The Married At First Sight franchise has had its fair share of ups and downs, from incompatible matches to epic blowouts between couples, and now the show experts are angering fans.
To marry a stranger is something that many people would never consider doing. but that's what Married At First Sight is all about. Participants blindly put their faith in the hands of psychology, spirituality, and sexology experts. These experts choose their partners and guide them through the entire process. Married At First Sight's expert's panel has changed throughout the seasons. During the first three seasons, the experts were clinical psychologist Dr. Joseph Cilona, sexologist Dr. Logan Levkoff, sociologist Dr. Pepper Schwartz and humanist chaplain Greg Epstein. During Married at First Sight season four, the expert lineup saw a huge shakeup, as all the experts from the previous seasons moved on, except Dr. Schwartz. Dr. Schwartz was joined by marriage counselor Pastor Calvin Roberson and relationship expert Rachel DeAlto. Then, at the beginning of MAFS season 6, Rachel DeAlto was replaced with Dr. Jessica Griffin. On the show's tenth season, Dr. Griffin was replaced by Dr. Viviana Coles. The current lineup of Married At First Sight stands as, Dr. Viviana Coles, Dr. Pepper Schwartz, and Pastor Calvin Roberson. This trio is beginning to annoy many fans, mainly due to the wildly incompatible pairings of season 10 and 11.
The latest season of Married At First Sight has shown fans that the experts seem to prioritize MAFS drama over true pairings. Married at First Sight season 10 featured the train wreck marriage of Mindy Shiben and Zach Justice. These two left a sour taste in many fans' mouths. Mandy was treated poorly by Zach throughout the show. Justice never actually put in the effort that is necessary to make a marriage work. Zach had even started an inappropriate relationship with Mindy’s friend. In MAFS season 11, viewers have seen bad pairings in Brett and Olivia as well as Christina and Henry. Brett and Olivia are two people who should never have gotten married. According to Reddit, fans are saying, “This show could be such an awesome sociological experiment, but it seems some couples are just being matched for the potential reality TV drama they might create. These are real people they are messing with, in real LEGAL marriages!” Dr. Pepper Schwartz is now doling out advice on Cameo, as per the Instagram post below:
Other fans went on to ask, “Who else thinks the “experts” should be included in the reunion and be asked questions like “why the heck did you pair these two?” Some matches just make no sense (like Brett and Olivia, or Henry and Christina).”
Fans of the Married At First Sight franchise are disappointed in the lack of care the experts seem to be taking when matching people, which may be leading to failed MAFS marriages and no accountability. Hopefully, production takes heed of the issues presented by fans and apply what they learn to upcoming seasons.
Source: Reddit, Dr. Pepper Schwartz/Instagram