An Explainer Of What Went Down In The Comment Section Of Our ‘MAFS’ Feud TikTok

We may have accidentally uncovered some major Married at First Sight tea, and over the past 24 hours, things have gotten MESSY. 

Let us walk you through the chaos. 

It all started when we shared an interview clip from Claire Nomarhas at the 2023 Logies where she mentioned that there had been some tension on the red carpet. Claire told Punkee that there were some “weird vibes” and “a bit of tense energy” during TV’s biggest night out. “Melinda didn’t say hi to us, we’re not really sure why,” she shared. 

It wasn’t long before the girlies were getting heated in our TikTok comments, and the “divide” that Melinda has so often referenced in past interviews is now front and centre of the MAFS mayhem. 

@itspunkee The MAFS drama continues… 👀 #mafs #mafsau #logies #redcarpet #sandyjawanda #clairenomarhas #melindawillis #celebfeud @Claire Nomarhas @Sandy Jawanda ♬ Loose Change – Devin Kennedy

Melinda swiftly responded with an Instagram story, sharing a screenshot of Claire’s interview with a this comment written on top: “I’d like to talk on this because I am beyond being BULLIED and harassed by these mean girls. The treatment I have received during and post-experiment is not okay.”

Let’s investigate all the clues left by the MAFS cast on social media, so we can figure out what on earth is going on… 

1. Punkee’s TikTok comment section.

The first comment from a MAFS star was from Sandy Jawanda. For much-needed context, she’s extremely tight with Claire, and appeared at the end of the video. 

“We’re just here to have a good time,” Sandy wrote. …Okay, so there’s not much to read between the lines here, except that Sandy has got Claire’s back. 

The second comment came from Evelyn Ellis, which is surprising, because Evelyn and Melinda used to be pretty tight. Remember when they eavesdropped on the grooms at the couples’ retreat? Over the past few months, there’s been whispers about their friendship ending, and this seems to be the final nail in the coffin. 

“Claire is a confident woman that empowers constantly,” Evelyn declared. 

Melinda, following the coverage, asking Punkee why we didn’t interview her to “hear the truth”, adding that “bullying is not okay”. (Note – we did reach out to her prior to publishing and have covered her social media statements shared since.)

Now comes the real zinger from Claire. In a comment she has since deleted, Claire wrote: “Google bullying. You ignoring Evelyn, Sandy and I for no reason. That’s bullying. I’m just stating facts.” 

Finally, Lyndall Grace added her two cents in our comment section. While the Perth-based bride wasn’t at The Logies herself, she still shared her support for Claire. “Claire is an incredible friend who sticks up for what’s right, no matter your edit.” 

2. The MAFS cast’s awkward Logies group photo.

At first glance, everybody in the photo looks excited to be at The Logies, but there’s some interesting placement going on. 

Image Source: Getty / Sam Tabone / Stringer

All the brides are positioned together… except Melinda. She’s standing awkwardly to the right, next to her boyf Layton Mills.  Actually, the only bride Melinda posed with on the red carpet that night was Tahnee Cook. Janelle also previously told Punkee that she’s friends with the entire cast – apart from Adam and Dan. So we’re guessing that Tahnee and Janelle were the only brides at The Logies that Melinda is friendly with. 

We could be making a mountain out of a molehill here, because the three successful MAFS couples are all standing with their significant others and maybe that’s why the solo brides are bunched together – but if there’s a red carpet pic to analyse, you can bet we’re going at it with a microscope. 

3. The MAFS cast’s social media activity.

We’d like to formally thank social media for providing so many delicious insights to this investigation. We were able to guess which cast members are still friends today by their Instagram and TikTok posts. 

On Janelle Han’s TikTok, she was seen chilling out in a hotel room before the event with Evelyn, Claire and Sandy. It looks like Melinda got ready either by herself or with Layton at The Star, and she showed off her look in the hotel hallway before the event. 

While Tahnee was included in the list of brides Claire is still friends with today, it looks like she’s still good friends with Melinda too. On Instagram, there were snaps of Ollie, Tahnee, Melinda and Layton posing on the red carpet together. 

And, because we’re taking this whole investigation very seriously, we’ve checked who the brides aren’t following on social media. Bronte’s account is currently suspended, so nobody is following her, but here’s some spicy info… 

Melinda isn’t following Duncan, Harrison, Shannon, Claire, Rupert and Evelyn, while Evelyn isn’t following Tahnee, Lyndall, Cam, Dan, Alyssa, Shannon, Melissa and Tayla. Claire isn’t following Melinda, Harrison, Shannon, Jesse, Adam or Dan, but Layton is following everybody. 

4. What the MAFS cast told us on the red carpet.

When we asked Janelle, Ollie and Tahnee if they’d noticed any drama between the MAFS cast, or if they had seen Claire being snubbed, the trio attempted to diffuse the situation. 

“Everyone’s been really polite and kind to each other so I think it’s good,” Janelle said. “I can safely say that I love everyone here, so, I’m gonna focus on that.”

Ollie added that he “loves Claire”, and Tahnee gave a perfect PR-approved answer. “I was just chatting with Claire before,” Tahnee said. “I feel like we kind of just stay out of things and are together, doing our own stuff. I dunno, I didn’t see that [happen].”

5. Melinda addresses the Logies feud on her Instagram story.

Melinda released a statement on her Instagram story about the entire situation – which included hashtags “anti-bullying”, “women empowerment” and “self love”.

“Dried my eyes and put on my big girl clothes today. Shutting out the noise and lies spreading through the media. Showing up today for the people in my life who need me and deserve me,” she said.

“Staying strong for young Mel, who wasn’t always this confident and self assured. Staying strong for all the young girls who follow me and need someone to look up to.”

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Image credits: Channel 9, MAFS, Instagram/@mafsgossip, @cforclaire_, @melindarichelle, TikTok/@janellemyh, Sam Tabone / Stringer