It’s without a doubt that Married At First Sight (MAFS) is notorious for birthing some of the most mismatched couples in history. Think Tim Gromie and Katie Johnstone, Amanda Micallef and Tash Herz, Dion Giannarelli and Carolina Santos, and so much more. But do the MAFS experts ever feel guilty when their matches fail? Here’s what Alessandra Rampolla has to say.
We’re only, roughly, four weeks into MAFS 2026, and the cracks in the experiment are already showing with two couples officially calling it quits at the second Commitment Ceremony (actually, Brook Crompton ran away, so technically she didn’t say leave. But something tells me that’s the last we’ll see of her and Chris Nield).
As a viewer who is optimistic when it comes to love (not in my personal life), it is quite sad seeing the experts be hopeful only to see their matches crash and burn.
And when shit truly hits the fan — think cheating scandals, or someone abandoning the experiment — I’ve always wondered if the experts felt some kind of responsibility or guilt surrounding their mismatch.
Do the Married At First Sight experts feel bad for mismatching couples?
Speaking to PEDESTRIAN.TV, resident MAFS sexologist Alessandra admits she “never” feels guilty for the failed marriages, as the show is supposed to be an experiment.
“The goal is not to have all the relationships necessarily succeed. If there were a formula to be followed, nobody would ever divorce, and everybody would be in happy relationships,” she told P.TV.
“We’re taking hypotheses that are all tried and true and should work. But we also know that in real life, if you’re going to fall in love with anybody, and if it’s ever experienced enough, you know that there is a component of chemistry and magic that is either there or can be built or simply never comes, and that part you can never predict.”
Alessandra also adds she “never feels bad” because she — alongside Mel Schilling and John Aiken — matches the couples based on what they’re told, and that she’s often surprised by the actions as the series goes on.
Or, to put it shortly, sometimes the math isn’t mathing!
“I am oftentimes surprised at the person I’m observing and how different they are from the person they told me they were,” the sexologist dished.
“Some of that goes into play because we, we can only go by what the participants tell us about themselves, their wants, needs, understanding of self and behavior and what they actually do.”
But despite all the drama MAFS has gifted us, Alessandra highlighted that the show has seen some success and that those love stories make her believe that MAFS has a “really good track record”.
“In spite of many people thinking that it’s about how many couples make it in the end, I think it’s about the growth and the journey. And sometimes that ends up being the love of their life, and sometimes it ends up being like the journey of self-discovery of their life, and they’re all valid, and they’re all good,” Alessandra said.
Although Alessandra admits she “never feels bad” for the mismatches, as a viewer, I can admit that it is quite painful. Especially when the relationships blow up in our faces, especially if someone is getting hurt.
But I guess, that’s just the risk we take when it comes to searching for love, amirite?
Obsessed with MAFS? Check out PEDESTRIAN.TV‘s brand new reality TV podcast Villain Edit, where we unpack all the wild, chaotic and messy moments from the show. Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.
