Former Married At First Sight cast member Sandy Jawanda has spoken out after 2025 contestant Jake Luik’s controversial comments about race during last week’s photo ranking challenge.
In the episode, Jake – like the rest of the cast – was asked to rank co-stars of the opposite sex based on attractiveness. When it came to ranking New Zealand-born Awhina Rutene, Jake hesitated before telling his TV wife, Ashleigh: “Not gonna sound like… I’m not racist or nothing but I do like Caucasian people mainly, mostly.
“Awhina she’s not exactly like – she’s Māori I think – probably why she’s not a bit higher. Just because, like… the physical features,” he said.
Of course, it’s understandable for people to have particular physical traits they prefer in a partner. However, the biggest issue here seems to be Jake’s decision to actually make these comments on-screen. Was it really necessary? Many fans don’t think so.
Not only were the remarks confronting for Awhina – who eventually learnt of them at the commitment ceremony – but they potentially set the tone, on national television, that people who aren’t Caucasian aren’t desired or seen as attractive.
According to Sandy, who appeared in the 2023 season of MAFS, this is the biggest issue. While people have their own preferences or prejudices, Sandy asks whether we really need to be reminded of these on TV.
“Jake’s comments don’t surprise me at all. Each season of MAFS seems to showcase another instance of a woman being criticised for her appearance or ethnicity,” Sandy tells Draw Your Box.
“The real issue is why individuals who exhibit such behaviour are featured on our screens. People of colour frequently face micro-aggressions like these.”
Sandy proudly showcased her Indian culture during her time on MAFS, especially when she tied the knot to Dan Hunjas in a traditional Indian wedding, complete with a lehenga and garlands.
“I encountered remarks such as ‘You’re very Indian,’” Sandy recalls of her time during filming, hinting it was also suggested amongst the cast that they were “lucky” they “didn’t get matched with the Indian girl”.
“The most frustrating part is when you try to address these issues, you get silenced,” she claims. Looking back on her reality TV experience, Sandy says she’s learnt that the use of the word “racist” on TV can be frowned upon or discouraged, because it can potentially make “people uncomfortable”.
“What should make them uncomfortable is the fact that someone can make such comments in the first place. It seems it’s acceptable to broadcast these remarks but not to call them out for what they truly are.”
Jake’s comments about Awhina are somewhat reminiscent of when Cody Bromley admitted during the 2022 season that he wasn’t initially physically attracted to his MAFS wife, Selina Chhaur because of her Asian heritage.
Meanwhile, Awhina has since addressed how she felt hearing Jake make those remarks, revealing Jake apologised to her immediately after the commitment ceremony.
“I don’t feel like he was trying to be malicious, even though [it was] a really insensitive comment,” she told Pedestrian TV.
“You can do that challenge, like a lot of us women did, without kind of saying, ‘This person had crazy eyes,’ or ‘I’m going to place this person here because I’m not attracted to people who aren’t Caucasian,’” she told the publication. “Like there are so many other ways he could have approached that. I think he made a mistake.”
Jake’s questionable comments during the photo ranking challenge weren’t just made towards Awhina. He also suggested that Sierah Swepstone gave off the “intimidating look” of “I could stab you in your sleep”, and labelled Jacqui Burfoot’s eyes as “crazy”.
“The photo ranking challenge on the show should be removed,” Sandy tells us, explaining that “judging people based solely on their looks is superficial and contradicts the show’s premise of fostering deeper connections that aren’t based on appearance, especially since participants are getting married at first sight.”
Channel 9 hasn’t responded to Draw Your Box’s request for comment.
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