John Aiken says influencers going on MAFS for fame is 'just a part of the show now'

With around three million viewers tuning in each night, Married at First Sight (MAFS) has shattered ratings records and cemented itself as Australia’s biggest reality TV show. But with that level of popularity comes an influx of contestants applying for fame, rather than those looking for a genuine shot at finding love.

Over the past few seasons, we’ve seen participants enter MAFS with a couple of hundred followers on Instagram, and that number has exploded into seven figures by the time filming wraps. Those numbers often translate into lucrative brand deals and business opportunities, with the potential to earn serious money.

However, given the enormous reach MAFS has achieved, relationship expert John Aiken told Chattr that it’s practically impossible to completely filter out contestants who are chasing fame rather than love.

“It’s just a part of the show now,” he said. “Everybody that comes on our show does think about life after the show. That’s just a part of it now.

“But we also want them to be looking for love, and we want them to throw themselves into the process and really give themselves over to the challenges.”

John Aiken believes contestants chasing fame can still achieve personal growth

John added that while the participants may be trying to increase their profiles by coming on the show, he still believes they can achieve personal growth.

“We know that there are things that people are thinking about as we’re sitting in front of them, and we just embrace that. What we’re really drilling down on is more about their relationships, their patterns, and particularly, are they able to adjust, change, take on feedback and fall in love?”

He added that in the past, he’s seen contestants who he believes initially came onto MAFS seeking fame, but left a better version of themselves.

“We’ve seen it many, many times. And if it’s not during the show, then it’s either weeks, months or years after the show. You know, you bump into them or hear about the fact that they were able to look back on the relationship and on the experiment and say, you know, this has changed me.

Which MAFS 2026 contestants are influencers?

Viewers can likely expect some clout-chasers on MAFS 2026, with a handful of the cast already having substantial followings on social media.

On the women’s side, Alissa Fay, Bec Zacharia, Gia Fleur and Julia Vogl are all influencers with over 10,000 followers each on Instagram. The standout is Alissa, who boasts over 267,000 followers on TikTok, and she regularly posts brand collaborations.

Meanwhile, the grooms are slightly lesser known on the gram, but David has just under 10,000 followers, and Scott McCristal, who’s already been on Million Dollar Island, Blind Date and Holey Moley, has 25,000.

But at the end of the day, having a large following doesn’t necessarily mean their intentions aren’t genuine, and viewers will have to wait and see who’s truly there for love, and who’s there for the spotlight.