Married At First Sight is meant to be a program about regular people finding love.
But almost half of this year’s participants are actually hired actors with experience in television, modelling or stage performance.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal that 10 cast members tried to make it in showbusiness before being cast on Nine’s social experiment.
Are you surprised? Ten of this year’s Married At First Sight stars have secret pasts in acting, modelling, reality TV or performing on stage. Pictured: Amanda Micallef and Tash Herz
In 2014, Cathy Evans graduated from Unitec Institute of Technology in Auckland with a degree in performing arts and moved to Sydney to launch an acting career.
‘These are the best acting headshots ever. Time to take over Australia,’ she wrote on Instagram in August 2015, after having professional photo taken for her portfolio.
Cathy launched her own YouTube channel in March 2016, but it’s unclear what roles, if any, she landed before appearing on MAFS.
The 26-year-old is described as a ‘logistics investigator’ on the reality show and her acting qualification is not mentioned.
Surprise: In 2014, Cathy Evans (pictured) graduated the Unitec Institute of Technology in Auckland with a degree in performing arts, and then moved to Sydney to make it as an actress
‘These are the best acting headshots ever. Time to take over Australia,’ Cathy then gushed on Instagram in August 2015 (pictured) after having professional casting shots taken
Actress and influencer? Cathy launched her own YouTube channel in March 2016
Meanwhile, operations manager Mikey Pembroke has been on television in the past.
In 2017, he made his acting debut in Friday on My Mind, an ABC miniseries about Australian rock band The Easybeats, in which he played a background character.
He appeared in five or six scenes across two episodes.
Mikey, 29, was also a contestant on Channel Seven’s Deal or No Deal in 2015.
Surprise! Operations manager Mikey Pembroke has quite the secret TV past, and first appeared on TV in 2015 as a contestant on Seven’s Deal or No Deal (pictured)
Did you spot him in it? Mikey made his acting debut in ABC’s Friday On My Mind miniseries about Australian band The Easybeats, where he played a background extra in two episodes
1960s style! Mikey posed for a picture during a costume fitting for Friday On My Mind
Vanessa Romito has experience in front of the camera, too.
Daily Mail Australia has discovered photos of the Perth-based pharmacy manager, 31, filming an project with GrindFilms in February 2019.
In one scene, Vanessa plays a character at a party with several other women.
Her old MySpace profile is also full of professional photo shoots, which were taken more than a decade ago.
Upcoming movie? Daily Mail Australia has unearthed photographs of Vanessa Romito (second, left) filming an unknown project with GrindFilms in Perth back in February 2019
Model! Vanessa’s old MySpace is full of professional photo shoots, taken over a decade ago
Meanwhile, Amanda Micallef has a StarNow profile where she advertises herself as an ‘actor, extra, model and TV/radio presenter’ looking for work.
She boasts of being able to ‘transform into characters naturally’ and has been doing so for ‘her whole life’, despite having ‘no formal acting training’.
The 34-year-old personal trainer briefly appeared as an extra in the 2009 film Knowing, starring Nicolas Cage.
Surprise! Last week, Amanda Micallef’s StarNow profile emerged, where she advertised herself as an ‘actor, extra, model and TV/radio presenter’ looking for work
Different woman! Amanda boasted despite ‘no formal acting training’ she is able to ‘transform into characters naturally’ and has been doing so for ‘her whole life’. Pictured around 2005
Acting debut! appeared briefly in 2009 Hollywood movie ‘Knowing’ alongside Nicolas Cage (pictured), where she played an extra during the critically-acclaimed subway crash scene
Sebastian Guilhaus, who will join the cast as an ‘intruder’ in the coming weeks alongside Elizabeth Sobinoff, has made no secret of his desire to be a performer.
In 2018, he told Adelaide Now: ‘The only thing that’s been consistent [in my life] has been my love of entertaining people and making people smile. I thought, “What encompasses all of that?” and I came up with acting.
‘I’m a massive movie buff and initially I had film in my mind, but now that I’m enjoying the rawness of stage theatre I’m open to anything. I have no doubt that this is the path I want to follow for the rest of my life – I’ve finally found my passion.’
In 2013, Seb appeared on current affairs show Today Tonight as a model in a segment about ‘Adelaide Party Girls’.
‘I’m open to anything’: Elizabeth Sobinoff’s new ‘husband’ Sebastian Guilhaus (pictured), who will join the cast as an intruder soon, has made no secret of his desire to make it as a movie star
Experienced! In 2018, Seb told Adelaide Now he has ‘finally found his passion’ in life with acting and hopes to entertain people. He previously stripped off to model for an ‘Adelaide Party Girls’ feature that aired on Today Tonight in 2013 (pictured)
Josh Pihlak writes and performs his own viral comedy skits, and already has a cult following on social media.
The Newcastle-based truck driver, 28, has been creating multi-angle short films for TikTok and Instagram for the past year.
In one video, Josh played a tradesman father who disapproves of his son’s metrosexual lifestyle.
Future star? Truck driver Josh Pihlak (pictured) has been acting, directing and shooting his own multi-angle comedy skits for over a year now that he shares to TikTok and Instagram
Joker! In one, Josh played a tradie father disapproving of his son’s metrosexual lifestyle
Two other Married At First Sight stars, Steve Burley and Aleksandra Markovic, have already appeared on dating shows before.
In 2018, barbershop owner Steve, 51, starred on Channel Seven’s First Dates.
Meanwhile, Aleks, 27, appeared on Take Me Out that same year. She joked around with host Joel Creasey, but didn’t manage to secure a date.
First shot at TV love! In 2018, Steve Burley (right) starred on Seven’s First Dates with Fiona (left), who fancied herself a Jennifer Aniston lookalike on the show
Brutal! Although Fiona said she would be thrilled to see Steve again, before he rejected her, saying, ‘For me, I had a great time, but I didn’t feel the spark’
Hayley Vernon and Tash Herz are both experienced live performers.
While she has no formal acting experience , Tash, 31, previously worked as a burlesque dancer and striptease artist.
‘I have absolutely no shame about my work as a dancer,’ she recently told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I fully support all women working in the sex industry and I don’t have time for anyone who judges that. I embrace my sexuality and I am proud of my past.’
Throwback! Aleks Markovic (right) appeared on Take Me Out in 2018 where she joked around with host Joel Creasey (left), but she did not secure herself a date
Hayley, 32, is also proud of her former career as a topless waitress, which involved hosting bucks parties and corporate events in Melbourne under the alias ‘Lee’.
‘It was no secret to her friends and she never tried to hide it. She made great money, had fun and never did anything that made her feel uncomfortable,’ said a friend.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel Nine for comment.
Married At First Sight continues Monday at 7:30pm on Channel Nine
‘I have absolutely no shame about my work as a dancer’: Tash Herz (pictured) previously worked as a burlesque dancer with footage showing her performing a strip tease on stage
Proud! Similarly, Hayley Vernon (pictured) is proud of her former work as a topless waitress, where she entertained bucks parties and corporate events under the alias ‘Lee’