July 16, 2025 • 7 mins
As filming is set to start on the upcoming 2026 Married At First Sight season in a couple of weeks, I reveal what we can expect, why it's been delayed and the big battle producers now face.
It sounds like season 13 could become the most controversial yet as they look to explore topics such as open relationships, the normalization of sex work and gender identity with a transgender or non-binary cast member.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, and welcome back to the Maths twenty podcast and
your second episode this week, You lucky, lucky people. Some
may say that we're back, baby. Would I say that no,
because it's a bit cringing, not for me, But we
are indeed back baby. And if you're wondering how next
year's season of the show is shaping up, as it's
always around this time of the year when the next
(00:20):
random weddings start getting filmed and I'm usually there crashing
them and causing chaos, let's just say that things are
not off to a great start before we get to
what I've heard from my own sneaky sources. A week
or so ago, The Daily Mail first reported our heap
of the new cast actually decided to drop out at
the last minute, and Ali Over at Daily Mail wrote this,
(00:43):
Married at First Sight twenty twenty six is in crisis
as producers begin filming without a fully locked in cast
a mid fears of adod season and strict new vetting rules.
According to the article, there's been some great talent who
were deep in the process but they suddenly got cold feet,
and others made it right to the final stages, only
(01:07):
to be caught after background checks flagged issues, and there's
since been a mad scramble happening in real time to
find replacements, seemingly confirming this. Earlier this month, production company
Animal Shine also puts out another casting call urging people
to apply, despite this usually being the time when the
(01:28):
cast is locked in and filming has started. And now
for what I'm told. As we all know, this year's
season was a mess, and things crossed the line in
ways they hadn't before. And like you know, the level
of background checks were questioned predominantly by me after I
uncovered shit they failed to, which questioned why there would
ever include Some participants and the cast also united with
(01:52):
their complaints, which led to an ongoing safe work investigation
as well as the police investigation into the domestic violence
in and viewers also believe that storylines like that Paul
punching the door domestic balance one just went too far,
was unnecessary and it wasn't entertainment anymore, like it wasn't
fun to watch. So the big battle that Bosses now
(02:14):
faces how do they maintain the momentum that Maths is
famous for with how it gets bigger and bigger each year?
But how do they also tick boxes they may not
have before and look after the cast in a way
that it doesn't seem like they have before, and that
will not be easy for them to do. When there's
a certain level of drama, they must deliver a certain
(02:36):
number of ratings they must attract, and also tens and
tens of millions of dollars of advertising revenue on the line,
because remember this is Channel nine's most profitable show year in,
year out. And if you confuse by what I mean
by ticking boxes they may not have before, it feels
like on this upcoming season producers will not be able
(02:57):
to see their participants as puppets for them to prod
and push around how they want to anymore, and they
must now see them like as contributors or employees who
are technically working for them and therefore must have some
level of work rights like any other employee in a workplace,
because remember Maths is a TV show. Therefore those apartments,
(03:19):
those dinner parties, those sets are workplaces. So again, yeah,
that is the battle they face figuring out how do
they do that to avoid any more involvement from Safe
Work New South Wales. But how do they also produce
their participants in a way that they can still bring
out the worst in them, get them all fired up,
and bring the drama that Maths is famous for. And
(03:40):
with all of that in mind, I'm told that any
delays to the currencieson comes as the bosses spend more
time than ever like finessing a cast full of people
who they are confident can deliver controversial storylines and talking
points that are rage bait viewers and spark the usual scandals,
but not go too far. I'm also told that, following
(04:01):
how this year's season went a bit like X rated,
remember that intimacy week when they were like massaging each
other in laundry, like it was a bit weird, Like
like that was them potentially testing the waters of how
raunchy can we go, So don't be surprised if it's
in the next season they lean into like how prominent
adult work and OnlyFans and that stuff has become in
(04:23):
society and they potentially have like a cast member with
a past in that area, or maybe they're still working
in that industry and all that partner Except that that
sounds quite familiar to something I've come through this year.
But like imagine Chyenne the Bikini tready. For example, who
she's the girl who was in the news earlier this
(04:45):
year because she had billboards all over Sydney looking for
sugar Daddy and promoting her. Only finds are like blue
Eyed Kayla Jade, who's a very well known escort, and TikToker.
