MAFS 2022 Episode 6 recap: The first Dinner Party sees one groom thrown under the bus by his bride, while another sculls beer from a shoe
The honeymoons have been a hit for many, but not for Al. He wakes feeling rightfully rejected after Sam shut the groom down when he leant in for a kiss.
They sit down for another dinner, with Sam revealing to Al that she has concerns that if she opens up, he'll get bored and "kick me to the curb".
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After acknowledging he's "immature" and can "take things too far", Al promises that he's committed and won't kick Sam to the curb. No curb for Sam.
"It's been the best honeymoon I've ever been on," Al says after a successful dinner.
"It's the only honeymoon you've ever been on," Sam reminds him.
READ MORE: Al and Sam reflect on the most unusual MAFS wedding vows of all time
Pre-Dinner Party
After Selin and Anthony's honeymoon imploded Anthony left a day early. While he feels that Selin had been "goading" him by saying things like "smile, princess", Selin sees it very differently.
"He's really sensitive," she says. "It's doesn't make him seem like a man. In this situation I feel like I'm a bit of the victim.
"In my view I just don't think there's any excuse for how he acted."
Selin plans to tell the other brides about her struggles. Nine
The pair are currently living in separate apartments and they'll be walking into the Dinner Party separately too. While Anthony doesn't want to throw Selin under the bus, Selin plans to tell the girls about her struggles.
After Holly and Andrew struggled on their honeymoon following a very confronting Honesty Box, Holly is feeling a little uneasy.
"I definitely think that one should be honest, but I also think that there's a delicate way that you can address things," Holly tells Andrew, adding that she does want to confide in the girls about where she's at in her relationship.
Despite their struggles the pair plan to walk in together.
The Cocktail Party
Domenica and Jack arrive first looking strong and beeline straight to the beverages. Soon after Holly and Andrew walk in together, and despite what we've just seen they're looking solid.
"Are we perfect? No, but then again what couple is?" Holly says. We'll pretend Olivia and Jackson don't exist for the time being.
Tamara and Brent are next to arrive, their relationship going slow. But Tamara makes up for her slow relationship by being quick to get to know the other brides and grooms.
After Andrew tells Tamara that he's from Dallas, Texas, the first thing that pops into Tamara's mind is serial killers.
"I've always wanted to go to Texas, I'm really into serial killers and stuff. I'm literally obsessed," she says, revealing she's keen to know "all of the gossip".
Tamara's questioning does open the door for Holly and Andrew to debrief on their Honesty Box disaster, and Domenica is not happy with what she's hearing.
"If a man said that to me I'd say 'Go to the bathroom and finish yourself off', because you're not coming near me again," she says.
Domenica was not loving what she was hearing. Nine
But while Holly pushes Andrew to be delicate when being honest, the groom "doesn't want to sugar-coat" anything.
"I feel like Andrew doesn't want to admit he's f--ked up," Tamara says, adding she really feels for Holly.
But despite their difficulties Holly is feeling "more settled" and "positive" after hearing that other couples have had struggles too.
Selin is the next to arrive — alone. "She needs a drink. This woman needs a drink," Domenica practically yells after seeing her without her husband.
The girls gather around Selin, who explains that she's "not going to throw [Anthony] under the bus". She then proceeds to hop on a tractor and metaphorically throw him under that instead.
She debriefs with the girls on their clashes and Anthony storming out of their honeymoon a day early.
Sellin debriefs with the girls about Anthony walking out of their honeymoon. Nine
Selin continues airs her dirty laundry to the girls as more and more couples — Ella and Mitch, Olivia and Jackson, Selina and Cody and Sam and Al — arrive.
"She's making all the girls form opinions before Anthony enters the room," expert John Aiken says.
As Selin vents about their kayaking and pottery disasters, only Ella advises Selin to "wait until [Anthony] gets here," adding, "How would you feel if he said this about you?"
Anthony then walks in alone, and neither Selin or Anthony acknowledge the other.
Anthony arrives to the Dinner Party alone. Nine
Noticing the tension, Al plans to "break the ice" by doing a shoey. He strips off his shoe, pours his beer into it, and then sculls.
READ MORE: Al explains why he did a 'shoey' at the first MAFS Dinner Party
"We have beer in a shoe… no he's not… oh yuck," expert Mel Schilling screams as she watches on.
While the shoey breaks the ice with many of the participants, his wife Sam finds his antics "embarrassing" and it seems to have confirmed her worries about Al's maturity.
Expert Mel Schilling was shocked by Al drinking from his shoe. Nine
The Dinner
Over dinner Olivia reveals to Al that she's having "a lot of sex" with Jackson, and Tamara feels she's "going at a good pace" with Brent. Other couples, however, are more icy.
The experts feel Selin and Anthony are acting like strangers at the table, before Domenica and Jack try to chat with them about their relationship.
It's an awkward time at the table for Anthony and Selin. Nine
"Looking back at the whole thing, do you wish that you didn't leave?" Domenica asks Anthony.
"Does everybody know that?" he asks, realising Selin has aired their honeymoon dramas to the group before he arrived. "It threw me off guard, I wasn't expecting that," he adds later.
Anthony felt blindsided after realising that Selin had told others about their struggles. Nine
But while Anthony is pressed for details by the group, he remains adamant that he only needs to talk to Selin about it, and no one else.
Even after Domenica and Tamara press him, wanting to know more, Anthony keeps his side of the story to himself.
"I don't know what Selin has told everybody but I'm not going to throw anybody under the bus," he says. Or tractor, for that matter.
After things get fiery Holly jumps in to bore the table with a long-winded story about being kind and supportive.
Post-Dinner
After dinner the girls and boys split into two groups, "school discoing" the situation, according to Brent.
It's here that Al gets the confidence to "break out of the friend zone" with Sam. He walks over to plant a kiss on her cheek as everyone around the table claps.
The boys give Al the encouragement he needs to awkwardly kiss Samantha on the cheek. Nine
"What was that?" Sam asks, unamused. Holly however explains how Al is gold, because he's still "mouldable".
Despite this Sam is still feeling torn, and she needs Al to "grow up".
Al's random kiss to Sam didn't go down well. Nine
Towards the end of the night Selin and Anthony escape for a one-on-one chat, where Anthony apologises for walking out of the honeymoon.
"I want to know that we can move past it and we can do this," Anthony says. "I like you. You're a cool person. You're a great mum. You're a great family person… What do we need to do right now to get through this?" he asks her.
But Selin isn't looking to move forward.
"I'm trying to be understanding but you left. You don't just walk away," she hits back. As Anthony tries to mend their relationship Selin doesn't reciprocate and continues to bring up that it was Anthony's fault for leaving.
"It's a brick wall that he's hitting," John Aiken observes. "He's trying to validate. He's trying to understand. He's trying to even take some accountability and it is a brick wall."
"He apologised 27,000 times. She did not apologise once," clinical sexologist Alessandra Rampolla notices.
At the end of the night it's questionable whether they'll be able to recover, with Selin claiming that their dramas are "not over", and not even realising that Anthony apologised during their conversation.
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