FULL SHOW: Would You Rather... Mango or Sex?

A good pickup with Britt Hogley and Laura Burn.

Radio work, our windows done. That's my worldris in the dust.

Only good zabs.

Are all down.

I don't much, but yeah, I know our big.

Get and what I want.

It don't matter where. This is the.

Pickup, Hi, guys, it's the pickup with Brett Harkley and Laura Burn. And look, before we get into the show today, we do have something really important that we wanted to talk about. You guys might have heard the horrible news. There's a really devastating news story that's come out about a little toddler who has lost their life, A family who has lost their child today after being left in

And you probably don't realize, but children's bodies heat up faster than adults. A few minutes in a car is too much. So this might seem like something like, yeah, of course we know that you don't leave children in the car, but evidently we do need to put those reminders out please remember this, do not ever leave your child in a car. So that is our reminder for the show. But we do have a big show coming up for you.

Today.

We have the Maths relationship specialist John Aiken coming into studio, and boyd, do we have some questions for him?

I mean, yeah, look, I love I love John, I love him, I do, and I love Maths, but I just have some questions as to how these people were paired together.

Yeah, we'll put him on the spot.

Now we are talking about the show that everyone is talking about, and I'm very sorry to my husband, but it's not I'm a celebrity.

Get me out of here. We talk about that enough enough enough.

It's the one that I'm missing out on at the moment that I would love to be watching Married at First Sight. I have watched every single season and we are currently on season twelve.

But you've been keeping up. You've been at least keeping up with what's happening this year. Do you know what I'm trying to keep up? So I'm going to make an admission here. I have not been a Maths watcher in the last twelve seasons. I try, and it gives me wild anxiety. Like the absolute train wrecks on that show. I come the people, but sometimes the relationships themselves, the relationtimes the people. No, sometimes the people too, like sometimes

We have John Aiken here, relationship expert, also the man who is responsible for pairing some of these seemingly mismatchpairs together.

Yes, indeed, and it's great to be here. Yeah, it's nice to be in studio with you both. It's season twelve, which is amazing because we didn't really see it happening in this way. You know, when you start a reality show, you're kind of not sure whether it'll hit or miss.

Yeah, you're just saying that the ratings are through the roof.

For this year.

Yeah, they've been monstrous, bigger than any of the episodes of series eleven last year. The dinner Party one that we had just recently, And it's hard to know what it is. I mean, there's a real first that I think people have for relationship shows, and this is kind of unique in that couples watch it to learn what not to do, but also singles watch it and go, oh, there are red flags. I think we need to avoid that.

Yeah?

Well, Laura did, I'm living proof sometimes it does work, and I proof that it doesn't. But we're not going to go back and revisit that. So a question that I was just asking you off air and you said, you're happy to talk about it. How much of the casting? Because sometimes you're like brilliant. We look at people like Jules Robinson and cam like they were amazing, happy ending. Sometimes I look at it and I said, who put these two people together?

But it was you? So how much of it is you?

And how much of it is you know, the behind the scenes casting. Do you work together to find these couples?

Yeah, so with the experts, we would look at them over a two month period. We zoom call them, we look at their background bios, we test them things like attachment theory and communication styles, values, their personality traits, and then we put them together and then it's really a combination of the matches that we throw up, but also the network and the production company, and like you could imagine, one of the great things with Maths is that it

I also think that that's what really sets it apart as a show, because as a viewer, there is always somebody who is reflected like you're reflected back in and I don't mean that like the craziness of it, but there's always someone who you could potentially relate to in that relationship dynamic, Whereas like when you look at shows like The Bachelor, which obviously we have, I mean we've put skin in the game with that, there is only one kind and it's hot guy and lots of hot girls,

That's right, so, and I think that's one of the secret sources of the show, the diversity of the cast.

I think also.

