants are desperately searching for solutions, with some reaching out to social media experts for advice.
‘They’re trying everything—switching the settings around, posting to their Instagram stories and engaging with fan pages—anything that might lift the shadow ban,’ the source added.
The issue has sparked major frustration among the affected stars, who believe they are losing valuable career opportunities due to the glitch.
‘Imagine going on one of the biggest reality shows in Australia, only to wake up and realise no one can see your posts,’ an insider said. ‘It’s infuriating.’