MAFS Australia 2025 bosses have revealed what they thought when groom Eliot Donovan decided to quit the show. After just three days of the experiment, Eliot left his new bride Lauren and quit whilst they were on honeymoon.
From the very start, it was pretty clear Eliot wasn’t sure about his match with Lauren. He posed a list of “non-negotiables” in a partner, pretty much none of which matched Lauren. When they left for their honeymoon, he was already talking about heading back home.
During the episode in which Eliot quit, we saw him chat with members of the show’s crew and production. At the time, it looked as though they were trying to get Eliot to give the experiment a bit more of chance. They said he hadn’t spent enough time in his relationship with Lauren to be prepared to give up on it.
But, it’s been revealed MAFS Australia 2025 bosses actually came round to the idea of Eliot quitting. In the end, they didn’t mind that he made his choice and stuck with it.

via E4
‘It’s a positive that they haven’t come on for fame’
MAFS executive producer John Walsh spoke to Daily Mail Australia, and praised Eliot for leaving. He said it demonstrated that he wasn’t on the show for fame.
“A lot of people say, ‘Oh, people don’t come on the show for fame,’ but we’ve had people hit that point where they just quit, they don’t care about the show,” he said. “The relationship is not what they expected, so they’re out. I think that’s, in some ways, a positive for the show in that they haven’t come on for fame.”
He continued: “They’ve come on to meet somebody, and when they get hugely disappointed in some way, they just want to leave. I think this cast is very genuine coming into it. They lay their feelings on the line straight away. And if it’s not working out, they just want to go.”

via E4
‘Eliot made it very clear he would most likely leave’
MAFS executive producer Alex Spurway agreed, and said Eliot’s exit was a reflection of dating right now. She added: “I think those actions mirror what it’s like in the dating world. If you don’t like something or if there’s some small thing that just isn’t quite ticking that box, people just move on.
“So that’s been really interesting. How far are you willing to commit when the going gets tough? Because it is tough. The experiment is difficult. We make sure we tell every single participant coming in how hard it’s going to be. But it’s not until you’re actually in it and you’ve got to work on a relationship that some people go, ‘You know what, it’s not worth it.’ Or they go, ‘No, this is worth fighting for’.”
Alex Spurway said the show bosses were shocked by Eliot’s decision to leave, but they “knew that he had preferences that he was very strict on.” Eliot also made it clear from the moment the cameras started rolling on the wedding day that if he wasn’t happy, he’d leave.
“Coming into the wedding, certainly on the wedding day, he was making it very clear that if he didn’t like her or if there was something wrong that didn’t fit his preferences, he would most likely leave,” Alex said.
It’s since been revealed Eliot will make a bombshell return to the show, as will Lauren. It’s set to be explosive. I can’t wait!
For all the latest MAFS news, scandals, gossip and updates – like The Holy Church of MAFS on Facebook.