'People need to buckle up’: the experts reveal what to expect in MAFS NZ
Married at First Sight NZ returns after a five year hiatus, plus we attend a unique MAFS dinner party and give our verdict on the latest Mad Max movie.
Welcome to a bumper edition of Rec Room, and yes, there’s a strong Married at First Sight New Zealand theme this week. Ahead of the reality show’s return to Three this weekend, I had the pleasure of speaking with MAFSNZ’s new relationship experts Jo Robertson and John Aiken. I could see over Zoom that Robertson and Aiken make a strong, positive team who loved working together on the show, but they really want us to know that this new season is nothing like the MAFSNZ of previous years. You can read more below – or decide for yourself on Sunday night.
As Married at First Sight New Zealand returns to our screens this Sunday, Tara Ward speaks to the show’s new experts about what lies ahead.
John Aiken is teasing Jo Robertson about her cup of tomato soup. They may be on separate sides of the Tasman, but thanks to the magic of Zoom, they’re laughing with the relaxed ease of longtime friends. It’s hard to believe they only met for the first time a few months ago, when they joined Married at First Sight New Zealand as the show’s new relationship experts. Much like the brides and grooms who will meet at the altar this Sunday night, they too are a pair of strangers forced together in the most unusual of circumstances.
It’s a union that comes at a fraught time for New Zealand television. MAFSNZ returns to our screens just weeks after Discovery announced the closure of its entire news division, TVNZ cut long-running current affairs shows Sunday and Fair Go, and renovation juggernaut The Block NZ was cancelled. Given the franchise’s controversial history, including a contestant being removed from the series after his domestic violence allegations came to light, the return of MAFSNZ might seem as welcome to some as rain on your wedding day.
But Aiken and Robertson are intent on not letting the ghosts of MAFS past determine its future. Reality television fans will recognise clinical psychologist Aiken from MAFS Australia, where he’s helped newlyweds navigate their relationship challenges for 11 dramatic seasons and is known for his forthright calling-out of bad behaviour. New Zealand-based Robertson is a sex and relationship therapist specialising in intimacy and betrayal, and together they appear to make a formidable team.
The chemistry between the two was instant. “The great thing about John is that he could have easily swooped in and been the expert,” TV novice Robertson says. “He actually gave a lot of power over to me and consistently asked, ‘how do you want to do this, and what's important to you?’” Aiken has a different theory about why the two clicked so quickly. “The first night I came over to meet Jo, we went out and got drunk,” he laughs. The “all-honesty session” set the scene for the weeks ahead, and the duo never looked back.
Neither Robertson or Aiken have watched the previous MAFSNZ seasons (“I want to lead, not follow”, Aiken says) but both wanted to breathe new life into the format. Aiken stresses that this season is not like the MAFSNZ of old; instead of creating drama for drama’s sake, it focuses on the developing relationships of four diverse couples. “It’s tailored to the New Zealand public, the cast is very representative of the people in the country, and I think there's humour and heart,” he explains.
“When people tune in, they need to buckle up and prepare themselves for something that is new and fresh and different. What's gone is in the past.”
Sunday’s premiere episode does feel lighter than the MAFSNZ of five years ago. That’s partly due to the down-scaled size of the experiment, which the experts say gave the show a close-knit, friendlier feeling. The supportive vibe came as a surprise to Aiken, who’s used to the “combative” atmosphere of MAFSAU, but it also meant the commitment ceremonies felt more personal. “I absolutely love to call out bad behaviour, but you're doing it in a setting where it is more intimate, you really get a sense of how it's landing for people and their emotional state.”
This season, the experts will guide the couples through tricky topics such physical attraction, forgiveness and acceptance of differences. It’s not often we see New Zealand men open up about their feelings on TV, but Robertson was impressed by how vulnerable the grooms were about revealing their past insecurities, many of which she says the audience will identify with. For Aiken, that’s the show’s “secret sauce”. “People relate to the couples, but they also are compelled to discuss the issues that are brought up.”
Even with this refreshed approach to marrying a stranger, Robertson and Aiken know some people will still dismiss MAFSNZ as reality TV trash. Neither are phased by the criticism. “I didn't see anyone who wasn't being genuine, or who wasn't there to form a relationship,” says Robertson, while Aiken heartily embraces any negative feedback. Ultimately, MAFS is a show that gets people talking about relationships, he says, and that’s something he’s proud to support – on both sides of the Tasman.
“I love the fact that MAFS still really polarises people. It doesn't really worry me whether they love it or hate it, I just want them talking about it.”
Married at First Sight New Zealand premieres on Sunday 26 May at 7pm on Three and streams on ThreeNow.
