Married at First Sight season 12 was a major turning point for many viewers due to the matching of Chris Williams and Paige Banks. Watching Chris insult, use, and lie to Paige from day one left fans questioning how the experts and their supposedly thorough selection process could have missed all of the many red flags from Chris. Pastor Cal and Dr. Viviana Coles have come under scrutiny already for their questionable expertise. Now, some fans are also looking at Dr. Pepper Schwartz, who has been with the show since the very beginning.
Chris Williams hasn’t been the first questionable match on Married at First Sight. After all, only one couple from seasons 1 through 4 is still married in real life. MAFS season 2 star Jessica Castro had to take a restraining order out against her husband Ryan DeNino after he allegedly threatened to kill her. While the contestants are signing up for a reality TV show that is controlled by producers who need drama to attract viewers, the contestants are also trusting the experts to have their best interests at heart. When it only takes one episode for the viewers to spot major red flags that the experts missed, it calls their qualifications into question.
One fan started a Reddit thread (seen below) asking how Dr. Pepper could be so bad at her job on Married At First Sight. The original poster wrote, “I don’t think she’s qualified to do what she’s doing. She has a warped view of what is happening.” A commenter agreed, asking: “From where exactly does she derive her expertise? Cuz I haven't seen a lot of 'expertise' from her.” In truth, Dr. Pepper does have impressive credentials, as she received her Bachelors and Masters degrees from Washington University of St. Louis and her Ph.D. from Yale. But having degrees doesn’t mean that you’re good at reading people or working as a matchmaker.
A fan suggested in the thread that the problem might be Dr. Pepper’s area of study: sociology. “Sociologists receive much different training than mental health therapists/psychologists.” Dr. Pepper is a sexologist, which isn’t helpful in a situation like Paige and Chris’. Another fan replied, “An academic has no place in this… She's in no way qualified for home visits or providing advice to couples. It bothers me that they aren't with ACTUAL marital counselors when they're married.”
While bad matches make for good television, it has more than once placed women in a few dangerous situations. While many viewers called Chris Williams’ behavior emotionally abusive, there have also been physically abusive partners from past seasons. One commenter brought up the one time when this happened under Dr. Pepper’s watch. “I'll never forget [Dr. Pepper] calling Ashley in season 3 cold for not wanting to be with David who had a history of violence against women. The show literally placed a woman in danger and Dr. Pepper was too busy supporting a known abuser to care.”
An estimated 50,000 people apply to be on Married at First Sight every season. It’s hard to understand how so many bad matches can be the best choices out of so many possibilities. While Dr. Pepper herself has frequently repeated that the experts choose who is on the show, not producers, many fans simply can’t believe anyone could accidentally make so many bad matches so often. One Redditor said that they didn’t think producers making the choices let the experts off the hook because “The producers pick the couples, the 'experts' try to legitimize what is happening and push the couples to stay together for the ratings.” Once season 13 premieres, the viewers will be watching to see if Dr. Pepper learned anything from season 12 or if she’s already found the next Chris Williams.