Married At First Sight 2021: Scandal as two participants already knew each other

It’s the controversial Channel Nine dating show that sees complete strangers marry each other after meeting at the altar for the first time.

And ahead of Monday night’s season premiere, Daily Mail Australia can reveal that two participants already knew each other before taking part in the experiment.

While the pair weren’t matched together by the experts, charity CEO Jake Edwards, 31, and Perth musician Booka Nile, also 31, have a long history.

One undated photo exclusively obtained by Daily Mail Australia shows the pair posing for a selfie together.

Jake and Booka have been friends for years and have worked together on various projects, including the singer’s passion project, Sonic Minds.

Sonic Minds is collaborative initiative offering music therapy through song creation, as well as industry education sessions.

They became friends after teaming up with Jake’s sports-themed mental health charity, Outside the Locker Room, in 2018.

In fact, Booka appeared on an Outside the Locker Room webisode with Hawthorn legend Robert ‘Dipper’ DiPierdomenico in May last year – almost four months before the first MAFS 2021 wedding was filmed.

Jake introduced her as a longtime friend, and told viewers they had even teamed up to write a song together. 

Booka previously told DepthMag of her friendship with Jake: ‘He loves music and loves heavy music in particular, and that he got wind of Sonic Minds and felt like there’s something in this.’

While it’s unclear if Jake and Booka’s friendship will be acknowledged on the show, the pair appear to still be close friends following the experiment.

Jake, a former footballer, will be paired with Perth business manager Rebecca Zemek, while Booka is set to walk down the aisle with electrician Brett Helling.

Married At First Sight season eight premieres on Monday at 7.30pm on Nine