Married at First Sight (MAFS) has been a Lifetime staple for fourteen years. The social experiment of matching compatible singles with other singles based on the characteristics and traits they value the most resonated with viewers with a penchant for dating and relationship shows. The couples were selected by a group of experts including clinical psychologist Dr. Joseph Cilona, sexologist Dr. Logan Levkoff, sociologist Dr. Pepper Schwartz, and humanist chaplain Greg Epstein. After three seasons, Dr. Pepper stayed on board and was joined by Pastor and marriage counselor Calvin Roberson and relationship expert Rachel DeAlto. The MAFS audience found the experts on the reality series trustworthy and reliable. They looked like people committed to their craft of helping people, as opposed to some of the other dating reality shows with therapists who looked and behaved more like social influencers.
The chemistry of Pastor Cal, Dr. Pepper, and Rachel worked better than expected, getting audiences hooked on the entertaining journey of being matched with a stranger and seeing them for the first time at the altar, the drama of the honeymoon night (should we do it or not?) and then the honeymoon and reintroduction to normal lives. Each season, the final results were a mashup between couples who chose to remain married after the 8-week trial and even a few that went on to happily ever after. Over the first sixteen seasons, 64 couples were matched, and 37 couples chose to remain married on decision day. Out of those 37 couples, 11 remained married moving into season 17, bringing the overall success rate of the show to just shy of 20%. Fans have complained about the failing marriages the last few seasons, and in order to maintain the audience, the success rate needs to increase.
‘MAFS’ Has Fallen Off Over The Last Five Seasons
MAFS has enjoyed being considered a more effective and real social dating experiment than other similar programs because of the experts’ therapeutic contributions, and the favorable success rate of the couples, but the last few seasons have been extremely disappointing, making fans question the relevance of the show. With less than 20% of couples making it to true success, fans know there is little hope for their favorite couples to make it, but early on in the series, the singles appeared committed to the process and willing to give the experiment their all up until decision day. Over the past five seasons, singles have begun exhibiting behavior that suggests the experts aren’t doing their due diligence in vetting potential brides and grooms. The last season in Denver, CO was a record-breaking disappointment with zero connections and more toxicity than possibility. For the first time in MAFS history, one bride quit the process at the sight of her groom walking down the aisle.
The runaway bride set the tone for the rest of the season, with one couple calling it quits after the first couple of days on their honeymoon and the train wreck continued at warp speed for the entire season. Except for one couple, the other four brides and grooms conspired to use the opportunity to promote their businesses and personal profiles. Two couples didn’t move in together and at least one groom was actively approaching other women while participating in the experiment. The blame for inauthentic brides and grooms rests solely in the laps of the experts, as audiences have accused the trio of not taking accountability for picking singles guaranteed to deliver drama over “I do” and for abandoning the couples as soon as they embark on the arduous journey of marrying a stranger on TV.
With a Runaway Bride, ‘MAFS’ Denver Was Historically The Worst Season To Date
Denver was hands down the most dysfunctional season, but audiences’ trust in the experts started waning several seasons ago. In season 12, MAFS focused on Atlanta, GA to find five couples looking for love and matrimony with a stranger. The season was ruined by a scandal involving a young groom named Chris, and his lack of physical attraction to his bride, Paige. Chris mentioned during a confessional interview that he wasn’t attracted to Paige, but he continued deceiving her and was intimate with her on their honeymoon. Eventually, he shared his feelings with Paige and if her heartbreak over being told he didn’t find her attractive wasn’t enough, Chris brought his ex-girlfriend on the show and the two of them explained to Paige that they were expecting a baby. Chris’ immature behavior enraged MAFS fans, and they demanded the experts rescue Paige from the embarrassment of finishing out the 8-week process with a groom who lied about his readiness for marriage and insulted her looks on camera. Pastor Cal and Dr. Pepper both seemed disappointed at the revelations, but aside from giving Paige passive permission to make her own decisions, most fans felt they didn’t hold Chris accountable for his actions.
Before Atlanta, there were other singles that seemed to slip through the cracks in relation to the experts’ discretion. In season 9, professional basketball player Mattwas rude and disconnected to the process, to the dismay of his bride, Amber. Matt was cold from the time he and Amber went on their honeymoon and the emotional abuse continued throughout the relationship. Matt spent most of his time outside the couple’s shared living space and was rumored to be interacting with other women the entire time.
Chris Bringing His Pregnant Ex-Girlfriend On The Show Was a Record ‘MAFS’ Low
Aside from a pregnant ex, racial slurs and singles entertaining other options, there have been numerous couples over the past few seasons that refuse to move in with their spouse after the honeymoon. In season 16, several couples gave up on their relationships during their honeymoon, including Dominique and Mack. The much younger Dominique was visibly not happy after seeing her husband at the end of the aisle and worked to prove he wasn’t her type during the remaining 8 weeks. After rejecting Mack, she reminded the experts that her mother signed her up for the show and at the reunion one of her takeaways was that she just wasn’t ready for marriage. Although Gina was much more friendly with her rejection of her temporary husband Clint, she was unmoveable in her stance of not being attracted to her red-headed groom.
Morgan and Binh were another extremely disappointing pairing in season 15, along with their cast mates Lindsey and Mark. Morgan left the process and refused to interact with Binh, while Lindsey worked to insult Mark at every opportunity. With all the horrible matchmaking and trifling brides and grooms, few came close to fans’ disgust for season 14’s resident villainess Alyssa. After being paired with Chris, she decided his looks were repulsive and refused to be in scenes with him for most of their 8 week process. Alyssa berated Chris to production, other castmates and anyone else she could find until the two were finally free of one another at the reunion.
‘MAFS’ Fans Have Lost Faith In Dr. Pepper and Pastor Cal
With five seasons of singles clearly not prepared or committed to valuing a spouse for anything other than being physically attractive, it appears the mission of MAFS has somehow gotten lost in the desire for singles to score a spot on a television show. The problem with this irresponsible casting is that MAFSset a professional standard in the beginning seasons of vetting singles that were committed to the process. With Dr. Pepper’s empathetic input and Pastor Cal’s bible-based rationale, viewers expect MAFS couples to come into the process with honest intentions to find a life partner. Dr. Pia Holec is new to the MAFS trifecta, but she has been even less impactful than the other hosts. The experts are not holding their end of the bargain and regulating the process to maintain the integrity of the show.
It’s understandable that Dr. Pepper, Dr. Cal and Dr. Pia have no control over participants’ behavior, but their ability to vet singles that will at the very least commit to a trial marriage is imperative for the show to survive. The MAFS contract should require singles to commit to living as a married couple for the duration of the marriage trial. When conflict arises as it has in past examples, Dr. Pia, Dr. Cal and Dr. Pepper need to be accessible and willing to invest their time working with the couples to ensure they are in a healthy space before moving forward. The lack of attention and investment in couples experiencing conflict has also worked to make audiences lose faith in the authenticity of the expert panel.
Season 18 Is Rumored To Be More Toxicity Which Will Disappoint Fans
Some MAFSfans are holding out hope that the upcoming season 18 in Chicago will work to restore their faith in one of the most successful reality dating shows on television. The couples have yet to be announced, but the first trailer released highlights what is assumed to be a groom verbally assaulting his bride. If this is the best representation of the upcoming season, fans may demand producers bring on new experts and revamp the show. How you start a show sets the tone and expectations of the audience and, currently, MAFS fans deserve and expect much more than the experts are giving. It’s too late for the show to downgrade the expectations of the cast. If things aren’t rectified in season 18, it will be time for a re-cast of the experts and a re-boot of the show.
Married at First Sight is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.
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