When was Married at First Sight Australia season eight filmed?

4 October 2021, 18:34

Married at First Sight Australia 2021: What the eighth season filmed during the pandemic?

Married at First Sight Australia is back on our screens with a brand new series.

While viewers were expecting season seven to air, E4 bosses have skipped right to season eight.

But when was MAFS Australia season eight filmed and what Covid restrictions were in place?

• Married at First Sight Australia season 8: Where are the couples now?
• Married at First Sight Australia: Where are the season 7 couples now?

When was Married at First Sight Australia season eight filmed?

The weddings took place in September 2020, which means there were a lot of Covid restrictions in place.

While some couples were allowed to have a few guests, many weren’t able to have any at all due to travel restrictions.

John Walsh, the Married At First Sight executive producer for Channel Nine, said there were many challenges during filming.

He previously told 9Entertainment: “We brought on a COVID production manager to oversee the planning and running of the events and also employed COVID spotters for the weddings to make sure guests were in compliance to with regulations.

"We had to limit the number of guests as per the protocols and because of interstate travel restrictions.”

Beth Moore and Russell Duance weren’t even able to have a best man and bridesmaids as Beth is from Perth and Russell from Adelaide.

This means they had no friends of family in New South Wales where the wedding was held.

Opening up about the impact this had, John explained: "It made the receptions more intimate and allowed the brides and grooms to get to know each other better without a room full of people to entertain."

Beth added that her wedding felt more "like a really fancy, first blind date".

She told 9Entertainment: "I think if COVID wasn't a thing, it would've been a better day because we would have had our friends and family there, they would've been interacting, we would've been able to see what each other's families were like.

“And it might have just been less awkward and nerve-wracking, because it was just us.”

Despite no guests, Beth and Russell still cut the cake, made speeches and had their first dance.

"It was the most awkward dance you could ever imagine in the history of wedding dances," Beth said.

Rebecca Zemek and Jake Edwards were also only allowed four guess in attendance due to the restrictions.

Jake said at the time: "If Bec and I had've been from Sydney and we had family and friends there, I think a lot of the issues we had at the wedding could've been handled through conversations had with my mum or my dad, and I could've spoken to her mum and her brother, and her sister.

“There could have been a lot more conversation to get a better idea of who we were.

"I think what added to the awkwardness of it all was the fact she had one person there and I had three... and you're really forced to generate difficult conversations, if you're not sure who this person is or whether or not you even want to talk about that at this point in the relationship."