The Married At First Sight marathon is finally over after the explosive two-part reunion episode wrapped up on Monday night.
And while we still have SO much to process, including our absolute love and respect for Lizzie and our total pride in Heidi for finally telling Mike just how toxic he is, it was perhaps the show’s controversial couple Jessika Power and Dan Webb that got all of Australia talking.
On Monday night’s grand finale, Jess was finally forced to face the music and had to re-watch the moment she hit on Cyrell’s husband Nic Jovanovic.
Although Nic rejected Jess’ advances, it was the first time Dan had ever seen the footage and he couldn’t have felt more betrayed as he had specifically asked Jess if she had made a move on anyone else in the experiment other than him, to which she promised she hadn’t.
It’s fair to say Jess was absolutely dragged through the coals by her co-stars, new boyfriend and all of Australia for her lying ways.
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What’s more, despite seeing the footage play out, which shows in crystal clear colour Jess propositioning Nic behind first husband Mick’s back, Jess still tried to deny she wasn’t really putting on the moves. OK then.
But her grilling didn’t end there.
Shortly after the finale, Jess and Dan appeared on Nine’s MAFS spin-off show Talking Married for what shaped up to be the world’s most awkward interview ever.
The frosty couple sat miles apart from each other with Jess shooting daggers at Dan and the co-hosts, who re-played the infamous Nic footage again and asked the pair if they’d managed to overcome their trust issues.
“It was disgusting, it was really, really hard watching it back. Seeing him hurt tonight, it’s hurting me as well,” the blonde bombshell admitted after having to watch the painful video with her new man for a second time.
But it was a clearly rattled Dan, who seemed to be unpacking the mental load of their troubled relationship on air, and didn’t hold back about just how much damage the scandal had done.
WATCH: MAFS: Jess refuses to answer a question about trust on Talking Married. Post continues after the video…
“I’d be lying if I said it didn’t scratch the surface of some previous wounds. I love the girl, but it’s an awkward position I’m in right now,” the father-of-one said.
The show’s host Ben Fordham then revealed that the couple were fighting off-air during the ad break.
“You guys had a bit of a dispute. There were some F-bombs going back and forth,” Ben said.
Dan then opened up about their issues, admitting he still can’t get over the fact Jess refuses to take responsibility for her actions and admit she hit on Nic.
“The question I’ve got for Jess, why did she lie about it? Why couldn’t she be honest from the start? I did ask her ‘Did you try this on another guy?’ That’s probably the thing that unsettles me the most. If she was honest and just told me, I wouldn’t care. It feels like she goes down with the lie … dies with the lie,” Dan said.
“It raises huge trust issues for me, and that’s what we’ve been struggling with over the last few months in our relationship.”
READ NEXT: Which Married At First Sight couples from 2019 are actually still together?
The honeymoon is well and truly over for Jess and Dan. (Image: Talking Married/Nine)
While Jess, who has since moved to the Gold Coast to be with Dan, hit back at the drama insisting everything had been “blown out of proportion in high magnitudes”, before sheepishly admitting “I did hit on Nic, yeah.”
Indeed, Jess’ story kept changing and Dan was quick to call her out on it.
“That’s the first time she’s admitted it to me, just right now,” Dan noted.
Jess retorted, trying to back-pedal for the umpteenth time: “I wasn’t interested in being with Nic, I wasn’t interested in swapping with Nic! Looking back on it, it looks like I did hit on him and that’s what everybody here wants me to admit, so yeah I’m admitting it for Dan. I don’t feel like I did, but it’s obviously what Dan wants to hear.”
“It’s not what a want to hear,” Dan snapped.
“We’re not having a fight on national television,” an agitated Jess fumed.
Cue the MAFS pair going around and around in circles.
If looks could kill! Jess and Dan’s body language was VERY frosty. (Image: Talking Married/Nine)
“The best way to build trust would be to uncover the lies you spoke about first to make sure it doesn’t happen again, but it’s been three months and she, you just admitted it now,” the former rugby player said.
“I don’t feel like I hit on Nic,” the Perth beauty insisted.
“But you said just before you did, he’s saying you did. It’s just like we’re banging our heads against the wall trying to get something out of it.”
Oh dear, not really the image of a loved-up reality romance now is it?
The interview went from bad to worst when Jess point-blank refused to answer one of Dan’s questions.
“Me and Jess get along great, we have great times and things do feel really fun and happy when we’re together but then one little negative, like last night or tonight’s episodes can just raise so much doubt, and articles here and articles there creates so much negativity and toxicity in our relationship, it really does. Do you feel that?” Dan asked his partner, who simply returned his query with a scowl and deafening silence.
Talking host Jayne Azzopardi asked if Jess was going to answer Dan.
“I don’t think this is a conversation we need to be having on air,” the 26-year-old raged.
Dan also admitted he wasn’t sure if they could ever rebuild the trust, which isn’t surprising considering the entire foundation of their romance started under the shadow of lies and betrayal behind their respective partner’s backs.
Dan isn’t exactly the poster boy for being honest as the former rugby player is currently facing potential jail time over a multi-million dollar telemarketing scam. (Image: Talking Married/Nine)
Indeed, the odds continue to stack up against Australia’s most controversial couple.
Just last week, Dan revealed he briefly dumped Jess after watching the Nic footage at the reunion episode.
“After the experiment, we did part ways for a bit. Coming out of the reunion was difficult for me and I lost a lot of trust for her. I needed time for myself and I said to her, ‘Look, I need a break,'” he told TV WEEK.
While they soon got back together, they could be looking to spend even more time apart as Dan faces potential jail time over a multi-million dollar telemarketing scam.
Insiders reveal his legal woes have put a strain on their relationship but Jessica has vowed to stand by her man should he be thrown in the slammer.
“Word is he might go inside for six months and that’s really going to put pressure on his new relationship with Jess,” an insider told Woman’s Day.
“Jess is used to being around people who are a bit rough around the edges. But if I were Dan I’d be wondering if she would want all of this new drama in her life.”
God speed, you two! It looks like there might be rough seas ahead.
