With the drama-filled series of MAFS UK 2023 drawing to an end, here’s everything you need to know about the final episodes and cast
You don’t have to be in the midst of wedding planning to get hooked on Married At First Sight. The show sees complete strangers – who have been put together by matchmaking experts – meet for the first time at the altar. The weddings are always pretty spectacular, and surrounded by their family and friends, each couple says ‘I do’ before spending several weeks together to get to know their new spouse.
The eighth series of Married At First Sight UK returned to our screens on Monday 18th September, and will wrap up on Thursday 16th November.
Who is on Married At First Sight UK 2023?
Relationship experts Mel Schilling, Paul C. Brunson and Charlene Douglas returned again this season to pair up the singletons and help the couples throughout the experiment.
The Brides
Ella, 29
Ella is a clinic consultant from Weston-Super-Mare who has a big heart and a big sense of humour.
She lives with her nan – describing the two of them as “the dynamic duo everyone needs in their life”. Ella loves love and she cannot wait to settle down with the right person.
Jay, 31
Jay comes from Lancashire and is a sales manager. She is known for being the funny one without trying.
After being single for a few months, Jay is now looking for the right person to settle down with. She’s hoping the experts will pair her up with a cheeky chappy who can make her laugh.
Laura, 34
Finance manager Laura is from Hampshire and is ready to commit entirely to the experiment.
Having been married before, she knows what she does and doesn’t want in life. Laura also loves the finer things in life and spends most of her weekends out in Chelsea. She’s into designer handbags and admits she owns a lot.
Peggy, 32
Kent-based Peggy is a technology risk partner who is looking for her ‘knight in shining armour’.
At 5’10” Peggy is a tall girl who often turns heads. She lives the glam life, but when it comes to men she is still searching for a happy conclusion to her fairytale.
Porscha, 36
Porscha is an executive assistant from London who is described as a ‘force to be reckoned with’.
With a big heart, she has traditional values and is looking for an alpha male. Porscha is a very loving single mum and holds her Christian faith in high regard.
Rosaline, 28
Florist Rosaline is from Crewe and is hoping to meet her dream man. Known for being a quirky ball of energy, she grew up on a working farm surrounded by animals.
After having her heart broken six months ago, she hopes the experiment will give her a happy ever after.
Shona, 31
Shona is a performing arts teacher from Nottingham. She won’t hold back from speaking her mind and describes herself as a ‘true free spirit’.
She has everything going for her: a great job, her own home, and a wonderful family. There’s only one thing missing – a husband!
Tasha, 25
Tasha is a “typical Leeds girl” and a childcare assistant. Always the life and soul of the party, she has a lot of love to give.
She dreams of starting a family of her own one day so is looking for a man who loves children as much as she does.
Which brides entered the experiment later?
Just a couples of weeks into the new series, four more couples were introduced into the show, and they certainly shook things up.
Erica, 25
Erica has been heartbroken one too many times and is looking for the one. She has been single for over a year and is handing over control to the experts.
Adrienne, 26
Adrienne has run out of dating options in rural Cumbria, and so has turned to the experts to find a man worthy of her.
Bianca, 29
Bianca wants to marry a stranger, because she has prioritised her career for most of her adult life and it’s time to put her love life first for once!
The Grooms
Arthur, 34
London-based tennis coach Arthur was born in Poland and has lived in England since he was 16-years-old.
He now travels the world, coaching the most successful tennis players. Arthur is looking for a committed, loving relationship and wants the fairy tale he has dreamed of since being a young boy.
Brad, 27
Brad is a model from Grimsby who says he doesn’t care what people think about him.
Always being his authentic self, his bad-boy look has helped his modelling career. Brad falls fast when in a relationship and believes that everyone falls in love three times in life. Could the experiment pair him with his third and final love?
Georges, 30
Surrey-based sports rehabilitator Georges has been single for four years and is looking for a like-minded partner.
He spent his childhood in private school and boarding school and aspires to live a life of luxury. Describing himself as weird and wonderful, he isn’t afraid of ruffling feathers.
Luke, 30
Luke is known in his local town in Clacton as the “funny one” and is always making silly jokes. The sales ececutive is a social butterfly but his dating life is “a mess”.
After his fair share of rejection, Luke is hoping to find a down to earth woman to have a happy family with.
Nathanial, 36
Nathanial is from Manchester and lives a jet-set lifestyle due to his marketing and events manager job. You might recognise him from his appearance on Geordie Shore: Hot Single Summer!
He exudes charisma and charm and is on the search for love. With an open-minded approach, he is focused on finding that perfect connection.
Paul, 36
Chesham-based account manager Paul is a true socialite with an extremely active lifestyle.
He plays football, boxes and goes to the gym and has a zest for life and adventure. Paul is looking for lasting love and is hoping to meet someone with a similar outlook on life.
Terence, 40
Terence is a father-of-three from Reading. He is a DJ and youth worker with a heart of gold.
After two years of being single, Terence is ready to leave the bachelor lifestyle behind. Celebrating his 40th birthday was a turning point and he now feels like he’s ready to find the one.
Thomas, 27
Working in investment communications, Thomas lives in Wiltshire and is a traditional gentleman.
With a love for animals, he is hoping to find a soulmate who will accept him and his feline friends. He has a passion for travel and his love language is gift-giving.
Which grooms entered the experiment later?
