Those who love Married at First Sight are in luck as Lifetime has renewed the show for season 13 through at least season 17, and fans are curious to know where the new season was filmed. With two seasons airing every year, they are filming seasons back to back. Applications open before the previous season has even finished airing. Season 13 is set to premiere on July 21, 2021, just a few months after season 12 finished airing. Rushing through seasons may not be good news for the people who are hoping to find true love, but it will ensure more drama.
Season 12 was a drama-filled season thanks almost entirely to one man: Chris Williams. His obvious red flags that were apparent to viewers within a matter of minutes somehow slipped past the rigorous vetting of three relationship experts. Viewers are hoping that the experts have learned their lesson and did a better job matching MAFS’ season 13 couples. On the other hand, nothing gets the series more word-of-mouth advertising than a good villain, which may affect the experts’ choices more than they admit.
Season 13 is taking place in Houston, Texas. Casting began in August 2020, with interviews conducted in mid-November 2020 and mid-January 2021. What’s more, before season 13 even premieres, season 14 will be cast. The application deadline for season 14, which will take place in Boston, Massachusetts, was May 14, 2021. With approximately 50,000 applicants every season, it can take around six months to select the final couples. First they narrow it down to a couple hundred singles, then conduct psychological evaluations and home visits to select the final couples.
Finding applicants who are willing to get Married at First Sight isn’t just a matter of putting out a casting notice. Producers actively seek out singles, particularly those who will stand out (AKA create drama) on MAFS. They reach out to people in bars and even on dating apps. Producers have also been blamed for their interference in the selection process. In the end, a show about happy couples being supportive and loving of each other isn’t going to draw in the viewers, so producers seem to sacrifice singles to a bad match in order to create better television.
Texas has been one of the fastest states to relax COVID regulations, which probably made filming easier. Filming takes six to eight weeks, and probably began in February or March 2021. Lifetime will present a “matchmaking special” on July 7, showing the relationship experts at work. Many viewers lost their trust in Pastor Cal, Dr. Coles, and Dr. Pepper after season 12 and the Chris Williams debacle. Married at First Sight season 13 may reignite audiences’ faith in the system or destroy their trust forever.