Ryan Oubre made his reality television debut in Married At First Sight season 12, but even as fans prepare for the upcoming season 14, Ryan's marriage remains a point of contention. Viewers were disappointed when Ryan's relationship came to an end this past July, but the former groom's latest comments on the divorce have garnered a mixed response from Ryan's followers. From his unrealistic expectations for his ex to refusing to move on, here's why some Married At First Sight fans aren't buying the explanation Ryan offered for the end of his marriage.
Ryan was paired with 27-year-old flight attendant Clara Berghaus in January 2021, and the couple had a turbulent ride throughout season 12. Unfortunately, Clara and Ryan never convinced Married At First Sight fans that they were on the same page. For starters, Ryan was reluctant to tell Clara he loved her. Where Clara was prepared to jump headfirst into their new marriage, Ryan remained reserved emotionally and physically. This frustrated Clara, but the pair stayed together on Decision Day, and by the reunion special, Ryan proudly confessed his love for his wife. Unfortunately, fans quickly learned that the couple hadn't worked through all of their issues when Ryan and Clara announced their divorce weeks after season 12's conclusion.
Although Ryan and Clara's followers were disappointed with the outcome of their romance, the Married At First Sight alumni didn't share fans' frustration. Clara was so excited to break up with her former husband, she made a TikTok that documented her countdown to signing divorce papers. Once the pair were legally separated, Clara enjoyed a celebratory cocktail. Conversely, Ryan remained relatively quiet during his divorce process, only recently has the project manager started stirring the pot. On December 29, Ryan took to Instagram, where he shared his version of the events that led to his breakup. Some of Ryan's most significant claims include, "You can’t truly be open to marry another race and not want to marry their culture (or at least minimum understand it)," and "I intentionally derailed conversations [about race] or avoided them because I knew where it would go."
While Ryan's supporters applauded the former Married At First Sight star for sharing his truth, other fans were confused by Ryan's divorce rationale. Viewers were sympathetic to Ryan's cultural conflict, but think he might have expected too much when marrying Clara. In a response to Ryan's disappointment in Clara's interest in his culture, a Reddit user asked, "Why not request someone of similar heritage? Why would he expect Clara to fully understand?" Other critics wondered why Ryan's previous partners are mostly white women. Another fan commented, "[Ryan] also verbatim said he only dates white women…if you’re so into black culture and experience then why would you exclude dating black women?" Although most of the arguments against Ryan's post focused on his cultural conflict with Clara, other fans disagreed with Ryan's statement because they believe it dragged on an expired issue. A viewer asserted, "Whatever happened happened, move on."
Ryan and Clara's relationship was never perfect in Married At First Sight, but fans didn't expect the pair's drama to continue into the new year. Although many viewers are sympathetic to Ryan's marital issues, others criticize Ryan for expecting too much of Clara and throwing jabs at his ex-wife months after their divorce was finalized. Regardless of his reasons, fans think Ryan should've left his drama with Clara in the past with Married At First Sight season 12.
Sources: Ryan Oubre/Instagram, ichi2020/Reddit, ZanziBar770/Reddit, ohiotechie/Reddit