MAFS’ John Aiken chuckles while being confronted on street over ‘enabling abusive behaviour’

This season of MAFS Australia has already been enveloped in controversy, and while most of it has to do with the toxic grooms, people have also taken issue with the silence from experts John Aiken, Mel Schilling, and Alessandra Rampolla.

Reality TV and controversy go hand in hand but I swear season 12 of MAFS has been more toxic than usual? On the show itself, we’ve watched Eliot Donovan and Tim Gromie dig their own graves and it’s only set to grow more toxic as the weeks roll on, according to people in Australia who are fast approaching the finale.

Outside of the show, two grooms have had police investigations launched into their behaviour: Paul Antoine for punching a wall and Ryan Donnelly for allegedly sharing “sensitive, private and sexual” content of wife Jacqui Burfoot online. It’s super messy, and yet, the experts have remained tight-lipped and people have accused them of not holding people to account and doing in-depth background checks before casting people.

Having had enough, podcast Josh Fox hunted down John Aiken to ask him some questions.

@jshfx

In the latest ep of my investigative pod series, I shine a spotlight on the MAFS relationship “experts” and the ethical issues Dr Trisha Stratford raised before quitting in 2021. After having my questions ignored over email, I put them to John Aiken in real life. Despite greeting me by name and with a hand shake, repeatedly asking “what else I have I got” while refusing to answer anything and then laughing at me and filming me from his phone as he hid in a nearby restaurant, he has since accused me, via Channel Nine, of “harassment, intimidation and being threatening”. Which I strongly dispute. Asking a public figure reasonable questions that are of public interest, at a time when there’s a police and government investigation into the show they’ve been the face of for 10 years, is journalism – and an approach made famous by Channel Nine’s very own A Current Affair. For full transparency though, I have included the unedited audio of the entire exchange in the podcast. Search “MAFS Funny” on any podcast app to listen to episode 2 of The Downfall of MAFS. #MAFS #mafsau #mafsaustralia

♬ original sound – Joshua Fox

MAFS expert John Aiken did not take kindly to being challenged

Joshua, who already protested outside of the Australian PM’s house over the treatment of Katie Johnston, dubbed the experts the “real villains” of the show in a recent TikTok. After all of his emails went unanswered, Josh tracked John down in a parking lot.

I don’t know this for sure but it looked like John knew who Josh was before shaking his hand and stating “I’m not going to answer your questions” right out of the gate.

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“Do you ever feel ethically or morally compromised by what you do on that show?” Josh asked, to which John replied, “I’m not going to answer your questions. What I suggest you do is put them to [Channel] Nine.”

Josh told the expert that he’d attempted to contact Nine, the production company, and John himself numerous times with little success. John seemingly had no idea about the message, but the smirk spoke a thousand words.

“I’m amazed at your perseverance,” John said.

Still following John down the street, Josh continued to ask the hard-hitting questions that many of us also want answers to. Still, John was as steadfast as Josh was persistent.

“You’ve been accused of enabling abusive behaviour,” Josh continued as John replied, “What else you got for me, Josh?”

The video came to an unsatisfying end when John sat down in a cafe and began to record Josh who was standing at the door. Josh questioned if the “money and fame” was driving John to ignore the principles of being a psychologist, but he didn’t reply.

His funny skit was featured on news networks in Australia.

People are loving Josh’s approach

@jshfx

Replying to @Liv Hardcase the married at first sight experts will send you a legal letter if you question them fyi #mafs #mafsau #mafsaustralia

♬ original sound – Joshua Fox

I’m willing to bet some discussions are happening at Channel Nine about Josh’s perseverance, and while he’s already been kicked out of the building once by security, people on TikTok appreciate his drive to get those answers.

One person said: “Good for you Josh!! Finally, someone who has the guts to call them out.”

“When I started this video I was not expecting you to actually ask good questions,” another said, while a third added, “His facial expressions seem to suggest he knew you and that he was not completely truthful with you. Just reading his body language and his vocal inflexions.”

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Featured image credit: Joshua Fox