Just as we were getting to know all of the couples, four more couples were added into the experiment and they had a lot of catching up to do!
Sean, 31
Sean describes himself as a social butterfly – but despite being a party animal, he is very career-driven. Having come out later in life, Sean feels he is behind and has lost years he could have spent navigating the gay scene.
Mark, 36
Mark’s motto is “too much is never enough” and looking good always comes first. Underneath all of the glitz and glamour, Mark is a loving man who has had his fair share of heartache and is looking for a change.
Matt, 29
Yorkshire lad Matt is laid-back and wears his heart on his sleeve. He has been single for the last year and is ready to find his perfect match.
Jordan, 26
Jordan is a complete socialite, with unrivalled energy and enthusiasm for life and adventure. Having gone through tough times, Jordan is more confident than ever – and the only thing missing in his life is a life partner.
JJ, 30
JJ is eager to the ditch the ‘Essex boy’ stereotype, as he prides himself on being down to earth and a massive softie.
Which MAFS UK couples are still together?
With the final commitment ceremony, vow renewal and the reunion coming up soon on Married At First Sight, we’ll get to find out which of the couples have managed to make it work.
As of now, here are the couples who are still in the experiment:
Adrienne and Matt
Although they have had a few ups and downs during their journey, Adrienne and Matt are still together. However, their differing opinions of having children remains a worry for them.
Erica and Jordan
The homestays really helped to bring Erica and Jordan back together after they found themselves struggling to communicate. The only thing worrying the pair now is the distance once they leave the experiment.
Ella and JJ
Since leaving their initial partners and reentering the experiment together in a shocking twist, Ella and JJ have leaned on the experts to help them overcome arguments. Despite some concerns, the pair are still together on the show.
Paul and Tasha
Tasha’s fiery personality has landed her in hot water with Paul on a few occasions. However, after a very sweet final date together where Tasha confessed her feelings for Paul, the two are in a good place.
Georges and Peggy
Despite her family not approving of Georges, Peggy chose to stay with her husband at the last commitment ceremony. To show his appreciate, he wowed her with a super romantic final date.
Arthur and Laura
Following Arthur clashing with her friends, Laura has been seriously considering how their relationship would work on the outside. And after comments made at the final dinner party, we’re not sure which way she’ll choose to go.
Which couples have split and left Married At First Sight?
Porscha and Terrence
After Terrence wrote ‘Leave’ in the first commitment ceremony, the pair worked on their marriage and it seemed to be going well. But after Porscha took part in a game of spin the bottle with the other partners, Terrence couldn’t forgive her.
He chose to leave again, and this time Porscha agreed to leave the experiment.
Brad and Shona
Brad and Shona were advised to leave the experiment by the experts due to their concerns about Brad’s controlling behaviour towards his wife.
Since that episode aired, Shona took to her Instagram to share a message which clarified that the pair are no longer together. She wrote: ‘I applied for MAFS for love but unfortunately the person I was matched with was there to promote himself as a meditation guide, he love bombed me and ultimately I was sent home for his horrible behaviour.’ The performing arts teacher also revealed that she has since met someone else.
Ella and Nathaniel
After feeling like they were in a ‘friendship couple’ for weeks, Ella admitted to having a connection with another groom on the show, JJ. The pair had been texting each other and met up once to establish if their feelings were strong enough to pursue.
This all came to light at one of the dinner parties, with Nathaniel announcing the news to the group. He chose to leave the experiment that evening, while Ella stayed for the commitment ceremony the following day.
She later reentered the experiment with JJ.
Bianca and JJ
When Bianca found out that her husband had been texting Ella, she was shocked and understandably chose to leave the experiment at the next commitment ceremony.
After a week of getting to know each other outside of the experiment, Ella and JJ came back as a new couple to seek the expert’s guidance.
Jay and Luke
For most of their time on the experiment, Jay and Luke got along well and were seen as one of the stronger couples by the group. However, one argument between the couple was escalated at a dinner party which Luke did not attend. After clashing with Jordan several times on the show, Luke felt like he had worsened the situation and the pair got into an argument which turned physical.
Because of his behaviour, Luke was asked to leave the experiment, which meant Jay also had to leave. The couple left hand in hand and on good terms.
Mark and Sean
The couples wrote anonymous letters to each other to share their feelings about another relationship. After having a couple of days apart for Sean to think about his feelings combined with hearing that the others thought they might just be friends, he chose to end their marriage and leave the experiment.
Rozz and Thomas
It was an emotional commitment ceremony when Rozz and Thomas unexpectedly chose to leave the experiment. After their homestays, Rozz reflected on their relationship and admitted to Thomas that he wasn’t the right person for her.
When is MAFS UK on?
The new series started on Monday 18th September. You can watch episodes of Married At First Sight UK every Monday to Thursday from 9pm on E4, and you can also catch up on episodes on Channel 4.
Viewers will be happy to know that season eight is even longer than the last, with a total of 36 episodes.
When are the final vow renewals?
The series is drawing to an end, with the couples choosing whether they’ll stay together or not at the final vow renewal. This episode will air on Tuesday 14th November at 9pm.
When is the reunion episode?
This year, the reunion will air over two episodes, one half will be shown on Wednesday 15th November and the other on Thursday 16th November.
When does MAFS UK 2023 end?
The series will officially come to an end on Thursday 16th November, when the second half of the two-part reunion airs.