Married At First Sight bride Rhi Disljenkovic has broken her silence about the shocking moment she came face-to-face with her groom – only to realise he was an ex – during Thursday night’s episode of the show.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail Australia, Rhi opened up about the bizarre experience of marrying Neighbours star Jeff Gobbels, a man she had briefly dated.
‘It was surreal. You sign up for an experiment where you’re marrying a stranger. And then… I married someone who I’d already dated! It was a pretty crazy experience,’ Rhi began.
Rhi’s overwhelming surprise was crystal clear when she walked down the aisle, and immediately recognised Jeff.
‘I think the look on my face and me stopping at the end of the aisle says it all. I remember thinking, “How is this going to work?” That was what made me stop…I was so shocked to see him standing there!’ she said.
The big moment also captured Jeff’s stunned reaction upon seeing the Melbourne-based fitness blogger walk down the aisle.
Jeff, who looked suave in a black three-piece suit, immediately began laughing when he saw glamorous bride Rhi walking up to meet him.
As she reached the altar, Jeff said: ‘Hi Rhi,’ in a clear sign of their past connection, going against the show’s famous concept that the couples marry upon ‘first sight’.
In response, Rhi looked equally as shocked as she declared: ‘What the hell?’
Despite their awkward history, the pair promised to work hard at developing a relationship for the sake of the experiment.
‘We made a pact we’d give the experiment 100 percent. We said, “We’ve been paired together for a reason, let’s really give it a go.” You’ll see in the coming weeks we gave every task our best shot,’ Rhi explained.
Although they briefly dated, they never introduced each other to their loved ones, which meant their wedding guests were none the wiser.
Rhi admitted she went into the dating show completely blind and had no idea what was in store for her.
‘Jeff and I had no idea we were going to be on the show together… absolutely not. I was genuinely shocked,’ she said.
‘I don’t know if the producers knew… Maybe? I think it was just a fluke.’
The Melbourne-based account manager added she was disappointed footage from their wedding reception was not aired.
‘Yeah, our reception wasn’t shown, which was a shame. I would have loved to see our friends’ reactions. I guess there was just a lot more drama going on with other couples, our story took a backseat,’ she lamented.
As she and Jeff have such similar personalities Rhi wasn’t surprised the crew matched them.
‘Jeff is definitely the type of guy I’d normally date. I can see why our friends introduced us in the first place and why the experts put us together. We’re very similar people,’ she said.
‘Our values align, and what I look for in a partner is exactly what Jeff is.
‘Timing played a huge part in why we didn’t work out last year, but just because something looks good on paper doesn’t mean it’s good in real life.’
However, she admitted their relationship still faced the major hurdle of developing a romance when they had both previously decided they were better off as friends.
‘It is going to be quite difficult to get past the friend zone. That’s what stunned me at the aisle. All these thoughts were going through my head, like, “This is never going to work.” We caught up a couple of times after we dated, purely platonic,’ she said.
She added that the awkwardness of the situation put a stop to any romance during their honeymoon.
‘Honeymoons are supposed to be about holding hands, kissing and being intimate. That was far from what Jeff and I were doing. We were just trying to navigate the crazy situation. There were a fair few awkward moments, but we made it work,’ she confessed.
Are Jeff and Rhi still together?
When asked about their current relationship status, Rhi remained tight-lipped.
‘I can’t tell you much, but luckily, Jeff and I maintained our friendship throughout. I think that’s why our chemistry comes across so strong, because we have a lot of respect for each other,’ she said.
She added that viewers will be in for quite a few surprises as they watch things unfold on screen – and promised many shocking and cringeworthy moments.
‘There’s going to be 100 percent awkwardness at the dinner parties. I take a little time to warm up, but once I do, I can be quite fiery. Jeff really shocked me, too,’ she explained.
‘There were times I looked over and couldn’t believe some of the things he was saying. Honestly, I was proud of him for coming out of his shell.’
Reflecting on her experience, Rhi revealed the one thing that stood out the most about the Neighbours actor-turned reality TV star.
‘You don’t really get to know someone until you live with them, and we were thrown into the deep end. Jeff is extremely consistent. What you see is what you get, I really respect that.’
Married At First Sight continues Sunday at 7pm on Channel Nine
