‘Married at First Sight’ Denver Is the Show’s Most Irresponsible Season Yet

The Big Picture

• Married at First Sight experts fail to prepare singles adequately for the challenges of marrying a stranger, leaving couples emotionally damaged and disillusioned.
• The experts’ inability to intervene in sensitive situations, such as racial identity and sex-shaming, has resulted in traumatic pairings and damage to participants.
• Lauren and Orion’s racial and sexual conversations were mishandled, leading to offense among the show’s audience and emotional scars for both individuals.
• Change is needed in the show’s approach and selection process.

Every season, Married at First Sight experts, Pastor Cal, Dr. Pepper and newly appointed Dr. Pia Holec, arrive at a new major city prepared to interview singles vying to be a part of the riskiest social experiment on reality television. Getting married to a complete stranger on national television for a trial period of six weeks sounds even crazier when spoken aloud, yet thousands sign up and each season five couples are chosen for the entertaining journey. Over the past five seasons, audiences of the show have vocalized their disappointment in the expert’s matches and, even more importantly, how they handle the train wrecks that inevitably take place every season. Audiences thought season 12 was the biggest embarrassment with groom Chris and bride Paige. From the moment Chris saw Paige, he was visibly disappointed with her looks, yet he was intimate with her during the honeymoon and throughout the beginning of the marriage. In order to get out of the marriage, he invited his ex-girlfriend on the show and revealed to Paige that they were expecting. It was the most disastrous marriage the show’saudiences has ever witnessed, but even worse than Chris’s actions, watching Paige be humiliated and disrespected without much assistance from the experts was heartbreaking. If season 12 was horrifying, the current season 17 has reached a new level of toxic irresponsibility on the experts’ part. Denver has the most red-flags out of any season thus far.

Groom Michael stood nervously at the altar, insecurities in tow, only to be rejected by his anonymous bride, Chloe at the first sight of him standing beside the pastor. To assume singles have their own issues and boundaries after they reach the aisle is understandable, but to have a bride run before she even gets down the aisle shows gross negligence on behalf of the experts choosing the candidates for marriage. These are just some of the examples of how the Denver cast has gotten the short end of the stick. But the problems go even further.

Lauren and Orion Were Doomed Before They Started on ‘Married at First Sight’ Because of Their Cultural Differences

If the catastrophe with Michael and Chloe wasn’t enough, the experts paired Lauren, an openly queer African American woman who was very open about her sexuality, with Orion, a Native American struggling with his sexual identity. Initially, the couple were excited about their pairing, but once they touched down on the honeymoon, their differences erupted, leaving them both emotionally traumatized. Over dinner in Mexico, the couple decided to discuss their cultural backgrounds and Orion immediately acknowledged using the N-word when he was younger. Although he took accountability for his ignorance, Lauren didn’t make a fuss about it and agreed that many people don’t understand the importance of the word and how it impacts African Americans. When asked if she’d ever used slurs against Native Americans, she quickly said no and added she didn’t even understand the term “red skin”. She looked at Orion and then started laughing as the realization hit her. Orion was insulted beyond her imagination and the couple’s breakdown was immediate. Because of the sensitivity of the racial slur, producers should’ve immediately offered the couple an opportunity to sit with the experts to deescalate the situation. Instead, Orion and Lauren attempted to move on, even though their bond was irretrievably broken.

During a follow-up dinner, they broached the subject of sex and intimacy. When Lauren admitted she’d been intimate two months prior to their marriage, Orion shut down and told her that for him, sex with her was now off the table. Lauren immediately teared up and disconnected from the conversation. She voiced feeling judged by her partner and wasn’t sure how to handle her emotions. The couple continued arguing, resulting in Lauren removing her ring and asking for a divorce. A FaceTime call with Dr. Pia Holec did little to reduce their distrust of one another and things continued to escalate. A FaceTime call with Pastor Cal was next, but it was clear he felt helpless talking to the couple from his car and asking Lauren if she was sure she wanted a divorce.

Audiences Have Voiced Their Disappointment With The Experts’ Way Of Handling Conflict on ‘Married at First Sight’

Audiences have raved about the fact that the experts don’t properly prepare singles for being married to a complete stranger for six weeks adequately. In addition to the couples not being counseled properly before the marriage, they also don’t get the assistance needed to work through issues during the marriage. Many of these couples leave the experiment more damaged than before they began the process, which is a huge fail for producers and the experts. With issues as culturally sensitive as racial identity and sex-shaming, the experts need to intervene in an effort to educate the couples as well as the show’s audience on how to properly address these hot-button topics.

Married At First Sight is a show that evokes the hope of love at first sight with the Lifetime audience. The experts should offer the couples and the audience proactive ways of handling differences from a positive perspective. Currently, the experts’ inability to intervene has left many of the singles broken and emotionally scarred after being paired with someone they never would’ve met if not for the show. The show also discourages its audience by showcasing traumatic pairings that do more damage to each other than good.

Lauren and Orion’s Conversations Being Handled Improperly Have Offended the ‘MAFS’ Audience

Hopefully, after Lauren and Orion leave Mexico, they will get in front of the experts for authentic therapy that allows them to heal as an individual, even if they don’t resume as a couple. Lauren joined the show as a confident woman, at peace with her sexuality and identity and being shamed by her husband in front of a national audience has resulted in her questioning herself and feeling shamed. Orion joined the show as a sensitive man, very proud of his Native American heritage. He is leaving the honeymoon with emotional scars from Lauren’s words without the tools needed to begin to heal or to process why his reactions were so extreme. Instead of being a reality series dedicated to restoring the audience’s hope in love and the possibility of finding someone special, audiences are reeling from the irresponsible way the show is handling issues that are painful to multiple communities.

Pastor Cal, Dr. Pepper and Dr. Pia are for the most part, likable experts. However, season after season, they drop the ball when it comes to offering the couples real assistance with the very difficult process of merging lives with a complete stranger. It could be time to bring in another expert or counselor with real world skills and the ability to select singles that are emotionally equipped for this journey. It’s clear there will be issues, but the rate and magnitude at which toxic breakdowns are playing out on MAFS is proof that change is needed.

Married at First Sight airs every Wednesday on Lifetime at 8 PM EST. Episodes can also be streamed online.

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