Married At First Sight bride claps back at John Aiken after the relationship expert tells her to lower her standards

Married At First Sight New Zealand star Stephanie Archer recently voiced her frustrations with relationship expert John Aiken in a now-deleted TikTok video.

In the video, the bride, 31, expressed frustration with Aiken’s advice, which she felt criticised her for having too much criteria for a partner.

‘Does anyone else feel like John was telling me to lower my standards?’ she questioned her followers.

Stephanie, who is paired with Piripi Clarke, 28, went on to discuss feeling consistently criticised.

‘I just think as a society we put so much expectation on women and then when they ask for the exact same in return, we tell them their ‘list’ is too long,’ she explained. 

‘It is not a woman’s fault that they expect a man to adhere to the same standards to which society places on them,’ she continued.

Following the video, Stephanie clarified her stance on Instagram on Monday, stating, ‘Whoopsies… Just to be clear, John is great at what he does.’

Aiken previously told Steph: ‘I think it’s extremely important for you to know that my dealings with you, you have a list of criteria that need to be met for a guy to be up there. If you hold onto that too tightly, you’re going to rule everybody out.’

In the video, the bride expressed frustration with Aiken’s advice, which she felt criticised her for having too much criteria for a partner

‘The amount of people that have come into these experiments and they say I have a list of ingredients that I must have, those people do badly, not just in the experiment but in love,’ he said.

Aiken, who has appeared on every season of the Australian series since its inception, joined MAFS NZ to help guide a new group of brides and grooms towards love.

The former cricketer stars alongside sex therapist Jo Robertson, who will offer participants ‘practical strategies and conversations about chemistry, intimacy and affection.’

Stephanie, who is paired with Piripi Clarke, 28, (left) went on to discuss feeling consistently criticised 

In a statement from Nine, John expressed his connection to New Zealand and its diverse population, noting that he spent plenty of time growing up in the country and has been happily married to a Kiwi for 17 years.

‘I’m excited to be a part of the fresh relaunch of MAFS NZ. After being involved for over a decade with the Australian version, I can now bring all of my lessons and insights to Kiwi singles looking for love,’ he shared.

‘MAFS NZ will have the similar mix of drama, love, and relationship learning that the audience loves. I think those who tune in will really invest in the couples and watch with interest how they navigate all the challenges.’

Stream Married At First Sight New Zealand for free on 9Now. New episodes drop Sunday to Tuesday. 

Following the video, Stephanie clarified her stance on Instagram on Monday, stating, ‘Whoopsies… Just to be clear, John is great at what he does’