Married at First Sight Australia has officially begun for 2026, but one pairing won’t be shown on TV – despite a wedding taking place.
In September 2025, it was revealed that Micah Lomu and Ankita Karungalekar would no longer appear on the show after damning allegations circulated on TikTok about Micah.
Producers allegedly asked the couple to leave before the first dinner party and told other castmates not to mention them during filming.
Speaking with our sister publication Woman’s Day shortly after the 2026 season of MAFS started airing, Ankita shed new light on the shocking situation.
“We were on our honeymoon when all of a sudden the producers said they wanted to talk to us separately,” Ankita lamented.
“They told me there was some news circulating about Micah, and they just wanted to make sure I was safe. I had no idea what was going on,” she added.
“I was shattered. I couldn’t really process it, and I still don’t think I’ve processed it. It was mentally draining because at that point I had been single for two years, and to finally be able to live that moment – it was like they dangled the teddy bear in front of me and just took it right away,” she continued.
When news first broke of their axing, the duo alleged that Channel Nine used Micah’s mental health as a “scapegoat” to remove them.
Speaking with the Daily Mail, finance broker Micah claimed the controversy began when a woman had made an allegation regarding his past online, but had never provided any proof.
Ankita alleged that she had received one anonymous DM from a burner account, which read in part: “Run for your life.”
“[Producers] told me it was in my best interest to be dismissed from the show for my mental health,” Micah, 28, told the Daily Mail at the time.
“But by doing that, they practically gave validation that I’d done something wrong; there was no visual proof, no history of wrongdoing, nothing. I was painted as someone to be scared of.”
Micah claimed he felt his mental health was used as a “scapegoat” to remove him and Ankita, insisting they had passed all of the pre-filming screenings.
The couple claimed they were separated after being told about the allegation, and Micah insisted there has been no evidence raised against him.
“We were floored that Channel Nine made such a huge decision based on TikTok videos without receipts,” sports presenter Ankita added.
Micah claimed he begged producers to refer the allegations to the police so he could clear his name.
Despite being removed from the show, Micah and Ankita have maintained a close relationship. In fact, as of January 2026, sources close to the pair confirmed they were still dating as per So Dramatic!
However, a month later, the one-time bride revealed to Woman’s Day that the pair were now just “good friends.”
Ankita has also since revealed that her short stint on MAFS left her at least $6,000 out of pocket.
“I was out of work after that for [about] a month…no pay for that,” she later confessed to Chattr.
“I didn’t get paid for anything at all, no compensation, no sort of apology or anything as such. I think I invested around $6,000 to $10,000 with this whole process…the food, the investment [in] clothing, just the suitcases,” she added.
