Embarrassing yearbook photos emerge of this year’s Married At First Sight participants

While they’re well on their way to becoming household names, this year’s Married At First Sight participants look unrecognisable in their old school photos.

Recently unearthed yearbook photos of the MAFS cast show just how much they’ve changed since leaving school, as first reported by New Idea magazine.

On Sunday, a yearbook photo emerged of Bryce Ruthven, and it was revealed he’d gone to school with another MAFS alum, Ivan Sarakula.

The photo showed a fresh-faced Bryce, 31, beaming at the camera with a ruffled haircut, which was all the rage in the noughties.

Now, photos have emerged of some of his other co-stars on this year’s season of the hit Channel Nine reality show.

Bryce’s ‘wife’, Melissa Rawson, looks unrecognisable with her toothy grin and freckled face.

The 31-year-old workplace trainer also had thinner lips and slightly darker blonde hair, which she wore with a fringe.

‘I was very shy and quiet at school, not too dissimilar to who I am now. Thankfully, I had two besties,’ she said.

Russell Duance has also changed dramatically since leaving school, with the bespectacled MAFS star without his trademark glasses in his yearbook photo.

The 37-year-old diesel mechanic also had floppy brown hair, which he wore in face-framing waves.

Meanwhile, Joanne Todd seems to have changed the least out of all the brides on this year’s show.

The 39-year-old barber had slightly darker blonde hair and pencil thin eyebrows.

‘Let’s be honest, high school were the days of bad brows! I didn’t really enjoy it – I’m glad I don’t ever have to go back!’ she admitted.

Jo’s ‘husband’, James Susler, also appears strikingly similar to his current appearance in his yearbook picture.

The main difference is the 44-year-old prestige car company owner’s lack of a beard and his hair, which isn’t packed with its usual product. 

‘When I was in Year Eight, all the Year Seven’s were taller than me! I was also a little chubby, therefore I was bullied a lot,’ he recounted.

One of the most dramatic makeovers was Coco Stedman, who looks completely different from when she was at school.

The 30-year-old pilates studio owner had long blonde hair and was a pioneer of the fake tan trend that swept the early noughties.  

‘I was a larrikin at school. I was a boarder from Year Seven to 12 and was lucky to have a big circle of friends, who were my family,’ she said. 

After previously revealing on MAFS that she was badly bullied at school, Belinda Vickers appears to have hardly aged a day.

The 29-year-old salesperson’s school photo shows her with straightened hair, a change from her trademark long brunette curls.

Meanwhile, Rebecca Zemek underwent a complete makeover after leaving high school.

A photo, presumably taken at her school formal, shows the 27-year-old business manager with black and blonde two-toned hair.

Her face was also noticeably fuller, and her lips were thinner than they appear now.

Alana Lister has also changed dramatically from her school days, with her high school photo showing her with a rounder face.

The 30-year-old teacher also had darker hair and a sweeping side fringe.

While he’s known for his clean-cut good looks now, Jake Edwards’ school photo hints at a mischievous past.

Aside from his messy waves, the 32-year-old former footballer had a telling sparkle in his eyes. 

Fellow groom Jason Engler has also undergone a noticeable makeover since leaving high school.

The 35-year-old construction estimator appeared without his usual beard and had tousled hair in his high school photo.

Meanwhile, Patrick Hayes Dwyer looked like a smoother-faced version of his current self, with the 27-year-old showing off lighter hair during his school days.

Sam Carraro has also changed from his school days, with the MAFS villain wearing a popped collar with his school uniform.

The 32-year-old construction worker also had much darker hair, with only a few blonde highlights framing his face.