MAFS groom Eliot Donovan reveals shock connection to intruder Sam Stanton – as he shares throwback bar photo from Saint Martin

Eliot Donovan, who appeared on Married At First Sight, has shared that he and new contestant Sam Stanton actually know each other from before the show.

The former Married at First Sight contestant posted an old photo on TikTok showing them together at a busy bar in Saint Martin in 2014, years before they became known on reality television.

The photo shows Eliot and Sam, both smiling and holding beers, sitting next to each other in tank tops.

Eliot, with his messy dark hair and athletic physique, gives a laid-back wave. Meanwhile, Sam is all smiles, casually looping his arm around Eliot, who is now also a groom on Married at First Sight.

The sunny, lively bar scene feels much more relaxed and like a fun work break, unlike the stressful dinner parties that were part of the study.

In a video clip, Eliot started to reveal information about the new masked character, saying, ‘I actually know this guy.’ He quickly added with a laugh, ‘Just kidding—he’s not a villain!’

Eliot explained the pair met more than a decade ago while working as personal trainers.

‘We met back in 2014 though, there’s a photo of us together at a bar in Saint Martin,’ he said.

I ended up in charge of a ship where he was employed. I’ll always remember how much everyone admired him – they all thought he was incredible.

Eliot admitted he was intrigued by Sam’s popularity at the time.

I messaged him and said, ‘Seriously, what did you do to this cast? They seem completely obsessed with you.’

Despite the hype, Eliot insisted Sam was the real deal.

‘We ended up meeting up later on and he is just a really genuine, sweet guy.’

The pair eventually lost touch over the years and have not spoken since.

@not_eliotd

The truth about the new mafs intruder…

♬ original sound – Eliot Donovan

‘We don’t talk or anything, so I don’t know how his journey goes,’ Eliot said.

But he made it clear he is backing his former colleague to find love.

I’m really hoping he finds love during the show. It’s great to see someone positive and genuine joining the experiment, because honestly, I haven’t been wanting to watch lately – it’s become too focused on drama and negativity.

Eliot’s show of support comes as Sam himself has been navigating his own on-screen drama.

The fitness studio owner, 34, recently spoke out about his husband Chris’ surprising news about having a baby. He shared that he’s been doing a lot of thinking about it and wondered if he should have realized it was happening earlier.

Sam told the Daily Mail that he feels he should have been informed about the situation beforehand. He believes he deserved to know what to expect.

However, he was quick to show empathy towards his partner.

I understand Chris’s need to feel secure in our relationship before sharing such important news with me, and I sympathize with that.

‘I’ve thought about that a lot and wondered whether it was the right timing.’

Despite the looming revelation, Sam said he believes he will handle the moment maturely.

‘I think when he does tell me, I’ll receive that news well.’

Although viewers saw a strong connection between the couple during their wedding in Episode 14, Sam revealed that they didn’t feel an immediate spark.

‘I wouldn’t say it was instant connection,’ he said.

When I turned around, I immediately thought he was handsome – he had striking blue eyes and a good appearance. But it was clear he was a stranger, someone I didn’t know at all.

Instead, he felt there was potential to build something meaningful.

‘I had high hopes. There was a lot of potential. I just wanted to get to know him.’

Okay, so Sam? He’s just amazing. He doesn’t hold back, you know? Like, when Tyson was being…well, a bit much, Sam totally called him out on it! It was so refreshing to see someone actually address the drama instead of letting it slide. I’m totally team Sam on this one – he’s keeping it real!

‘What I’m not liking is seeing this Sergeant Tyson and the way that he speaks to women,’ Sam said.

‘I think that’s the problem with him. He really has some misogynistic values deep in him.’

With people starting to team up and disagreements growing, Sam hinted that there might be trouble brewing between the couples.

‘The Chris and Gia versus Sam and Beck – there might be something there,’ he said.

Still, he insisted he did not sign up to ride out a doomed marriage for airtime.

I wasn’t going to continue with it if I realized it wouldn’t be successful. I don’t believe in staying in a situation that has no potential.

2026-03-01 01:22

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