A Married At First Sight groom has been removed halfway through filming the 2027 series following an alleged off-camera incident, leaving his bride out of the experiment.
The participant abruptly exited the show, stunning the remaining cast who were informed the groom would not be returning to filming.
"He was there one day and gone the next," a production insider said. "There was no big farewell and no opportunity to write 'leave' at the next commitment ceremony. Once the decision had been made, that was it."
There is no suggestion the groom's exit was prompted by alcohol or a positive drug test, but it comes as Channel Nine and production company Endemol Shine Australia enforce strict new rules to stop off-camera behaviour spiralling out of control.
Zero tolerance approach
Producers have brought a zero-tolerance approach into the 2027 series, repeatedly warning participants that serious rule breaches could result in them being sent home.
"They are taking absolutely no chances this year," a source said. "The message to the cast is clear: follow the rules or risk being sent home."
Another insider added: "There are no second chances. They all know what is expected of them. Production is taking welfare and off-camera conduct extremely seriously this year."
The crackdown follows strict weekly drug-testing measures introduced last season after contestants broke curfew during a rogue weekend. Any participant returning a positive result faced immediate removal.
"Production had every reason to be p**sed off," an insider said of that weekend. "The night completely blew up. Cast members disappeared, fights broke out and one couple was already in turmoil."
The removed groom's bride is said to be devastated by the decision. Her time in the experiment is effectively over, despite her not being accused of any wrongdoing.
"She came in wanting to give the marriage a genuine chance and suddenly it was over," a source said. "She was completely blindsided. It wasn't the ending she expected when she signed up."
Previous removals
It is not the first time a participant has been removed during production. Finance broker Micah Lomu was dropped from the previous series following an internal investigation into an alleged incident. Lomu denied any wrongdoing.
His bride, cricket presenter Ankita Karungalekar, was also told she was no longer required on set, despite saying she felt "100 per cent safe, happy and comfortable" continuing. She was not offered another match.
"If one person is removed, there isn't always a pathway for their partner to remain," a source explained of the process. "It can be incredibly difficult for the innocent person, but production has to make decisions about the experiment as a whole."
Editing challenges
The couple's sudden departure has thrown their storyline into doubt. They had already filmed their wedding, honeymoon, dinner parties, and commitment ceremonies before the groom was sent home.
Editors are now reviewing their footage "scene by scene," and are expected to retain only what is necessary to explain their exit.
"They can't completely wipe them because they were part of too many group scenes and their story intersects with the other couples," a production insider said. "But they can certainly cut their marriage down and remove anything that no longer advances the wider story."
A second source said: "There were plans for them to have a substantial storyline, but all of that changes when somebody is removed. The audience will need an explanation for why they disappear, but production is under no obligation to give them the profile they might otherwise have received."
The bride's screen time will also be drastically reduced as collateral damage.
"That is the brutal part of it," the source added. "She did the experiment, opened up about her life and filmed for weeks, but her story was tied to her husband. If he is taken out, there is only so much of her journey they can still use."
Channel Nine could choose to acknowledge the removal on screen, show the bride being informed, or use a title card explaining the departure. The final decision will be made in post-production.
"Nothing is locked until the episodes are delivered," a production source said. "But they won't want the controversy to overshadow the entire season. The most likely outcome is that viewers see enough to understand what happened, and then the experiment moves on."
Strict alcohol limits
The 2027 cast is also facing strict new limits on alcohol. Participants are now restricted to just one alcoholic drink at the show's famously explosive dinner parties.
Some couples have also been banned from keeping alcohol inside their Sydney apartments after arguments allegedly continued when cameras stopped rolling, while others are not allowed to drink at all.
"It is because some of them drink and argue when the cameras are down," a source said. "Each couple is given a limit, and some are not allowed alcohol in their rooms. It depends on who becomes argumentative when they are drinking and who doesn't."
The tougher restrictions follow a formal complaint from 2026 bride Brook Crompton, then 27, over her appearance at the season's controversial second dinner party. Crompton sent producers a cease-and-desist notice, requesting they remove footage where she took aim at fellow brides Stella Mickunaite and Alissa Fay.
"I was in no state to be filmed while intoxicated," Crompton claimed in a November 4 email. "If a participant arrives having consumed alcohol prior to filming, it is the responsibility of production to ensure they're fit to appear on camera."
The production company rejected her complaint, stating they employed staff with Responsible Service of Alcohol certification and monitored consumption. They said Crompton had received written instructions advising her to consume no more than two glasses of champagne during the two-and-a-half-hour waiting period to enter, showed no visible signs of intoxication, and had no grounds for an exception to post-production procedures.
During the 2026 season, bride Bec Zacharia was also forced to deny claims she had an alcohol problem after her marriage to Danny Hewitt collapsed.
"I'm not an alcoholic," Zacharia said. "People seem to think that if I have a couple of drinks, I wouldn't be as crass or make the same comments. Anyone who knows me knows I make crude, crass comments at eight o'clock in the morning."
She rejected suggestions alcohol ended her marriage. "The moments that make the best television happen at dinner parties, when we might have had three glasses of wine," she said. "That's television. But no, I'm not an alcoholic."
A changed experiment
Filming continues in Sydney with a cast that includes Lily Holics and James "Jimmy" Smith. The leaked line-up also includes Steven Hiles, cafe owner and former Million Dollar Island contestant Tim Bates, Bondi larrikin James Smith, and outspoken fitness fanatic Chris Colombo.
The 2027 series will return to screens in February and will look markedly different following the death of relationship expert Mel Schilling from cancer in March.
The first three commitment ceremonies were filmed with only John Aiken and Alessandra Rampolla on the couch. Relationship coach Brigitte Zonta, known as Dr Lurve, had been tipped to join the fourteenth season, but cast members said she had not appeared at the early ceremonies or dinner parties. Nine has not confirmed her role.
The full 2027 cast will be announced in January.
