10 Things That Need To Happen In Married at First Sight Season 18 (Can The Show Redeem Its Credibility?)

Married At First Sight season 17 went down in history as one of the worst seasons ever, with the cast members trying to look perfect on screen and experts losing their credibility, but some things could make MAFS season 18 better. For the past 17 seasons, Married At First Sight has been about wedding strangers who, like the show describes, tie the knot after meeting each other for the first time. MAFS season 17, set in Denver, wasn’t as successful as expected. The series had needlessly long episodes, making the whole watching process cumbersome for most viewers.

Although the MAFS audience has been accustomed to bad pairings for the last couple of seasons, MAFS season 17 proved how broken the matchmaking process was. There was a high rate of unsuccessful marriages, with the entire Denver cast being so unlikeable. Married At First Sight season 17 cast has a selfish and untrustworthy agenda for being on the show. The participants had polar perspectives on the same events. During the MAFS reunion, Brennan Shoykhet and Emily Balch had a different recollection of what happened in their marriage and what led to their separation.

While Brennan stated they’d discussed separating the same way Cameron Frazer and Clare Kerr did, Emily maintained that he was lying. Perhaps the only MAFS season 17 cast member who would get a pass for being tolerable was Chloe Brown, whom the experts rematched Michael Shiakallis with after he was left at the altar by his runaway bride. Married At First Sight season 17’s failure was good for the show since there will be massive improvement once season 18 drops. There are a couple of things the franchise can do to make MAFS season 18 unforgettable.

10. MAFS Season 18 Needs New Experts

After all the drama from MAFS season 17, there was an ultimate betrayal from the viewers’ side, with many asking for a recast of the current experts. The three experts obligated to match the Denver singles were Dr. Pia Holec, Pastor Cal Roberson and Dr. Pepper Schwartz. These experts’ crucial role is to guide couples throughout the process and assist them in navigating through marriage issues. Dr. Pepper has been an expert since season 1, whereas Pastor Cal joined in MAFS season 4. Finally, Dr. Pia became part of the MAFS experts in season 15.

“A new panel of experts would be intruding to see as they add an element of novelty, leaving the viewers interested in seeing what a new season has to offer.”

New experts would bring a fresh perspective to the show. These individuals would have different viewpoints and experiences crucial throughout the matching process, thus addressing potential biases or limitations that the current panel would have. Dr. Pia, Pastor, and Dr. Pepper are ruining the show since they haven’t successfully promoted great partnerships, with all MAFS season 17 couples wanting out.

Therefore, these professionals are partially to blame for all the scandalous season 17. The experts matched the wrong people, who immediately knew they weren’t meant to last, and they wanted out immediately, leaving the participants looking like villains. If the experts did their job well, they wouldn’t have matched Clare and Cameron, who were incompatible. Clare was a phony on the show, too picky and not attracted to Cameron, whereas Cameron was dishonest and sneaky.

9. MAFS Season 18 Needs A Fresh Location

Every MAFS season is filmed in different locations in various big cities across the United States. There have been situations where the producers have filmed in the same town more than once, such as Atlanta and Boston. For the most part, a new season provides a new set of singles ready to get married and a new location. Married At First Sight season 18 is headed back to Chicago after having previously filmed season 5 – which brought with it some interesting characters, and it was one to remember.

There was a huge infidelity saga that made national headlines – the cheating scandal between Dean Wells and Davina Rankin. The experts paired Davina with her on-screen husband, Ryan Gallagher. However, she went behind Ryan’s back and got involved in a partner swap with Dean, earning her the villain title. After a disappointing season 17, many were excited for a new rendition of Married At First Sight until the location was announced.

Perhaps things would have been a bit better if they had chosen a different city with fresh new participants, new restaurants, and local sites. Although MAFS has filmed in San Diego, another California edition would be interesting. California is huge, and MAFS Sacramento, San Francisco, Napa Valley, and Silicon Valley would be nice locations. They would treat viewers with more diversity, from technology to wine, ranches, and farms.

8. MAFS Season 18 Needs To Change Up The Casting Process

According to Monsters and Critics, Ashley Pett, a former MAFS Chicago edition participant, revealed that most men didn’t apply to be part of the cast members. Instead, casting agents took them on board, admitting that her husband, Anthony D’Amico, was one of the recruits. That explains why some male participants looked like they had other intentions after being on the show for a while. Notably, all the participants in Married At First Sight season 17 seemed extroverted, opinionated, strong, and good-looking.

Well, there is nothing wrong with such traits, but that left many people with lots of questions, such as why such individuals would even need a marriage expert in the first place. Therefore, the MAFS season 18 casting process would have a huge turnaround in viewership if only they picked applications instead of actively recruiting. Allowing pure organic applicants means the series would get people from all races, genders, and ages. Moreover, the casting process should also include thorough psychological evaluations and compatibility tests to ensure everyone on board is ready to settle down.

