MAFS' Alessandra on Australia's low-effort dating culture: 'The men have no game'

Married at First Sight season 11 is kicking off next week and the season is touted to be the most dramatic and divisive yet with cheating, revenge porn, and walkouts all part of the big storylines for this year's series.

Alessandra Rampolla, a clinical sexologist, has been an expert on the series since 2021, guiding couples on how to communicate their relationship needs and wants within the pressure-cooker environment of the experiment.

When talking about the upcoming MAFS series with Yahoo Lifestyle, Alessandra said Season 11 left her with her "jaw on the floor" multiple times.

"You see people react to situations and do things that perhaps can be shocking and that you wouldn't expect, there are some very memorable participants from this upcoming series," Alessandra told Yahoo Lifestyle.

"It's difficult to gauge the level of shock from one season to another, but in this series, there are absolutely shocking moments that leave me with my jaw on the floor. You will see my jaw drop!"

'Men have no game'

In recent months, Australia as a nation has gone viral on TikTok and other social media platforms for its low-effort nature when it comes to dating and pursuing romantic relationships.

In particular, heterosexual Aussie men have been slammed on TikTok for being bad at dating, with women saying they are "in the trenches" when it comes to trying to meet and date men because of their low-effort and overly casual approach to dating.

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"I've been saying this for years!" Alessandra exclaimed when asked about whether Aussie men — both on and off the show — should be stepping up more.

"I think it's something that needs to be discussed. The way I've phrased it in the past is that the men have no game. Where's the game? Where's the pursuer? Where's the effort?" she asked.

"Effort especially, I want to find the sexiness, where is it? I don't see it in the participants, they're not bringing it, I don't see it in the dating world, they're not bringing it."

"It has been a critique from a really good place because I want them to do better, they can do better. I am part of this family that produces MAFS and they [Aussie men and women] are just not communicating because nobody's doing anything!" she said.

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"I think as an observation for men, there's a lot to be said, and it's very sexy the confidence of a man who can say 'I am interested in you and want to pursue that' and let you know," Alessandra continued. "I think when people are clear and we say what we want and mean what we say, we avoid a lot of heartache. I think it's good we discuss this more and men should be putting in more effort."

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