The fan favourite participants have set the record straight on their relationship.

MAFS’ Eliot Donovan and Jamie Marinos.

MAFS’ Jamie Marinos has finally responded to rumours she is now dating Eliot Donovan. Photos: Instagram/eliot.donovan / TikTok/not_eliotd

One thing that’s for certain after Married At First Sight ends is that at least two participants will find themselves caught up in dating rumours. Whether its season five’s Tracey Jewel and Sean Thomsen who dated for six months, season nine’s Ella Ding and Brent Vitiello who went on a romantic trip together, or season 10’s Evelyn Ellis and Duncan James who are still going strong today, most seasons of the reality show end with a surprise recoupling.

This year’s season is no different, with rumours flying that Jamie Marinos and Eliot Donovan are now dating after failing to find love in the experiment. The duo, who have emerged as the two most popular participants on social media, have filmed multiple TikToks together, attended Fashion Week, and even shared an Airbnb in Sydney.

After initially refusing to address the speculation online, Jamie finally answered a question about Eliot on her Instagram Story on Wednesday night. The fan favourite bride shared a video of herself shaving his back alongside a lengthy caption about their current relationship status.

“Eliot and I are really good friends. He’s been such a great support system, always makes me laugh and I’m super grateful to have him around,” she wrote. “We are both single, and focusing on ourselves at the moment – but who knows what the future holds.”

Jamie also wrote in another post that her favourite memory with Eliot was when they visited Movie World on the Gold Coast, adding: “Love being around anyone that I can just have fun with.”

Eliot tells Yahoo Lifestyle that he and Jamie are like “two peas in a pod”, but it would be difficult for them to pursue a relationship as he lives on the Gold Coast and she lives in Melbourne.

“Jamie is an absolute babe. I’d be super lucky to be in a relationship with her, and I have really enjoyed doing all this media stuff with her, but the reality is we live in different states and we have different lifestyles,” he says.

“We’ve got enough on our plate as it is to try to navigate an interstate relationship with each other. She’ll always be a really close friend of mine, and I wouldn’t rule out more, but right now, we are just friends.”

MAFS’ Awhina Rutene and Billy Belcher.

Fans have also speculated that Awhina Rutene and Billy Belcher are now dating. Photos: Channel Nine

Jamie and Eliot aren’t the only 2025 participants who have sparked dating rumours recently, with Awhina Rutene and Billy Belcher also being spotted on a date together in Perth. Woman’s Day published photos of the pair last month “looking very loved-up” as they held hands and walked along the beach.

While fans have admitted they would love Awhina and Billy to get together, the mother-of-one recently told Yahoo Lifestyle that they are just friends.

“I will say one thing, Billy and I have actually got a really beautiful friendship. He’s a great guy,” she gushed.

Meanwhile, Jacqui Burfoot and Clint Rice recently announced their engagement after hard launching their relationship at the show’s reunion. Jacqui told Yahoo Lifestyle that she and Clint instantly hit it off when they met at their first dinner party, and she always hoped they would become friends.

“I got really good vibes when I first met Clint. I was like, This guy’s cool,” she recalled. “I actually said that at the dinner party, ‘Clint seems like the kind of guy I’d want to be friends with’. I’m surprised they didn’t play it back.

“I was like, this guy would be awesome to be friends with. He’s the first cast member that I actually could see myself hanging out with in the real world and talking about business or investment or just hanging out as mates. But I never thought I was good enough for Clint, if I’m being honest.”

MAFS’ Jacqui Burfoot and Clint Rice kissing.

Jacqui Burfoot and Clint Rice have announced their engagement since recoupling after the experiment.
The pair are now planning their wedding and hope to get married in January 2026 in either Tasmania or New Zealand.

“If I explained my perfect man, I wouldn’t have even dreamed of Clint,” she gushed. “How could you not be like, I want to marry you straight away. It’s almost too good to be true.”

“I was the same with you,” he replied. “She’s absolutely perfect.”