The relationship experts have matched its sweetheart couple in the 2026 season of Married At First Sight Australia: Rachel and Steven.
This newly matched couple have dealt with their fair share of relationship woes in the modern and superficial world of dating apps.
Rachel, 35, is a team leader from Victoria. Her bubbly, vibrant energy with an infectious laugh makes her an absolute catch. But unfortunately, Rachel hasn’t been in a serious relationship for 14 years.
Her previous dating experience was a ‘situationship’ that lasted seven years.
“I felt like a dirty secret. I felt like I wasn’t good enough, he wasn’t proud to be with me,” she said tearfully after describing the relationship as “toxic as hell.”
Ahead of her MAFS wedding, Rachel admits she just wants to be complimented on her beauty – something a partner has never done for her.
The MAFS team matched her with Steven, a 34-year-old Marine Technician from New South Wales. Dating has never come easy to Steven, feeling it impossible to meet the “checklist” women have.
“I want to find love. I want that connection,” he shared, revealing he hasn’t been in a serious relationship in 10 years. “You know that saying, ‘nice guys finish last’, well, I think today’s going to be different.”
While the MAFS wedding isn’t technically legally binding, Steven’s mum was tearing up before the ceremony even began!
But she wasn’t the only one experiencing a lot of emotions. The officiant could barely get through his speech without Rachel breaking out into a nervous laugh. At least the guests and her husband thought it was endearing.
“I’m actually shocked no one has snatched him up. I’ll take him,” Rachel said of her husband to producers.
There was just one problem, though. Rachel waited all day to receive a compliment from her husband. Instead of sitting on her feelings, she faced it head-on.
“It probably seems really small, but I was like, ‘Oh, maybe he’s not that into me,” she explained.
Steven responded: “I’m really sorry you felt that way. You do look gorgeous today, you look fantastic. I’m really sorry that I didn’t say it when it mattered… I really dropped the ball there as the groom.”
It was Steven’s willingness to understand Rachel’s insecurities that “silenced all that inner saboteur talk.”
So, with the wedding ceremony done and dusted, can the lovebirds survive MAFS?
