Madeleine and Ash at wedding

The real reason behind Ash and Madeleine's mysterious MAFS departure

Ash Galanti and Madeleine Jevic have made history as one of the shortest MAFS Australia couples ever, but there’s more to their decision to leave than was shown in the episode.

At the couple’s first commitment ceremony, which aired on Sunday, February 25th, Madeleine wrote ‘Leave’ while Ash wanted to stay and work on their relationship. Per the MAFS rules, the experts told the couple that they’d need to stay for one more week.

MAFS. Nine.

However, the following night Madeleine was completely gone from the show, and a voiceover informed viewers that Ash had “had a change of heart and they’d come to an amicable decision to leave”.

But, according to an insider, the decision was completely one-sided.

“Madeleine’s erratic behaviour had raised quite a few eyebrows during her first week on the show, with no one quite sure if she was acting or it was real. After Ash wrote to stay – she point blank said to producers she refused to carry on with the experiment and was going home,” a source told Yahoo Lifestyle.

They revealed that if a participant really wants to exit the experiment, they can’t be forced to stay.

“It’s not uncommon for participants to threaten to quit like this and no one can be held against their will, with producers then tasked with talking them around to continue with the experiment.

“Yet with Madeleine, it felt easier to let her go as questions about her state of mind with the pressure of the experiment had already been raised by other cast members and crew. ESA producers [Endemol Shine Australia] will never compromise their duty of care for the sake of content or storylines.”

Ash at MAFS Dinner Party
MAFS. Nine.

Did Madeleine get a bad edit?

According to her (short-lived) TV husband Ash, Madeleine was exactly the same in real life as she was portrayed on MAFS.

“[She’s] absolutely as wild as I remember,” Ash said of watching the show back. “The proof is in the pudding. Watching the way she goes about things, I think you need to be a patient type of guy if you’re going to work in a marriage with Madeleine.”

“To be honest, at the wedding, it was like an out-of-body experience. Though my body was there, I wasn’t really picking up all the signals.”

MAFS. Nine.

Watch Married at First Sight Sundays at 7.00 pm and Monday – Thursday at 7.30 pm on Nine and 9Now.

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