Married At First Sightis one of the longest-running reality TV dating shows on the air, butit has more controversial seasons than any other reality TV series. The concept ofMarried At First Sightis simple. Participants are matched up by a panel of experts and meet each other as they walk down the aisle to get married. After getting married, the participants get to know one another and spend time together over the course of eight weeks. They eventually get the opportunity to decide whether they want to stay together or get divorced.
WhileMarried At First Sightoffers the expertiseof its experts to the participants throughout the experiment, it is typically on the participants to decide how they’re going to proceed in their marriages.Some couples do well at becoming communicative and committing to their marriage before they’re able to fall in love, while others struggle to make such an extreme commitment without really knowing their partner. The experiment seems to be set out to prove that love can grow from a strong foundation of connection, and marriage can help to build that foundation rather than be the end goal for a partnership.
Despite there being severalseasons ofMarried At First Sightwhere the couples remain happily together at the end,most of the seasons end in turmoil for the majority of the couples. MostMarried At First Sightpairs have chosen to separate either before Decision Day or when it finally arrives. ThoughMarried At First Sightpairs are supposed to wait until Decision Day to make their final choice on whether they want to stay married or separate, couples in the most recent seasons have found it impossible to stay together once they’ve started making up their mind.
More often than not,Married At First Sightviewers see couples who throw in the towel early and decide to separate around the midpoint of the season. On top of couples struggling to stay together,Married At First Sighthas beena hub of controversy for reality TVfor years.The behavior of the participants can be questionable from season to season, with some acting worse than others. With lies, secrets, and scandals, manyMAFSparticipants find themselves having to deal with large emotional issues on reality TV, which can be difficult.
Withnearly 20 seasons ofMarried At First Sightavailable, there have been some serious uncomfortable moments on the series in the past that viewers can choose to relive. Though the controversies ofMAFSaren’t always larger than life, there have been some major issues on the series in the past.The backlash against some of the cast members ofMarried At First Sighthas been extreme, and in recent seasons, the perception of the cast has changed dramatically throughout the season.
10MAFS Season 14
Boston
Married At First Sightseason 14sparked controversy because of the dramatic and problematic dynamics between several of the couples. Set in Boston, the season featured some of the most highly volatile relationships inMAFShistory,especially the marriage between Alyssa Ellman and Chris Colette. Alyssa, who most viewers found to be disrespectful and dismissive toward herMAFShusband, became a hugely controversial cast member. From the beginning, Alyssa wasn’t satisfied with her match, and while Chris was open to trying their relationship, she refused to spend time with him.
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Alyssa’s dismissal of Chris and the comments she would make about his appearance, personality, and overall behavior were difficult for viewers to watch. The couple left the experiment early, but the damage was done when it came to theMAFSseason. On top of Alyssa and Chris,the season had a difficult time properly tackling mental health issues, which leftMAFSviewers questioning the ethics of production and the experts on the show.
9MAFS Season 2
New York City
While it was an early season of the series,MAFSseason 2 was another incredibly controversial seasonbecause of the way the relationships played out. Similarly to the first season of the series,Married At First Sightseason 2was set in New York and Northern New Jersey, and featured three couples who were matched in a seemingly haphazzard way. The worst of the couples was Ryan De Nino and Jessica Castro, who appeared to be happy in their marriage for some of the season, but ultimately became volatile.
After the season ended,Ryan and Jessica’s relationship grew more tumultuous, and the red flags that theMAFSproducers should’ve noticed during the casting process became truly problematic. When Ryan got physically violent with Jessica, it became clear that he’d been physically and emotionally abusive throughout their relationship. After threatening her life, Jessica got a restraining order, but the stain onMAFSseason 2 remains even over a decade later.
8MAFS Season 10
Washington, D.C.
The chaos ofMarried At First Sightseason 10made it one of the most controversial of all time, especially after viewers expected the opposite. While the season did produce one successful long-term marriage between Austin Hurd andJessica Studer, the rest of the couples faced issues thatMAFShadn’t seen before. One of the worst couples of the season, Michael Watson and Meka Jones, sparked controversy early on when it became clear that Michael was lying about everything. Filling their marriage with tension,Michael’s lies led to Meka consistently feeling gaslit, and left viewers questioning the experts.
Another couple with tremendous issues duringMAFSseason 10 was Taylor Dunklin and Brandon Reid, who seemed like they may be interested in making their marriage work, but quickly broke apart. Brandon’s behavior was questionable throughout the season, but an on-camera blowup led to a confrontation withMarried At First Sightproducers that was only partially shown on screen.The overdramatic nature of the season left many viewers distrustful ofMAFSas a whole.
7MAFS Season 6
Married At First Sightseason 6, which was set in Boston, was a deeply controversial mix of poorly matched relationships and emotional stress in their relationships. The seasons worst couple was easily Molly Duff and Jonathan Francetic, who were unable to find a way to communicate throughout the process.Molly and Jon’s difficult relationship constantly escalated into major fights and held serious tension, especially when it was shown just how demeaning and belittling Molly was toward Jon throughout the season.
While Molly and Jon’s relationship was the worst of the season, the way they were treated throughoutMarried At First Sightseason 6 by the experts was something that viewers didn’t know how to handle. With Jon deciding to share private footage with the experts to show how Molly had treated him,ethics came into question regarding how privacy should be handled onMAFS.With the show’s vetting process being called into question after Molly was cast,MAFStook the heat once again.