The experts role in the show has become very much more about calling out bad behavior, which there's plenty of. Which there is plenty of, and they come back at

Have you had any big brawls that haven't made it, like made it to air, so you feel like that's the stuff that's making it. You know, like sometimes I feel like stuff goes on. I mean, I know I've done reality, but I know there's a lot of stuff that goes on that's left on the cutting room floor for whatever reason. But has there ever been a moment where you are having this confrontation with someone and it's just gone too far.

I don't think it's gone too far, but I certainly go as hard as I can because I don't know what's going to make the edits. But it's better off saying everything you want to say and getting it out there rather than holding back and missing your opportunity. So really, for me, when I'm sitting in front of them, I don't know what's coming, and it's not scripted or staged. We're just sitting there delivering. But I've got to say it in a short, sharp way that's going to get them to stand up straight.

You've already had some bombshells. I mean we're only a couple of episodes deep, and there's been some bombshells.

People are leaving. They're not happy with who they've been matched with.

I know so to me, and I mean for most people who watch it, I think The normal response now is like, you've seen enough of the show that surely you know as a participant that you may not get matched with someone who is your.

Ideal bride or groom.

So we've seen Tim has walked out at this point he wasn't happy with his bride who he would match with. And I know Australia has some very big feelings about that, big feelings. But how do you respond to that when you're like, you know that this is the process of the show. Why are you pretending like you didn't know that this is literally the format?

Yeah, that's right. And Elliott also.

Yeah, yeah, right, this was Tradwife Matt, Yes, yes.

So I think what it does right now on the show is it reflects what's going out on in the real world. And that's one of the things with the show is we tap into the zeitguy. So if it's gas lighting, if it's trad wives, worry, I mean, you know, if it's speaking your truth, whatever's going on out there, I shows up.

No one's ever said to me, I'll be a warrior because I don't.

Know how much that's happening, do.

You know what?

And I'd never heard that, And then when I was interviewing them this year. I'm saying, okay, so what's your approach to dating. I want to be a warrior. And I'm like, well, what does that mean.

No one has ever gotten the ick faster than hearing a man saying I'm a warrior.

Man, I'm your warrior.

But.

You know I'm not heavily and across TikTok. But then I started to hear the women on the show talking about, well, I want to be a trad wife, I want to.

Serve, I don't want a career.

I really want the guy to take the lead, but also be really really rich, and so there's poor and take the lead. So I'm sort of sitting there hearing this stuff, thinking, Wow, this is a very different flavor of maths that's going to hit this year, and I think it's going to get very noisy, and I think it has as a result of that.

What about the feedback for you?

I mean, obviously, it is your job to guide these couples so that they aren't completely toxic and don't destroy each other in the process, But what about the feedback when couples have been paired that seemingly from the outside are very toxic to each other or seem to be poorly paired.

How do they come like, why is it that you put them together? So it made that choice.

Yeah, So what you're seeing there is what we're seeing, which is after knowing them for two months and drilling down and getting all the info to match them compatible in a way that's very compatible. What we don't know is what's going to happen when the camera's roll And you will have seen this because you've experienced it, you have skin in the game. What is going to happen when at six am to ten pm you've got a camera on you and you're trying to get to know

Not with him, or like I thought he had more zeros in the bank.

Yeah, so you're getting this sort of explosion or implosion of the couple that you've spent months and months getting to know. So we get just as disappointed as everybody else when they.

Don't make it.

Yeah, but I also think this year, just coming back to that thing that you were talking about with leaving the show out there in the dating world, what they're telling me is that commitment is hard to find.

Yes, absolutely, I dated everyone in Sydney and then ended up on a reality show to find my guys.

It's so hard, right.

And so some of them even said to me, John, I'm coming on maps because at least the guy that you match me with will stick around for longer than one date.

Wow, that is.

To me, John, if you can stick around, We've got to go to a break. But I'm so fascinated and I have so many more questions for you that we're going to hit you. So short break and we'll be back in a minute. It's a pick up on kiss.

