Female contestants on Married at First Sight Australia have told the BBC they were left feeling unsafe and unprotected after discovering their on-screen partners had criminal convictions for drugs, violence and affray that they were never informed about before being matched, in an investigation that comes as the show’s UK counterpart faces its own crisis over rape allegations reported by BBC Panorama.
Nine former cast members from MAFS Australia spoke to the BBC, calling for the show to improve its background checks and stop allowing individuals with previous convictions or serious allegations to take part. The programme, produced by Endemol Shine Australia and broadcast on Channel 9 in Australia and Channel 4 in the UK, sees single people agree to “marry” total strangers at mock weddings before living together and navigating their relationship on camera, almost daily, despite the marriages carrying no legal standing.
Sierah Swepstone, from last year’s series, was matched with Billy Belcher, who was arrested and sentenced in 2014 for multiple drug-related offences in Perth. She said she was not told about his conviction and only discovered it after the show had finished airing. “You shouldn’t be left alone with a stranger with a criminal record,” she said. “At the very least, there should be informed consent. They should let us know. Why is the show accepting that risk on our behalf? We should have the choice. Brides are not safe on MAFS Australia.” Belcher did not respond to a request for comment. Channel 9 and Endemol Shine Australia pointed to a previous statement saying Belcher “was completely honest with production about the life lessons he learnt when he was 18, after receiving a suspended sentence with good behaviour for drug related offences,” and that there were no convictions or accusations relating to violence or abuse.
A second contestant, who asked to be identified only as Anna for fear of repercussions, said her on-screen partner had told her during filming that he had behaved aggressively in the past, and that producers were aware. “I was terrified the whole time,” she said. “I thought I’d be safe, that’s why I signed up to the show.” She described him as having a temper, recalling one occasion when he smashed a mic-pack against a wall while swearing, and another when he threw an object at producers. The BBC has seen a photograph of a bruise Anna sent during filming to a number verified as belonging to her on-screen partner, who replied: “Shit! I’m so sorry.” Channel 9 and Endemol Shine Australia said the incident referred to was an isolated event from several years before the show, that the contestant had no criminal record, and that they held no record of the mic-pack or object-throwing allegations. The contestant himself told the BBC he “categorically denies every allegation” raised, calling the claims “entirely false, malicious, and a complete distortion of reality.” Anna said her concern was primarily with the show itself. “Channel 9 are making money off people who are vulnerable,” she said. “They did the checks and they knew about his background, and they cast him anyway as it makes ‘good TV.'”
The BBC also identified Adrian Araouzou, a groom on the 2025 series, as having received a 2017 conviction for affray, a detail it understands his on-screen partner was not told. Araouzou told the BBC the information was “false” and that it was “none of your business.” Channel 9 and Endemol Shine Australia said all participants undergo “extensive background checks including police checks,” and noted the affray conviction was nine years old and resulted in a $400 (£210) fine, placing it “at the lowest end of the spectrum for this offence as determined by the court.”
Other contestants with past convictions identified by the BBC include Timothy Smith, from the 2024 series, who has since confirmed he spent a year in a US prison after pleading guilty to drug trafficking and describes himself on his website as a “cartel pilot to corporate leader.” The broadcaster and production company said this conviction was not disclosed by Smith until after the series aired. Chris Nield, from the most recent series, was previously found guilty of common assault; the broadcaster said this arose from “a one-off altercation” with no repeat conduct in the eleven years since, and Nield did not respond to a request for comment.
Several other former cast members raised broader concerns about the casting process. One groom, who asked to remain anonymous, said only two weeks passed between his application and the start of filming, describing the background checks as “rushed.” He said that when he could not locate documentation proving he had no criminal record, producers told him they would “just take his word for it” given time pressures. “I didn’t have a criminal record, but it raises the question over what happens if they put someone on the show who does have a history,” he said. Katie Johnstone, from the 2025 series, and Tahnee Cook, from 2023, both said they believed the show had “dropped the ball” on background checks, despite not being partnered with men with convictions themselves. “If you’re with someone who has a sketchy background, then you should be made aware of that,” Johnstone said. “Especially considering you’re expected to be alone and share a room with this person. You need to know and it’s not fair that women are being placed in these positions.” Cook added: “These checks can’t just be a tick box. I don’t think you should be allowed on with any previous offence. I think it’s unsafe.”
Our Watch, an Australian non-profit working to prevent violence against women, told the BBC that allegations or convictions must be treated as “a serious safeguarding issue” by productions “and not withheld from the people most at risk.”
In response, Channel 9 and Endemol Shine Australia said they take their obligations regarding participant health, wellbeing and safety “extremely seriously,” describing “a structured, multi-stage checking process that every participant must complete and clear,” including police and criminal-history checks in each declared country of residence, independent clinical psychological assessment, medical screening, statutory declaration of disclosures, and legal and digital due diligence. Channel 4 said it has “no editorial control or input” into the production of MAFS Australia, but that it ensures any acquired programme it transmits adheres to the Ofcom Broadcasting Code. The broadcaster has separately pulled all UK episodes of MAFS from All 4 following the Panorama investigation into the British version, though MAFS Australia remains available to stream.
