The 31-year-old Auckland-based marketer was told by Aiken during last week’s commitment ceremony that the “list” of what she wants in a partner is too long. Now, she has hit back, claiming the expert was telling her to “lower” her standards.
“Does anyone else feel like John was telling me to lower my standards?” she asked users of the app.
Stephanie Archer called out the expert's advice in a TikTok video. Photo / @stepharcher2
Noting that her onscreen husband, Piripi Clarke, 28, is “such a gentle soul and a really loving guy”, she said she felt increasingly more “frustrated” on the Three show after “continuously being told that I’m asking too much”.
“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 said. “It is not a woman’s fault that they expect a man to adhere to the same standards to which society places on them.”
Piripi Clarke and Stephanie Archer are yet to form a romantic connection on the show. Photo / Warner Bros. Discovery
The video has since received nearly 10,000 views and plenty of comments, some of which have come directly from her fellow MAFS brides and grooms - including her very own on-screen husband.
“You deserve what you want, no matter what and I will always support that,” Clarke commented.
Kara Lester - who is matched with Mike Wilson in the show, added, “Maybe John needs to pay a bit more attention to the ingredient list when he’s matchmaking.”
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Meanwhile, Samantha Best - who is matched with James Hunt, wrote, “Queen! High standards all the way!”
Elsewhere, fans were quick to agree with the TV star. One person wrote, “A good woman knows her worth and won’t ever settle for less. A good man would never expect her to.”
Archer broke down during her couch session about past trauma. Photo / Warner Bros. Discovery
Archer wrote back, clarifying that while she agrees with the user, she wanted to make sure everyone knew her comments were not about Clarke but “about how we view men and women in relationships”.
It comes after Aiken told Archer, “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.
“It’s important to not miss the fact that there’s a great guy right in front of you,” he said. “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.”
While Archer and Clarke appear to have built a great friendship on the show, the on screen husband and wife are yet to form a romantic connection.
Stephanie Archer has called out expert John Aiken for his love advice. Photo / Warner Bros. Discovery
Aiken’s comments followed Clarke’s confession that he been finding it difficult to open up and be vulnerable in the experiment, but with Archer’s help he had managed to do so. “I’ve really been trying to be different and, I find it hard to lean into it and now I finally have, it feels really good to be seen as who I am fully,” he said.
As the brewer teared up, expert, Jo Robertson asked Archer what she is worried about when it comes to developing their relationship. The marketer admitted, “What we’ve discussed quite a lot is, is it going to work in the real world?
“I really want to start a family and be creating a stable and secure future for them, and I just don’t know how that looks,” she said.
Clarke shares two children with his ex-girlfriend and lives in Hamilton, while Archer lives in Auckland.
In addition to that, Archer noted that her on screen husband has a “few things you want to tick off career-wise” and has previously raised concerns he isn’t ready to leave his party days behind him just yet.
The Herald has approached Aiken’s representative for comment.
Married At First Sight New Zealand airs on Three and ThreeNow every Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
Lillie Rohan is a London-based reporter covering lifestyle and entertainment stories who joined the Herald in 2020. She specialises in all things relationships and dating.
