Married At First Sight’s Clint Rice has sensationally revealed that he and bride Lauren Hall attempted to flee the couples’ retreat in a helicopter after a series of explosive fights with their co-stars.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail Australia, Clint, 43, claimed the retreat descended into chaos, with constant feuding and cast members ‘playing up for the cameras’ to maximise their screen time.
According to Clint, tensions had been brewing for weeks, but the retreat was the tipping point.
‘We couldn’t stand being around these people anymore,’ he admitted.
‘The fights were non-stop, and a lot of them were just for show. It was unbearable.’
One of the biggest clashes came when Clint openly admitted to talking behind his co-stars’ backs – but insisted they ‘deserved it’.
‘I expressed my feelings to Lauren in private, but somehow everyone found out,’ he revealed.
‘The funny thing is, at the reunion, a lot of them told me they actually agreed with what I said, but they wouldn’t dare say it on camera.’
Despite issuing an apology at the reunion, Clint doubled down, saying he had no regrets about speaking his mind.
Adding fuel to the fire, Clint also called out certain cast members for ‘playing up for the cameras’ and dragging out drama just to get more airtime.
‘There were people who would hold onto an argument all day and wait until the cameras were rolling before they’d bring it up,’ he said.
‘That’s what made the dinner parties unbearable. It was all just fake fights for attention.’
Although Clint stopped short of naming names, he hinted at one major culprit.
‘Ryan [Donnelly] acted like a little queen sometimes, just for screen time. It was exhausting.’
The desperate helicopter escape plan
With the retreat becoming ‘unlivable’, Clint and Lauren hatched a plan to leave in the most dramatic fashion possible – by helicopter.
‘We were done,’ he admitted.
‘We even looked into getting a helicopter to take us out of there. That’s how badly we wanted to leave.’
Although the plan ultimately fell through, the couple made the decision to completely boycott the next dinner party – an unprecedented move in MAFS history.
Skipping the next dinner party
Clint and Lauren will be a no-show at Wednesday’s post-retreat dinner party, citing the toxic environment and manufactured drama as their reasons.
‘The dinner parties were an absolute circus,’ Clint said.
‘Everyone was just trying to be the loudest, the most dramatic. It wasn’t about genuine conversations, it was just people performing for airtime.’
Instead, the couple successfully negotiated with producers to have a private dinner party filmed in their apartment.
‘We told them, “We’ll do dinner, but we’re not doing that”,’ Clint said.
‘So they set up cameras in our apartment instead.’
Clint & Lauren’s shocking negotiations with producers before leaving MAFS
Despite making it clear they were finished with the show, Clint revealed that producers desperately tried to convince them to stay.
‘Multiple producers pulled us aside and begged us not to go. They tried everything,’ he explained.
Even Channel Nine’s executive producer John Walsh personally reached out.
‘He called us and said, “What if we send you some tracksuits and popcorn? Just come to the dinner party, chill out”,’ Clint laughed.
‘That’s how desperate they were.’
But the couple stood firm.
‘We were done,’ Clint said bluntly.
‘We left Sydney the next day and never looked back.’
With their dramatic departure and insider revelations, Clint and Lauren’s exit is set to go down as one of the most controversial moments in Married At First Sight history.
Clint reveals he has been ‘cut off’ by Channel Nine
Clint also addressed the aftermath of his decision to distance himself from the show, revealing he has not been available for media commitments as the season airs.
‘I’ve been good through the entire experiment and now get to the point where the show’s going to air and I’m not available. I knew once the truth [about his romance with fellow bride Jacqui Burfoot] started coming out, I’d rather just step back and let the drama play out without me,’ he said.
Clint admitted he felt the show had become too focused on creating drama rather than genuine relationships.
‘The way things played out, I realised this wasn’t what I signed up for. It was all about controversy, not connection,’ he added.
Clint has since spoken out about his decision to go rogue on the show, admitting he was always going to ‘do things on his own terms.’
‘I wasn’t there to play by their rules,’ he said.
‘I wasn’t going to sit there and be part of their little soap opera if I didn’t want to. Lauren and I knew what was best for us, and we weren’t afraid to walk away from it all.’
The outspoken groom also took a jab at the way the show is produced, saying, ‘The amount of manipulation that goes on behind the scenes is insane. They want people to lose their minds, and they push you to breaking point. But we weren’t going to be their puppets.’
Married At First Sight continues Monday at 7.30pm on Channel Nine