Image: Nine
The infamous Photo Ranking challenge threatens to destroy Married At First Sight couple Ashleigh Ackerman and Jake Luik’s marriage after he makes problematic comments about his bride and multiple other women in the experiment.
“I thought I was mentally prepared for how difficult it was going to be,” Ash, 34, tells TV WEEK. “But the way he carried himself throughout the task really shocked me. Some of the comments made about the women didn’t sit well with me.”
The week kicks off with the season’s first dramatic Dinner Party. After that, it’s the Photo Ranking challenge, where MAFS participants rank the cast members in order of “most attractive” to “least”. This is where the spell could end for Ash and Jake.
Jake, 30, a PE teacher from Perth, WA, not only does not place his bride in position number one – but makes some unnecessary and confronting comments about the other female participants.
For Ash, the Gold Coast, Queensland-based dance studio owner, the comments which are yet to be revealed were “conflicting” – because they didn’t align with her values or line of work.
“Attacking someone’s physical traits or their characteristics I don’t think is very kind,” she explains. “I run my own dance studio, so my whole pride and joy is building up other young girls and women and their confidence. There are some lines you just don’t cross.”
Ash does confront her husband. But, while he tries to brush it off as a “joke”, she’s not sure it’s something she can look past. She admits the horrible experience made her see a “different side” to her partner.
Ash wants her husband to “take accountability” and apologise to the other women. Will Jake strap in for an apology tour or will he double down on his comments?
And with Sunday’s Commitment Ceremony right around the corner, will this be the end of the road for the couple’s MAFS journey?
“While we did have great banter, there were lots of uncomfortable and icy moments,” she reveals. “I felt sick going into the Commitment Ceremony.”
Married At First Sight Australia screens 7pm Sunday to Wednesday on Three and streams on ThreeNow.
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