From their very first meeting at the altar, it was evident to anyone with eyes and ears that Sam Moitzi and Al Perkins weren’t exactly… compatible.
Sam was taken aback by Al’s lack of “emotional maturity” on their wedding day, and it’s been a constant struggle for her to overcome her new husband’s antics.
Eventually Al’s boyish charm wore off and Sam wrote “leave” at the fifth and sixth commitment ceremonies. But after being told by the experts that they have another 24 hours to turn things around, Al vowed to win Samantha over again.
The couple ended up staying together for another week, but at the very last commitment ceremony of the season, the pair both chose to walk away single.
While Al had hoped for a second chance at love with Sam, he knew their time was up and was able to leave on good terms with his bride.
Let’s take a look at Sam and Al’s MAFS journey and how they got here…
Despite Sam’s initial reservations on their wedding day, Al couldn’t have been more smitten with his bride, saying: “I think it’s a match made in heaven for sure, I’m happy, she’s happy… I don’t know if she’s happy but I assume she is.”
Sam eventually started to warm to her new husband’s sense of humour on their honeymoon, but still had reservations over whether they could sustain a relationship.
“Al is super fun and he’s very beautiful to look at but true love takes a lot more than perfect bone structure,” she told the cameras. “I laughed at his jokes, I think that he’s funny… he’s super young. I don’t think him being young is an issue right now, but we’ll see.”
But since their honeymoon, Sam continued to struggle with Al’s immaturity and his lack of interest in her personal life.
“It was tough because I came into the experiment with quite a firm idea of what I felt like I needed and what I wanted in a relationship,” she explained to New Idea in February.
“And because Al was so different to what I was expecting… Al had never been in a relationship before and I had been in a really serious one.”
Throughout the experiment so far we’ve seen the pair struggle with the power dynamics in their relationship.
Naturally, Sam felt the pressure to take the lead with Al, but it clashed with her initial expectation of wanting someone to take the lead for her.
Want more on Married At First Sight season nine? Check out the links below:
Is Married At First Sight real or fake? Let’s examine the evidence
Is Married At First Sight legal in Australia? Why the Marriage Act makes things complicated
How much do Married At First Sight contestants get paid in Australia?
The most shocking, hilarious and downright disturbing Married at First Sight bombshells