Married at First Sight season 17 was such a blunder on the franchise that it has rippling effects on season 18 and the couples' potential for success. Married at First Sight season 18 premiered on October 15, 2024, and has three episodes out currently. There was also a "Matchmaking Special" and a "Kickoff Special" that gave more insight into the quality of the cast and the viability of the matches paired by the panel of experts. The Married at First Sight's experts, Dr. Pepper Schwartz, Pastor Cal Roberson, and Dr. Pia Holec, are returning for a fourth season together.
The experts are tasked with making the right matches and guiding the couples through the eight-week-long process. So far, all of the season 18 couples have got married to a stranger sight unseen at the altar. In Married at First Sight season 17, one pairing didn't even make it that far. While that might be a good sign for season 18's couples, the trends and pitfalls of season 17 are carrying over to season 18 and setting the couples up for failure. With so much season still left, season 18 is careening towards chaos, just like season 17.
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MAFS Season 17's Couples All Failed
& There Was Extreme Animosity
Lifetime's Married at First Sight season 17 was arguably the most disastrous season in franchise history due to several elements that made the couples fail and the season be ill-received. Season 17 began with participant Michael Shiakallis being ditched by his bride at the altar after she stated she wasn't ready to marry a stranger. Michael was then rematched by the experts with Chloe Brown, but the pair broke up on Decision Day because Michael said he was not ready for marriage, in a surprising turn of events given that Chloe also said yes to staying married.
What's more, Orion Martzzloff and Lauren Goodger broke up immediately upon returning to Denver from their honeymoon, and Cameron Frazer and Clare Kerr split on their one-month anniversary. Becca Haley and Austin Reed, and Emily Balch and Brennan Shoykhet effectively broke up before Decision Day, although Becca and Austin said yes, only to end things the next day. The season 17 couples also endeavored to pull the wool over viewers' eyes by coordinating with each other to pull off a group dupe.
The intention was for the couples to present themselves positively in front of the cameras so as to get a good edit. But what happened was individuals felt silenced and the masking of what was really going on created tension in the marriages and among the whole cast, which epically blew up during the reunion. What's worse, the experts had no idea about the dupe and were completely fooled, adding to the list of blunders that have damaged their reputations.
There was a lot wrong with season 17, from the poor matchmaking, the cast members not being ready or emotionally available to get married, the attempted deception, and the blatant animosity among the cast. With so much to take a look at in season 17 and fix so as to avoid similar situations in season 18, there needed to be more change between the seasons. Because Married at First Sight season 17 failed so epically, the same issues can be expected to arise in season 18.
The MAFS Experts Have Remained The Same
Which Is A Red Flag
If Married at First Sight season 18 ever had a chance of producing successful matches and showing viewers that the show is sticking to its premise instead of manufacturing drama, the experts would have changed. Dr. Pepper, Pastor Cal, and Dr. Pia have proven their biases, inability to carry out their job duties, and demonstrated their aloofness when it comes to ensuring everyone is being authentic.
This panel of experts is dragging the season down with every failure, and since all the couples failed, and failed horribly in season 17, season 18 will also be dragged down by the trio.
MAFS Season 17 Proved Production Doesn't Care About Cast
Or Else They Would Have Paired People Better
The other contention with season 17 affecting the season 18 couples' potential for success is that casting is just as bad in season 18 as it was in season 17. The cast of season 17 were either clout chasers, clearly not fit to enter a marriage, uncompromising, or dubiously immature. These same qualities are present in the cast choices for season 18. Since the chosen set of participants in each season have abundant red flags, it proves that production does not care about the cast, and is more concerned with manufacturing drama.
The selected cast in earlier Married at First Sight seasons, along with their success, and low drama but high quality entertainment proves that the show can stick to its premise and be well-received.
However, the franchise has seemingly moved away from that matrix and does not care about affecting the lives of the cast members negatively, given their penchant for mismatching people and choosing the cast poorly in general. Season 18 is falling victim to the pattern of recent Married at First SIght seasons, like season 17 and all its chaos.
The MAFS Season 18 Couples Are Just As Mismatched As Season 17's
There Is A Lack Of Compatibility
The cast of Married at First Sight season 17 had obvious mismatchings in terms of moral compasses, cultural backgrounds, communication styles, religious preferences, and non-negotiables. In Married at First Sight season 18 (via @mafslifetime), the experts and production have chosen people equally as mismatched who will encounter insurmountable problems together. For example, David Tremble lives at his parents' house, which is not a compatible or attractive quality to his paired bride Michelle Tomblin, who is fiercely independent. A lot remains to be seen in season 18, but if season 17's drama is any indication, the season 18 couples will fail.
Married At First Sight airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EDT on Lifetime.
Source: Lifetime/YouTube, @mafslifetime/Instagram
Based on the Danish version of the series, Married at First Sight is a reality show/social experiment that gives singles a chance to find a lifelong partnership with one particular caveat: they must agree to marry a stranger arranged the moment they meet. Experts provide counseling and guidance as they help couples navigate their new marriage with their unknown partner and highlight the journey of the newlyweds from wedding to honeymoon to beginning their new lives together. At the end of eight weeks, couples will decide to stay married or divorce.
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
Release Date July 8, 2014
Seasons 17
Writers Lotte Offenberg Bergqvist , Razor Rizzotti
Directors Charlie Mysak , Michael Fitzpatrick Lawrence Jr. , Nick Petrie
Showrunner Sam Dean
English (US) ·