If you were just joining us.

We are getting all of the goss on what is happening at Maths at the moment because we are joined by relationship expert John Aiken.

Now John, you don't know this. I mean there's no way for you to know this, but I'm going to tell you. You featured very heavily in our girls group chat recently, and it's because there was a photo of you that appears he knows what it was a screenshot and there was something seemingly quite unfortunate or very fortunate, depending on what circumstance you might be in in the background of one of your photos.

We need clarity everyone, what is this?

Yeah, well, can you tell me? What? Are they suggesting that it.

Is butt plugo? In case anyone's say in Spain.

Everyone's unsure. There's a very blurred background image.

Is a thing that's sitting on a mantelpiece. It looks like it's holding up a book, but it could also be inserted somewhere.

Yeah, elb plus holding something.

Over you know, I put it to be. I don't know what it is, but I can tell you it is not mine.

I that it never is. It's someone else's.

But because you know reality TV so well, when you come on to do interviews, you will have sets that you just walk in, you sit down, you do your thing.

John, you got stitched up somebody?

John?

You know what?

You know what you're reminding me.

Of the last thirteen years of my life. I've been a hospital worker. I'm a radiographer in a hospital.

This big career.

Change and the number of people that come in, Like a big part of my job was people that had some el.

Butt plugs or whatever. Usually not that, not that the correct apparatus.

Something foreign sucked up their buttons, right, So we've got to find it in the abdomen. You just reminded me of that, because the number one thing they say is like they'll be like they'll be like, there'll be a pool ball up there, and I'll be like, how did this happen?

They're like, I don't know.

I don't know. I was playing pool and then it was there and it just happened.

You know what.

It's like I slipped and fell on the pool table. There's so many things like that. That's you just gave me anyway, all right, you heard it here. It was a fake set, John. So the most controversial thing, I mean, it's already happened on this season of mass one of the most controversial episodes is the photo ranking.

Oh yeah, but it happens every.

Season every season. Now.

The thing about that, the thing about that challenge is that it's really a test of emotional intelligence and how you handled DELI well, hit me out, let me try and describe it. Most of our couples do it very well. They will say, you know what, I'm going to put my partner first. But there's always a handful every year who completely dropped the ball and they will be putting in their mind the hottest girl first. They will put their partner way down the list and it completely blows

But do you think it's also because I mean, and it's something we see in dating all the time, people who disguise honesty as a reason to be me. It's like, oh, I'm being honest, so you can't be angry at me. It's objectively you're just not as hot as Sarah.

Yeah, we had that in Maths maybe two three years ago. Dom and Olivia really had this great rivalry for the ages, but it would get incredibly intense and very personal, and they would say, look, we're just speaking our truth, and what we had to reflect back to them is that being honest doesn't mean that you can assassinate a person's character and really be rude.

Well, it's also just like almost that I'm just speaking my truth. Really from the sounds like you're weaponizing therapy talk like you know enough of it, but now you're manipulating how to use it.

But then on the flip side, like, are we then encouraging lying? Like if you don't think your partner's the hottest there, and yes, Brittany.

You lie. Why would you say anything else? Because I don't think we even have the competition.

I don't think we have the challenge. I remember offer our Bachelor audition like seven years ago. This is some real goss for you, John, when in the audition there were just maybe twenty girls in there in the room and they'd say, cool, now it's time line yourself up. Yourself hottest at this end, best dressed to it's to me who you think is a little less attractive, And you had to slought yourself in person.

Yeah, in person, and you.

Had to put yourself in the line, and sometimes you'd stand somewhere and someone like.

Push you out and you put You did that in the audition.

We did it as a group date. But I came after you.

They probably realized quick, smart, we can't have this on TV.

I hang on back to maps.

Another question.

Sorry, this is like a.

Railroad interview, pulling the curtain back.

John, It's like, we'll use it on the next season trademark. So one question I do have.