Like imagine one of them as a bride, because that's
kind of what I'm told has been floating around and
could happen. And every year people do complain like, oh,
(05:05):
you only can want to be influencers, So the bosses
could almost reverse that and say, well, yeah, here's the
Bikini Trader who does have a couple of hundred thousand
followers and is technically a only fans influencer, and what
she still deserves love. Whether that does happen or not,
are they go against idea? Time will tell, but yeah,
that's what I've been told, And like names like the
(05:26):
Bikini Trader have been floated around from like these girls
who are gaining so much traction and controversy online, It's like,
how do they kind of bring that onto the show.
I'm also told that we shouldn't be surprised if we
see maybe a storyline around monogamy. Polyamory and a brider
groom who may have a past with open relationships or
(05:47):
even a desire for one one day. And as usual,
i'm told, the idea of the producers leaning into gender
identity and the queer community with a potential trans on
a binary cast member again isn't out of the question.
And please, bosses, if you're listening and you decide to
do that, do it respectfully. Don't exploit that community more
(06:12):
than the media and the world already does. Like their
struggles in their journey is not as should never be
seen as like controversial. There's nothing controversial about somebody wanting
to be the person they've already been. Sorry, it went
a bit off topic there, but basically, i'm told is
as well as them trying to find that line between
(06:32):
going too far but also bringing drama. The main other
focus is just to make sure this coming season and
the story lends on it don't feel stale or repetitive
like many previous seasons have done. So they want to
bring in like topics that are relevant in society and
the world around us, that we talk about and we debate,
but they haven't necessarily exploded yet, and things they know
(06:56):
will divide opinion, which unfortunately is things like gender, sexuality,
open relationships, a doun't work, all these things that me
saying it now, I know that if they go down
the avenue that are just gonna play into every stereotype
and do more harm than good. Yeah, like I'm laughing
(07:16):
because we just all know that's gonna happen. But yeah,
that's all I got for you. That's the update on
this current season. I believe the weddings will start in
maybe three weeks, but who knows, but rest assured when
they do happen, this podcast will be on location down there,
not down the aisle, maybe at the back of the aisle,
behind security who was stopping me if from going on
(07:37):
the aisle, And I'll be reporting live until then. Goodbye.
Hello, and welcome back to the Maths twenty podcast and
your second episode this week, You lucky, lucky people. Some
may say that we're back, baby. Would I say that no,
because it's a bit cringing, not for me, But we
are indeed back baby. And if you're wondering how next
year's season of the show is shaping up, as it's
always around this time of the year when the next
(00:20):
random weddings start getting filmed and I'm usually there crashing
them and causing chaos, let's just say that things are
not off to a great start before we get to
what I've heard from my own sneaky sources. A week
or so ago, The Daily Mail first reported our heap
of the new cast actually decided to drop out at
the last minute, and Ali Over at Daily Mail wrote this,
(00:43):
Married at First Sight twenty twenty six is in crisis
as producers begin filming without a fully locked in cast
a mid fears of adod season and strict new vetting rules.
According to the article, there's been some great talent who
were deep in the process but they suddenly got cold feet,
and others made it right to the final stages, only
(01:07):
to be caught after background checks flagged issues, and there's
since been a mad scramble happening in real time to
find replacements, seemingly confirming this. Earlier this month, production company
Animal Shine also puts out another casting call urging people
to apply, despite this usually being the time when the
(01:28):
cast is locked in and filming has started. And now
for what I'm told. As we all know, this year's
season was a mess, and things crossed the line in
ways they hadn't before. And like you know, the level
of background checks were questioned predominantly by me after I
uncovered shit they failed to, which questioned why there would
ever include Some participants and the cast also united with
(01:52):
their complaints, which led to an ongoing safe work investigation
as well as the police investigation into the domestic violence
in and viewers also believe that storylines like that Paul
punching the door domestic balance one just went too far,
was unnecessary and it wasn't entertainment anymore, like it wasn't
fun to watch. So the big battle that Bosses now
(02:14):
faces how do they maintain the momentum that Maths is
famous for with how it gets bigger and bigger each year?
