It’s the morning of the next Commitment Ceremony and the couples are waking up after last night’s tumultuous Dinner Party.
Jayden is still reeling from the fight between him and Timothy – he just wants to know if Timothy sees a romantic future with Luinda. Meanwhile down the hall, Lucinda’s show of support for Timothy last night has left the couple feeling a sense of unity and respect for one another this morning.
As for Jack, he’s been anxious going into this Commitment Ceremony after meeting up with Tori’s friend Lea, who opened his eyes as to how committed Tori has become to her relationship with him.
Tonight, the couples unpack their struggles and triumphs and make the important decision whether to stay or leave their marriages.
First on the couch is Ellie and Ben, and the nervous energy is felt around the room as the other couples witnessed the public breakup between the two at last night’s Dinner Party. Ellie tells the Experts that since last week when she wrote leave Ben disappeared and when they finally met again a few days later, Ben read her a list of the things he didn’t like about her.
Ellie is now left feeling confused as this doesn’t match the gift giving and the lovely song he’s written to her – she feels like she’s going crazy. Expert Mel states that this is the definition of being gaslit. Ben offers a series of vague responses when questioned about his behaviour towards Ellie, which frustrates Expert John who ultimately holds him to account. In the end, they both write leave.
Eden and Jayden are going strong, but Eden admits during their family meet up this week, Jayden’s brother Mitch asked her where she was in the relationship on a scale of one to 10, Eden said she was a 7 while Jayden responded with 9.5. Eden thinks that she can get to a 9.5 on the scale of love but wants more quality time. She has hope and they both write stay.
Cassandra and Tristan have had a turnaround since last week. They both write stay. Jade and Ridge are in a great place this week especially after the confession letter when Jade opened up and Ridge responded with genuine care. They both write stay.
Next Andrea and Richard are at odds. Richard feels like Andrea wasn’t trying this week because there has been no shift since the last time they sat on the couch. They started the experiment being so physical and then intimacy fell off and now he’s left wondering when it’s going to come back.
Richard announces that he has feelings for someone who doesn’t have feelings for him. Expert Alesandra is shocked. Andrea states that is not the case but her ‘bubble has burst’ a few times since the photo ranking task as well. But she’s still here and she still likes him. Richard thinks they have the potential to go long term and says that he’s in. They both stay.
Lucinda and Timothy have also had a turnaround this week. Timothy states that the shift came from the friends and family meeting, especially talking to Lucinda’s Dad. Timothy says that people in the group have an issue with him because he’s a ‘slow burn’ thing. Jayden pipes up and says that the slow burn thing is getting old, he questions Timothy asking him when does the progress start. Lucinda comes to Timothy’s defence – they are going at the pace that Timothy is comfortable with and she’s up for the journey. They both write stay.
Michael and Stephen are next. Michael says the crash course this week was a great step for them, but Stephen drops a bombshell that while he can see Michael is a good-looking guy on paper, he is not physically attracted to him because Michael is more feminine than what he’s normally drawn to. Stephen delivers another blow when he states that he is not confident that the attraction will build. Michael is shocked as he thought they were making progress, but he’s willing to wait for Stephen to develop feelings. They both write stay.
Lauren and Jonathan admit that they continued to argue about the muzzle comment, but as Jonathan continued to apologise, they decided to leave it in the past. However, when Expert Mel asks her where she is at now, Lauren says that at this point she has zero romantic feelings for Jonathan. She’s struggling with the spark in personalities and banter. Jonathan thinks she’s amazing, but he doesn’t get to see much of that one on one. Expert MEL says they need to get beyond the comfort zone and find a deeper connection. Lauren and Jonathan agree, and both decide to stay.
Sara and Tim are up next, im says that they are in the best place they’ve been at in the whole experiment, but Sara worries she may be too much for Tim. Sara gets emotional on the couch as in the past she felt that she is too much for people. Tim is supportive – he doesn’t want her to feel like she’s too much for him, this is his type. He says she’s showing him every day that his opinion matters, and they both write stay.
The last couple on the couch are Tori and Jack. Tori admits that it takes her a lot to get to the point of anger she was last night, but Timothy gets her to a certain point. She says Timothy’s comment to Jayden “you are nothing’ hit a nerve with her and was just as destructive as Jack’s comment, ‘muzzle your woman’, last week. The Experts and other couples look at her in disbelief and Expert John disagrees.
Expert John asks Jacl how serious his relationship with Tori is. Jack admits he’s seeing a softer side from Tori after the catchup with her friend Lea, and he has concerns he will let her down. Tori admits she is very vulnerable now and if this doesn’t work, she will close herself off forever. When John asks if Jack thinks Tori is into him more than he is into her he says, “maybe a little bit”.
He feels pressured. Tori looks at him in shock and concern. Tori tells Jack, “if you want to go, you should go now”… Jack tells Tori he’s got serious feelings for her, and he doesn’t want to waste her time. She tells him to not waste her time as that would annoy her. Both say stay.
