MAFS Kiwi bride faces backlash over ‘partner’ swap

The incredibly popular Married at First Sight Australia season wraps up on Three and ThreeNow on Sunday and Monday, with a fiery cast reunion dinner and final couch session with the “experts”.

It’s riveting television — I can’t keep my eyes off it — but just how much of it is “reality” has been called into question this week. I wonder, as well, why anyone would want to put themselves in the hands of the editing decisions of some of these Australian TV producers.

As the most recent MAFS episode earlier this week revealed, a bombshell is about to drop this weekend — one of the MAFS

“grooms”, Jonathan McCullough, is now partnered up with one of the other “brides”, New Zealander Ellie Dix.

The pair were matched with other people when the series started on our screens two months ago and they insist they only started seeing each other once both of their original relationships collapsed.

In real life, and as of today, Dix and McCullough are besotted with each other — they are living together on the Gold Coast and even talking to some media outlets about future family plans.

But Dix, in particular, has been targeted by trolls after the two final episodes were screened in Australia earlier this week. New Zealand’s Three is a week behind Australia and those two episodes screen here this Sunday and Monday.

One of Dix’s close friends, Tahli Passeri, has told Australian media that Dix is distraught about the way the final two shows were edited.

“It’s extraordinarily concerning, the differences between what actually occurred during filming to what managed to reach screens and what viewers saw,” Passeri told Yahoo Lifestyle.

Trolls have also targeted a Gold Coast plastic surgery business where Dix, a cosmetic nurse, has worked as a subcontractor. They’ve sabotaged Google reviews, leaving fake, one-star ratings.

“It is disturbing the hate and revolting comments Ellie is receiving,” said Passeri.

“She is extraordinarily traumatised and as someone who has known her for 18 years, I have never seen her so upset.

“She is one of the kindest, most genuine, loyal, compassionate and loving people I know, and to see her receive so much hate and derogatory comments based on a substantially edited television show, is saddening and troubling for the people in today’s society.”

Dix and McCullough said the show was “so distorted it’s not funny” and told the Gold Coast Bulletin this week that “not even 1 per cent” of the reunion dinner episode reflected reality.

“It’s ridiculous,” McCullough said. “We’ve got so much hate over something that isn’t even true.

“People are that mad about a TV show. Everyone knows they edit MAFS to the hills and they still believe it.

“I thought there was a possibility of looking bad in some way with an edit — but not evil and made to look like horrible, disgusting people.

“Married at First Sight really shouldn’t be able to put themselves in the category of reality TV. They should make a law that reality TV can’t be edited.”

The issue has reached a point where McCullough’s original “bride”, Lauren Dunn, posted on social media calling for critics to back off her former husband and Dix. “To everyone trolling and attacking Ellie at her workplace, please stop immediately. What you see on TV is only a small portion of what goes on.

“Regardless of what you saw on TV (filmed 6 months ago) I have no problems with Jono and Ellie and neither of them deserve to be harassed or bullied.

“Please can everyone let them be happy and let’s all move on x.”