The 6 words these MAFS men need to just say to their partners.

You know the feeling when you're dating someone new. It's going well. You get along. You enjoy their company. But wait, there's something wrong.

That missing ingredient? You like them, but they don't like you like that. 

It's a feeling that I'd hazard a guess that quite a few past and present grooms on this year's Married at First Sight can relate to. But for some reason, there are six words that none of them are willing to say…

I'm just not that into you.

These words are all too familiar to women, especially those who frequently date. The catchphrase rose to prominence with the 2004 book He's Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo.

It's a basic but efficient explanation for rejection that resonated with women who felt empowered by its message.

The book title would go on to be adapted as a big-budget rom-com, be name-checked on Gilmore Girls, and the dating mantra offered a 'eureka' moment for Miranda Hobbs on Sex and the City (albeit misguided as she mistook diarrhoea for rejection).

And the phrase goes a long way to explain some of the MAFS men's frankly baffling behaviour lately.

Watch Dave and Jamie on their wedding day. Post continues after video. 

Starting with Dave Hand, he had a sudden change of heart towards his partner Jamie Marinos during feedback week. Since this stumble, their relationship has been on rocky ground.

When meeting Jamie's sister this week, Georgia directly asked Dave "Are you falling in love with Jamie?"

To this, Dave couldn't quite figure out his feelings, mumbling about not feeling a "love connection" but assuring her that he wanted to "get there".

Georgia considered his tepid reply 'f**king grim', and I'm with her.

At the previous commitment ceremony, the experts asked Dave if he had 'romantic feelings' for Jamie. "I think I do," he answered after a pause. Again, grim.

At the previous dinner party, Dave was equally vague as he told the other men, "There's things that she wants and I can't give it to her."

It's all so… meaningless.

The same goes for Teejay Halkias, who hasn't been able to put into words why he's suddenly lost interest in Beth Kelly.

"Is my daughter going to get heartbroken?" Beth's dad asked Teejay this week.

His response? More empty platitudes and wishy-washy answers.

"We don't know what's on the horizon, I care so much for Beth..." he uttered, as Beth's bestie Darcy cut in to add "I care about my dog."

Beth and Teejay's relationship is on the rocks. Image: Nine. 

At a lunch with his friends, the word salad from Teejay continued. "I think what we're trying to work out at the moment is, is our connection going to flourish into a relationship? So, there's obviously something that's lacking between us for me to say 'yes, I want to have a relationship with this person.'"

It's like a man puzzle and we have to decode it, right?

But perhaps, this is all just a distraction for the feelings that both Dave and Teejay are trying to repress for their partners: they're just not that into them.

Without these six wise words in their toolbelts, the men are really struggling to verbalise their thoughts. So much so that in the absence of 'love' for these women, they have resorted to 'I don't hate them' as a consolation prize.

"I don't hate the girl," Dave told his fellow grooms at last week's dinner party.

"Oh, look... I don't hate her guts," he again reiterated to producers. "I don't hate her... but I do care about her. I'm not progressing in any other feelings." Enough! We get it!

Then this week, Teejay comforted Beth by saying "we don't hate each other," which is, umm… a choice.

Both Dave and Teejay started off smoothly in their couples before gradually the men stopped initiating intimacy with their partners. And in the case of both men, they can't quite explain why.

HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU.

The book specifically notes that "if he's not sleeping with you", this could be a sign of disinterest, especially in the early stages of a relationship aka the MAFS experiment.

Dave's feelings for Jamie are unclear. Image: Nine. 

These six words would have explained a lot of the 2025 cast's questionable explanations of why their relationships weren't working.

Tony Mojanovski had to conjure up a hypothetical baby, Billy Belcher a non-cheating scandal, and Tim Gromie an indescribable missing 'spark' to cover up an obvious truth: they just weren't that into their brides.

So why all the unnecessary musings about 'feelings' and 'connection', when these men can just express how they feel?

MAFS quite famously doesn't love honesty — especially when its women wielding the truth stick.

Lauren Hall was upfront about her lack of romantic connection with Clint Rice, and she was scolded by the group, experts, and the public for it.

Veronica Cloherty was another bride who was honest about her feelings for her partner, Eliot Donovan, and copped immense backlash as a consequence.

I can't blame Dave and Teejay (I will blame Tim) for not owning up to their potentially true feelings, but I will recommend they rent the movie He's Just Not That Into You and report back asap.

Feature image: Nine.