Married at First Sight groom Jake Luik was criticised for his “foul” and “appalling” remarks regarding his female co-stars in tonight's episode.
The star, who is coupled up with Ashleigh Ackerman in the 12th season of the reality show, was tasked with completing the photos challenge alongside his partner, with the duo having to rank each of their co-stars in terms of their personal attractiveness.
As Jake, a teacher hailing from Perth, began to sift through the photos, he uttered several disparaging remarks about his co-stars, saying that Jacqui Burfoot had “crazy eyes” and that Sierah Swepstone had a “face that screamed that she would stab you at night”.
Related: MAFS Australia's Domenica Calarco announces exciting baby news: "My greatest project yet"
Furthermore, he said that Morena Farina was “too old” but that he “would’ve given her a fair crack back in the day”, before remarking that he “typically went for Caucasian women” when referring to Awhina Rutene, prefacing the statement by saying that he “wasn’t racist”.
Ashleigh, a dance teacher from the Gold Coast, said that she was “shocked” by Jake’s words during the VT, adding: “How dare you say these unhinged things about these gorgeous women? You can be honest without being hurtful. I thought it was nasty and appalling.”
What to Read Next
After expressing her shock to Jake personally, the groom replied by saying that he “didn’t mean anything by” what he described as a “joke”, before he left the apartment after stating that he was “annoyed” by Ashleigh’s reaction.
The following morning, Ashleigh confirmed that she had informed Sierah of Jake’s remarks, with her husband Billy Belcher saying that he “didn’t like” Jake’s “disrespect of women” and would be confronting him over the matter at the next commitment ceremony.
Related: Best film and TV tours for 2025
Ashleigh, Sierah and Billy weren’t the only ones appalled by Jake’s comments, with several fans of the show taking to X to note their displeasure as one wrote: “Jake, that was awful. You are supposed to be a teacher.... WTF was that about. #MAFSAU #MAFSAustralia”
“Considering what Jake said I don't blame her for wanting to talk to someone about it. Though she should be telling the producers. #MAFSAU #MAFSAustralia” said another viewer in regards to Ashleigh’s actions.
“Do we think Jake thinks he's being nice by slagging off all the women? #MAFSAustralia” wrote another fan, while others described his words as “foul” and “disgusting” as he was roundly criticised.
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.
Interested in talking about Married at First Sight? Visit our dedicated sub-forum
Read more Married at First Sight news on our dedicated homepage
Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
