Drop two strangers at the altar on their wedding day, mix in some reality TV magic — and
you've got Married at First Sight.
The show follows the newlyweds throughout the first few months of marriage — all while
they're just getting to know each other.
As the couples are expertly paired up for a reason, the show becomes an electrifying
social experiment.
But will it last?
And is it even real?
Here's what you don't know about Married at First Sight!
Vetting party
Just because Married at First Sight is a reality show, doesn't mean just anyone can be on it.
As show expert, Rachel DeAlto, described to ET Online:
"Each candidate goes through a very thorough background check to determine if they have
significant debts or any sort of criminal record."
And that's not all.
The experts also take into account the moral values and mental state of the participants.
Show counselor, Pastor Calvin Roberson, added,
"We're looking at things like their psychological testing, their core values.
These are legally binding marriages."
But just what kind of person would sign up for this?
Reality bride
As a few contestants described on The View, a bride can have many different reasons for
getting married on the show.
Monet Bell admitted:
"I wanted to get married.
I'm at that place in my life."
And fellow candidate Cortney Carrion, just knew she had to do it:
"Well the opportunity presented itself, and I thought, 'Why not?'
If I left the room and said no, I would always think, 'What if?' for the rest of my life,
and I don't want to have regrets."
First impressions
The first big moment on the show is when the bride and the groom see each other for the
first time.
But it's not quite as romantic as it might seem.
Monet Bell shared her pragmatic take:
"Please don't fall… don't faint, just let me get to the end of the aisle."
But it was bride Jamie Otis who revealed her initial hesitation:
"Everyone's smiling at me, and I just wasn't initially attracted to him, and I didn't know
anything about him other than the way he looked.
He was like rubbing my hands, I just felt so uncomfortable."
Expert advice
The experts are involved not only in pairing partners, but also in counselling couples
during the marriage itself.
But exactly how professional are these "reality experts"?
As Otis described to The Knot,
"Not only did the experts find someone who I could fall in love with, but they helped
guide me along the process."
Her husband, Doug Hehner, agreed, saying,
"For me, it was the experts that sold me on the idea.
I believed in them as professionals, and I trusted that they were taking this experiment
seriously and wanted to find a real scientific match, not just two people that were going
to make good TV."
Hehner said the experts have become almost like family, saying, "Even after the show,
they've all reached out to us and let us know that they hope to always stay in touch.
We have every intention on having them in our lives."
All the feels
Otis and Hehner talked with The Knot about the process of getting to know someone you
might not even be attracted to — and how their attitudes shifted over time.
Otis said,
"On our wedding day, I was certain I made the biggest mistake of my life.
I was trying my best to be pleasant and friendly, meanwhile I was wondering why on earth I ever
thought it'd be a good idea to marry a complete stranger."
Hehner shared similar thoughts on that first day, saying,
"I think there was a lot of doubt in the beginning, and whether or not we were right for each
other."
But then, things began to change.
Hehner continued,
"Over that time, we've both fallen in love with one another, and the thought process
changed from whether or not I could see myself spending the rest of my life with Jamie, to
not being able to imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone other than Jamie."
Total regret
Married life with a stranger, and the pressures of reality TV, create tough moments for the
couples throughout the show.
When season four's Nick Pendergrast yelled at his then-wife Sonia Granados, things got
dark, very fast:
"I don't think she's attractive, I'm not attracted to her, that's me opening up to the fullest
f---ing extent."
He later apologized, telling The Knot, "I could only imagine how [Sonia] must have felt.
The cameras always add to the stress when you're on day six or seven in a row and it's
1 a.m.
But [the cameras] also forced us to face a lot up front and not put it on the back burner."
But fans of the show didn't let Pendergrast off the hook, immediately siding with Granados
via social media.
He told The Knot, "It was a hard week for sure, and I tried to stay away from social
media and focus on other things to distract myself from being sucked into reading comment
after comment."
Big decisions
The big moment arrives on Decision Day, when the couple decides if they want to stay together
or divorce.
So what's going through their minds?
It turns out, a whole lot.
Neil Bowlus opened up to Us Magazine about his choice to divorce, saying,
"I felt I was missing the ability to create a deeper, more intimate relationship…
Nobody is at fault — it's just the way things happened.
We learn, grow and move on."
He continued to reflect on his decision, saying, "After six months of discussing the events
of Married at First Sight with professionals, I am in a comfortable place, and I appreciate
and value our friendship.
If I have learned one thing, it is yes, I will miss some things [from our time together]."
Wanna give it a shot?
Otis has some advice for anyone who wants to go on the show.
She told Upfront New York,
"You REALLY have to know exactly what you want.
You also have to know your own good and bad qualities — especially when talking with
the experts….
Also, you MUST be open."
"...patience is key.
You're not always going to be on the same page, especially for the first 6 months.
Be patient with your spouse."
Good advice, coming from an alum who's still happily hitched!
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