And there's been two couples on this season that have known each other like before they've had a like loose date or they had a bit more of a connection, and then they've ended up at the end of the aisle being like, oh my god, you're the guy that ghosted me. Is there any part of that that is that you guys know about when you cast, because I know.

You go through you do your ji diligence, So.

You look at someone you're like, Okay, let's see who they know on Instagram or what their life looks like. Surely there was some sort of a flag where you guys know that they might know each other.

No, it was absolutely had no idea.

That's grim for Australia's dating scene.

So it does reflect that the smaller pool that's out there. But also.

You've got no hope but to date the guy that ghosted you last week.

I know.

But the thing is when you when you're doing your background checks and you're getting to know them, you talk to them about their signals relationships. You know, three four years together, they might have been married and now divorced, but you don't find out about a one night stand or a fling that happened a year ago that you know, they may not even know the names of the people that they've gone out in a date with.

Yeah.

Right.

We were talking about this on lafe on Cut our podcast and because I think anyone who objectively would look at the show would assume that.

That was a manufactured moment from.

Producers, And we kind of got to the point where we were like, we actually think it was a producer's dream and it was serendipitous that fell into place, because how would you manufacture finding two people where one of them had once upon a time ghosted them on a date. Like it's almost too arbitrary to find that information out about someone for it to have happened in the way it did.

It's right, and when we did find out about it, you know, you're always thinking with merrit at first sight, what do we do here? This is a different new storyline. Do we cut it and get a new couple in or do we just lean into it? And with Maths we always lean into it.

Yeah, what if you did like a spin off? It's like married at second sight?

I mean we get all sorts of things for the celebrity maths, you know, getting people on. I mean there's so many different versions of Maths that Maths after Dark a bit more raded.

Isn't that just like only fans?

No, you guys would get canceled for that.

If you put Maths after Dark like someone's getting sued. Well, do you think, John, on a serious note for a second, do you think you have more likelihood of it working out if you just like these couples that had met right, they did go on a date and they did work out that it wasn't great. You goes with me, you're a bit of a dick. Do we have to hold that against that person knowing that maybe it was just a one off and they're not a bad person.

Or do you think that it gives.

Them more of a success story maybe.

Well, that's the interesting thing about those two storylines. These couples know each other, we've never seen it before. What and I didn't know what would happen? You know, what's their experience going to be like? Because how they broke up in the past has an influence also whether they come in with a mindset of well, the experts are here now, so maybe we're going to get a fresh new relationship, or are they going to go, you know what, we've done this before, this didn't work. This isn't going

Were going to be able to navigate it. And it is.

They do have some highs and some lows along the way, So it is it's a very fresh sort of look to the show with that happening in it.

Yeah, John, I have one more question for you. Who do you think is the biggest red flag of this season?

Biggest red flag?

I mean, well, probably what I would say is that the couples. I'd say the couples that are most entrenched in their ideas, so immediately Lauren and Elliott, when you watch them together, I mean, we know why we matched them, but when we watched them and the way they talked, and you know, one being so inflexible about his deal breakers, that's always.

A real red flag to me.

Not just him, there were there's couples there as well that are that are caught in that battle of I'm right, you're wrong. You know that point scoring that always happen. That's a real red flag as well. And you're starting to see some of it come out of the dinner parties, which then becomes even more of a problem at the commitment ceremonies.

Oh, I can't wait for I Am a celebrity to finish so I can watch the rest of it.

I seat.

What about Maddie J and the Jungle.

It's doing well, except he's getting very thin, I can I was going to see he's hungry.

He's got that whole jungle look going.

You might not have heard yet, but he did.

He's in the bad books.

He did just admit live on TV that he would rather eat a mango than have sex with Laura at the moment, Maddie J.

You didn't, he did.

He's tired. Can blame the man. He needs some sugars and then we'll have sex.

It's fine.

Maybe he's on maps next year.

I'll It's hard to look good in the jungle, but he manages it.

