They’ve had one of the most turbulent relationships on this season of Married At First Sight.
But during Sunday night’s Final Vows episode, fan favourites Dave Hand and Jamie Marinos proved that true love can indeed prevail against all odds – delivering a heartwarming ending that left viewers in tears.
‘Jamie, the moment I saw you walking down the aisle, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest,’ Dave began.
‘You were like a firecracker packed into the smallest, most perfect package.’
He went on to reflect on their rollercoaster romance, recalling how Jamie confessed her love for him six weeks into the experiment — a moment he admitted left him overwhelmed and unable to say those words back at the time.
‘But I promise that I would show up no matter what,’ he continued. ‘And over the past three months, I’ve done my best to live up to that promise… Today, I choose us.’
Visibly emotional, Jamie listened intently before taking a deep breath and reading her vows — which took viewers on a gut-wrenching journey of the highs and lows they had faced.
The Melbourne-based marketing manager didn’t shy away from the challenges they’d encountered, referencing their intimacy struggles and her devastation during Feedback Week when Dave admitted he wasn’t sure if his romantic feelings could match hers.
‘I felt truly blindsided in that moment,’ she confessed, her voice trembling. ‘It made me question if I’d really fallen in love with you or just the idea of you.’
But in true reality TV fairytale fashion, Jamie revealed she wasn’t ready to give up on their relationship and her heartfelt words had Dave visibly tearing up.
‘My heart tells me that I’m not ready to let go of you and everything we’ve built together,’ she said, before finally confirming: ‘Yes, I do want to take this relationship beyond the experiment.’
Their emotional final vows comes after Jamie set the record straight on Wednesday night about the final date task that sent shockwaves through the experiment.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the marketing manager didn’t hold back as she opened up about the moment she agreed to meet a potential new match – only to be stood up – and how it impacted her rollercoaster romance with Dave.
‘Let’s be clear, it wasn’t a date,’ Jamie insisted, laughing.
‘If you heard me say the word “meet-up” a million times, that’s because I wanted to make it very clear I wasn’t cheating. I even made sure the girls were covered and the Vans were on – I’m conservative at heart!’
Wearing her signature black Vans and a casual yet chic ensemble, Jamie said she went into the task with curiosity rather than romantic intent.
‘Honestly, Dave and I are very chill. We’ve both got friends of the opposite sex. I work in a nightclub – it’s a very male-dominated space. We’ve always been open about those things since our honeymoon,’ she explained.
But she admitted the timing of the challenge couldn’t have been worse.
‘I was still processing a lot,’ she said, reflecting on the sudden turn in her and Dave’s relationship weeks earlier.
‘The viewers had moved on, but I was still living with the pain and rejection from that shift. I didn’t get to go home and heal — I had to keep moving forward.’
Jamie confessed the controversial ‘date’ was more about gaining clarity than seeking romance.
‘I was nosy,’ she admitted with a grin.
‘I genuinely wanted to know what the experts thought my type was. I’ve always been all over the place when it comes to men. I think, subconsciously, I just wanted validation — to be reminded why they matched me with Dave.’
But when her mystery match ghosted her, Jamie said the public humiliation turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
‘Aside from the fact that it was embarrassing AF, I honestly think the universe had my back. It brought Dave and me closer.
‘We had a really mature conversation afterwards and were like, “Alright, let’s put our backs into making this work.”‘