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Last August, The Spinoff hired Joel MacManus as its first-ever Wellington editor. His agenda-setting editorial project on the future of housing in the city, the War for Wellington, was funded entirely by existing Spinoff members and supported by many new donors. To sustain and grow our work in Wellington, we now need to ask Wellingtonians for help. The Spinoff is looking for 500 people to donate $50 or more and join a new community of supporters, The Spinoff Welly 500. Find out more or join today.
Bonus MAFS: What we learnt at lunch with the experts
This week, roving reporter Stewart Sowman-Lund dined with MAFSNZ experts John Aiken and Jo Robertson to celebrate the launch of the new season. Much like a MAFS dinner party, Stewart came away with several juicy secrets, including:
No, the experts don’t wear earpieces: But Aiken says that the experts do wear them on MAFS AU, mainly to hear from production during counselling sessions but also because the studio is below a flightpath and they often need to stop filming.
The experts don’t like reality TV: Robertson says she’s never watched MAFS, and Aiken watches the Australian version with his family and friends, but isn’t particularly fussed about watching “dancers, singers or renovations”.
But they do watch other TV: MAFS is a comfort show for most of us, but for the experts it’s work. Both said they loved Baby Reindeer, with Robertson saying she loves a good true crime story. Aiken also professed his love for Clarkson’s Farm.
Aiken no longer has a private clinic: apparently journalists would try to book appointments (and, well, fans of MAFS AU).
The concept of genital cupping: Look, I don’t remember this from MAFS AU – but Aiken certainly does. Robertson says she finds it a bit “weird” (unless it works for people, in which case go for it).
If you remember Troy’s toothbrush from season five, Robertson teases: “There’s a toothbrush moment this season as well”. Watch and find out. / SSL
Why you should watch: Only in Aotearoa: Wāhine Edition (Whakaata Māori)
Season three of this feel-good comedy sketch series began on Whakaata Māori this week (and is available on demand). Each half-hour episode is filled with short and sharp comedy skits told from a Māori perspective about things that would only happen in Aotearoa, and it’s written by an impressive team of wahine Māori, including Jess Hansell (aka Coco Solid), Kuru Turuwhenua, Kura Forrester and Janaye Henry. It also features a stellar line up of acting talent, including Miriama McDowell, Xavier Horan, Dominic Ona-Ariki, Ngahuia Piripi and Sieni “Bubbah” Leo’o Olo.
More pop culture on The Spinoff:
Alex Casey spoke with original MAFS NZ groom Benjamin Blackwell, who revealed what it’s like to go through a MAFS divorce (season one of MAFS NZ was one of the few seasons in the world where the participants were legally married).
Joel MacManus went to the opening night of Jemaine Clement and Jonny Brugh’s new musical comedy act, and wasn’t impressed.
If you love talking to yourself (and who doesn’t? I do), don’t miss Mad Chapman arguing with Mad Chapman about whether the new Lord of the Rings movies are a good thing for Wellington or not.
I enjoyed Susan Leonard writing about her father Ernie’s legacy as a pioneer of Māori television.
Dark City’s Cohen Holloway revealed the perils of playing a serial killer in this week’s My Life in TV column.
Check out everything new to streaming this week, including the absolutely bonkers Jennifer Lopez film that I cannot wait to watch.
Why you should watch: Furiosa (in cinemas now)
Mad Max: Fury Road is one of the greatest action films ever made, so it was with a huge amount of excitement that I checked out the long-awaited prequel, Furiosa. I am thrilled to report it’s a must watch, though it was always going to be a challenge living up to its predecessor. Centring on the character of Furiosa (here played by Anya Taylor-Joy, who replaces Charlize Theron), the prequel is as relentless and intense as Fury Road. There are all the requisite outback car chases, gun fights and explosions, but this time there’s emotion and some moments of real humour too. It’s a little bloated – Fury Road was a tight 120 minutes, whereas Furiosa hits the two-and-a-half hour mark – but it’s never dull. While Taylor-Joy’s Furiosa is the title character, it’s Chris Hemsworth’s deranged Dementus that steals the film. His character may be as sadistic and outlandish as the Joker, but he somehow plays it through the lens of a Disney villain. I’ll start the Oscars campaign now. / SSL
Before we pop off…
Fan of the Big Red Chair? ThreeNow has introduced The Graham Norton Show Channel that plays back-to-back episodes of the British chat show 24 hours a day.
The French Film Festival Aotearoa starts next week, hitting cinemas from Kerikeri to Dunedin. Check out what’s coming to the big screen near you.
The reviews for Netflix’s glossy new reality series Buying London aren’t great, with one critic awarding the series zero stars. Does Netflix care? Not a jot.
Shortland Street celebrates its 32nd anniversary this week, which means there’s no better time to look back on the show’s earlier days.
Ever wanted to see The Rock with hair? Now’s your chance.
That’s it for Rec Room for this week. If you liked what you read, why not share Rec Room with your friends and whānau.