But how do they also tick boxes they may not
have before and look after the cast in a way
that it doesn't seem like they have before, and that
will not be easy for them to do. When there's
a certain level of drama, they must deliver a certain
(02:36):
number of ratings they must attract, and also tens and
tens of millions of dollars of advertising revenue on the line,
because remember this is Channel nine's most profitable show year in,
year out. And if you confuse by what I mean
by ticking boxes they may not have before, it feels
like on this upcoming season producers will not be able
(02:57):
to see their participants as puppets for them to prod
and push around how they want to anymore, and they
must now see them like as contributors or employees who
are technically working for them and therefore must have some
level of work rights like any other employee in a workplace,
because remember Maths is a TV show. Therefore those apartments,
(03:19):
those dinner parties, those sets are workplaces. So again, yeah,
that is the battle they face figuring out how do
they do that to avoid any more involvement from Safe
Work New South Wales. But how do they also produce
their participants in a way that they can still bring
out the worst in them, get them all fired up,
and bring the drama that Maths is famous for. And
(03:40):
with all of that in mind, I'm told that any
delays to the currencieson comes as the bosses spend more
time than ever like finessing a cast full of people
who they are confident can deliver controversial storylines and talking
points that are rage bait viewers and spark the usual scandals,
but not go too far. I'm also told that, following
(04:01):
how this year's season went a bit like X rated,
remember that intimacy week when they were like massaging each
other in laundry, like it was a bit weird, Like
like that was them potentially testing the waters of how
raunchy can we go, So don't be surprised if it's
in the next season they lean into like how prominent
adult work and OnlyFans and that stuff has become in
(04:23):
society and they potentially have like a cast member with
a past in that area, or maybe they're still working
in that industry and all that partner Except that that
sounds quite familiar to something I've come through this year.
But like imagine Chyenne the Bikini tready. For example, who
she's the girl who was in the news earlier this
(04:45):
year because she had billboards all over Sydney looking for
sugar Daddy and promoting her. Only finds are like blue
Eyed Kayla Jade, who's a very well known escort, and TikToker.
Like imagine one of them as a bride, because that's
kind of what I'm told has been floating around and
could happen. And every year people do complain like, oh,
(05:05):
you only can want to be influencers, So the bosses
could almost reverse that and say, well, yeah, here's the
Bikini Trader who does have a couple of hundred thousand
followers and is technically a only fans influencer, and what
she still deserves love. Whether that does happen or not,
are they go against idea? Time will tell, but yeah,
that's what I've been told, And like names like the
(05:26):
Bikini Trader have been floated around from like these girls
who are gaining so much traction and controversy online, It's like,
how do they kind of bring that onto the show.
I'm also told that we shouldn't be surprised if we
see maybe a storyline around monogamy. Polyamory and a brider
groom who may have a past with open relationships or
(05:47):
even a desire for one one day. And as usual,
i'm told, the idea of the producers leaning into gender
identity and the queer community with a potential trans on
a binary cast member again isn't out of the question.
And please, bosses, if you're listening and you decide to
do that, do it respectfully. Don't exploit that community more
(06:12):
than the media and the world already does. Like their
struggles in their journey is not as should never be
seen as like controversial. There's nothing controversial about somebody wanting
to be the person they've already been. Sorry, it went
a bit off topic there, but basically, i'm told is
as well as them trying to find that line between
(06:32):
going too far but also bringing drama. The main other
focus is just to make sure this coming season and
the story lends on it don't feel stale or repetitive
like many previous seasons have done. So they want to
bring in like topics that are relevant in society and
the world around us, that we talk about and we debate,
but they haven't necessarily exploded yet, and things they know
(06:56):
will divide opinion, which unfortunately is things like gender, sexuality,
open relationships, a doun't work, all these things that me
saying it now, I know that if they go down
the avenue that are just gonna play into every stereotype
and do more harm than good. Yeah, like I'm laughing
(07:16):
because we just all know that's gonna happen. But yeah,
that's all I got for you. That's the update on
this current season. I believe the weddings will start in
maybe three weeks, but who knows, but rest assured when
they do happen, this podcast will be on location down there,
not down the aisle, maybe at the back of the aisle,
behind security who was stopping me if from going on
(07:37):
the aisle, And I'll be reporting live until then. Goodbye.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!