Nonetheless, Aiken told Nine that he understands why the public has reacted strongly to the decision, which has been widely derided as a tacky rating stunt.
‘People have become very invested in the process and clearly have very passionate feelings about it, but this is the same experiment that has produced Jules and Cam,' he said.
The expert insists that he and Trisha Stratford and Mel Schilling treated the absurd situation seriously, and says they let the pair stay because they felt it was within the rules. And it seems the other two are very much on board.
‘[Our role is to observe,] and it's an experiment, and this has happened within the experiment,’ added Trisha, while Mel concluded, ‘I think if they have made this request -- and they seem genuine about it, about the relationship -- and we're to say 'No, you're not allowed to do that', then that's us intervening, isn't it.’