Watching the first episode of this year’s season of Married At First Sight you could be forgiven for viewing the casting of its first married couple, Eliot and Lauren and their purported traditional views, as pure coincidence, or for the more sceptical among us, simple reality bait.
But, could their inclusion also be a nod of the (red?) cap to a wider societal shift towards the Tradwife culture?
One only has to look to the popularity of shows like The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives or Mormon practices in general, and the rise of influencers such as Nara Smith or Ballerina Farm’s Hannah Nelleman, to see the connection. And do we even mention the state of the global political landscape and its growing influence on views here at home?
It feels hard not to when one of Australia’s most popular shows brings on not one, but two, proponents of the inherently linked cause, by way of Eliot “high standards” Donovan and Lauren “I wish I was born in the 1920s” Hall.
We’re first introduced to Lauren with a series of slow panning shots of the hopeful romantic preparing meals in her pristine kitchen and admiring the results in the reflection of her crystal clear oven door. See how she keeps a home? Very demure, very mindful.
“Where I’m happiest, and where I think a lot of women are happiest, is in their feminine being the homemaker and the caretaker,” she reveals, before announcing: “My role is to serve my husband.”
She goes on to list a series of rules for her preferred dynamic, which include, but aren’t limited to: Not nagging your husband, not bothering him with “mundane things” like emptying the dishwasher or taking the bins out, and definitely not asking him to do the dishes.
Lauren is, after all, “the wifiest wife material there is” who’s at her happiest when she’s “serving” her partner. That is, as long as she finds “them masculine enough.”
As for Eliot, he states pretty early on that he “wouldn’t even entertain a relationship with someone I saw as low class, swearing, trashy – that just disgusts me.”
“So if my wife is super opinionated, judgemental, obnoxious, overly loud, I wouldn’t even finish the ceremony,” he admits – ironically in a rather judgemental way.
But what is it that Eliot actually wants? “I want someone who wants to take on the traditional feminine role.”
A self-professed “lone wolf” Eliot wants a “classy woman who will soften his hard edges.” Preferably, someone who’s happy with a “traditional relationship where he is the provider.”
Surely the universe brought Eliot and Lauren together for a reason? Or, could it just be the MAFS producers working overtime to attract a new type of audience who are keen to see their own aspirations validated outside the algorithm.
Either way, we’ll be tuning in to see how it pans out.
Are MAFS couple Eliot & Lauren Still Together?

At first, Eliot Donovan and Lauren Hall appeared to be a match made in Tradlife heaven.
On paper – or should we say parchment – the would-be couple’s purported views on traditional gender roles felt aligned. Each claimed to genuinely be looking for someone who’d willingly commit (or submit) to the binary notions they deemed necessary for romantic success – and not only maintain those dynamics, but uphold them.
Even the experts agreed that they were “very fortunate in some strange way,” to find what they deemed “a very compatible match.”
And despite some well-edited interjections from Lauren’s seemingly belligerent sister at the wedding, everything appeared to be going just swell. That was, until the preview for the next episode revealed a not-so-enamoured Eliot who was shown packing his bags and breaking free of the experiment.
The viewers are left wondering why, until Eliot offers us an answer. “I wanted someone younger then me, preferably someone under 30,” which *checks notes* didn’t appear to be on his “long list of non-negotiables.”
Oh, and he was also totally offended by Lauren’s “superficiality”, which he claims is linked to her “luxury luggage,” – all things that he knows he’s “not willing to compromise on.”
According to reports, Eliot truly packed his (non-luxury) bags and left, leaving Lauren to be pared up with a different groom, but whether he lives to regret his decision and return, is yet to officially be seen.
Related articles:
- Meet The ‘Married At First Sight’ 2025 Brides & Grooms
- Nara Smith Is Pushing Back On People Reducing Her To A ‘Trad Wife’
- 9 Moments From the ‘Ballerina Farm’ Interview That Have Us Rethinking Trad Wife Content