Married At First Sight groom Paul Antoine looked sombre and subdued as he stepped out in Sydney for the first time since his explosive on-screen bust-up with wife Carina Mirabile.
Bride Carina kicked him out of their apartment following a betrayal that sent shockwaves through the experiment during Monday’s episode.
The following morning, the 30-year-old strength and conditioning coach cut a lonely figure as he walked the streets in a casual all-white ensemble, a noticeable departure from his usually confident on-screen persona.
Dressed down in a simple white oversized T-shirt from local label STAX and matching off-white tracksuit pants, Paul kept his look monochrome and minimalist.
He teamed the outfit with grey trainers and clutched a phone and a plastic water bottle as he made his way through the inner-city precinct.
His slicked-back hair and freshly trimmed beard suggested he was still camera-ready, but the downcast expression and distant gaze told another story.
The groom’s extensive ink, including a prominent cross tattoo on his right forearm, was on full display.
It’s the first time Paul has been seen since Monday night’s explosive MAFS episode, which saw his relationship with bride Carina, 31, implode after he went on a date with another potential match.
While the controversial ‘temptation task’ allowed participants to meet with someone the experts had previously shortlisted for them during the audition process, Carina opted out, branding the challenge ‘borderline cheating.’
But Paul’s curiosity got the better of him—and it cost him dearly.
After a frosty and awkward encounter with 32-year-old Sydneysider Hannah, the blonde bombshell Paul chose to meet, he returned to their apartment to face the music.
What followed was one of the season’s most heated confrontations yet.
‘You actually just cheated,’ a furious Carina told Paul, after accusing him of humiliating her—particularly given she had just introduced him to her family in Perth.
Viewers across the country quickly took sides, with a flood of social media comments backing Carina and slamming Paul’s decision to meet another woman while still trying to build trust with his bride.
‘Paul’s on a date and Carina’s home folding his undies,’ one viewer quipped.
Another wrote, ‘Paul only regrets going on the date because blondie wasn’t swayed by his average personality. LMAO.’
The drama culminated in Carina storming out of the apartment, before returning only to deliver a blistering ultimatum: ‘Get your s*** and leave.’
The fallout has sparked a wider conversation among fans about Paul’s intentions for joining the experiment, with some questioning whether his actions were rooted in genuine curiosity or a lack of commitment.
In his defence, Paul claimed the date made him feel ‘uncomfortable’ and insisted he didn’t connect with Hannah. But for Carina, the damage was already done.
‘She’s embarrassed, hurt, and clearly furious,’ an on-set source told Daily Mail Australia. ‘Paul’s decision broke the trust, and Carina’s not the type to just let that slide.’
As filming continues, it remains to be seen whether the couple can come back from this shocking moment—or whether Paul’s ‘curiosity’ has permanently ended what started off as one of the season’s most promising relationships.
Carina decided to not go on the date while Paul met up with blonde bombshell Hannah Renée, despite insisting at the beginning of the episode that he and his wife could not be in a better place.
‘My relationship with Carina at the moment is absolutely amazing,’ he gushed.
ha’I’m just on a little cloud. Our feelings are strong. We are united.’
That unity was shaken when Paul was met with the chance to catch up with Hannah.
‘The experts have done an amazing job at matching myself and Carina,’ he said.
‘We are very compatible, so if someone else is out there that is compatible with me I’m very curious.’
For her part, Carina said she had no interest in a meeting as it was ‘borderline cheating’.
‘Paul and I are the perfect match,’ she said.
‘We have something so good established. I want us to continue the fairytale. I really like Paul. So, that’s an easy decision – the grass isn’t greener on the other side.
‘My decision is going to be a “no”. It’s black and white for me. I don’t want to go on a date with another person. It’s borderline cheating.’
However as Carina played the dutiful wife, folding Paul’s underpants and cleaning back at their apartment, her groom was inspecting his options.
Paul’s date was 32-year-old Hannah, from Sydney.
The blonde beauty appeared eager to get to know Paul, however the alarm bells quickly started ringing.
She appeared nonplussed when Paul explained he and Carina were very happy and he had agreed to the date out of sheer curiosity.
As her body language toward Paul visibly shifted after his admission, Hannah revealed to producers: ‘I do not want to be in a relationship with someone as curious as Paul.’
And the curious groom received an even frostier reception upon returning to Carina and admitting his ‘indiscretion’.
Instantly sensing Carina’s displeasure with his decision to go on the date, Paul started speaking a mile a minute in an effort to justify his actions.
‘When I got there, all I wanted to do was run away,’ Paul told his bride.
‘It was the most uncomfortable thing ever. Yuk.’
Carina was having none of it though, explaining to Paul that his sneaky date had embarrassed her, especially after just taking him home to Perth to meet her family.
‘He’s trying to justify the reason of going and doing what he did and that to me is alarm bells if you cant have self control,’ she said.
Paul continued to protest his innocence, which did not sit at all well with Carina who declared ‘I feel sick’ before dramatically exiting the apartment.
Paul followed, continuing to plead his case to an emotional Carina in the hallway, but she remained unmoved.
They eventually returned to the apartment where Carina became well and truly fed up with Paul’s justifications.
‘You f***ed up, Paul. Do you think Rhi and Jeff would’ve done something like that?’ she raged.
‘You’re an idiot that’s all I have to say. It’s like cheating. You actually just cheated.’
The scene devolved into a shouting match between the couple, with Paul still trying to worm his way out and bag Carina’s good graces.
However, it was not to be.
‘I’m disgusted,’ she said.
‘There’s no going past this – I’m done. That was the last straw, I don’t want anything to do with this. You were just thinking about yourself.’
Carina then punctuated her statement with a dramatic exit, but not before ending the confrontation with a dramatic ultimatum.
‘I’m actually done,’ she spat. ‘Get your s*** and leave.’