A Married At First Sight couple have broken their silence after being kicked off the upcoming season in one of the show’s most explosive off-camera scandals. 

Micah Lomu and Ankita Karungalekar, who viewers will never get to see on screen, say they were blindsided when producers ordered them to pack their bags and leave following damaging allegations about Micah that began circulating on TikTok.

‘They told me it was in my best interest to be dismissed from the show for my mental health,’ Micah, 28, told Daily Mail in a sit-down exclusive chat.

‘But by doing that, they practically gave validation that I’d done something wrong. There was no visual proof, no history of wrongdoing, nothing. I was painted as someone to be scared of.’

‘It felt sort of like a bit of a scapegoat, to be honest.’ 

Ankita, 29, added: ‘We were shocked when Channel Nine said we couldn’t handle the backlash.

‘That’s not their decision to make. We went through all the psychological checks, hundreds of pages of paperwork, background vetting, and passed everything. 

‘Suddenly, they decided we weren’t strong enough.’

The pair say they had one of the strongest weddings of the season, with guests chanting and cheering as they hit it off instantly.

‘The only thing I was happy about is I was matched with him – because we just got along,’ Ankita said. 

Photographs taken by Daily Mail show the lavish multicultural ceremony at Sydney’s historic Lindesay House in Darling Point.

Ankita stunned in a sage green and gold lehenga embroidered with intricate detailing, carrying a striking bouquet of yellow and peach blooms.

At the same time, Micah cut a sharp figure in an all-black tailored suit with a boutonnière to match.

After the ceremony, they spent three days honeymooning in Cairns and bonding before everything suddenly changed.

‘We were told not to have any contact,’ Ankita recalled.

‘We were not allowed to talk to each other at all, no contact, no meeting,’ she added.

‘Something’s wrong, like something’s wrong, you know?’ 

‘I thought it was just part of the process, but then the dinner party came around and we were still banned from seeing each other. It was anxiety all day and no one told us what was going on.’

Micah said producers called him in, told him about a TikTok allegation, and then abruptly separated them.

‘I was shook. I cried for hours,’ he admitted.

‘It was hard to ever think of myself like that… to be painted that way, when it goes against everything I am and everything my culture stands for, was devastating. I come from a very female-dominant Polynesian family. To be accused of that was deeply disrespectful.’

Ankita confirmed she only ever received a single anonymous DM from a burner account that said: ‘Run for your life. This man is manipulative.’

‘There were no screenshots, no texts, nothing,’ she said. ‘We were floored that Channel Nine made such a huge decision based on TikTok videos without receipts.’

Micah says he begged producers to refer the allegation to police so he could clear his name.

‘I said, please go to the police so I can fight it,’ he revealed. ‘By dismissing me, you’re giving validation that I’ve done wrong. But they never did. There was nothing.’

‘Please tell this person to go to the police so I can fight it, because I’d never want anyone to stay in the shadows.’

‘You can’t Google my name without saying scandal, allegations, stuff like this.’ 

‘I’ve never done anything other than a parking ticket.’ 

Ankita added: ‘We had meetings with Channel Nine and they admitted there were no receipts of sexual assault or domestic violence, which is what people online were saying. Nothing. And yet they told us we couldn’t continue because we supposedly couldn’t handle the backlash. That was never their call to make.’

The couple believe they were made scapegoats so Nine could look tough in the wake of past controversies.

‘They’ve kept people on in previous seasons who had actual proof against them,’ Ankita said.

‘Why us, when other cast with actual proof against them were kept on the show?’

‘Those people were given second chances, even rematched. Why weren’t we? Was it because we were the youngest couple? Or because we came from diverse cultural backgrounds?’

Micah agreed: ‘It felt like they didn’t want the risk of having us on screen because we already had attention from our cultures and families. They thought the allegations would overshadow the whole season. But the right thing would’ve been to let us stay and clear the air.’ 

‘Even if I can’t get in, at least give Ankita the chance – don’t take her down with me.’ 

Micah said the ordeal took a toll on his loved ones.

‘I walked in on my mum one day, scrolling through all the comments. She was visibly shaken. As a mother, she just wanted to protect me — but it was eating away at her,’ he said.

Even Ankita said she was heartbroken watching the toll it took on Micah’s family. 

‘Seeing his mum shake while begging producers to give us a chance was horrible,’ she said. ‘She couldn’t understand why we were being removed when we were genuinely happy together.’

Ankita admitted she still feels like she ‘failed’ her community.

‘I’m anxious about going out in public because I don’t have answers for people,’ she said. ‘One day you’re taking vows, the next you’re told you’re not even allowed to speak to your husband. I lost the opportunity, but I also lost my marriage.’

‘I still feel married – and then they told me to pack my bags and leave. That hurts, bro. That hurts.’ 

The couple also accused producers of treating them unequally behind the scenes.

‘The way they spoke to Micah was sympathetic. To me, it was ruthless,’ Ankita said. ‘I was polite, respectful, and still got treated like rubbish. It was shocking.’

‘The way they treated me like s**t… I’ve never been treated like that.’ 

She added, ‘It was so easy for them to cast me and be nice at the start, but when it came time to drop us, they vanished. Producers stopped replying to my messages. I even thanked one of them for their support and never got a response back.’

Micah echoed her frustration: ‘I even told them – don’t take her down with me. At least let her continue. But they wouldn’t. She was collateral damage.’

Ankita said: ‘It felt like we were collateral damage – easy to drop, easy to silence.’ 

Ankita also revealed she was misled for weeks with the false promise of a rematch.

‘They told me I might be re-coupled, but they knew all along I wasn’t going back in,’ she said. ‘They kept me dangling for two weeks, telling me to sit tight, while the other cast members already knew who the intruders were.’

‘They dangled carrots about a re-coupling, kept me in a hotel for two weeks, and then cut me [from the show].’

The pair also revealed the hidden financial burden of being axed.

‘We quit our jobs, we invested in outfits, in everything,’ Ankita said.

‘People don’t realise producers pick our outfits too. You’re mentally stressed, financially stressed, and then told to just leave.’

Micah added: ‘It’s not just the mental side. There are real financial consequences when you’re told to walk away.’

Despite everything, Micah and Ankita remain close.

‘There’s no label on it, but we’ll always be in each other’s lives,’ Micah said.

‘If marriage felt like this, I’d get married every day.’ 

‘I’m always gonna back her with whatever she does and I’m always gonna stand by her.’ 

‘The experts actually did a good job matching us. I told her, even if you get rematched, I’ll support you all the way.’

Ankita added: ‘Even though it was for a show, I still think of myself as married. Even if it was short, it was real.

I’m still grieving the loss of my marriage, even if it was for TV. I wanted to give it a real shot.’

Both now say they want viewers to understand the human toll of cancel culture.

‘It’s easier to make a TikTok than to go to police,’ Micah said.

‘But the consequences are real. My family, my mum, even my grandma – they were all affected by this.’

The pair have one blunt message for anyone considering applying for MAFS.

‘If you’re sensitive or naïve, don’t do it,’ Ankita warned.

‘This process will break you. I’m a strong woman, and it nearly ruined my mental health.’

Micah added: ‘If you’ve got skeletons in your closet, don’t apply. But if you’re genuine like us, just know the show won’t always protect you.’