The final season of Married At First Sight is a ratings hit, with viewers around the world tuning in to get a glimpse of the drama and romance.
However, the show’s contestants are not happy with Channel Nine’s latest move.
The network is delaying giving the cast back their Instagram accounts, much to the frustration of the fame-hungry contestants.
In previous seasons, Instagram accounts were returned two weeks after the finale. However, this year’s cast will have to wait another week, despite being told they would get their bills back on May 8.
Channel Nine and the production company are reportedly concerned about the cast going rogue on social media while Season 10 continues to air overseas.
Channel Nine bans the cast of Married At First Sight from becoming Instagram influencers and cashing in on their newfound notoriety (Photo: Bronte Schofield and Lyndall Grace)
The network is delaying giving the cast back their Instagram accounts, much to the frustration of the fame-hungry contestants. Pictured: Melinda Willis and Layton Mills
This leaves many contestants feeling angry and disappointed, as they see this as a missed opportunity to cash in on their newfound fame.
Evelyn Ellis, Bronte Schofield and Harrison Boon are just a few of the contestants affected by the delay.
By the time they get their Instagram accounts back, their 15 minutes of fame may have faded, leaving them with fewer opportunities to capitalize on their MAFS experience.
Channel Nine and the production company are reportedly concerned about the cast’s social media rogue as season 10 continues to air overseas
“They won’t get their Instagram back for another week and the cast is pi**ed,” an insider said told Daily Mail Australia on Sunday.
According to the insider, Nine and the production company are concerned about certain cast members who have already gone rogue.
“It’s safe to say certain cast members haven’t been doing themselves any favors with Channel Nine and won’t be invited to the Logies this year,” the insider added.
This leaves many contestants feeling angry and disappointed, as they see this as a missed opportunity to cash in on their newfound fame
By the time the MAFS cast gets access to their Instagram accounts, their engagement levels will have dropped significantly, which will affect their potential earnings.
While the show was airing, contestants were allowed to write their own captions to photos provided by Nine’s publicity team, but that’s the extent of their social media activity allowed.
In recent days, Nine has allowed the brides and grooms to provide photos and captions to be posted on their behalf.
By the time the MAFS cast gets access to their Instagram accounts, their engagement levels will have dropped significantly, which will affect their potential earnings
Comments on their posts are also disabled and the cast can’t access their direct messages, which is how sponsors contact them.
An angry unnamed bride told Daily Mail Australia she has no time to wait to get her social media accounts back.
“I met with a few brand managers and they told me they tried to contact me via DMs on Instagram but they couldn’t,” they said.
“I’m super pissed off, we’re not even getting your messages.”
While in previous seasons the number of brides on the show has soared to half a million followers, the new crop of brides hasn’t garnered the same amount of attention.
While in previous seasons the number of brides on the show has soared to half a million followers, the new crop of brides hasn’t garnered the same amount of attention. The number of followers of Claire Nomarhas (pictured) has increased from 2,800 to 241,000 followers
Claire Nomarhas’s follower count has increased from 2,800 to 241,000, while Melinda Willis – who was already an influencer for the show – has grown her audience from 150,000 to 440,628 followers.
Intruder bride Evelyn Ellis has tripled her fan base from 65,000 to 253,330, which is impressive, but a far cry from the heights of Martha Kalifatidis, Domenica Calarco, or Ella Ding.
Other stars have had only moderate success building their social media brands.
For example, Bronte Schofield has 123,400 followers, while Tahnee Cook has 165,000 followers.
Melissa Sheppard has attracted 32,600 new followers, while Tayla Winter has seen an even more modest growth of 89,900 followers.
Intruder bride Evelyn Ellis has tripled her fan base from 65,000 to 253,330, which is impressive, but a far cry from the heights of Martha Kalifatidis, Domenica Calarco, or Ella Ding
Considering that MAFS attracts up to two million viewers per episode, this growth is quite disappointing.
The social media expansion of this year’s brides pales in comparison to last year’s season Dom and Ella, who left the show with a whopping 500,000 followers each.
With the tenth season still underway in the UK, the brides’ bills could continue to grow in the coming weeks.
Bronte Schofield, (pictured) for example, has amassed 123,400 followers. Considering that MAFS attracts up to two million viewers per episode, this growth is quite disappointing