The Married At First Sight 2026 reunion was wilder than ever, but not all the cast returned for the explosive finale.
Controversial bride Brook Crompton and her ex, Chris Nield, both notably skipped the Dinner Party and Commitment Ceremony.
Meanwhile, Danny Hewitt and Juliette Chae were both present at the Dinner Party, but mysteriously didn’t return the following day.
Danny made it clear he wouldn’t be back after an explosive row with Bec Zacharia, and now, Joel Moses has dished on why Juliette skipped the night.
He claimed that a “deranged” fight might have played a role in her absence, saying they got involved in a tense argument at the Dinner Party.
Joel alleged that his on-screen ex tried to chat with him, but he brushed her off, and Gia then “stirred the pot a bit”, which led to the blazing row.
“Juliette and I started going at it and screaming at each other, and no one could get a word in, because we’re just screaming at each other,” he told Chattr.
“Juliette was saying that I didn’t respect her boundaries.”
Joel claimed that the argument led to Juliette storming out of the Dinner Party in anger, which might have played a role in her skipping the Commitment Ceremony.
The experts also shared their dismay that Juliette and Brook didn’t attend the Commitment Ceremony to face the music after their controversial Dinner Party antics.
Along with Gia and Bec, they were famously involved in a string of fierce rows throughout the experiment, particularly targeting Alissa Fay.
Mel Schilling grilled Bec and Gia over their conduct on the Channel Nine show at the finale, but shared her disappointment that she couldn’t speak to the other women.
“In a decade of doing this experiment, I’ve never seen so much animosity within the female group,” Mel fumed.
“It is unfortunate that Juliette and Brook aren’t here because they were major players in this behaviour as well. I’d really like you to have a long, hard look at yourselves.”
Before the Reunion aired, Brook broke her silence on her absence from the episode, saying she chose not to return because she had just found out she was pregnant.
The reunion was filmed in November 2025, shortly after filming for the main series ended. Brook reconciled with her ex-boyfriend, Harry, just weeks after quitting MAFS. They publicly confirmed their pregnancy and engagement in February 2026.
“I was contacted multiple times by producers via email and phone, encouraging me to attend,” she claimed in a lengthy Instagram post.
“However, at that point in my life, I had just found out that Harry and I were expecting our first child. Given everything I had experienced, I made the decision that returning to that environment was not in my best interest.
“It had previously brought out a side of me I wasn’t proud of, and I knew I needed to prioritise my wellbeing,” Brook continued, seemingly referencing her controversial Dinner Party behaviour.
“My focus was, and always will be, protecting myself, my partner, and our baby. For that reason, I chose not to attend,” she added.
“I stand by my choice and hope that provides some clarity.”
In her post, she also alleged that her on-screen match, Chris, wasn’t invited back to the Reunion. Chris notably caused controversy on MAFS and was accused of “fatphobia” for his controversial comments on the show.
New Idea has contacted Channel Nine for comment.
All the other contestants were present at the Reunion, and there was a fair share of drama on the night.
From Danny’s texting scandal with Steph being exposed to his shocking comments about Bec, viewers were left open-mouthed at the drama.
But there was also some happy news, as Stella and Filip were there to talk about their engagement and upcoming wedding.
Find out everything we know here.
