MAFS expert John Aiken thought show would never "be popular"
Married at First Sight Australia star John Aiken has revealed he initially thought the show was never going to be a success.
The relationship expert, who appears alongside Mel Schilling and Alessandra Rampolla on the hit Australian series, shared how he thought the show idea was initially "weird" and that it was never going to pay off.
"I was confused by it because it was a very weird concept, marrying strangers,” he told The Spinoff. "There was a part of me that was thinking, 'well, if I don't get it, it's not going anywhere. It's a relationship show, it's never going to be that hugely popular."
Related: MAFS UK's Paul C Brunson teases "authentic" new season
MAFS Australia first premiered back in 2014, with John noting how different the show was 10 years ago.
"It was a very small show that was on once a week for an hour with just four couples," he recalled. "There were no dinner parties, no commitment ceremonies, nothing like that."
The dating coach added that it's since expanded from a "quaint" show to one that now even carries a public service.
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"It is strangely now this kind of educational show, where people are learning about terms from the relationship world, like gaslighting," he said.
"When I hold people to account, the audience are seeing that there is behaviour that’s appropriate and behaviour that’s inappropriate, which is a very effective way of learning."
John admitted that, as a result, he's had emails from fans all over the world telling him they've left toxic relationships after seeing such behaviour being called out on the show.
Married at First Sight Australia now airs in over 120 countries and UK fans of the franchise have another season to look forward to. Season 11 is currently airing down under, with E4 expected to share details of a UK release date soon.
Married at First Sight UK airs on E4 in the UK. Married at First Sight Australia airs on Nine Network in Australia and E4 in the UK.
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