You have to admit, Married At First Sight doesn’t have the greatest success rate when it comes to reality TV love stories. Yet every year, we find ourselves with our fingers and toes crossed hoping certain couples work it out.
This season was rocked by its first walk out when Poppy couldn’t bear to be apart from her two young sons anymore, meaning that she and husband Luke had to bow out of the experiment.
As every walk out and commitment ceremony happens, we have your handy cheat sheet to tell you who’s packed up and left so you don’t even have to watch the recaps. Keep scrolling for your spoilers!
First up, Poppy and Luke
They were the first wedding of the season and despite both deciding to stay at the first commitment ceremony, Poppy and Luke’s marriage came to an end just one week into the experiment.
Mum-of-two Poppy couldn’t stand being away from her twin toddlers any longer and along with her lack of spark with Luke, she decided to head home.
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“I really really really thought that this was going to be finally the happy ending, meeting someone that was going to be a good dad to my kids and I was going to have that family because I deserve that,” a tearful Poppy told the cameras.
“I’m really sad to leave the experiment, but I’m still really positive about finding love and I’m going to hope for the best,” she added.
Poppy and Luke were the first couple to call it quits this season.
(Image: Nine Network)Poppy’s on-screen husband Luke was also forced to leave the show, and despite being “devastated”, he was understanding and remarked how overwhelmed she must’ve been feeling.
“I had a hope for me and Poppy and I want a happy ending more than anything else,” he confessed.
READ MORE: WATCH: MAFS bride Poppy’s answer to this interview question was an early clue that she would leave
But after Poppy’s intense Facebook rant, it’s safe to say the two aren’t going to be reuniting any time soon.
Luke was left in tears after he was told of Poppy’s decision.
(Image: Nine Network)Next to go, Amanda and Tash
In an unsurprising commitment ceremony, Amanda and Tash made the decision to leave the experiment after countless clashes.
“I didn’t get what I came here for,” a tearful Amanda said on the couch.
For Tash, the immediate chemistry wasn’t there and it all went downhill from there, but in a heartfelt letter that she read at the commitment ceremony, she thanked her for having a good heart and making an effort in their relationship.
“Thank you for giving this your best shot, all I want is for us to hold nothing but kindness towards each other regardless of everything and I really wish you everything that you want and deserve,” she read before adding, “And I really mean that.”
Amanda and Tash couldn’t make it work.
(Image: Nine Network)“Unfortunately this relationship has not been a representation of what gay relationships are really like,” Amanda added. “There are a lot of good, functioning gay couples out there and I’m sorry that this didn’t do the gay community justice this time around.”
But even though they didn’t want to have any bad blood, Amanda has already found herself in a social media feud with Tash’s new girlfriend Madison, labelling her and her ex as “a pack of fake plastic try hard moles.” Ouch!
“There are a lot of good, functioning gay couples out there and I’m sorry that this didn’t do the gay community justice this time around.”
(Image: Nine Network)(Un)lucky third, Chris and Vanessa
In an unexpected twist, Chris and Vanessa became the third couple to leave the experiment after the family visits after, as Chris put it, “thing went to s—.”
“I’ve never felt so rejected in my life,” 31-year-old pharmacy manager Vanessa told friends and family at their home after remarking that Chris wasn’t putting effort into their relationship and wasn’t attracted to her.
Youth worker Chris, 37, remarked that once they started to argue and “rub each other the wrong way”, there was no point in staying.
Attraction failed to blossom between these two.
(Images: Nine Network)Vanessa’s ex Bronson, who starred on season six, weighed in with a telling Instagram post that featured a photo of himself at a MAFS commitment ceremony. The caption read: “Psst Chris…” and instead of a piece of paper reading “stay” or “leave”, the words read “run”.
Speaking to Now To Love, Bronson revealed he shared the post after seeing Vanessa bad mouth Chris in a leaked video.
“She made up lies in a YouTube video about me to get the limelight. Now seeing her do it to Chris, it hit home,” Bronson explained.
“I don’t like people who put other people down just to get publicity. She’s not a very nice person.”
Vanessa and Chris seemed quietly confident, but how wrong we were.
(Image: Nine Network)Natasha and Mikey make a move
They chose to skip their last dinner party in a bid to save their marriage, but Natasha and Mikey made the decision to leave the experiment at the third commitment ceremony.
Despite their dramas (hello 10 second Mikey), their departure had no screaming and crying but was rather a peaceful realisation that they would not be more than friends.
“You have ended up teaching me so much about myself and it was such a pleasant surprise,” Natasha stated.
“You deserve the world and you will get it,” Mikey added.
“You deserve the world and you will get it,” Mikey said to Natasha at their last commitment ceremony.
(Image: Nine Network)Our first eviction: Hayley and David are out
Finally! It was a double whammy at the third commitment ceremony with Hayley and David leaving the experiment. But in an act of pure revenge after the cheating and toothbrush scandals, Hayley opted to stay while David wrote leave.
“If he wants to do something like that to me, he can sit there for another week now and think about his actions,” Hayley told the experts.
However, the experts could not condone staying for such reasons and asked the two to leave because of the “unhealthy” relationship they have in a MAFS first.
Well thank goodness that’s all behind us.
The two were asked to leave the experiment due to their “unhealthy” relationship.
(Image: Nine Network)Didn’t see that coming: Aleks and Ivan walk
We thought these two would make it to the end but Aleks and Ivan left before the penultimate commitment ceremony after a dramatic dinner party.
Aleks had expressed that she wasn’t feeling that romantic connection with Ivan but everyone was left baffled when it appeared that Ivan told Michael and Josh to bring up that he and Aleks had sex which Aleks firmly denied.
What’s more, Aleks was then accused of going on a secret date with a mystery man but she shut down the rumours confirming she had dinner with Mishel, another female friend and the restaurant owner and it seems that was the final straw with Aleks choosing to leave after feeling betrayed by some of the other couples.
“I know my worth, I know who I am and I know that I don’t have to justify myself to anyone in this experiment. I didn’t come in here for friend, to find love and to find a soulmate,” Aleks confessed.
“I came here for an experience, an experiment and I got that, it’s time for me to check out.” Ivan said. “I need to look after myself and Aleks and I’m going to say I’m getting the f— out of here.”
However the news didn’t sit well with the fellow contestants who called their decision to leave before the commitment ceremony “cowardly” and “not fair.”
Aleks and Ivan opted to bow out before the commitment ceremony.
(Images: Nine Network)Cathy and Josh’s fairytale is over
It was the relationship we had all our hopes on, but Cathy and Josh decided it was best to call it quits at the second-last commitment ceremony.
The couple had been both fighting and ignoring each other and candidly admitted to one another that they still don’t feel like their partner knows them.
“I’ve put in a lot of effort into this relationship but I know now that I’m not for Josh and Josh isn’t for me,” Cathy said before saying she wanted to leave.
“For me, I care about Cathy, I’ve been through so much with Cathy and I hope that one day we can be friends but before it gets any worse I’ll write leave,” Josh said.
The couple remarked that it was disappointing to reach this point despite that initial spark and even shared a sweet hug before departing for good.
“Unfortunately we didn’t get our happy ending, it’s just a shame.”
(Image: Nine Network)
