Married At First Sight’s Awhina Rutene has slammed her TV groom Adrian Araouzou following the series’ controversial Final Task.
Adrian was taken to task by Awhina and the other couples during Wednesday’s dinner party for his blasé attitude about meeting up with his another potential love match, busty backup bride Maxine.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Awhina, 30, admitted that the Final Task only served to expose pre-existing issues between the couple.
‘We’d been living in this fake bubble. Nothing real was being addressed,’ Awhina said.
‘I didn’t want constant conflict, but when the task forced us to reflect it made me realise we both had doubts about our relationship.
‘Adrian couldn’t handle being called out – he always saw me expressing feelings as an attack and his default was to retaliate by tearing down my character.
Married At First Sight bride Awhina Rutene has slammed her TV groom Adrian Araouzou following the series’ controversial Final Task
‘No apology. No accountability.’
Awhina entered Wednesday’s dinner party visibly upset, and said Adrian failed to support her emotionally, even at her lowest point.
‘I came into this looking for a life partner, but in that moment he wasn’t even showing up as a friend,’ she said.
The aged care worker added that Adrian’s actions throughout the entire series had taken a toll on her mental and physical health.
‘I was physically unwell, overwhelmed, and he showed zero self-awareness,’ she said.
‘I truly felt like he was actively trying to hurt me – that’s his fighting style.’
Despite what viewers saw on screen, Awhina said there were moments behind the scenes where she considered walking out of the experiment early.
“After friends and family week, I was ready to pack up and go,’ she revealed.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Awhina candidly revealed that the Final Task only served to expose pre-existing issues between the couple
The aged care worker added that Adrian’s actions throughout the entire series had taken a toll on her mental and physical health
‘Then when he left and went on a date with Sierra [Swepstone], I was done.’
Awhina said she convinced herself to stay in the experiment as she didn’t want to get ‘torn apart’ by fans.
‘I was scared,’ Awhina explained.
‘I watched what happened to Eliot when he didn’t show up to a dinner party – he got torn apart on national TV. I didn’t want that.’
Awhina added she is still waiting for an apology from Adrian – even after the cameras stopped rolling.
‘There’s never been a real apology. Even now, I get messages from him saying, “You’re the reason I look like this on TV,” Awhina claimed.
‘It’s always someone else’s fault — the edit, production, me. Never him.’
She said that the situation may have been different if Adrian could own up to his actions.
‘I truly felt like he was actively trying to hurt me – that’s his fighting style,’ she said
‘It would be really beautiful if Adrian could just say, “Hey, I saw some really disturbing behaviour from myself and I’m sorry.” But that’s never happened,’ she said.
In a shocking twist, Awhina revealed that unlike the other couples, she and Adrian were never separated before Final Vows – breaking tradition in the experiment.
“We were supposed to spend time apart to reflect. But we never did,’ Awhina said.
‘Adrian was around me constantly — even during behind-the-scenes filming. I never had a moment to be alone with my thoughts.’
She added that she felt suffocated by Adrian’s behaviour.
‘He’d be in my ear saying, “I’ve got nothing but good things to say about us,” pushing his reality onto me. I couldn’t even breathe,’ she said.
Awhina said that the one saving grace amid the chaos was fellow bride Jamie Marinos, who quickly became Awhina’s closest friend in the experiment.
‘Jamie has been my rock. She checks in on me — not for airtime or clout, but because she genuinely cares,’ Awhina said.
When asked if she had any final messages for Adrian, Awhina’s response was more than telling
‘Nothing,’ she replied bluntly. ‘There’s nothing more to say’
‘What you see on screen, those tears — they’re real. Our bodies literally rejected the pain. We went through something deeply traumatic.’
With Final Vows just around the corner, Awhina all but confirmed that her relationship with Adrian is over.
‘There were so many wishy-washy conversations throughout the experiment. I just wanted him to stop hiding behind “God’s plan” and speak the truth,’ she said.
‘He didn’t even show up as a friend.
When asked if she had any final messages for Adrian, Awhina’s response was more than telling.
‘Nothing,’ she replied bluntly.
‘There’s nothing more to say.’
Married At First Sight will return on Sunday at 7.00pm on Channel Nine and 9Now.
