Champagne corks will be popping as Married At First Sight UK returns to our screens and matchmaker Paul C Brunson has been spilling the tea on the popular E4 reality show. Paul has been sharing some juicy gossip about MAFS, which is back with a new batch of singles whose search for a happy-ever-after will lead them to saying 'I do' to a complete stranger they’ll meet for the first time on their wedding day.
Paul, who arrived on the show two years ago as one of the dating experts who match and guide the newlyweds, enjoyed a candid chat with two of last year's stars Marilyse Corrigan and Matt Jameson. He disclosed some inside secrets while saying this series is bigger and bolder than ever.
Paul admitted that this year a heated row broke out between himself and another expert which led producers to step in. And he told that he has therapy before and after the show's intense commitment ceremonies, during which the couples are put under the spotlight about their relationships while on the couch with the experts.
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American love doctor Paul says bosses intervened as he and psychologist and dating coach Mel Schilling, who also brings her expertise to the table on Married At First Sight Australia, clashed over a dinner party scene involving the matched couples.
He said about the argument: "I can't say who it's over but it was a dinner party about midway through. We were very emotional. I've admitted I go to a therapist. I went to a therapist before every commitment ceremony and after every commitment ceremony. It was full on.
"There was one moment when, it was Mel and myself, where we had a differing of opinion and we didn't stop. We're two very assertive personalities.
"If we're on the same page no one get in front of us, but if we're not on the same page ... and I remember we debated it out so it was so big that the producers had to stop us. The producers had to say 'stop.'"
Paul says the UK show experts differ from those on the Australian version because they tend to disagree and debate with each other, and this will be demonstrated even more so this series. He explained: "Last year I'll never forget. We were watching the dinner party and Luke stood up and he was really unveiling how he felt about Morag.
"Some of us had one opinion on Morag's reaction to Luke and others had a different opinion to Morag's reaction to Luke and right there while we're watching the dinner party we started to debate. It wasn't an argument. It was a debate.
"Mel said 'In Australia we all have the same opinion we can't debate like this I like that we're debating out these differences.' So that's where it started and then it built to the point where in this series we actually had an argument at one point. It was just straight-up arguing."
He added: "But I think this is good. It shows how much that we care and if we are doing that behind the scenes it suggests how great the result will be of our discussions."
Paul also revealed that he, Mel and fellow dating guru Charlene Douglas are barred from being guests at the weddings so as to not to cause a distraction and to allow the ceremonies to be 'about the couple.' Instead he keeps in touch with production to find out what's happening.
"I was constantly texting production team to say 'what's happening, what's going on?'" he said about the 2021 weddings. "I did this this entire series as well," he added.
Speaking about this year's series he said: "The cast is the most diverse ever, not just talking about ethnicity and sexuality. It's also diverse in terms of age, diverse in terms of geography, diverse in terms of political beliefs. There's some Conservatives, there's more liberals on the show.
"There's single parents, people with no children. It's so diverse everyone who watches this year will be able to see themselves in someone or multiple people."
He added: "The production team got better. It's beautiful, massive drone shots of the wedding, slo-mos of the bride and groom walking up... better than watching a movie on Netflix.
"And I truly belive that Charlene, Mel and myself we got better. Last series was based on the Australian format for the most part. But we were thrown together.
"We weren't functioning as a great cohesive team. It was three individuals doing their thing. But this year we're better. We're better as a team, more opinionated. We have a difference of opinions but we're better."
Matt revealed in 'Wine o'Clock with Matt & Maz' live chat on Instagram that he and Daniel McKee, who were the show's first same-sex couple, are a success story for the show, living happily together in Northern Ireland. Sadly in October Marilyse and her match Franky Spencer revealed that they had split just weeks after the reunion show was filmed.
And there was a shock revelation in the chat as Marilyse disclosed that she went on to date someone briefly at the end of last year who is in the new series. Speaking about her big day she said: "I had no idea where I was going, where I was getting married, anything. "They took my friends away from me that were going with me, took them to a different hotel so I was on my own.
"I got out of the taxi and said goodbye to my friend and I gave her a big hug and I could have cried. And I don't cry easily. I felt so deserted. When I got into the room and saw how nice the suite was I thought 'actually this is quite nice.'"
She added: "I was terrified. I could have quit the day before I was that nervous. But I wouldn't change a thing. I enjoyed every single second."
And on being paired with Franky she told Paul: "When I saw Franky I was like 'that isn't exactly what I asked for' and I noticed the age gap because Franky is 10 years older than me. But Franky's personality, sense of humour and kindness kind of shone through so it made me feel at ease as soon as I met him.
"I was so nervous it could have been anybody and looked like anybody. But because Frankie was so kind and reassuring I felt so relaxed and I thank him him for that."
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