There’s no denying that Chris Williams was seen as the villain of season 12 couples on Married at First Sight. His immature and selfish behavior has repeatedly shocked everyone, from the viewers to the very experts who vetted him and arranged his marriage. When Screen Rant interviewed Pastor Cal, we had to ask about the elephant in the room. While there is no changing the past, how does someone like Chris Williams change what he does in the future?
Chris Williams seemed on the surface to be a serious, responsible, spiritual, gentleman who was ready to be married. Almost immediately he began mistreating his match, Paige Banks. He consummated their marriage, then told her he wasn’t attracted to her. Shortly after, he broke the news that his ex-fiancée was pregnant with his child. Chris also said he was committed to Paige, then a few days later asked for a divorce. Viewers were as shocked as Paige by Chris’ awful behavior and wondered how the experts could be fooled by someone like Chris.
Pastor Cal admitted that he had been fooled by Chris Williams during the vetting process. When asked about how being fooled by Chris would change his process going forward, Pastor Cal talked about what he has learned from the FBI when he was studying for an unrelated project. Pastor Cal explained that when the FBI is learning about how to spot counterfeit money, “They don’t study the fakes. They study the [real] dollar…You look at the one that works. So what I’m learning from are the couples that work.”
To be fair, the other couples of season 12 have largely appeared to be more successful, with men who are taking their marriage vows more seriously. While the couples haven't reached decision day yet, the other four couples seem to be putting in a real effort to make their relationships work. So while Chris Williams was a horrible mistake that should have been avoided, the other four couples could successfully create happy, lasting marriages and families. If they do, it’s better for the experts to try to repeat what they did right with those couples than to fear a repeat of what they did wrong.
Going on a show that marries you off to a stranger comes with risk. The contestants hope that the producers and the relationship experts have the contestant’s best interest at heart and that mistakes won’t be made. The producers are trying to create drama and an interesting narrative, which is why they have so many rules for contestants. But for his part, Pastor Cal seems to genuinely be trying to make good matches. He stays in touch with many of the couples and knows how many MAFS marriages are still going and how many babies have come out of those happy unions. While some matches have been disasters, he is going to follow the FBI’s example and focus on what makes the real ones successful. Because in the end, you can’t always spot a good fake.