Former Married At First Sight bride Tahnee Cook has revealed the truth behind the houses contestants stay in during Homestays Week.
Rumour has spread producers hire Airbnbs as ‘fake homes’ for the couples to stay in, after they were caught doing just that for Jacqui Burfoot.
However, Tahnee, 29, who starred on season 10 of the series, revealed on TikTok on Wednesday she did not stay in a ‘fake home’ during her Homestays Week.
Instead, the podcaster said she suffered the ‘worst case scenario’ when she had to stay in her very recognisable real life apartment in Bondi.
Paired up with Ollie Skelton in 2023, the couple had to squeeze into her tiny studio unit which left little space for filming and could be easily found by fans.
‘There has been some speculation of the places they are going for the Homestays not being their own houses and them being Airbnbs,’ she said.
‘My experience was interesting because it was my place and I remember getting roasted for it,’ Tahnee continued.
She went on to say people online slammed her for having such a small apartment in Bondi despite owning very expensive Balenciaga handbags.
‘Mind you, I was paying for this on my own. It was like $475 a week which, honestly, is pretty good in this economy right now,’ she added.
‘I am going to buy my designer handbags and live in my shoe box and I am happy with that.’
However, that was not the worst of her Homestay experience, as Tahnee revealed her address had been completely exposed on TV, leading to safety concerns.
‘At the time, I lived in a really popular building in Bondi. Everyone knows that building so I was like, “I don’t want people to know where I live. This is going on TV,”‘ she said.
‘There was no way you could hide it. I expressed my concern and stress about that because I didn’t want randoms to know where I lived.
‘What do they do? Show people where I lived. We had a scene walking in, literally showing the restaurant and the supermarket across the road.
‘It was very obvious what building I was living in. Literally the hallway with the numbers. It was worst case scenario.’
Tahnee said she felt grateful to have moved apartments right before her season aired on TV, as fans quickly began deducing where she lived and sharing it online.
‘I would have been a mess if I was seeing those comments while sitting in that apartment,’ she said.
‘So that really annoyed me because I didn’t want to be there in the first place. I felt uncomfortable with all these people in my home.’
She said producers and viewers had ‘no respect for her privacy’ after the episode aired.
It comes after 2025 bride Jacqui, 29, was caught trying to pass off an Airbnb as her ‘house’ during Homestays Week with groom Ryan Donnelly.
Daily Mail Australia revealed on Tuesday the luxurious Manly property she welcomed Ryan, 36, into on Monday night was actually a rented Airbnb.
The jewellery store owner returned to the Northern Beaches for the episode and was filmed rolling her suitcase through the front door of what was supposedly her home.
However, the property was in fact a $200-a-night Airbnb rental.
A voice-over described the residence as ‘Jacqui’s home’, but in reality it was a two-story rental arranged by producers.
The deception didn’t end there either, as it was also a completely different home from the one shown during her wedding backstory.
According to a production insider, Jacqui’s actual living situation was deemed ‘too small’ and impractical for filming.
‘She had roommates living at her house and it was in a messy state, and she didn’t feel comfortable with it,’ a source tells Daily Mail Australia.
‘Ryan and Jacqui were instructed not to make any mention that it was a fake house and just to pretend it was actually Jacqui’s.’
The source added the decision was ironic given Jacqui’s later criticisms of Ryan’s real home.
‘Which is pretty hypocritical because when they went to Ryan’s, Jacqui was given full freedom to attack his living conditions,’ they said.
What’s more, MAFS fans have also claimed the fake home was filled with Kmart furnishings after Jacqui continued to describe herself as ‘high class’.
Homestay Week is designed to offer a glimpse into the daily lives of MAFS contestants, leading viewers to believe they are staying in their actual homes.
However, due to Jacqui’s real living situation—a small shared apartment in Manly—producers opted for a more visually appealing alternative.
‘Her real bedroom was tiny, and the camera crew couldn’t fit in her apartment,’ the insider added.
‘Her roommates’ stuff was everywhere and they would’ve had to be asked to leave for filming.’