If you’ve watched anything on Channel 9 in the past few weeks, chances are you saw a Married At First Sight (MAFS) 2026 promo featuring a bride telling her groom at the altar that she couldn’t marry him.
It was a pretty incredible teaser, but after tuning into Monday night’s episode, fans discovered it wasn’t entirely accurate. Instead, the bride Alissa was pranking her husband-to-be David and said she couldn’t marry him until he got down on one knee and proposed.
Well, it turns out the joke was on her as David refused to propose in a very awkward TV moment. Their wedding guests looked on in horror as Alissa pretty much begged him to pop the question (and said she wouldn’t marry him unless he did), and he repeatedly declined until eventually doing as she asked.
The whole moment was quite bizarre, to put it mildly, and viewers called out both Alissa for her bold first impression and David for denying his bride’s seemingly simple request.
MAFS‘ David reveals why he didn’t want to propose to Alissa
Following Monday night’s episode, the 31-year-old groom explained the reason behind his hesitation and told PEDESTRIAN.TV that he simply wasn’t sure of Alissa’s intentions.
“Well, the thing was, I needed to figure out whether that was a prank, or she was just trying to emasculate me, or it was genuinely something she needed. So that’s why I took my time,” he said.
“I was assessing the crowd and assessing her family. Her family and friends were lovely, by the way, and so I sort of picked that energy from them. I was like, okay, she needs this reassurance, and that’s when I decided to get down on the knee.”
David added that his decision to propose “doesn’t make [him] less of a man”, and was instead an example of him putting his ego aside and honouring “what [he] thought would be a good relationship”.
“I went down on one knee because I chose reassurance,” he continued. “I don’t know what she went through in the past, but if anyone was in my shoes in the moment and saw the raw emotion from her family and her friends, it honestly felt to me like she went through some hard stuff.
“So for me as a man, it doesn’t take away from my presence or my stature to get down on the knee if a woman that I’m getting involved with needs reassurance. For me, it was just all about reassurance and not a power dynamic. I wouldn’t change anything.”
The most disgusting kiss in MAFS history?
David and Alissa’s awkward proposal wasn’t the only moment from their wedding that broke the internet, with their first smooch being described as “the most disgusting kiss in MAFS history” on social media.
Unlike their co-stars Rachel and Steven, who shared a polite peck, the couple locked lips for an uncomfortable amount of time — and David agrees it was way too much for primetime TV.
“I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t know there was another camera on the side, so that angle was diabolical to watch on TV,” he told P.TV. “I don’t think I was able to watch all of the kiss; it was just too much. I’m sorry, mum!”
The chaos is just getting started, with David teasing that viewers should “strap in” for a one-of-a-kind season.
“You’re in for a wild ride, and you haven’t seen nothing yet. That’s all I’m gonna say,” he hinted.
MAFS airs Monday — Thursday at 7:30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.
The post MAFS’ David Has Shared The Real Reason Why He Didn’t Want To Propose To Alissa appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
