Leak confirms which Married at First Sight Australia couples decide to swap their partners in shock new twist

For the first time in MAFS history, MAFS Australia is including what’s been described an international MAFS first by the show creators - Final Test Week. In this week, couples will be given the opportunity to swap their partner for a brand new one in a show first.

Apparently, this will force participants to be confronted with the age-old question 'is the grass greener on the other side?'" The twist, which was first revealed two weeks ago, has been teased by show's producers, who promise that it will cause chaos for the couples. And now we’ve found out who says yes to the chance of exploring a new partner and who doesn’t. An insider, who called the new challenge ‘f***ed up’, has also revealed that the test ended marriages on the spot.

The test has been set by the three relationship experts who paired the couples together; Alessandra Rampolla, John Aiken and Mel Schilling. As regular viewers of the show will know, each week in the MAFS experiment is themed to help couples focus on certain areas of their union.

For example, there’s confessions week, where couples are asked to reveal secrets to on another to strengthen their bond and intimacy week, where spouses are encouraged to nuture the physical side of their relationships. In addition, there’s family and friends week, where the loved ones of the husbands and wives visit them to give their opinion.

There is even partner swap week, where the brides and grooms go live with someone else’s spouse for a day or two to gain clarity on their own relationship or seek advice - but never before have they been given the option to meet with someone new from outside of the experiment. It sounds like the show creators have been taking inspiration from their other dating show, Love Triangle, to me . . .

Here’s how the shocking new test will unfold - and who says yes and who says no. First, all the participants are presented with note from the experts which gives them with the option of remaining committed to their current on-screen spouse, or meeting an entirely new “back-up” match who has also been hand-picked by them.

A production insider told Daily Mail Australia earlier today, (Thursday March 13) that the task derailed most of the participants' marriages, as even the happiest couples were strongly encouraged to pursue their potential new connections.

"The participants were asked if they wanted to meet their back-up It was f***** up because even happy couples were strongly encouraged to explore their options," the insider said. "This twist ruined marriages. Some couples ended things right then and there."

The task began in the early hours of he morning, when couples were separated, told of the chance to swap partners and then had to make their choice without speaking to their current spouse.

Grooms Paul Antoine, Adrian Araouzou, Ryan Donnelly and Teejay Halkias all surrendered to the challenge and met their new match. Paul is said to have instantly regretted his decision, however, as his wife Carina Mirabile considered his choice to be emotional cheating.

Brides Jamie Marinos, Awhina Rutene, Jacqueline Burfoot, and Beth Kelly all also agreed to meet their potential alternative match. Jamie's new match stood her up during their first meeting, however, which left her upset and regretting her decision.

Jamie's husband Dave Hand was one of the few who decided not to meet their back up match, as did Carina and couple Jeff Gobbels and Rhi Disljenkovic.

The brides and grooms all knew their spouse had faced the same decision as them, but did not know what they had decided. Once they were told of the direction their partner had gone in, however, sparks flew - unsurprisingly.

ExpertJohn Aiken defended the task and said pushing people to realise whether they believed in their match was necessary. Alessandra Rampolla also backed the new challenge, saying that difficult choices caused fascinating reactions among the couples.

She also said the task wasn't about breaking the couples up, but instead determining who was and wasn't willing to fight for one another. The question is, do any of the couples - possibly with the exception of Rhi and Jeff - stay together afterwards? We’ll have to keep watching to find out.

The explosive scenes are due to air in Australia very soon but in the UK, where the season aired about a month later, viewers will have to wait until around mid-April to see them.

• In the UK, Married at First Sight Australia season 12 airs on E4 every Monday to Thursday. In Australia, the show is airing on Channel Nine now. Check the local TV guide for dates and times.