MAFS Australia 2026 couple 'deleted' from show despite filming wedding and honeymoon
11 March 2026, 13:05
MAFS producers scrapped all footage of the 2026 couple and told cast members to forget they ever existed, according to axed bride Ankita.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Married At First Sight Australia fans were left gobsmacked when they discovered that one 2026 couple had been 'deleted' from the entire series, despite already filming their wedding and honeymoon.
Like the rest of this year's cast, bride Ankita Karungalekar and groom Micah Lomu tied the knot in a fairytale ceremony in front of family and friends then jetted off on a romantic break to work on their connection.
But after three happy days honeymooning together all footage of their love story was abruptly scrapped by producers and a decision was made to axe them both from the experiment.
Viewers will never meet the unknown husband and wife after they were completely erased from season 13, but now that episodes have stared airing Ankita has spoken out about her experience, lifting the lid on exactly what happened.
Posting a video on Instagram, showing images and clips of her unseen wedding and honeymoon, she wrote: "In your 20s, you'll marry a stranger on a TV show and not even get aired but it's important to take that opportunity cause at least your parents will never force an arranged marriage ever again."
She and her TV husband recently broke their silence on their unexpected exit from MAFS Australia, branding telly execs "ruthless" for editing them out of the show with little explanation.
- READ MORE: MAFS Australia bride Mel reveals wedding day disaster that wasn't shown on TV
- READ MORE: Are MAFS Australia's Mel and Luke still together?
It has since been reported that producers made the call after rumours began circulating on TikTok that Micah had been violent towards an ex-partner.
He denied the claims and his bride Ankita said she only received messages on social media labelling him as "manipulative" but there were "no receipts of sexual assault or domestic violence".
When Micah discovered why he had been removed from MAFS he said he was overcome with emotion, explaining: "I was shook. I cried for hours."
He continued: "It was hard to ever think of myself like that, to be painted that way, when it goes against everything I am and everything my culture stands for. It was devastating. I come from a very female-dominant Polynesian family. To be accused of that was deeply disrespectful."
Ankita stood by Micah, insisting she didn't believe the allegations were true, adding: "We were floored that Channel Nine made such a huge decision based on TikTok videos without receipts."
Speaking of the social media speculation, Micah told Daily Mail Australia: "It was an allegation that had no proof. They [Channel Nine] told me it was in my best interest to be dismissed from the show for my mental health.
"But by doing that, they practically gave validation that I’d done something wrong. There was no visual proof, no history of wrongdoing, nothing. I was painted as someone to be scared of. It felt like I was made a scapegoat.
"I went through a whole heap of vetting, and I came back with all green ticks."
Ankita added: "It was so easy for them to cast me and be so nice to me, but when the time came to drop us they were ruthless. Just like that the producer vanished, just like that the people vanished, no-one was responding."
She admitted to feeling totally blindsided, adding: "We were shocked when Channel Nine said we couldn’t handle the backlash. That’s not their decision to make.
"We went through all the psychological checks, hundreds of pages of paperwork, background vetting – and passed everything. Suddenly, they decided we weren’t strong enough."
- READ MORE: MAFS Australia fans react to first weddings and beg one groom to 'run' from 'red flag' bride
- READ MORE: What nights is Married At First Sight Australia on? TV schedule revealed
- READ MORE: Are MAFS Australia's Gia and Scott still together?
