Ashleigh Ackerman, a contestant from Married at First Sight Australia, bid farewell to the experiment during the dramatic episode 9, which aired on February 9, 2025. Her exit came in the wake of a rule violation by her husband, Jake Luik, who decided to leave the show just after their first Commitment Ceremony.
Despite Ashleigh’s desire to stay in the experiment and resolve their differences, Jake opted to leave. According to the established protocols of the show, couples facing a disagreement were expected to remain together for an additional week to evaluate their relationship prospects. However, Jake made the unexpected choice to depart immediately.
On February 18, 2025, a week later, Ashleigh took to Instagram to share her reflections on her journey. In her post, she articulated gratitude for the experiences she gained during her time on the show:
“It’s bittersweet this once in a lifetime opportunity for personal growth was cut short, but I’m proud I was completely myself & stood by my values every step of the way – so absolutely no regrets!”
Ashleigh Reflects on Her Journey on Married at First Sight Australia
In the pivotal episode, Ashleigh and Jake faced their first Commitment Ceremony where she expressed a desire to continue by voting “stay,” while Jake chose to exit. Given the show’s regulations, their conflicting votes usually required them to stay together for at least one more week to assess the situation. In a surprising turn of events, Jake packed his belongings and left without any prior discussion the following morning.
In an exclusive interview with 9now shortly after, Ashleigh provided insights into the events leading up to her departure.
“[Jake] just turned around the next morning and packed his stuff and said ‘I’m out of here,'” she recounted.
She expressed her disappointment over the situation:
“Even if we didn’t find love together, I was really hopeful to even learn more about myself.”
Ashleigh lamented that Jake’s abrupt exit deprived her of the opportunity for self-discovery that she had hoped to gain from the experience. She voiced her frustration, exclaiming:
“So I just think, shame on you buddy, you selfish, selfish little man child.”
Initially, Ashleigh had perceived a good rapport with Jake, finding him to be friendly and the dynamic between them “really comfortable and easy.” However, her perspective shifted as she grew closer to him, noticing a lack of seriousness on his part towards the experiment. As their interaction deepened, she found herself increasingly disconnected, remarking that he did not match her level of emotional intelligence.
Conflict Arises from Jake’s Remarks
Throughout the Photo Ranking task, Jake made several off-putting comments about the other brides that sparked tension with Ashleigh. He made derogatory remarks, including describing Jacqui as having “crazy eyes” and suggesting that Sierah looked like someone capable of “stabbing you in your sleep.” He also referred to Morena as “too old,” while stating he “would’ve given her a fair crack back in the day.”
Jake’s comments about Awhina, where he mentioned his preference for Caucasian women and prefaced it by asserting, “I’m not racist,” further unsettled Ashleigh. Feeling uncomfortable with these remarks, Ashleigh brought the issue to light during the Commitment Ceremony and confronted Sierah about it, which led to Jake feeling betrayed by Ashleigh’s disclosure.
In her interview, Ashleigh emphasized:
“Nobody else thought it was a joke, with the rest of the group being as outraged as I was.”
Subsequently, Jake expressed regret over his comments in a separate dialogue with Daily Mail in February 2025:
“The production crew weren’t happy with anything I was saying… so I just said something stupid,” he admitted.
For viewers wanting to catch up on past episodes, Married at First Sight Australia is available for streaming on 9now.