Married at First Sight Season 18 is going strong this time around. However, it seems as if the show is either trying to slowly phase out the MAFS relationship experts completely or let fans know how crucial they really are. Regardless of what the reason might be behind their decreased screen time, it’s clear that the fans aren’t exactly happy and want them back!
The Reddit community of the franchise has over 111k members and lately, it feels like all of them are discussing how the whole "talking to friends" thing instead of proper couples counseling when needed just isn’t working out anymore. One of the comments on a post went on to add: “And the whole pretending you can't hear the conversation taking place 3 feet away is ridiculous,” – we cannot agree more.
It’s clear that the experts' absence has been generated on purpose and the producers are likely trying to gauge the audience’s reaction – but it’s not exactly clear where it will go. And while there have been concerns about how the show is affected by the diminished screen time for the experts this season, there are fans who haven’t been shy about expressing how it helps explore and bring forth other dynamics in the show. For instance, a user named @loveyabunches went on to say the most balanced analysis of the ongoing season:
“The friends are willing to say things the cast members and experts won’t, or at least say them more directly. But, yeah, the show desperately needs new formats and new furniture. I don’t want to see those black and white living room chairs in a fourth season.”
Fans Are Loving David’s Friend Giving a Blunt Reality Check to Michelle
As many fans have put it, there have also been perks to the friends' increased involvement, like they’re able to give the contestants an unfiltered birds'-eye-view of their relationship and intervene with a reality check when required. While David has tried to explain to Michelle why he’s saving to buy a house and has only gotten shoddy treatment back, his friend saying the same thing out loud bluntly does have an effect. One fan’s thoughts about this scenario being satisfying were:
“This conversation between Michelle and David's friend was highly satisfying, right? I'm trying to keep an open mind with Michelle, knowing she's been paired with an incompatible match, but the persistent, close-minded criticizing of his living arrangement needs to stop. She's renting, he's saving!”
While having experts Dr. Pepper Schwartz, Pastor Calvin Roberson, and Dr. Pia managing the MAFS couples in a counseling capacity would surely have been useful, seeing friends do it still feels authentic and is also how many day-to-day couples often deal with their problems. At the same time, counseling is helpful, and for a show like MAFS where couples have paired up in an unconventional scenario, even more so.
Married at First Sight is currently airing its 18th installment and is available to stream on Netflix. The next episode, “You Into Some Crazy Stuff,” is set to air on December 17, 2024, with the season’s final episode airing after the holidays on January 7, 2025.
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Married At First Sight
Release Date July 8, 2014
Cast Pepper Schwartz , Calvin Roberson , Viviana Coles , Jessica Griffin , John Aiken , Mel Schilling , Alessandra Rampolla , Logan Levkoff , Joseph Cilona , Greg Epstein , Rachel DeAlto , DeVon Franklin , Pia Holec
Main Genre Reality
Seasons 17
Writers Lotte Offenberg Bergqvist , Razor Rizzotti
Directors Charlie Mysak , Michael Fitzpatrick Lawrence Jr. , Nick Petrie
Showrunner Sam Dean
English (US) ·