MAFS fans turn on John Aiken after 'disappointing' NZ series: 'Snarky'

He’s one of the most beloved reality TV personalities in Australia, having appeared on every season of Married At First Sight since it first premiered in 2015, but fans are divided over John Aiken’s recent appearance on the New Zealand series. The 53-year-old reprised his role as a relationship expert on the Kiwi version alongside sex therapist Jo Robertson as they helped a group of 10 brides and grooms find love over just four weeks.

Following the season reunion on Tuesday, several viewers took to Reddit to express their “disappointment” over the show’s shorter format and lower budget. One fan also commented that they thought the way John spoke to some of the participants in the final episode was “really disrespectful” and he shouldn’t return to the series.

“Anyone else feeling John Aiken is just as toxic as some of the contestants?” they wrote. “I noticed that he started to become snarky and angry about halfway through MAFS Australia last year. He just seems like he doesn't want to be there and I agree. His contract should not be renewed. He's just cringe now.”

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Quite a few viewers seemed to agree with this opinion, with one user even suggesting that John only cared about “holding people to account and telling them they’re bad people” rather than helping their relationships.

“I'm sure it's producer-driven, but he does seem like he just dislikes everyone,” they added. “This NZ season he seemed a bit softer by comparison, but I understand where you're coming from.”

MAFS NZ vs. MAFS Australia

While some fans admitted earlier in the season that they thought the NZ version was their favourite amongst the international franchises and they liked that there were fewer couples, others couldn’t disagree more.

One fan wrote on Reddit that MAFS NZ makes the other versions look “significantly superior” and questioned why they even produced another season after the series went on hiatus in 2019.

“The small number of couples, the two uninterested and unskilled ‘experts’, the ridiculous matches and the short time frame made this season far from worthy of watching,” they wrote. “Seriously what was the point?”

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“This season was just a bit of a s**t show, it was so short I swore it had just started and only one of the couples lasted!” another remarked. “Idk how they can call themselves experts as only one of the couples was compatible.”

Someone else shared: “In short a season which should never have been filmed. Experts who know nothing about real relationships and pair people who were obviously completely incompatible right from the start. Contestants who were never open to finding anyone unless they fitted in their idea of perfect.”

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