Australian viewers were left reeling when MAFS bride Lauren Huntriss claimed producers had coerced her into reciting scripted lines and strategically edited scenes to paint her in a negative light.
And seemingly inspired by the 31-year-old's candid admission, fellow bride (and MAFS' resident bad girl) Ines Basic has spoken out about being cast as the villain of this year's social experiment.
The Bosnian-born legal assistant has been blasted by fans for her on-screen affair with co-star Sam Ball and her disrespectful attitude toward her TV groom, Bronson Norrish.
But in a telling social media move, Ines has liked a comment slamming producers for broadcasting the cheating storyline and preventing the star crossed lovers from moving ahead with their romance in an honest and open manner.
“I don’t understand why they [Ines and Sam] can’t admit they like each other, formed a connection and be honest. I'm sure the others would have respected that early on if they were truthful.
"Bronson and Elizabeth would have been allowed to leave - the other girls probably would have been supportive of Ines.
"I think the producers lead them down this path to construct a villain storyline - it is so contrived and irritating," the user finished.
While she didn't post a response to the comment on the photo sharing platform, Ines echoed the sentiment in a recent interview with 9Honey.
"[Sam and I] connected on a very different level. Like we didn't really need to speak, we could just feel each other's emotions," she revealed.
"Everything...was done at such a high-paced, emotionally-charged level. [It was] as if we could read each other's thoughts and finish each other's sentences."
The revelations about production manipulation come days after shocking photos emerged of Ines looking dramatically thinner than she did while filming Married At First Sight.
The 28-year-old was photographed looking pale and tired outside a post office in Brisbane as she stopped to pick up a package.
She averted her eyes from the camera but nothing could distract from her alarming weight loss, sparking fears for her health.
A source told Woman's Day the Brisbane resident has "lost about 12kg" since the show wrapped and has become a recluse due to the barrage of online abuse she has received.
