Married at First Sight couple Bennett Kirschner and Amelia Fatsi have confirmed they are ending their marriage and have formally filed for divorce.
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Court documents obtained by E! News reveal that Bennett and Amelia quietly filed for divorce in Virginia on October 14.
Specifics about the pair's divorce have yet surface, but Amelia and Bennett still follow each other on Instagram and seemingly had an amicable split.
It's been about four months since rumors first surfaced Bennett and Amelia had called it quits on their marriage.
In late July, the @MAFSfan Instagram account reported Amelia and Bennett had opted to go their separate ways and become single again.
@MAFSfan apparently received many messages from people claiming to be Amelia and/or Bennett's friends with information about the couple's alleged split.
One alleged friend wrote to the Instagram account, "BenMelia is no more. In his words 'she unexpectedly and inexplicably dumped me.'"
Another person claimed, "[I] can confirm that I saw [Bennett] make out with a woman who was not Amelia!"
The person pointed out, however, how Amelia and Bennett could have been in an open relationship, going through a rough patch, and still legally married although not technically "together."
@MAFSfan also said someone had talked to one of Bennett's friends over the summer and Bennett said during that conversation that his relationship with Amelia was over.
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Yet another Instagram user alleged at the time that Amelia had gone on a date with his or her friend.
"We were all very confused when [Amelia's new date] told us about [Amelia] because we were like -- ummm she's married," the user wrote to @MAFSfan.
More people also wrote comments on Reddit about the supposed demise of Amelia and Bennett's marriage.
"I can confirm they're done. I have a friend in New Orleans who is friends with Bennett and said they broke up a few months ago," a Reddit user previously wrote.
When asked if the friend had revealed the reason for Amelia and Bennett's alleged split, the Reddit user responded, "She said that according to him, it was mainly due to the distance in the pandemic and communication issues. But I'm sure there's more to the story!"
As Married at First Sight fans probably recall, Amelia left New Orleans not long after her wedding -- which aired in Summer 2020 -- to do her medical residency in Virginia.
During a late June episode of Married at First Sight: Couples Cam, fellow Season 11 MAFS star Miles Williams FaceTimed with Bennett, who revealed he was back in his tiny house in New Orleans while Amelia was working hard at her medical residency in Richmond, VA.
Although Bennett mentioned Amelia, he did not provide an actual relationship update, which allowed Couples Cam viewers to assume he and Amelia were still together.
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It appears Bennett and Amelia's breakup must have happened after Valentine's Day 2021.
On February 14, Bennett wrote a long post in honor of his best friend, Harry, who served as the best man in Bennett and Amelia's wedding, and Bennett confirmed his relationship with Amelia was still going strong at the time.
"One year ago today, I got married to my love, Amelia... And before you ask: YES, Amelia and I are still together!" Bennett wrote in part.
Amelia and Bennett were matched for matrimony by Married at First Sight experts Pastor Calvin Roberson, Dr. Pepper Schwartz and Dr. Viviana Coles on Season 11.
Amelia and Bennett had met each other twice in public settings prior to their wedding day, and so they believed their Married at First Sight wedding was fate.
They ended up being a fan-favorite couple on Married at First Sight due to their quirky personalities, unique outlook on life and relationships, and their apparent instant connection and fast-growing love.
But Bennett was a little taken aback during the season when Amelia admitted she had signed up for Married at First Sight just for a fun adventure rather than a lifelong commitment.
Regardless, Bennett said their romance was very "serendipitous" and he had experienced "a truly transformative relationship" with Amelia.
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Amelia and Bennett chose to stay together on "Decision Day" and gushed about their love for each other on the reunion special.
"Amelia, you are so funny. You are so generous with your spirit to everyone around you, and it has been nothing but a source of joy having you in my life. I have a little surprise for you," Bennett told his wife in front of the experts.
Bennett then unbuttoned his pants -- which shocked the experts, as they worried he was about to strip in front of them -- and showed Amelia a tattoo he got below his pantline with Amelia's initials "AF" inside of a heart!
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"I guess this means we're probably going to be married forever," Amelia said.
Bennett said he and Amelia had a bright future ahead of them and they'd be heading to Virginia soon. Bennett planned to split his time between Virginia and Louisiana.
The couple went on to appear on Season 2 of Married at First Sight: Couples Cam, but they were left off the cast list for Season 3, which premiered June 2, 2021 on Lifetime.
Of the five couples who tied the knot on Married at First Sight's eleventh season, the ones who are still together are Miles and Karen Landry as well as Woody Randall and Amani Rashid-Smith.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski