Former contestant Tahnee Cook, who appeared in Married at First Sight Australia season 10 and recently ended her 16-month relationship with match Ollie Skelton, revealed the show’s strict rules in an interview with ELLE Australia. The production team allegedly enforced strict rules during the filming of season 10 after discovering unauthorized meetings between contestants.
The show’s management implemented a mandatory 9 pm curfew at Sydney’s Skye Suites, where participants lived during the three-month filming period. Explaining the consequences of rule breaks, Cook stated:
“Something I’m not sure viewers know is that you’re actually not allowed to hang out with any of the other brides and grooms off camera, except your partner. Production was super strict on this because it can really affect the storylines when things happen off camera, and makes it harder to show the audience what happened.”
She continued:
When people broke the rules on my season, we had a curfew enforced, and all had to be back in our rooms by 9pm every night.”
She characterized the overall living situation as reminiscent of a school camp environment, with all participants housed in close proximity to one another.
Married at First Sight Australia enforced 9 pm curfew after rule breaks
In an Interview with ELLE Australia, Tahnee Cook explained how rule breaks led to increased restrictions in detail. The show’s dinner parties involved complex logistics and strict time management. Contestants spent up to nine hours in controlled environments during these events.
Production teams placed participants in separate gazebo-style holding areas before filming.
Cook also shared that the production team provided Married at First Sight Australia participants with phones for self-recording when official cameras weren’t operating, though she rarely utilized this feature.
According to Cook, the food served during dinner parties was often cold by the time contestants actually ate, with meals typically beginning around 9 pm despite participants arriving much earlier in the day.
This extended filming schedule led many participants, including Cook herself, to grab fast food either before or after these events.
Cook described the accommodations at Skye Suites as similar to an extended hotel stay but without regular housekeeping services. For her, the experience represented her first time cohabitating with a partner, which provided valuable insights into compatibility.
Tahnee’s Married at First Sight Australia journey
Tahnee Cook worked as a PR Manager in New South Wales before joining season 10. Talking about the Married at First Sight Australia application process, she revealed it involved multiple stages, spanning approximately three months before her wedding day. The procedure included extensive questionnaires divided into sections about desired partners, personal information, and expectations from the show.
Applicants completed psychological evaluations and attended several producer meetings, both online and in person. Cook noted that one early application question asked about physical preferences and celebrity crushes, while other questions explored relationship history, personal values, and potential dealbreakers.
She described the questionnaire as detailed and time-consuming, requiring several days to complete thoughtfully with honest responses. The 27-year-old matched with voice-over artist Ollie Skelton during the social experiment. The Married at First Sight Australia pair formed a strong connection during the show and chose to stay together at their Final Vows.
After filming ended, they maintained their relationship for 16 months in the real world. Their connection gained significant fan support due to their natural chemistry and light-hearted approach to the experiment.
On December 13, 2023, both Cook and Skelton announced their split through social media statements. Cook explained they had tried making the relationship work but their lives moved in different directions.
Following the show, she launched her podcast called “Chuffed with Tahnee Cook” and started contributing entertainment articles about reality TV experiences.
Married at First Sight Australia new episodes air on Channel 9 in the UK, and on E4 in Australia.
Edited by Prem Deshpande
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