EXCLUSIVEAs Jamie and Dave's open secret is leaked to the media, Married At First Sight insider ALI DAHER reveals what REALLY went wrong for this season's 'golden couple' - and who was swayed in the partner swap

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They were one of the strongest couples in the experiment - until the retreat.

Up until that point, Dave Hand and Jamie Marinos had been pegged as this season's 'golden couple,' seamlessly navigating the highs and lows of the social experiment.

But things took a dramatic turn when Jamie formed an unexpected friendship with Adrian Araouzou.

Insiders tell me producers saw the chemistry brewing and deliberately paired them together for Feedback Week (a.k.a. the partner swap) - a move that would shake up Jamie's relationship with Dave in ways she never expected. 

Sources close to production tell me Adrian wasted no time planting seeds of doubt in Jamie's mind about her relationship with Dave.

'Producers orchestrated the whole thing. Adrian spent three days straight telling Jamie that Dave wasn't the right man for her,' spills an insider.

Dave Hand and Jamie Marinos were one of the strongest couples on MAFS - until the retreat

Things took a turn when Jamie formed an unexpected friendship with Adrian Araouzou 

While Jamie was completely smitten with Dave, and wanted to take things to the next level both emotionally and physically, he just wasn't reciprocating at the same pace.

'She was head over heels, wanted intimacy all the time, but Dave wasn't on the same page. He's not the type to rush things - and to be honest, his head was in a completely different place because his father was in hospital.'

The timing couldn't have been worse in the lead-up to Feedback Week: Dave's focus was elsewhere, and the spark he initially had with Jamie had started to fizzle.

When I spoke to Dave recently about Jamie and Adrian's growing connection, he admitted it had caught him off-guard.

'Yeah, it was a bit weird to see those two on camera after everything that just happened. It was… yeah, I think it was an unlikely duo, like you said. Very unlikely.'

Enter Veronica – The plot twist no one saw coming

And just when you thought the drama couldn't escalate further... enter glamorous intruder bride Veronica Cloherty.

In a twist orchestrated by the experts, Dave found himself paired with Eliot Donovan's 'wife' Veronica for the week after she placed him second during the photo ranking task – and the chemistry was instant.

In a twist orchestrated by the experts, Dave found himself paired with Veronica Cloherty for the week after she placed him second during the photo ranking task. Their chemistry was instant

'Everyone kind of knew Dave wasn't really into Jamie,' another insider shares

'Everyone kind of knew Dave wasn't really into Jamie and that they weren't exactly destined for each other,' another insider shares.

'The whole thing played out like a domino effect. Some people were genuinely looking for love, but others? They just wanted airtime.'

And while Jamie was still clinging to the hope that she and Dave could work things out, he was having a revelation of his own.

'Spending time with Veronica made him realise that things with Jamie just weren't clicking. He felt more relaxed, more at ease. The pressure wasn't there.'

Homestays: The final breaking point

Following the couple swap, the participants went on homestays - a real-world test to see if their relationships could survive outside the experiment.

And for Dave and Jamie, it was a complete disaster.

'Jamie just couldn't handle it. She was not a fan of Dave's dog and couldn't even be in the same household. That was her breaking point,' my insider says.

'Jamie just couldn't handle [homestays]. She was not a fan of Dave's dog and couldn't even be in the same household. That was her breaking point,' my insider says

From that moment on, Jamie knew she and Dave never stood a chance in the real world.

Meanwhile, Dave was struggling with something even bigger - he was finding it increasingly difficult to tell Jamie he loved her.

'He just didn't want to rush things,' my source continues.

'Jamie was waiting for that big moment, but it never came.'

A bittersweet ending and separate returns

Despite their struggles, my insiders reveal Jamie and Dave decided to stick it out until the Final Vows and were determined to give the experiment everything they had.

'They wanted to see if they could make it work, so they left the show hand-in-hand,' the source explains.

In the ultimate sign their romance didn't last, Jamie and Dave returned for the MAFS reunion separately 

But while they walked away as a couple, their relationship quickly crumbled.

'Once they got back to real life, it just became clear that they weren't meant to be,' says an insider.

And in the ultimate sign their romance didn't last, Jamie and Dave returned for the MAFS reunion separately.

'They ended things amicably and remain friends, but the romantic spark just wasn't there anymore,' adds my source.

NEW TO MAIL+? READ MORE MAFS EXCLUSIVES FROM ALI DAHER: 

• Shocking moments you DIDN'T see at the MAFS retreat and dinner party: Producers scramble to cover up 'extreme' catfight and the lewd insult cut from the final edit
• The most explosive MAFS commitment ceremony yet: 'Kidnapped' bride threatens to call Triple-0, a husband is shamed for his 'beta' act - and the producer cover-up after Paul's jealous outburst
• Why Clint and Lauren are about to become the most hated couple in MAFS history: ALI DAHER reports from inside the 'retreat from hell' - as a bride is caught using the one slur you should NEVER say on TV 

THE MAFS RECAP: RYAN FORGETS TO PUMP HIS WIFE, LAUREN AND CLINT THINK WE'RE STILL IN LOCKDOWN 

By Eliza McPhee 

We're officially past the halfway mark in Married At First Sight and it seems a lot of the brides and grooms are finally starting to lose the plot.

Last Sunday's commitment ceremony saw the end of Tony and Morena, with both writing leave.

True to style, Morena decided to make the night about her, walking in late with her hands in the air while Tony was already on the couch and declaring, 'Did you really think I was going to give him the last word?'

No - but we were hopeful.

Part-time husband Tony, who fled to Wollongong every weekend for 'Tony time', sealed his fate when he made the outrageous claim he wanted to have a baby - at 53.

