Married At First Sight lost NO advertisers this year despite complaints

Despite featuring one of the most controversial couples in the history of the show, this year’s season of Married At First Sight lost no advertisers for Channel Nine, reports Mumbrella.

There were no financial consequences for the network even though Bryce Ruthven and Melissa Rawson’s divisive relationship attracted hundreds of negative headlines and prompted a Change.org petition calling for Nine to formally apologise. 

Outraged viewers even filed multiple complaints about the show to the media watchdog, singling out radio announcer Bryce, 32, for his problematic behaviour.

Throughout the show, Bryce repeatedly told ‘wife’ Melissa, also 32, that she wasn’t his type because she didn’t have blue eyes.

He also voted her the ‘fourth hottest’ out of this year’s brides, flirted with co-star Beck Zemek at the gym and later lied about their conversation.

In addition to getting into a series of altercations with the show’s other participants, Bryce was accused of emotional manipulation and gaslighting.

This year’s season received four times the usual number of complaints, but despite this no advertisers pulled out.

The Nine program ultimately proved to be Australia’s most watched program of the year so far, with 1.4 million viewers tuning into the finale.

In March, it was reported MAFS may be investigated by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) after receiving a slew of complaints.

According to a report by The Wash, many viewers took offence to scenes involving Melissa and Bryce.

ACMA revealed it had received 14 complaints about this year’s season of MAFS, and four of those were about the controversial pair.

‘Under the co-regulatory system, the ACMA will refer complainants to the broadcaster in the first instance,’ the media watchdog said. 

‘If the complainant does not receive a response from the broadcaster within 60 days, or is not satisfied with the response, they may refer their complaint to the ACMA who may choose to investigate.’ 

Last month, a Change.org petition began circulating that demanded Nine issue an apology for airing ‘triggering’ scenes involving the ‘gaslighting’ groom and his long-suffering wife.

The petition, which garnered 2,500 signatures in under 24 hours, also called for the network to acknowledge its alleged ‘failure of duty of care’ towards Melissa. 

‘This season of Married at First Sight Australia features a couple, Melissa and Bryce, who portray an excessive amount of [troubling] signs which are not being handled by the network appropriately,’ the petition stated.

‘There is a clear failure of duty of care to Melissa during filming of the show, allowing her to remain in a toxic and dangerous environment with her partner for the “benefit” of the network.

‘She is being subject to gaslighting, emotional manipulation, isolation, and countless other textbook signs of a controlling and or abusive relationship,’ it went on to claim, adding that certain scenes were ‘incredibly triggering and stressful to watch’.

It continued: ‘This petition is for the Nine Network to acknowledge and apologise for letting Melissa go through this and also airing such a horrible relationship on TV without doing anything to showcase that the relationship is clearly not healthy.’ 

Similar outrage exploded on Twitter, where many viewers called for the show to be cancelled or boycotted over its depiction of toxic relationships.

Married At First Sight will return for another season next year.