Dr. Pepper Schwartz has arranged dozens of blind marriages over the years on Married At First Sight, but the relationship expert's personal life isn't as privy to the cameras as the participants of Lifetime's social experiment. Since its first season in 2014, Married At First Sight has introduced viewers to over a hundred men and women who are not only tired of living single but ready to solve their issues by getting married to a complete stranger. Naturally, while the idea may sound good in theory, it's only a matter of time until the couples of each Married At First Sight season find themselves in some serious conflict; however, a few matches like Jamie Otis and Doug Hehner continue to stand the test of time in 2023.

Despite the series' low success rate, Pepper and Pastor Calvin Roberson returned to television in January with the premiere of Married At First Sight season 16. Set in Nashville, Pepper, Cal, Dr. Pia Holec, and DeVon Franklin are determined to help the five new couples enjoy a happy marriage: Kirsten Grimes and Shaquille Dillon, Jasmine Secrest and Airris Williams, Gina Micheletti and Clint Webb, Domynique Kloss and Mackinley Gilbert, and frontrunners Nicole Lilienthal and Christopher Thielk. Although all eyes are on the newest batch of arranged marriages as they attempt to prove that love has no boundaries, there is still a lot to know about the person who matches individuals chosen for the series.

Related: What We Know About The Couples Of Married At First Sight Season 16

Dr. Pepper Schwartz's Early Life

Young Pepper Schwartz before Married At First Sight.

Pepper, who comes from a Jewish family, was born in 1945 and will turn 78 this May. According to Pepper's official website, the Married At First Sight star earned her BA and MA from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri; Pepper then completed her Ph.D. in 1974 at the University of Yale. Pepper has collaborated with Janet Lever several times throughout her career, who she met during their first year at Yale. In 1971, Pepper and Janet co-published a book, Women at Yale, and later wrote a sex column for Glamour magazine.

Dr. Pepper Schwartz's Career

Dr. Pepper Schwartz from Married At First Sight.

While she's mostly known for crafting arranged marriages on Married At First Sight, Pepper is an established sociologist and sexologist who is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Washington. Per Pepper's University of Washington staff page, the relationship expert has been a faculty member since 1972. Besides her educational career, Pepper has written several New York Times bestsellers, served as the President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexualities and Pacific Sociological Association, and is the current Love & Relationship Expert & Ambassador of AARP.

Dr. Pepper Schwartz's Time On Married At First Sight

Pepper has been a part of Married At First Sight since its inception, and was originally joined by psychologist Dr. Joseph Cilona, sexologist Dr. Logan Levkoff, and Greg Epstein, a humanist chaplain at Harvard University. While Married At First Sight has also introduced viewers to relationship expert Rachel DeAlto, Dr. Viviana Coles, and Dr. Jessica Griffin, who went on to marry MAFS season 6 participant Jonathan Francetic, Pepper has remained a consistent and respected matchmaker, although some decisions on recent seasons of Married At First Sight have been criticized.

Dr. Pepper Schwartz's Personal Life

Dr. Pepper Schwartz from Married At First Sight with husband Fred Kaseburg.

Although her job is to create perfect matches on Married At First Sight, Pepper has also been the victim of divorce. It's unclear when Dr. Pepper married her first husband, Arthur "Art" Skolnik, but the pair separated in 2003; born in 1944, Art's obituary states he passed away in 2020 from ALS. While Pepper keeps her personal life vague, she dished about her relationship with her second husband, Fred Kaseburg, to AARP in 2015. "I've been with my guy, Fred Kaseburg, for more than nine years now," Pepper shared. "But unless you count shared vacations or running back and forth between our two houses...the two of us have never lived together." The longtime Married At First Sight expert has two children, Cooper and Rider, at least one grandchild, and resides on a horse farm near Seattle.

More: MAFS Season 16 Couples With The Best Chances Based On Their Weddings

Sources: Dr. Pepper Schwartz, Dr. Pepper Schwartz/University of Washington, Arthur "Art" Skolnik/Legacy, AARP