As the couples dive into Feedback Week with the reintroduced Partner Swap, the experiment hits a new level of tension on Married At First Sight.
Carina faces mounting anxiety as she’s forced to swap partners with Awhina—Paul’s ex’s twin sister—while Ryan and Beth’s already strained relationship is tested further.
As the participants grapple with fresh perspectives on their marriages, deep-seated insecurities and emotional clashes threaten to unravel their progress.
From Nine:
It’s the morning after the fifth Commitment Ceremony, and our couples are processing Lauren and Clint’s fiery exit from the Experiment.
At the retreat, Lauren caused a rift among several of the wives, including between Carina and Jamie. This morning, however, Carina is once again feeling at peace with her friend, after Expert Alessandra helped Jamie come to terms with her behaviour and apologise to Carina.
Carina now feels ready to focus on her marriage and is feeling optimistic about the future. Jamie is also hopeful for her marriage with Dave, after revealing last night to the Experts that she had told Dave she loves him. Rhi and Jeff also admitted to the experts that they were falling in love with each other, and Jeff is excited for a future with Rhi.
Today, all of the couples will take on Feedback Week. For the first stage of Feedback Week, the Experts are reintroducing the Partner Swap. Participants will move in with a newly assigned partner for three days to gain a fresh perspective on their marriage from someone else in the Experiment.
Many of the participants are excited by the news, including Eliot, who will be pairing up with Rhi, Teejay with Carina, and Jacqui to be paired with Jeff. Beth and Ryan, however, are both disgruntled with the idea of being paired together.
Also, after finding out Awhina and Paul are to be paired together, Carina is upset. She reveals that her husband Paul used to date Awhina’s twin sister Cleo, which, on top of an already uncomfortable situation for Carina, is making her discomfort even worse.
The time comes for the participants to pack and swap, and Awhina is accepting of the idea of moving in with her friend Paul. Carina, however, is growing more concerned about the idea of Awhina moving in with her husband. With Carina in tears, Awhina arrives at her apartment, and Carina reluctantly begins packing, unsure whether she will take part at all.
As the remaining participants settle into the new partner arrangements, Ryan and Beth are immediately at odds. Meanwhile, Jacqui finds Jeff extremely hospitable, immediately steaming her dress on arrival. Rhi and Eliot undertake the first task during the Partner Swap, the hard-hitting questions task.
This task leads both to dish out hard truths about their respective relationships. Despite struggling to connect with his wife Veronica, Eliot is receptive to Rhi’s advice about making small gestures to give his wife affection and is hopeful this can lead to positive changes in his marriage.
While receiving advice from her swapped partner Dave, Veronica is more cynical about the hopes for her and her husband Eliot’s future together.
After more time to process, Carina decides to participate in the Partner Swap task and moves in with Teejay, who is quick to make the bride feel right at home.
Paul begins the hard-hitting questions task by seeking Awhina’s opinion on whether, after witnessing Carina’s reaction to the partner swap, Awhina believes Carina is a jealous person or not. Paul then reveals to Awhina that she is the last bride Carina wanted to stay in her apartment. Awhina eventually admits that Carina may be a jealous person and suggests that Paul may run into issues in his marriage if Carina’s jealous tendencies ‘rear their ugly head.’
As the couples settle in for the first night with their swapped partners, Beth and Ryan remain at odds, while Ryan’s wife Jacqui continues to be pampered by Jeff, this time with a home-cooked dinner. The following morning, Carina and Teejay and Awhina and Paul take on the Expert’s second task, the Honesty Letter.
It’s a chance for the participants to write a letter to their spouses revealing a concern they’ve had trouble voicing within their marriages. By reading it to their swapped partner, the Experts are hopeful it can help the participants confront any deep-seated issues in their relationships and move past them.
Carina writes about her concerns that Paul may not be on the same page in terms of raising a child with the same religious values as her. Paul uses the task to voice concerns about a comment Carina made to him in confidence, namely that Carina called Cleo ‘low calibre’ and labels Carina a snob.
As Cleo happens to be Awhina’s twin sister, Awhina is naturally outraged and promises to hold Carina accountable for her judgmental comment.
