It’s the morning after the third Commitment Ceremony and while many of the marriages are on the up, there’s been a surprising development for Sandy and Dan. Last night Sandy suffered the excruciating public admission that Dan is not sexually attracted to her. Yet, this morning, they’ve taken the surprising next step and consummated their marriage.
While Sandy struggles to make sense of her husband’s dramatic change of heart, Melinda and Layton are left in no doubt about the events of last night. Harrison’s solo performance on the couch is the hot topic; while he appeared to be fighting back tears about Bronte’s ongoing struggle with endometriosis; they’re neither impressed by his acting nor his attempt to reinvent himself as a loving husband. Meanwhile Cam starts the day with a massive bunch of flowers for affection-starved wife Lyndall but is far more concerned with the other big drama of the night: Claire forcing husband Jesse to stay in the experiment, having just admitted to cheating on him. Claire is determined to win Jesse back this week.
As the newest couples Evelyn and Rupert and Tayla and Hugo embark on a crash course in the experiment – there’s much work to be done. Evelyn and Rupert share an intimate hug that sends their relationship skyward while Hugo stages an intervention over Tayla relegating him to the couch. But Hugo finds a different way to display his frustrations, by awarding Tayla the controversial position of second last in the photo ranking task. She quickly descends into a thunderous mood; could this be a decision he’ll come to regret?
Meanwhile Family and Friends meetings are well under way. Tensions rise as Claire realises her illicit kiss must now be shared with her otherwise adoring Dad, Lee. But even less enthusiastic about the meeting is Jesse who’s still trying to make sense of the reason he’s still here. Alyssa and Duncan’s family meeting isn’t any easier – as Alyssa’s mum Debi drills down on whether her daughter’s husband is ready for life in the outside world as a stepfather. She’s concerned Duncan might be ‘too good to be true’, and her verdict does little to reassure Alyssa’s growing anxiety about their future.
Sandy’s confusion over Dan’s move to sleep with her deepens as he disappears for the day, leaving her home alone and heartbroken. When Dan arrives back to the apartment, it leads to an excruciatingly awkward meeting. Sandy’s sister Kiran goes to defend her, while Dan gets stuck into a series of complaints and criticisms of Sandy that leave her shattered.