7. MAFS Season 18 Needs Backup Couples

Having backup spouses on Married At First Sight would be a perfect way of increasing the chance of successful partnerships. There was a backup partner for Michael when his initial bride chose to ditch him at the altar, with the experts matching him with Chloe to salvage the situation. She was genuine and willing to work through the process despite being a late arrival on the series. Chloe presented an exciting dynamic that, if introduced, there is a high likelihood of creating great and long-lasting matches on the decision day.

If this had been implemented a long time ago, people like Chris Collete would have found their perfect matches in the social experiment. Chris’s marriage to Alyssa Ellman was an instant failure, considering that he wasn’t anything close to her desirable partner, and she was never interested in knowing Chris or putting enough effort into making their marriage work. There is a possibility that the new Chicago edition will feature some backup partners, which could give viewers heartfelt moments and add drama to the series.

6. MAFS Season 18 Needs Successful Couples

MAFS season 17 didn’t get any successful couples. The majority didn’t make it past the decision day, and those who separated shortly afterward. There were a couple of things that made them incompatible, ranging from physical intimacy to religious differences and their end goals. The MAFS experts haven’t done an excellent job of matching the cast, with many having similar interests but different personalities.

Despite stating that the couples would balance each other, it has ended up being the opposite, leading to unsuccessful marriages. It looks like the producers have been throwing a bunch of strangers together without doing thorough background checks, which has turned out to be a recipe for disaster for the last couple of seasons. If MAFS season 18 fails to have a few successful marriages, there is a chance that viewership will decrease, with more people asking for its cancelation.

5. MAFS Season 18 Needs Cast Drama

MAFS season 18 needs drama. There is no better way to state how many people need impactful drama than season 17 lacked. It should be a healthy drama where the experts encourage the participants to form meaningful and long-lasting relationships instead of staying in toxic ones. There should be a blend between older and younger couples in the franchise as that would fuel the drama on the show.

Lately, most of the cast members have been young fame-hungry individuals looking for ways of boosting their business or increasing their online followers. Older people are way more mature and are aware of what they want out of a relationship. Hence, mixing the youthful and older generations during the casting process and adding a few same-sex couples would spice up the series.

4. MAFS Season 18 Needs Older Couples

Perhaps upping the age limit requirements for the participants would bring drastic changes in how many couples get their happily ever after once the show ends. With the level of assurance, certainty, and decisiveness that comes with older cast members, the singles would be honest when talking with the experts, allowing them to match with the right people on MAFS. Young people focus on creating too much drama that sometimes distracts the audience and pushes them away from what the show is all about. Although having older couples doesn’t automatically guarantee the show’s success, it is an ideal format worth trying.

3. MAFS Season 18 Needs Raw Moments

There is nothing that the audience appreciates more than authenticity. Thus having less manufactured drama and letting the cast members interact with one another makes it easy for the viewers to connect with the participants. There were no unfiltered moments in Married At First Sight season 17, as the participants struggled with fake narratives, making time look worse on screen.

Clare and Cameron’s alleged text messages where they wanted to fake it all for TV. The major bombshell was stopped during the MAFS season 17 reunion, with Cameron being named as the instigator of the whole thing. He even pitched ideas to fellow participants on how to rig the system. That’s the manufactured drama and perfection MAFS season 18 shouldn’t have. The goal should be to provide authentic and raw episodes with the cast getting as real as they can be. The viewers will relate more with MAFS season 18 if they only see real couples navigating through real-life situations.

2. MAFS Season 18 Experts Need To Guide During The Honeymoon

MAFS season 17 proved that a reboot was vital as it would greatly improve if only the experts guided the cast members throughout the honeymoon phase. There are a lot of things that come with living together and adjusting to marriage life, especially when doing it for the first time. Guiding the couples during the honeymoon phase means the experts can explain to the newlyweds that relationships are never smooth sailing.

There will be normal conflicts that the pairs can work through while still getting to understand one another. Additionally, the experts should teach them some of the best ways to have an open and honest conversation by providing techniques that encourage discussing their feelings openly without judgment. A proper recommendation plan for navigating that phase will prevent ending one or two relationships during the experiment.

1. MAFS Season 18 Can’t Be As Long As Season 17

MAFS season 17 was not only boring but also long. It goes down in the MAFS franchise history as being the most extended season ever, with 27 episodes. A huge part of the length went to the “what happened last time” and “what will happen next week,” not forgetting a couple of repeated introductions. Long seasons tend to be monotonous and generally dull. That was the case for MAFS season 17. Despite the fact that the show has a fascinating concept, anything above 20 episodes is a stretch.

Most reality shows thrive on suspense and maintaining high levels of excitement.

MAFS season 17 failed to provide that with their long and dragging storylines, which made many people lose interest. A lot of repetitive content also made more viewers stop watching before the show ended.

Hopefully, Married At First Sight season 18 will avoid the tedious flashbacks and repetitions. If the episodes are still long, there should be substantial information that gives the viewers an in-depth understanding of whom the couples are without all the recaps.