He is a good looking rooster.

It makes sense as to why once upon a time he was chosen to be the Bachelor John.

It's an abbe delight. Everyone married at first sight.

It returns seven thirty pm tonight on Channel nine and nine Now.

Thanks for joining us.

It's been a pleasure.

It's been wonderful.

Brit You know that I have been spending every evening recently watching I'm a Celebrity, Get me out of here. And the reason for that, if you're not across it is because my husband is currently a contestant on the show. He's deep in the jungle, Maddie j. He's looking hungry, he's looking lean.

He's looking a bit gray houndy.

Isn't he.

I was watching last night and I was like, Oh, that's a skinny man right there. Well, it happens quickly. They really do starve you out. People think it's fake and you don't get fed. Well, I mean that you secretly get fed, but you genuinely don't get fair.

It's literally just rice and beans. Unless you win a challenge. So Matt is also a particularly hungry person, and he is someone who gets very, very angry, and he also works out a lot. So I just think, like bigger guys who have muscles need.

To He's hardly whold Hogan.

He's a runner.

Come on, He's not Arnie Schwartzer Nigga.

True. But you know, well a woman dream, can't you. Anyway?

The other night, right, there was a challenge where they split the teams into two. So now it's boys verse girls. Yeah, it's men verse women. And the men won the challenge, and so Matt ate up like a king. He had steak, he had veggies, and then for dessert was mango. And I don't know if it was like this when you're in the jungle bred, but mango seems.

To be the elite dessert that everyone wants.

It's high end, Like it's like you want to lay down and have someone feed at you, but it's too big to fit in the mouth hoole. It's like that though, was that like asm, what's.

Am I just fitted in the mouth hole?

Yeah?

Well, Matt was also very excited about fitting that into his mouth hole, so much so he said something live on National TV, which I wish he hadn't have a listen to this. I don't want to say it loudly, but that was the best meal I've ever had in my entire life.

Right now, if I had the option of having sex with my wife having another mango, I'd go to the mango.

Hang on, my husband would rather eat a mango than have sex with me?

Question? Hang on?

Did he say at the start where he whispered, did he say that was the best feel I've ever had in my life? The best feed, the best feel? I think I think he said the best feel. And I was like, that's groomed for you, Laura, I'm the mango appeeling the manga, the fluffy mango. Was like that, okay, Matt, you should not have said that, no can I Also he was like, I.

Don't want to say this loudly. I'd rather eat a mango.

Like he went from whispering it to basically yelling to the whole entire cam. But also, doesn't matter if you whisper it, you still say it.

True.

It was very audible. There was no whispering about that. I would rather eat this mango than bone my wife.

I'm a fender.

I was gonna say, how do you feel about that? You're in control when he gets home. You know, when he gets home in the bed, just have one mango sitting in the bed, and you'd be like, I'm sleeping the other room. Oh yeah, the next time I'm tired, I'm just going to hand him a mango.

You made your Shortes says.

I'm no longer am I going to say I have a headache, he's a mango.

In mass defense, which I don't do often, I'm always team Laura, I will always back I'm backing you now. But in his defense, everything tastes in there like the best thing you have ever experienced because you're so hungry and you haven't had sugars and you haven't had anything nice or treats, that everything hits different. I know it does feel better, like he probably was going to have the big oh off the back of that met.

I know what you're saying, but you do also have to remember that I met my husband on a reality TV show where we couldn't be together for three months. We basically did the deed the first time after like a three month stint of never being able to even touch each other, and that he still thinks the mango.

Is better than that.

Okay, dig up, Matthew, dig up.

That it's on record. I was trying to have you back. I'm at home doing everything the kids.

I am managing everything at the moment, a renovation and two kids. Molly has her first day of school tomorrow. He's not going to be there. He's not coming.

You're gonna pack her amengo yill.

That sounds now, that sounds wrong. Anyway, Look guys, it's the end of the show.