It appears that this year’s Married At First Sight UK cast have been given a privilege not afforded to last year’s contestants.
On 7th October, groom Ashley Dommett shared a video on social media showing him and fellow grooms Bailey Smith and Joe Wood enjoying a night out at the pub. The post quickly caught the attention of 2024 contestant Sacha Jones, who noted a major difference from her own experience on the show.
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“I’m just so jealous of all yous being allowed the camera on your phone like this. Ours was blocked,” Sacha commented.
Ashley humorously replied: “They’ll definitely be blocked again next year.”
Traditionally, MAFS UK contestants are not permitted to record videos using their personal phones while filming. Their devices are typically confiscated before meeting their matches at the wedding, and they are instead given basic production phones for the duration of filming.
These production phones generally lack internet access or camera functions similar to the “Nokia brick” seen in season eight when Ella Morgan texted JJ. However, there have been rare occasions when contestants have been allowed to video call friends or family.
Season six bride Alexis Economou previously confirmed the phone restrictions, telling Grazia: “We were told that we’d have our phones until the morning of our wedding, but I think someone was in the car and had found out who one of the husbands were, so production were worried that it would be leaked.”
Similarly, MAFS Australia star Hayley Vernon revealed the same policy applies overseas: “So Channel Nine gives us production phones [to film on] and every week we hand them in and the material from the production phone gets uploaded to Channel Nine. And they choose what content they want to use off it.”
Channel 4 has been contacted for comment.
Source: Cosmopolitan
