Channel Nine has come under fire after Married At First Sight fans accused the network of cutting the current season short following weeks of behind-the-scenes drama and contestant meltdowns.
Viewers were left scratching their heads after a string of key moments were noticeably missing from the show’s explosive final week, fuelling wild rumours that bosses at Nine allegedly ‘just wanted it off air ASAP’.
Fans were quick to point out that the infamous Honesty Box challenge – a franchise staple known to spark fiery rows and emotional breakdowns – was completely scrapped from the final dinner party.
Additionally, footage of the remaining couples’ final dates was nowhere to be seen, with fan-favourite couple Jeff Gobbels and Rhi Disljenkovic being the only couple shown enjoying one last rendezvous.
The rest were seemingly wiped from the episode, despite making it all the way to the end.
To make matters worse, viewers also noticed that the final vows of lovebirds Jamie Marinos, 28, and Dave Thomas, 36, appeared to be hastily edited – with Dave’s heartfelt speech mysteriously chopped out of the broadcast.
The sudden shift in pacing has sent social media into meltdown, with fans demanding answers and accusing producers of ‘rushing’ the ending to avoid further scandals.
‘It felt so disjointed and rushed. We didn’t even get final dates or proper vows from some couples!’ one fan fumed on X, formerly Twitter.
However, well-placed production sources have exclusively told Daily Mail Australia that contrary to the conspiracy theories swirling online this season was in fact always scheduled to run 40 episodes – making it one of the biggest series in recent history.
‘This year’s season was actually one of the longest,’ the insider revealed.
‘Last year, we only had 38 episodes and in 2023 there were just 36. The last time we hit 40 episodes was back in season six in 2019 , so this idea that Nine ‘cut it early’ is just not true.’
Still, fans have pointed out eerie similarities between season 12 and the show’s infamous season six, which also clocked in at 40 episodes but ended amid cast scandals, off-camera hookups and public backlash.
That season, which featured the likes of Martha Kalifatidis and Cyrell Paule, was plagued by explosive dinner party brawls, cheating allegations and contestants openly clashing with producers – prompting many to wonder whether history is repeating itself.
This year’s season has been marred by controversy, with multiple contestants going rogue, breaching contracts, leaking details to the press and even refusing to film.
‘The cast have just gone too rogue. It’s like producers lost control and wanted to get the show off air before it got worse,’ one well-placed source claimed.
‘They’re done taking responsibility for the cast and at this point none of them will be invited to the Logies.’
While the season may have technically delivered the same episode count as its most controversial predecessor, fans say the editing and lack of key storylines in recent weeks makes it clear that something went down behind the scenes.
‘You can tell they were scrambling. Too many gaps, too many storylines dropped. It feels like they’ve washed their hands of this season,’ one viewer wrote.