Married at First Sight UK is back, and former bride Erica Roberts has been sharing her experiences on the E4 show after appearing in the 2023 cast.
A former Married at First Sight UK bride has opened up about her time on the show, touching on pay, contracts, and her wedding. Her remarks come as the new series airs on E4.
Erica Roberts, who appeared on MAFS in 2023, was matched with Jordan Gayle, though the two later announced their split after a reunion episode. With the show’s recent return, Erica has been sharing her experiences as part of the cast in posts this week.
On TikTok, a fan recently asked if the cast members receive payment and whether they are contracted for reunion episodes.
So we don’t actually get paid for being on the show but they do give us our loss of earnings.
Erica replied
Erica explained that the amount was “capped,” saying:
If you earn three grand a month you get three grand a month back. Like they will compensate you for that. If you earn anything more than three grand a month, they don’t cover it. I’m not entirely sure if it was three grand, I think it might have been a little bit more. But anyway, there was a cap.
They would also give us like £120, I think it was, a week, which was food because obviously when you’re living in the apartments we were basically living just like a normal life. Like we had to go to the shops, buy food shops, cook for ourselves etc.
She continued
When it comes to reunions, we do get paid to go to the reunion. Not everyone’s invited to the reunions and you’re also not contracted to anything, to be honest.
Erica continued:
She explained that during the process, the cast aren’t tied to a “strict contract” requiring them to stay for a set amount of time or attend reunions.
She added: “Get asked to go to the reunion [but] you don’t want to go to the reunion, you don’t need to go.” Erica also noted that participants are free to leave at any point, saying: “Essentially you can leave whenever you want to leave that process.” Addressing speculation about reality TV couples being under contract, Erica said:
One thing that actually makes me laugh so much [is] when I see people come off reality TV and then they break-up and people are like ‘oh it’s because their contract ended, their three month contract was over’. That’s not a f***ing thing. […] None of us are contracted to be with each other
She suggested, however, that some couples might choose to stay together for opportunities. Erica explained: “They might stay with that person and think ‘ah, let’s like milk this a little bit, see what we can get out of it’ but they’re not contracted. That is insane!” In another TikTok video, Erica criticized production for not covering the costs of wedding guests on MAFS.
With the weddings, you’re only allowed to have 12 guests, I’m sure it is. But those 12 guests have to make their own way there. They have to pay their own way there.
She told fans:
Erica shared that she and her family had to travel “down south” from Scotland. She added: “I actually don’t know for sure where the wedding was. I know they got me a train to London and then I was in a cab for maybe like an hour or two to wherever [the venue] was.”
My guests had to get there as well. So they all had to fork out and pay to come to a ‘fake’ wedding. Remember, that’s trains, that’s hotels, Ubers, whatever, food. Everything.
Erica explained
She went on to say that guests were required to arrive the night before, attend a “long a** day” at the wedding, and stay “then obviously the night after the wedding.” Erica added: “So that’s like three whole days that they’re having to like give up.”
Wrapping up her TikTok video, she said: “I actually got married on Mother’s Day so they were giving up their Mother’s Day to be at the wedding and they had to pay for it, which I thought was a bit s***e.”
Source: The Sun