Thinking the baby route would be an easy out, he told Morena that, because that wasn't on the cards for her - at 57 - their marriage needed to end.

Morena and Tony have officially left the experiment after a tumultuous wedding

Everyone was confused by Tony's admission, including the experts who all said his desire to have kids was never mentioned in the audition process.

'Oh, I thought I mentioned it,' Tony mumbled.

When Tony said Morena's personality just wasn't for him, she argued it was in fact her age he had a problem with.

After stating they both would leave, Tony returned to the couch only for Morena to walk out of the room and the experiment altogether.

Next was Adrian and Awhina who both wrote stay for God only knows why, seeing as their marriage is essentially just friends with benefits.

Veronica and Eliot also opted to give it another go despite a tumultuous week.

Paul was put on notice by the experts after punching a hole in the bedroom door

Their week was so bad that it was former villain Eliot who gained sympathy from viewers after his wife essentially told him his traumatic childhood story wasn't traumatic enough.

Lauren and Clint also chose to stay despite a huge bombshell being dropped: Clint does the dishes.

Helping out with household chores is the worst thing Clint could do in Lauren's mind, who is still trapped in the 1950s where she thinks women exist only to serve men.

The sight of Clint bent over the sink was just too much to bear for Lauren who said he wasn't living up to her ideal alpha male.

Last on the couch were Paul and Carina, who were still reeling from the 'doorgate' scandal when Paul punched a hole in the door after his wife joked about the fact she once had sex with the rapper Quavo.

The storyline took up a lot of airtime but the mysterious hole in the door was never shown - just Paul's bruised knuckles.

Lauren and Clint decided to isolate themselves from the rest of the group at the retreat

Paul fessed up to his behaviour to the group and experts, and Carina vowed to stand by her man.

But the experts weren't having it and put him on notice, with producers slapping Paul with a booze ban.

Many viewers called for Paul to be kicked off the show altogether, which in some ways he has because he hasn't said a word on-screen since.

The group was then whisked away to a private retreat in the Byron Bay hinterland where the desperate need to get more air-time really ramped up.

When the conversation between the brides turned to sex, Jacqui revealed Ryan prefers to save his testosterone for the gym before he can be intimate with her.

When word got back to Ryan, he couldn't believe Jacqui would speak so openly about their sex life.

Ryan was upset with Jacqui when she opened up about their sex life to the other brides

It's shocking, isn't it Ryan? Imagine if you had done the same thing! Oh, wait.

Ryan was telling off Jacqui for her apparent faux pas when newcomer Beth, who must've figured out she wasn't getting much screen time, decided to intervene.

'You'd rather pump iron than f*** your wife's p****!' she blurted out.

Ryan branded Beth 'classless' and asked her husband Teejay if he approved of what she said, seemingly forgetting he'd just weeks earlier told the world Jacqui gives 'awesome head'.

While the rest of the group seemed to be having a blast at their $5,500-per-night mansion, it was Lauren the lemon and her dull husband Clint who decided to isolate themselves.

At the girls' night, Lauren wasn't short of adjectives for the group, describing them as 'drunk bogans' and eventually getting up and leaving altogether.

Lauren and Clint were grilled by Jamie over how she described the other brides

Jamie's blood boiled when her two besties, Rhi and Carina, went to comfort Lauren - and the following evening, things went from bad to worse.

A screaming match ensued when Jamie called Lauren out for her comments about her fellow brides, but found no support from most of the other women.

Carina and Rhi urged Jamie to calm down and let Lauren talk, while Clint told her to 'sit the f*** down' several times.

'This is the tenth time you have sworn at a woman, bro!' Adrian, suddenly the pillar of respect, shouted at Clint.

Lauren left and Jamie ended up in tears after feeling abandoned by Rhi and Carina, who failed to stand up for her.

Going into the dinner party, Jamie had one thing on her mind: an apology from Rhi and Carina. 

The pair opted out of the dinner party altogether and had their own meal in their apartment

'I feel really disappointed. The thing is I don't really care about Lauren and Clint. The reason I felt let down is because my friends didn't step in' she explained.

'I'm very upset with Rhi and Carina. They owe me an apology.'

It's good Jamie wanted nothing from Lauren and Clint because they decided to skip the party altogether, apparently believing they were too good to ever be in the same room as the other couples again.

Meanwhile, Carina strutted in wearing a hooded dress as if she'd walked straight off the set of Dune.

Jamie wasted no time getting down to business, immediately demanding to know where Rhi and Carina stood.

But Carina, with a mute Paul by her side, doubled down, explaining Jamie had ambushed Lauren and comparing the encounter to 'Mean Girls'.

Carina strutted in wearing a hooded dress as if she'd walked straight off the set of Dune

'Who are you calling a mean girl? Don't you call me a mean girl because I wont f***ing stand for it,' Jamie shot back, before telling Carina to 'shut your mouth'.

'You have a voice and now I have a voice,' Carina shouted, to which Jamie replied: 'I don't give a f*** if you have a voice.' 

When Veronica chimed in to tell Jamie she was being 'aggressive', Jamie swiftly told her to 'shut up'.

'Shut your mouth! You shut your mouth!' Jamie shouted, before delivering a final blow that Veronica would 'slag off' her husband to anyone who'll listen and that's why she 'defends' Lauren.

Veronica was then forced to come clean about her earlier meet-up with Lauren, telling Eliot she was the only other person who knew him.

Eliot looked like a deer in headlights about the sudden admission his wife has been hanging out with his ex-wife.

Awhina then decided to change the topic to her and Adrian's successful week.

She gushed over him to the other couples with a beaming grin on her face, telling everyone they were in a 'really good place'.

When asked what he thought, Adrian replied 'what she said'. Swoon.