Married At First Sight Season 18: Signs Ikechi Ojor Is On The Show For The Wrong Reasons (His Red Flags Revealed)

Married at First Sight season 18 cast member Ikechi Ojoré has several red flags that have been revealed which demonstrate that he's on the show for the wrong reasons. Married at First Sight season 18 premiered in early October 2024, and three episodes out so far. In season 18, five couples have gotten married: Ikechi and Emem Obat, Thomas and Camille, Juan and Karla J, David and Michelle Tomblin, and Allen Slovick and Madison Myers. This season is already going better than season 17, which saw the MAFS franchise's first runaway bride and subsequent rematching. Moreover, none of the season 17 couples were successful.

While there is still a lot of season and promise left in season 18, there are already some warning signs that the outcomes of the couples may not be great. Even though the season 18 cast has been touted as "mature" by production, there will be a cheating scandal this season and also a first-ever couple swap. At this time, there is only speculation and alleged spoilers about who is the cheater and which couples swap, but Ikechi is at the top of the list for having something to do with either sketchy scenario.

Ikechi Applied for MAFS Before

Is He After A TV Opportunity?

Ikechi is no stranger to the casting and process of Married at First Sight. The Houston, Texas, native originally applied for MAFS season 13, which took place in Houston in 2020. Ikechi made it as far as meeting the experts, but was ultimately not chosen for the show, although it's unclear why. The now 41-year-old college counselor got a job opportunity in Chicago, Illinois, where MAFS season 18 is taking place, and he jumped at it.

Now that MAFS is in Chicago, Ikechi applied once more for the show, and this time he was successful in the experts' evaluation of him and the experts finding him a match. While Ikechi's second Married at First Sight foray could be seen a positive thing because it comes off as something he really wants, there is another side to it. Ikechi could have followed the MAFS circuit and applied for the show again because he has an interest in being on TV.

Moreover, Ikechi's relationship history is suspect. When Emem sat down with Ikechi's friends at the wedding, they let her know more about his past.

One of his groomsmen revealed, "He was really in love with a young lady and she broke his heart, ya know, cheated on him. He carried that for a long time. It shaped his decision making with relationships."

His groomsman went on to say that that bad experience made him not completely vulnerable for a long time. MAFS viewers got to hear more about Ikechi's past when Ikechi was talking to Emem's cousin Rafiu. Ikechi detailed that his last serious relationship was twelve years ago, and that he was engaged to that person in his twenties. Since then, Ikechi has not had a relationship go past six or seven months. However, he did say that he wanted children.

Ikechi's lack of a serious and committed dating history is a red flag. That, coupled with this being his second attempt at being on TV and getting his name out there, makes it seem like he's not ready for the experience.

Ikechi Published Letters To His Wife

Which Emem Thought Was Sweet

Ikechi and his friends and family let Emem know that he had been praying for a wife every day. Furthermore, Lifetime's Ikechi announced to Emem that he was an author of a book where he published letters to his future wife.

Ikechi's book, To my future #wcw: Letters to my best friend and future Everything, was released in 2018. He even went on a book tour. Nevertheless, Emem thought Ekechi's letters and his prayers were sweet, and she was visibly swooning throughout the wedding moments.

Ikechi Is Inauthentic

Ikechi's Doesn't Seem To Be In To Emem

Responsible-Winner80 on Reddit did the digging into Ikechi's book in a thread and what that could potentially mean for his motivations in being on the show. "He seems so disingenuous to me," one Redditor commented.

"Hahahahaha now this is a clout chaser if I’ve ever seen one," another wrote.

Someone else surmised, "Makes sense now why he didn’t give her the letters." It seems Ikechi is coming across as inauthentic to viewers. Moreover, in a separate Reddit thread by u/BadExpert7454, many commentors felt Ikechi was not into Emem during their wedding, and that that won't pan out well for a successful outcome.

"He’s hard to read cause he’s full of it. I may be incorrect but to me it seems like he presents himself how he thinks people want him to be instead of just being himself," wrote a viewer.

Another person penned, "I don’t like him so far, he seems really arrogant and high on himself and he just gives off jerk vibes.." Ikechi is going to have to do a lot to win viewer favor, but for now, his red flags are preceding him on the show and in MAFS fan opinion.

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Does Ikechi Cheat On Emem?

Emem Will Get Infuriated With Ikechi

Courtesy of Lifetime

With a cheating scandal set to rock Married at First Sight season 18, Ikechi and his red flags are at the top of the list of whom the perpetrator might be. In the season 18 trailer, viewers watched Emem become infuriated at Ikechi, and that was the most heated anyone got in the trailer, signifying that the cheating scandal may lie with Ikechi. It's even moreso believable since viewers think Ikechi is not attracted to Emem and since he has a dating history of short-term relationships.

Married At First Sight airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EDT on Lifetime.

Source: Lifetime/YouTube, Responsible-Winner80/Reddit, u/BadExpert7454/Reddit

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