While watching MAFS contestants tie the knot moments after meeting is always amusing, there’s nothing quite like the experiment’s dinner parties.
Thanks to Anthony Cincotta and Selin Mengu’s ongoing tension, the first all-cast soiree of season nine did not disappoint when Selin wasted no time in telling her fellow wives about her and Anthony’s troubles, that came to a head on their honeymoon.
Anthony claimed last week that Selin is a “completely different” person when the cameras aren’t rolling, while the 32-year-old single mum said her new husband’s vulnerability wasn’t attractive.
Speaking to Domenica and Tamara after arriving at Monday night’s dinner party, Selin revealed Anthony cut their honeymoon short and flew back to Sydney a day early.
“I feel like it went downhill when we said our feeling for each other, and I said I don’t feel the spark,” to which Tamara responded: “You cut his ego.”
Selin then gave Anthony a frosty reception after he walked in to the dinner party alone.
“I want to actually have that private chat with Selin because I’m not the kind of person whos going to have that conversation in an open platform in front of everybody,” he told the cameras.
Domenica then made it clear she wouldn’t shy away from grilling Anthony about his conflict with Selin.
“Anthony… honestly I don’t even have words for this bloke. You’ve got a beautiful woman there and he left her on the honeymoon. I instantly clicked with Selin on the hens so of course I’m going to have her back,” she said.
Of course, it didn’t take long for the elephant in the room to be addressed after the couples sat down for dinner.
When asked by Domenica if he regretted leaving the honeymoon, a visibly blindsided Anthony responded: “Does everybody know that?”
“Obviously Selin had told everybody her side of the story already. It threw me off guard I wasn’t expecting that. I don’t want to sit there and have a ‘he said, she said’ argument in front of everybody,” he later admitted to producers.
“I don’t feel it’s my place to tell everybody my side of the story. The only person I need to have those discussions with is Selin herself.”
But Domenica continued to push for answers on behalf of Selin, telling the father-of-one: “I just don’t get why you would leave her” before Tamara implored Anthony to tell his version of events.
“It’s a private conversation that I want to have with Selin,” Anthony shot back, before Domenica cut him off, saying: “Which you could have had but you left.”
“You say you wanted communication too but you left. I don’t see that as being communicative. Why would a man that’s come into the experiment to be part of this, why would you walk out?” Domenica continued.
Tamara added: “I feel like having that conversation prior to coming [to the dinner party] would have been a good idea. What did you expect?”
Jackson attempted to stick up for Anthony, but was met with backlash from Domenica who said he should have simply “gone for a walk” on his honeymoon to calm down rather than pack up and leave.
“Domenica and Tamara definitely had my back fully. They shut that whole table down. The girls are great,” Selin said to the camera.
“I feel like I’ve put him under the bus but it felt really good venting. The girls had my back and how it played out was perfect.”
MAFS experts John Aitken, Mel Schilling and Alessandra Rampolla expressed their shock over Selin’s betrayal of Anthony.
“There’s a lot of judgement coming at him from people he’s never met. I’m sure that he’s hurt… she dropped the grenades, stood back and let all the disciples do all the work for her,” John remarked.
MAFS viewers also weren’t impressed by Selin, with some Twitter users accusing her of “weaponising sisterhood” to further berate Anthony.
“Selin, the reason why you’re in this situation is not because Anthony left the honeymoon a day early, it’s because you bullied him into walking away from a very toxic situation,” one user wrote.
“If we are being serious for a minute, Selin’s views and actions help facilitate toxic masculinity,” another comment read.
“Selin, we get it, he left, get over it. You don’t have a valid argument, stop going around in circles and saying ‘you left’. Admit your fault. You know you’re in the wrong and have nothing better to say,” said a third.
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