MAFS AU: Melissa and Bryce tell critics, ‘It’s us against the world’

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‘It’s us against the world’: Married At First Sight’s Melissa Rawson and Bryce Ruthven ‘forcefully deny’ claims their relationship is toxic – and reveal they’re already planning their wedding

By Jo Scrimshire and Monique Friedlander For Daily Mail Australia

Published: | Updated:


The growing backlash against Married At First Sight’s most ‘toxic’ couple, Melissa Rawson and Bryce Ruthven, is only pushing them closer together, they say.

Workplace trainer Melissa told TV Week on Monday she and her ‘husband’ have an ‘us against the world’ mentality as they head into the final vows.

She said: ‘There’s not a lot of positivity about our relationship out there, but we’re not letting people’s opinions about our relationship dictate us.’

‘It’s us against the world’: The growing backlash against Married At First Sight’s most ‘toxic’ couple, Melissa Rawson and Bryce Ruthven, is only pushing them closer together, they say

The couple, both 32, agreed to stay together at their final vows, which are set to air this week, with Bryce saying it was ‘the happiest day of my life’.

They are still dating to this day, several months after filming wrapped, and have even discussed marriage and babies.

Referring to their tumultuous on-screen journey, the former radio announcer added: ‘After watching what’s happened in the experiment, people are going to find it hard to believe we’ve actually worked out.’

'We're not letting people's opinions about our relationship dictate us': Melissa said Monday she and Bryce have an 'us against the world' mentality as they head into the final vows

‘We’re not letting people’s opinions about our relationship dictate us’: Melissa said Monday she and Bryce have an ‘us against the world’ mentality as they head into the final vows

Melissa also rubbished claims she’s being ‘gaslighted’ and ‘manipulated’ by her partner, saying: ‘We’ve been told our relationship is unhealthy, but I would forcefully deny that… [This relationship] is probably one of the best things I’ve had in my life.’

So far on Married At First Sight, Bryce has criticised Melissa’s physical appearance, shown little regard for her feelings during arguments, and isolated her from the other couples in the experiment.

He has also been accused of having a ‘secret girlfriend’ outside of the show.

Even Bryce’s own mother questioned why Melissa was sticking by him during a video call that aired on the show last month.

Meanwhile, almost 15,000 Australians have signed a Change.org petition calling for Nine to apologise for failing in its duty of care towards Melissa.

The petition argues Melissa has been subjected to ‘gaslighting, emotional manipulation, isolation, and countless other textbook signs of a controlling and / or abusive relationship’ at the hands of Bryce.

However, Married At First Sight’s executive producer John Walsh issued a statement denying Melissa and Bryce’s relationship was ‘characterised by domestic violence’ and reaffirming that producers always uphold a high level of care for participants.

‘The petition in question does not reflect the nature of Bryce and Melissa’s relationship and at no time did [production company] Endemol Shine Australia or Nine consider Bryce and Melissa’s relationship to be characterised by domestic violence or the like,’ Mr Walsh told B&T on Wednesday.

‘If that had been the case we would have intervened immediately. Our first priority in making MAFS is to make sure all the participants feel they are operating in a safe environment,’ he continued.

Mr Walsh went on to highlight that participants are actively encouraged to report situations where they feel unsafe during filming.

He also listed the ‘rigorous processes’ that are used during filming to protect participants from toxic situations, including giving them access to a dedicated psychologist.

Participants are also provided with access to a psychologist after the show finishes production.

Channel Nine’s statement in full

‘The petition in question does not reflect the nature of Bryce and Melissa’s relationship and at no time did Endemol Shine Australia or Nine consider Bryce and Melissa’s relationship to be characterised by domestic violence or the like. If that had been the case we would have intervened immediately.

‘Our first priority in making MAFS is to make sure all the participants feel they are operating in a safe environment. At a briefing of participants prior to commencement of filming, the importance of alerting production if they felt unsafe or uncomfortable with their partners at any time was reinforced. We understand meeting and marrying someone at first sight and living with them for eight weeks can be a potentially daunting experience and we would not persist with a scenario where someone does not feel safe.

‘We have very rigorous processes in place to protect all participants in the experiment. All participants have access to the show psychologist during filming, broadcast and once the program has ended. Nine also provides an additional service for participants should they like or need further individual and confidential psychological support.

‘This service gives participants access to psychologists who have been specifically engaged to support those involved in the program in relation to their experiences. This confidential service is available to all participants for as long as they need.’