Married At First Sight: Season eight will begin filming this month

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Married At First Sight EXCLUSIVE: Season eight will begin filming this month with strict coronavirus safety measures… and a more diverse cast

By Jo Scrimshire and Ali Daher For Daily Mail Australia

Published: | Updated:

The eighth season Married At First Sight is set to begin production in two weeks.

Filming of the participants’ backstories will commence on Friday, August 26, multiple sources tell Daily Mail Australia.

The weddings won’t take place until mid-September.

It’s happening! The eighth season Married At First Sight is set to begin production in two weeks. Pictured: MAFS season six couple Jules Robinson and Cameron Merchant 

For the first time ever, the cast members won’t meet the relationship experts face to face while filming their backstories.

Instead, they will consult with Mel Schilling, John Aiken and Dr Trisha Stratford via Zoom due to social distancing rules.

The weddings had originally been scheduled for late August, but were postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Social distancing: Filming of the participants' backstories will commence on August 26, but the cast members won't meet the relationship experts face to face. Pictured: season six star Mike Gunner (centre) with John Aiken (left) and Mel Schilling (right)

Social distancing: Filming of the participants’ backstories will commence on August 26, but the cast members won’t meet the relationship experts face to face. Pictured: season six star Mike Gunner (centre) with John Aiken (left) and Mel Schilling (right)

Daily Mail Australia understands the cast will be more ethnically diverse this year.

There will be a gay male couple as well, and it’s believed one of the men is from Darwin.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel Nine for comment.

Pre-production of MAFS season eight began in March.

Behind schedule: The weddings had originally been scheduled for late August, but were postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Pictured: grooms from MAFS' sixth season

Behind schedule: The weddings had originally been scheduled for late August, but were postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Pictured: grooms from MAFS’ sixth season

At the time, executive producer Tara McWilliams shared a short video of herself in her office at Endemol Shine’s Sydney headquarters.

As a safety precaution, she was wearing blue surgical gloves in the office. 

Nine and Endemol Shine put out the first casting call for the new season in February, when the seventh series was still airing.

Production is expected to continue through to December, with the cast reunion slated for January.