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And just like that... MAFS is over

420 replies

mumofoneAloneandwell · 18/05/2026 17:03

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp8pz1k4r2lo

It was coming. You dont get good reality TV without people suffering.

This news however is awful. Bloody awful.

A groom dressed in a dark suit and a bride dressed in white walk hand in hand along a sunlit grassy path, surrounded by tall green trees. Bright sunlight filters through the leaves. A large green Channel 4 logo sits to the left.

Married at First Sight UK 'brides' say they were raped by onscreen husbands

Channel 4 was aware of one of the rape claims before broadcast, but the woman involved still featured in the show.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp8pz1k4r2lo

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mumofoneAloneandwell · 18/05/2026 17:16

Theres a Panorama on tonight as well about the struggles of the contestants (separate to the rape offenses I think)

Is this the end of all good reality tv then? Its already so so sanitised

I didnt like how Paul treated that girl who forced to date Dean 🤔

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TheBeaTgoeson1 · 18/05/2026 17:21

I’ll be watching!

Parkingpermitfallout · 18/05/2026 17:22

Sanitised? When women are getting raped?

also. It was always exploitative and twisted things

mumofoneAloneandwell · 18/05/2026 17:22

Parkingpermitfallout · 18/05/2026 17:22

Sanitised? When women are getting raped?

also. It was always exploitative and twisted things

Love island, big brother etc, its all sanitized

It makes sense though - reality tv is finished tbh

I didn't say that mafs was sanitized

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NotAnotherScarf · 18/05/2026 17:27

mumofoneAloneandwell · 18/05/2026 17:22

Love island, big brother etc, its all sanitized

It makes sense though - reality tv is finished tbh

I didn't say that mafs was sanitized

Not a bad thing. Big Brother was meant to be a one off social experiment. Then someone realises what they could do with it... Normal people for the first couple then complete arseholes who just wanted to get on TV to show how "wacky" they were.

Married at first sight....give me strength...I'm surprised the churches haven't risen up about the abuse of the sanctity of marriage

As for love island etc....complete choreographed.

mumofoneAloneandwell · 18/05/2026 17:31

NotAnotherScarf · 18/05/2026 17:27

Not a bad thing. Big Brother was meant to be a one off social experiment. Then someone realises what they could do with it... Normal people for the first couple then complete arseholes who just wanted to get on TV to show how "wacky" they were.

Married at first sight....give me strength...I'm surprised the churches haven't risen up about the abuse of the sanctity of marriage

As for love island etc....complete choreographed.

Yeah true

Will have to find something else to occupy my time now that reality tv is all but over 😭

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BauhausOfEliott · 18/05/2026 17:43

mumofoneAloneandwell · 18/05/2026 17:31

Yeah true

Will have to find something else to occupy my time now that reality tv is all but over 😭

I mean, I think my first thought would be 'This is horrific, multiple women were raped and abused' rather than 'Oh no, what am I going to watch on telly now?'

Parkingpermitfallout · 18/05/2026 17:44

BauhausOfEliott · 18/05/2026 17:43

I mean, I think my first thought would be 'This is horrific, multiple women were raped and abused' rather than 'Oh no, what am I going to watch on telly now?'

exactly this

LikeWhoUsesTypewritersAnyway · 18/05/2026 17:52

WTAF? This is horrific! Shock

OonaStubbs · 18/05/2026 17:53

Reality TV should be banned and replaced with proper scripted programmes.

BurnTheWholeThingDown · 18/05/2026 17:56

I couldn’t be less surprised. In fact I’m only surprised it hasn’t come to light earlier. Dreadful attitudes shown by the ‘experts’ and you could see how uncomfortable so many of the women were.

I was really gripped by the last two seasons, which I’m not proud of. TV producers and the viewing public have lost our way. It’s awful.

Swiftie1878 · 18/05/2026 17:59

MAFS is a disgusting show and should never have been allowed in the first place.

Parkingpermitfallout · 18/05/2026 18:00

mumofoneAloneandwell · 18/05/2026 17:31

Yeah true

Will have to find something else to occupy my time now that reality tv is all but over 😭

I’m actually stunned at this attitude. Women were RAPED.

seriously?

soddingspiderseason · 18/05/2026 18:01

Awful. Those poor women.

mumofoneAloneandwell · 18/05/2026 18:01

BauhausOfEliott · 18/05/2026 17:43

I mean, I think my first thought would be 'This is horrific, multiple women were raped and abused' rather than 'Oh no, what am I going to watch on telly now?'

Fair enough, apologies for anyone offended - mens actions dont shock me but this is truly awful.

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Parkingpermitfallout · 18/05/2026 18:03

mumofoneAloneandwell · 18/05/2026 18:01

Fair enough, apologies for anyone offended - mens actions dont shock me but this is truly awful.

A non apology. Well done.

mumofoneAloneandwell · 18/05/2026 18:04

All episodes of MAFSUK have been removed from 4oD

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Parkingpermitfallout · 18/05/2026 18:04

mumofoneAloneandwell · 18/05/2026 18:04

All episodes of MAFSUK have been removed from 4oD

Oh dear. What will you watch now?

mumofoneAloneandwell · 18/05/2026 18:05

Parkingpermitfallout · 18/05/2026 18:03

A non apology. Well done.

Ive stated in my op how awful this is.

And my comment 'I'll have to find something else to occupy my time now that reality tv is all but finished' was in response to reality tv in general

But I have apologised as i'm not trying to be a dick to anyone.

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lazyarse123 · 18/05/2026 18:05

OonaStubbs · 18/05/2026 17:53

Reality TV should be banned and replaced with proper scripted programmes.

Exactly this. Reality TV is and always has been utter tripe. I don't consider myself particularly intelligent but I have never seen the appeal of nearly naked people acting like desperados for attention. It''s not really shocking that TV people allow this shit to happen.

ParmesanRealignment · 18/05/2026 18:06

I had to stop watching MAFS after the first couple of series. The across-the-board pressure to “be intimate” and the sofa tickings-off of the contestants (male and female) for “not taking things to the next level” (when they’re complete strangers on a game show and should be free to choose what level of intimacy to have with a fellow stranger)…. Well, I found all of that pretty morally and ethically dubious.

Aside from the blatantly obvious risk of plucking attractive randoms away from their usual support network, dazzling them with “telly life”, holding that over them as a carrot so that they don’t speak up about abuses and safeguarding concerns for fear of losing “the telly life”, plying them with free booze and then literally sending these strangers off to share a bed together…. What the fuck could possibly go wrong?!?!

I don’t want to come across as “I was right all along to see that this was all one MASSIVE red flag / shit-show / ethical black hole”, but…. 🤷‍♀️

Parkingpermitfallout · 18/05/2026 18:07

You’ve edited your op.

TipsyLaird · 18/05/2026 18:08

This programme has changed totally from when it was first made. I remember watching the first couple of series probably 10-15 years ago and it was quite gentle, quite documentary style, lots about matching people up and the way they made their choices of pairings.

Then it seemed to morph into something a lot different, aimed at shocking, not interested in finding matches but finding conflict, stirring it up.

mumofoneAloneandwell · 18/05/2026 18:08

Parkingpermitfallout · 18/05/2026 18:07

You’ve edited your op.

I edited straight after I posted as I forgot to add my opinion before posting fgs

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