How a hairdresser scandal rocked this reality TV gay couple’s world

Michael Felix and Stephen Stewart, the first gay grooms on Married at First Sight Australia (MAFS) in nearly ten years, have been a mostly drama-free couple. After coming to the series late, the newlyweds seemed to click right away, sharing similar family-oriented goals. And then, one half of the couple also happened to click with a random hairdresser.

As its name suggests, Married at First Sight follows couples who agree to tie the knot after first meeting and choose whether to leave or stay each week. Felix and Stewart initially seemed like one of those couples who could go the distance.

Michael, a 34-year-old American salesperson living in Melbourne, came to the show after being single for five years and fed up with dating drama. “I need a man who wants a family, who loves his family, who is here for love,” said Michael.

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Stephen, a 26-year-old hairdresser from Perth, had been single for four years after an ex cheated on him. He described his dream man as someone “who is family orientated with a good sense of humor and killer smile.”

Both hit it off right away, with Stephen being particularly touched that Michael had helped his friends have a child through sperm donation. “It takes a pretty special person to be able to do that,” said Stephen. “That’s a huge tick in my box.”

But their whirlwind romance took a nosedive during Tuesday’s episode. “Today was meant to be a fun day,” Michael explained on camera. “We had a publicity shoot, and Stephen was getting his hair done and I could see my husband flirting with the hairdresser.”

Even married couples engage in some harmless flirting from time to time. What’s not so harmless is secretly exchanging phone numbers after said flirting.

“On the ride home, I could see him sitting back texting, smiling,” Michael went on, “and I was like ‘Oh who are you talking to?’

“He was talking to the hairdresser. Stephen told me he felt a spark with this hairdresser that he’s never felt with me.”

Things only got worse as Stephen tried to explain himself. “I had a 30-second conversation with someone and I felt it was so much easier to get flirty with them than I did with you after two and a half weeks,” Stephen said.

“Absolutely, we had a spark there. It was playful and a little bit flirty, 150 per cent. I know that’s a sh*t thing to hear, which is why I feel so guilty. I feel sh*t, but feeling that instant attraction to someone made me realize what we’re missing.”

Stephen soon admitted that what was missing was a sexual spark, which led to Michael pulling off his wedding ring and storming out of the room.

While it looked like the relationship could never recover, the couple is toughing it out for now, having attended the show’s the couples’ retreat together. As for whether they’ll make it to the end of the series (which films in advance) the only evidence is that they still follow each other on Instagram.