Married At First Sight Australia returned for its 13th season earlier this year, introducing us to a new batch of couples and debuting in Australia on 2nd Feb and landing on UK television over a month later, on 9 March.
Already, we've seen some major moments. From a MAFSAU first that saw bisexual bride Julia walk down the aisle not knowing if she was marrying a man or a woman, to a brutal feud between Bec and Gia, and one groom rating his wife 3/10 (dump him!) at a dinner party, sooo much has been going on.
So far, so dramatic: and there's more to come. In Australia, Feedback Week started on 16 March which, as you'll know, features the controversial Partner Swap challenge. Naturally, we've been keeping our ear to the ground to find out what, exactly, is going on Down Under ahead of these scenes showing in the UK.
But even outside of the challenges, couple swapping has been known to occur at any moment within the show, with some contestants having eyes for partners who aren't their own right from the offset.
As MAFSAU continues, read on for all the unexpected couple swaps the show has seen over the years.
Jacqui Burfoot and Clint Rice
It's the season 12 couple swap we never saw coming. While Clint ranked her highly in the picture challenge, causing his wife-at-the-time Lauren to comment that she thought Jacqui looked "rough", we didn't really get to see much interaction between Clint and Jacqui. So, it came as a surprise to learn that Jacqui and Clint were not just dating, but living together, and engaged. They're due to get married v soon, in April 2026, which is adorable. Congrats, guys!
Jessika Power and Dan Webb
Despite being married to Mick Gould, Jessika had her sights set on Dan (who was married to Tamara Joy), from the moment they met and ended up pursuing a relationship with him behind Mick's back. The pair shocked the others when they announced their relationship at a Commitment Ceremony. Things didn't last, however, with Dan breaking up with Jess after filming.
Carolina Santos and Daniel Holmes
One of the biggest scandals to hit MAFS saw Carolina and Daniel form a secret relationship during season nine. At the time, Carolina was married to Dion Giannarelli and Daniel was with Jessica Seracino, but that didn't stop them getting to know one another. They later returned to the show as a new couple, which caused major drama. They stayed together after the show, but broke up some months after.
Coco Stedman and Cameron Dunne
During season eight, Cameron who was married to Samantha Harvey, found himself involved in a love triangle. He ended up finding a connection with fellow bride Coco, who was in a marriage with Sam Carraro, and their flirty relationship caused a lot of drama on the show. The pair started seeing each other behind their partner's backs and even shared a secret kiss. Samantha eventually gave Coco her blessing to crack on with Cam, but they didn't last once the cameras stopped rolling.
Ines Basic and Sam Ball
Ines and Sam's couple swap was one of the biggest storylines of season six. Ines didn't seem to have much of a connection with her original husband, Bronson Norrish, and Sam wasn't happy with how things were going with his wife, Elizabeth Sobinoff. So, Ines and Sam ending up arranging a secret night together in Gold Coast and things got pretty intense.
"It’s just bound to happen. Sam with his shirt off, me with my clothes off, just pashing on," Ines said.
Sam ended up admitting to the affair during the next Commitment Ceremony, but he also dropped another bombshell: he didn’t see a future with Ines. They ended up leaving the show single and with a lot of backlash.
Dean Wells and Davina Rankin
Season five of the Australian series should be renamed the year of couple swaps on MAFS because there were so many. During the season, Dean who was married to Tracey Jewel, and Davina Rankin who was paired with Ryan Gallagher, formed an emotional connection. They planned to leave their partners and return to the show as a couple, but Dean ended up bailing, leaving Davina blindsided - ouch!
Tracey Jewel and Sean Thomsen
Following her breakup from Dean, Tracey and Sean, who got married to Blair Raechel, ended up dating after the show. Their relationship lasted quite a few months before they called it quits.
Troy Delmege and Carly Bowyer
You guessed it: another season 5 couple swap, this time with Troy, originally matched with Ashley Irvin, and Carly who married Justin Fischer. The pair connected at the reunion and ended up having a very serious relationship after the show, however, things didn't last.
Married At First Sight airs Monday to Thursday on E4.