6MAFS Season 15
San Diego
The first season to take place in San Diego,Married At First Sightseason 15 brought together some fascinatingly mismatched couples, which created controversy during and after the season. Throughout the season, the participants found themselves stuck in pools of tension with their partners, and it was difficult for them to find their way out once things got tough. The most difficult marriages of the season were between Binh Trinh & Morgan Bell, who lacked trust in one another, andAlexis Williams & Justin Hall, who faced constant instability.
Morgan and Binh seemed like they may be a good fit early on, but when Binh confided in anotherMAFSgroom rather than her about some personal issues, Morgan saw it as a betrayal. Unable to move forward, Morgan and Binh’s relationship turned volatile. Meanwhile, Alexis and Justin were unstable from the beginning of their marriage. The couple tried to be affectionate, but consistently got into hostile arguments that changed their dynamic time and time again.Many felt the season leaned too heavily into drama, ignoring the more genuine connections.
5MAFS Season 8
Philadelphia
Set in Philadelphia,Married At First Sightseason 8was another first for the series and turned into one of the most controversial seasons the show ever aired. With extreme emotional conflict and difficult behavior from many of the participants,MAFSseason 8 is one that viewers don’t often return to. While the participants were scrutinized in their behavior,theMAFSexperts were questioned for their lack of intervention throughout the season, knowing how problematic the relationships had become.
Theworst offenders onMAFSseason 8 were Kate Sisk and Luke Cuccurullo, as their marriage was easily one of the most volatile thatMarried At First Sighthas ever seen. Filled with red flags, Luke struggled to find any initial attraction to Kate, who he openly criticized with harsh words on screen. Calling their first kiss “repulsive”, Luke didn’t hold back with his criticisms, but off-camera was apparently trying to make his marriage work. Luke’s open gaslighting of Kate was difficult to watch, and led viewers to struggle with theMAFSexperts for allowing the relationship to continue.
4MAFS Season 9
Charlotte
AlthoughMarried At First Sightseason 9featured a wonderful couple in Deonna McNeill and Gregory Okotie, the rest of the season remains one of the most controversial of all time. The majority of the couples seemed to be deeply mismatched, and one of the marriages led to some serious emotional distress. WhileAmber Bowles and Matt Gwynne seemed like they may be a good match, the couple struggled to find a foundation for their relationship after their wedding.
Matt was often absent, with Amber struggling to locate him throughout the season. Provoking feelings of insecurity and distress, Amber had a hard time with the fact that she felt abandoned in her marriage, while Matt refused to explain his actions throughoutMarried At First Sightseason 9. Amber’s on-camera heartbreak was tough for viewers to watch, andled to viewers continuing to develop distrust with the expertsafter they’d created such a poor match.
3MAFS Season 1
The first season ofMarried At First Sightwas revolutionary, which made it controversial from the jump. While the concept of blind matchmaking wasn’t new, seeing it on reality TV was a wholly different experience. The three couples who were matched by the first panel of experts were left entirely in the dark about what they’d be experiencing, andthe concept itself was criticized by viewers until they watched the season roll out.
While the couple onMAFSseason 1 who ultimately wound up lasting,Jamie Otis and Doug Hehner, are still together today, their initial meeting was a harsh reality check for both of them. Jamie revealed she wasn’t physically attracted to herMarried At First Sighthusband,making it clear to him and viewers that she was disappointed in the match. Many found it difficult to handle her truth, especially when the marriage continued on, and the firstMAFScontroversy of the series was born.
2MAFS Season 17
Denver
The most recent season ofMarried At First Sightvisited Denverfor the first time, and though it seemed like the couples may be able to make things work, the controversy surrounding the season became unprecedented. First, one of the participants found themselves left at the altar when hisMAFSbride got cold feet after walking down the aisle. Michael Shiakallis took the betrayal in stride and was ultimately rematched with anotherMAFSbride, butthe season continued to struggle.
The biggest controversy ofMAFSseason 17 was revealed during the reunion episode, when the cast came clean about one of the biggest shocks in the show’s history. Rather than allowing the drama to unfold naturally, theMarried At First Sightseason 17 cast had been plotting out their own drama for the cameras, creating storylines that they feld would be genuine enough, but make them look good on camera. Shocking theMAFSexperts, producers, and audience,the breach of trust was extremely difficult to grapple with.
1MAFS Season 18
Chicago
AlthoughMarried At First Sightseason 18is just getting started, it’s already looking like it will be one of the most controversial seasons of all-time. There was buzz surrounding the season early on, when it appeared possible that there could be another runaway bride much likeMAFSseason 17. While that still remains to be seen, it looks likethere will be a much larger source of dramacoming up later in the season.
Married At First Sighthas teased the first-ever wife swap of the series, with Dr. Pia Holec sharing during a promo that there would be some serious infidelity for the cast members to answer for. It appears that two of the participants onMarried At First Sightseason 18 will forego their matched couples and form a new couple when they catch feelings for one another. In an unprecedented re-match, theMarried At First Sightparticipants are putting themselves in the center of a major controversy.
Married At First Sightairs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EDT on Lifetime.
Married At First Sight
Cast
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.
