Petition To Cancel ‘Married At First Sight’ Forces Nine Network To Admit Couples Weren’t Really Married At First Sight

None were legally married at first sight in “Married at First Sight.” The producers of the Australian editor of the controversial reality program were forced to admit the truth after thousands petitioned online for the show’s sacking.

Nine Network has not even aired an episode of the show, but already viewers are complaining about it. The docu-show, based on the Danish series of the same name, will see the marriage of four couples who have just met for the first time. Relationship experts have paired off four men and four women together based on their personalities. The couples would be married and would live together for a month, after which, they have the option to divorce or stay married.

The show’s detractors are protesting the show’s premise. An online petition launched in March has gained traction and has now reached over 16,000 signatures. According to petition starter April Murhy, the show is not only a “disgrace,” it is also “morally unsound and should not be aired on Australian television.” The gripe of most of the signatories is that the country will not support marriage equality but is fine with a TV show that paired off strangers for marriage.

With thousands of people against the show, the Nine Network has been forced to respond to the petition and confess the very secret of the program. Contrary to the title of the documentary, couples weren’t actually married at first sight when they filmed the show in late 2014.

“In order to comply with the Australian Marriage Act (1961) which requires one month and one day notification, a marriage in law was not conducted,” a rep from the network told news.com.au. “Each participant embarked on a commitment ceremony with a wedding celebrant with all due intention to commit fully to this union for the duration of the experiment. At the end of the experiment, they are given the option to continue with the relationship or go their separate ways.”

Although the show never actually promised the couples would be legally married upon seeing each other for the first time, its title is a tad misleading. It’s unclear if the network’s admission will mollify the critics, but according to Nine, it doesn’t matter because it will nevertheless air “Married at First Sight” in the coming weeks.

In the U.S., the participants were actually and legally married. An A&E TV spokesperson told TVRuckus.com that, unlike the couples in the Australian show, the marriages of the couples in the U.S. edition are legally binding.