Married at First Sight Australia experts: Meet the matchmakers
Here's everything you need to know about the relationship experts.
A brand new season of Married at First Sight Australia is currently underway on E4 and it's getting juicy!
Season 11 kicked off on last month with a new batch of singletons getting ready to marry a total stranger and so far there has been plenty of dinner party mayhem, awkward commitment ceremonies and awkward tasks no one wishes to relive.
As ever, the singles are all matched by experts John Aiken and Mel Schilling and sexologist Alessandra Rampolla.
The couples will then go on a honeymoon, live together, mingle with each other and attend commitment ceremonies, before deciding whether to stay together or go their separate ways.
Season 11 premiered on the Nine Network on 29th January, meaning we're just a few weeks behind in the UK, with some cast members already moving on Down Under. Over the course of this season, the experts matched nine brides and nine grooms, including one same-sex couple that was matched later in the experiment due to one of the grooms leaving before the wedding.
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Halfway through the experiment, the experts matched another two brides and two grooms together.
While the show is predominantly about the married couples, the expert team do play a big part in the building of each relationship, especially when it comes to the commitment ceremonies.
So who are the Married at First Sight Australia experts? And where may have you seen them before?
Read on for everything you need to know about the Married at First Sight Australia experts.
Married at First Sight Australia presenters
John Aiken
Age: 53
Job: Former cricket player and relationship specialist
Instagram: @johnaikenlive
John Aiken is a former cricket player turned relationship specialist. In his cricketing days, Aiken played for Auckland and Wellington. He was a left-handed batsman who played 46 first class matches and 39 one-day matches in a career spanning 11 seasons from 1989/90 to 2000/01.
He has been an expert on Married at First Sight Australia since the show's launch in 2015.
Mel Schilling
Age: 52
Job: Dating coach
Instagram: @mel_schilling1
Melanie Schilling specialises in human behaviour and performance. She has built a 20-year career as a therapist, business consultant and leadership coach for high-performing people.
Schilling has been an expert on MAFS Australia since 2016, and in 2021 she joined the revamped UK series alongside Paul C Brunson and Charlene Douglas.
In December 2023, Mel revealed that she'd been diagnosed with colon cancer. On Monday 26th February, the 52-year-old gave fans an update on her health, revealing on her social media that she has begun chemo treatment after having recent surgery to remove a tumour.
“So here I am, day one of chemo,” Schilling said in a video outside the Kingston Hospital in England.
Alessandra Rampolla
Age: 49
Job: Sexologist
Instagram: @alessarampolla
Alessandra is a sexologist, who started out on a news program in Puerto Rico. She has starred in various programs around the world, such as the international Emmy Award-nominated School For Husbands, seen throughout Latin America, and Sex Hospital in the UK.
Rampolla joined MAFS Australia for the eighth season in 2021, after Dr Trisha Stratford announced her departure from the show.
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Married at First Sight Australia airs on E4 at 7:30pm on Mondays to Thursdays. If you're looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide or visit our hub for more Entertainment and Reality TV news.
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