The best moments from the outrageous final episodes of MAFS AU

From the Jono and Ellie bombshell to the return of Collins, we look at back at the final episodes of Married at First Sight Australia 2024. 

When John Aiken told us back in February that we were in for a “quite shocking” season of Married at First Sight Australia, little did we know that he was delivering yet another one of his famous home truths from beneath his authoritative eyebrows. “A big thing this season is boundaries – what’s appropriate and what’s inappropriate – and secrets,” he said at the time. “When should you be airing dirty laundry, or telling secrets about your partner to people?” 

Since then, we’ve been thrown into the MAFS washing machine with dirtier laundry than you can shake a box of Napisan at. There’s been allegations that Jack had a girlfriend when he applied for MAFS, Sara texting a contestant needing a “cute top” to meet up with her ex during the experiment, and the shocking recoupling of Jono and Ellie. But with the bad times, there’s also been a lot of good – chiefly Lucinda Light, the best MAFS participant in history. 

As we farewell the reality juggernaut for another year, and figure out what to do with our extra 90 minutes from Sunday-Wednesday nights, let us look back at the finale episodes of a truly bonkers season of television. 

Lucinda being a human disco ball 

Collins being so amped for the party

Jack sniffing Tori’s ear 

The re-introduction of Jono and Ellie

In the words of Destiny’s Child, we weren’t ready for this Jellie (aka Jono and Ellie arriving on the show as a couple, despite both being TV-married to other people). The latter half of the season had been consumed with the Jono and Ellie texting scandal, with Jono vehemently denying that there was any substance to the texts (in fact he didn’t know Ellie from a bar of soap and would even send a bar of soap one hundred text messages if he had a bar of soap’s phone number, actually). Lauren knew that something was fishy and dumped him at final vows, and her instincts were confirmed when the pair arrived at the final dinner party together. 

For all the treachery and lies, it was a hell of an entrance. Jayden’s rose fell off his lapel in shock, Sara embodied the “astonished” emoji and Lauren’s face broke hearts across Australasia. Over the next hour, the camera lingered on Lauren as the newly-minted couple giggled and canoodled across the table. When she blinked back tears and her bestie (Tim) asked if she was OK, we all felt her pain and humiliation. Truly, how does this show consistently elicit stronger emotional reactions than most Best Picture nominees? Wizardry. / Alex Casey

The experts were all of us

Behold, this Shakespearean dinner party tragedy in three dramatic acts: 

Tim’s stressed out vein stole the show 

Cass took a very big swing

I’ve been a Cass stan from day one. She was so patient with Tristan, she gently called out bullshit in the classiest of ways, and I really feel like not enough was made of Tori’s “I’m at the top of the food chain” comments directed at her mid-season. Anyway, during the final commitment ceremony Cass stunned the room when she came out swinging at Sara in a tirade which suggested there’s (gasp) been a lot more going on that we never got to see. 

“She just lies,” Cass piped up from the couch out of absolutely nowhere. “Everything out of her mouth is a lie. She lies to make herself look better, there’s nothing honest about her.” Sara was shocked, I was shocked, Jayden’s lapel rose was shocked. “That’s so fucking rude,” replied Sara. Leak the tapes! What is the Sara vs Cass beef and why have we seen none of it? I would genuinely pay good money for that premium content. Yes I woooould. / AC

Tori and Jack stormed off the set

Lucinda and Timothy were perfect 

When Jayden’s polaroid pictures were the gift that keeps on giving

Of all the things the experts expected to be thrown at them during the commitment ceremony, a tiny photographic souvenir of Jayden and Eden’s relationship probably wasn’t one of them. “You threw yourselves into it, mankini and all,” John told the couple approvingly, clearly impressed at Jayden and Eden’s fierce commitment to a thin piece of spandex and a can of whipped cream. Here’s to every week being Intimacy Week, John Aiken. / TW