Former Bachelor Star Was Almost Cast As New MAFS Expert
Married At First Sight (MAFS) may have found its new expert with Brigitte Zonta (aka Dr Lurve) all but confirmed to be appearing on next year’s season, but it turns out there was a familiar face who was almost cast instead.
Belinda ‘Love’ Rygier, a love coach, author and former reality TV star who appeared on Matty J’s season of The Bachelor in 2017, has revealed to PEDESTRIAN.TV that she was in the running to sit on the couch alongside John Aiken and Alessandra Rampolla before Brigitte ultimately landed the gig.
“Congratulations to Brigitte; she got my dream job,” Belinda laughed.
How Belinda ‘Love’ Rygier almost became the new MAFS expert
Belinda explained that a MAFS casting producer first contacted her in February after she expressed interest on her Instagram Stories following Mel Schilling’s announcement that she would be leaving the show.
“He reached out and he said, ‘I think you’d be incredible; you’ve got the energy, the qualifications, the expertise, and I think you’d be great on the screen, so I’m going to put you forward,” she recalled.
“I was like, wow, I’ve been wanting this job for 10 years, and then it’s just sort of happened easily. This is incredible.”
Belinda — who has been watching MAFS since it first launched in 2015 and was determined to “bring back the success stories” if she became an expert — said she had to submit a casting video detailing what she would bring to the role, and was in regular contact with producers before things went silent.
“I didn’t actually get an interview, which, without sounding arrogant, I was a bit confused. I thought I might at least get a conversation with the executives,” she said.
“I heard it was filming and I emailed the exec, and she said, ‘No, we’re not looking for our expert anymore, but thank you very much’. I said, ‘Look, this is my life’s work, I’ve been rehearsing for this role for 10 years. If anything happens, please let me know’.”
Belinda shares her thoughts on Brigitte
While we’re yet to see what Brigitte will bring to the role — let alone whether she’s even officially landed the position of MAFS’ new relationship expert — Belinda said she’s hopeful that producers made their decision with pure intentions.
“I’m really hoping that, out of respect for Mel, they did the right casting process and due diligence,” she said, adding that she “hadn’t heard a thing” about Brigitte before the rumours came out earlier this month.
“Mel set a very high bar, and I can’t seem to find anything about [Brigitte] anywhere, so I can’t form an opinion on whether she’s going to be good or not. I’m not quite sure what they wanted, but I’m crossing all my fingers and toes that Mel gets the replacement that she truly deserves in this process.”
As for why Belinda thinks she didn’t get the gig, she believes it might have to do with her appearance.
“Maybe I just look too much like Mel,” she remarked. “Maybe they thought, ‘Belinda looks like Mel’s sister; we can’t do that’, but I think they need contrast on that couch too and not just all brunettes. I honestly feel they need a blonde in there, but I’m biased!”
The new season of MAFS is set to premiere in February 2027, so we’ll have to wait until then to see what the new expert is really like. And hey, if Brigitte isn’t deemed to be the right fit for the show, Belinda’s ready for her moment to shine.
