Married At First Sight fans are choosing sides in a fierce debate that threatens to divide the nation for the second year in a row.
Self-described ‘high value’ couple Jacqui Burfoot and Ryan Donnelly sent shockwaves through the experiment on Tuesday night, as the newlyweds came to loggerheads over a highly contentious domestic act.
Jacqui, a 29-year-old no-nonsense entrepreneur, and Ryan, a 37-year-old outspoken project manager, are already being dubbed the most polarising couple in the show’s history.
Some viewers thought Jaqui was putting on crocodile tears every two minutes for airtime, while others believed ‘warrior man’ Ryan has never had a date in his life.
Meanwhile, others were saying the pair were either ‘paid actors’ or the ‘best thing casting has ever done’.
Cheating, lying, secret partner swaps and sex scandals are all par for the course on MAFS – but Ryan’s decision to deliberately put his dirty shoes on the bed has caused an uproar.
Cheating, lying, and scandals are all par for the MAFS course – but viewers can’t agree about who is side they’re on when it comes to the dirty shoes on the bed debate
Fans of the reality TV juggernaut are taking to social media in their thousands to debate whether or not it’s acceptable to wear dirty shoes on the bed
Confessions Week kicked off night with a bang on Tuesday, as all the newlyweds moved in together and received a series of challenges from the experts.
But even before Ryan ranked Jaqui as the third-hottest bride in the experiment – and she made up an imaginary ‘god like’ ex to get back at him – things were going south.
Ryan had barely even put his luggage away, before he plopped down on the couch and promptly put his dirty shoes on the fabric – much to his bride’s disgust.
‘Hey! Shoes off the couch!’ she said as she immediately leaned down to pull them off his feet.
‘It’s on the rug!’ he laughed, pulling away from her. ‘No no no no no,’ she said. ‘Shoes off! This is going to be a shoes off household.’
‘Oh, is it now?’ Ryan challenged. ‘It’s a joint discussion. You don’t just get to go “This is how it is.”
‘Okay, here’s the rule,’ Jaqui replied. ‘If you want to wear shoes inside, you can vacuum.’
He laughed again: ‘We’re not down to the negotiation phase yet.’
Jaqui also took issue with having a TV in the bedroom, telling him it’s one of her ‘non negotiables.’
In a piece to camera, she teared up while discussing the idea of watching television in bed.
And Ryan, not one to be pushed around by his wife, responded by leaving his dirty shoes on the freshly made bed each day.
All across social media, MAFS viewers are deeply divided. The topic has even spawned it’s own Reddit thread titled: ‘Putting shoes on the bed is Not Okay.’
Jaqui and Ryan were all smiles at the first dinner party, but things quickly descended into tears and arguments as Ryan refused to abide by Jaqui’s ‘house rules’ for their new apartment
All across social media, viewers are deeply divided.
The topic has even spawned it’s own Reddit thread titled: ‘Putting shoes on the bed is Not Okay.’
‘Even if she’s annoying, Jaqui is right that putting shoes on the bed is gross,’ the original poster said.
‘Of course, the way she asked him to stop doing that was condescending and abrasive. But I have to empathise with her.
‘Part of living with another person means sharing in keeping up with the living space. It creates negative feelings when one person (usually the woman) is constantly cleaning up after the other.’
Responses run the full gambit from ‘This girl needs medical help’ and ‘Run dude RUN’ to ‘I would also have a breakdown living with a man that wears shoes in the house’ and ‘that’s gross and unsanitary.’
‘Is this Love on the Spectrum ?’ one viewer joked.
The overall consensus across the hundreds of TikTok, Instagram, X, and Reddit comments seems to be that Ryan was in the wrong for leaving his shoes on.
But people didn’t like how Jaqui ‘dictated’ the house rules to him, instead of having a mature discussion.
Jacqui, a 29-year-old no-nonsense entrepreneur, and Ryan, a 37-year-old outspoken project manager, are already being dubbed the most polarising couple in Married At First Sight history
Groom Ryan Donnelly upset his bride in Tuesday night’s episode by ranking her 3rd in the photo ranking challenge – but that wasn’t his greatest offence according to viewers
Responses run the full gambit from: ‘This girl needs medical help,’ and ‘Run dude RUN’ to, ‘I would also have a breakdown’ and ‘gross and unsanitary’
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‘Shoes in the house are gross and unsanitary. But she is going about this all wrong. You have to have a discussion,’ one TikTok user wrote.
‘The shoes on the couch is valid, that’s just rude,’ another person said.
‘I’m a bit with her, why wear shoes inside?’ added a third.
‘It’s not her apartment so why so drastic,’ wrote a viewer taking Ryan’s side on this one.
‘She needs to discuss not dictate,’ one woman agreed, with yet another viewer calling Jaqui’s reaction ‘drastic.’
Sources close to production say the duo is pure ‘TV gold’ – a cocktail of fiery clashes, shocking twists, and drama that will leave audiences hooked from start to finish.
A well-placed insider described their on-screen dynamic as ‘absolute chaos’.
‘Ryan is all about pro-masculinity – he loves to push the idea that men should embrace their strength and individuality. But let’s be real, viewers will be just as captivated by his striking good looks,’ the source dished.
Meanwhile, Jacqui is set to steal the spotlight in her own right.
‘She’s unapologetically fierce. She stands her ground and won’t hesitate to call people out – women across will love her.’
What do you think? Tell us in the comments below.