MAFS 2024 EXCLUSIVE: Channel Nine backflip on decision to scrap same-sex couple – after runaway groom almost ‘derails’ new season

Married At First Sight 2024 will feature a same-sex couple after a groom ‘derailed’ the show’s plans and fled the country, leaving his partner without a match.

Daily Mail Australia can reveal that producers have now found an alternative groom and have remarried the groom, whose name is believed to be Michael, after weeks of ‘hell’.

Despite reports that the gay storyline will be dropped, Michael will join the show as an interloper along with two other couples.

According to on-set sources, the couple will come to the show’s dinner party as a last-minute surprise.

The pair allegedly married in secret in front of family and friends with no one from the cast attending their wedding.

Despite the bumpy start, insiders reveal that the mood on set is upbeat and hopeful that this last-minute backflip could turn out to be a blessing in disguise, making this season one for the history books.

A spy tells the Daily Mail Australia that showrunners were worried about the possible backlash if they didn’t include a same-sex couple after initial reports suggested a gay couple would appear on the show.

Michael was first spotted on set in July when he was pictured during the show’s hen party.

It comes after his original partner, Simon Flocco, an Adelaide restaurant manager, nearly “ruined” the show’s plans to spotlight a same-sex couple during their year of “diversity” at the eleventh hour before his wedding. ‘.

“He continued to hesitate and expressed his discomfort,” a well-placed source revealed.

Producers, hungry for a groundbreaking story, persuaded him to stay. That’s why he was in charge.

“He kept saying he wasn’t comfortable with certain things, but was finally persuaded to stay.”

Daily Mail Australia understands that the madness behind the scenes was unparalleled as in any other season.

A production insider exclaimed, “It’s complete and utter chaos!” Simon’s departure was a blind side. Everyone is running around like headless chickens trying to save the situation.’

Simon broke his silence and told Daily Mail Australia: ‘MAFS wasn’t what I thought I wanted at this point in my life, that’s all.’

He expressed regret, adding, “I just felt sorry for whoever they trapped me with. I left at first, but they managed to lure me back… I have to fend for myself.”

Runway groom flight to Europe:

After quitting the Channel Nine show, Simon immediately booked a trip to Europe, where he has been since late July.

Instagram photos show Simon enjoying the European sun and sights in the arms of a mysterious friend in Florence and celebrating his birthday.

Meanwhile, the producers had to get the “derailed” series back on track and decided to cut all scenes and storylines involving the couple.

The show’s previous record of LGBTQ+ representation was shaky, to say the least.

“It is important to arrange this properly. We don’t just add diversity for the sake of diversity, but to really represent the many colors of love,” said a source close to the set.

Expert Mel Schilling has previously admitted the experiment’s shortcomings in representing LGBTQ+ relationships.

“It was very important for us to find people who genuinely wanted to find love. We didn’t want to simply match people based on sexual orientation,” she said Subway last year.

Schilling admitted that the Australian series “got that terribly wrong” in its early seasons, suggesting “great lessons” could be learned from the experience.

In 2019, a Nine spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that they had not included a same-sex couple due to the limited number of gay singles signing up.

“Unfortunately, we felt the match wasn’t good enough, and we didn’t want to include a gay couple just for appearances,” they said.

While the show received a whopping 10,000 applications from heterosexual singles, only about 20 came from gay singles.

The following year, the experiment featured the first lesbian couple, with Amanda Micallef, 34, and Tash Herz, 31, tying the knot.

In 2016, MAFS Australia welcomed its first gay couple, Craig Roach and Andy John, which did not go as planned.

Married At First Sight returns to Channel Nine in January 2024.