8 Signs Married At First Sight Season 18 Will Be Bad For The Franchise (Including One Major Red Flag)

Married At First Sight season 18 is coming soon, but many believe that the season will be bad for the franchise because of the several potential red flags that have already been previewed. With nearly 20 seasons of the series having aired, Married At First Sight viewers typically know what to expect when it comes to a new season. The cast members, who traditionally have their Instagram accounts private to keep themselves safe during the airing of a new season, are introduced as they walk down the aisle to marry their new partners.

Although Married At First Sight’s success rate for its marriages has been higher in the past, in recent seasons the show has suffered tremendously in terms of the relationships on the series lasting after the cameras stop rolling. Early on in Married At First Sight’s run, there were many couples who transitioned from being matched up in complete secrecy to genuinely committing to functional marriages. In recent years, only one marriage has made it through the series and come out on the other side successfully.

With such a poor success rate, many have been hopeful that MAFS would change its ways. The panel of experts that works on the show is comprised of longtime cast member Dr. Pepper Schwartz, Pastor Cal Roberson, and Dr. Pia Holec, but their advice on the series has been less-than-helpful to the couples in recent years. While the experts can only do so much about the couples and the way they function outside of sessions together, their advice has been lackluster in recent years, even pushing some viewers to disinterest in the show.

Even with the Married At First Sight experts working diligently to create successful couples that will go the distance after the cameras have stopped rolling, things have been difficult on the show for years. With cast members coming to MAFS with disingenuous reasons behind their desire to be on the reality TV experiment, many have been accused of chasing clout in the past rather than actually wanting to find love on the show. While some are clout chasers, others simply want to ensure that their reputation isn’t destroyed on reality TV.

Although Married At First Sight season 17 seemed like it was a genuine iteration of the series, it came out toward the end that the cast had been faking the majority of their experience on the show. A first in the MAFS world, it became clear that the show needed a complete overhaul moving forward. Unfortunately, Married At First Sight season 18 was filmed before the production team behind MAFS found out about the previous cast’s deception, which means it’s likely that the upcoming season will be as bad if not worse than the rest.

8. The MAFS Experts Have Not Changed
They’ve Been Problematic

While Married At First Sight has had different experts throughout the show’s run, the core group of experts hasn’t changed in the last several seasons which has created issues for the cast. The MAFS cast members in recent years have had the pleasure of working with guest experts, who are brought in from season to season sometimes to help the experts work on their marriages and guide them in the right direction. Even so, the panel of experts staying the same for MAFS season 18 makes things difficult.

While Dr. Pepper, Dr. Pia, and Pastor Cal all have expertise in relationships and human behavior in their own right, the formulas they’re using to help the MAFS couples isn’t working out for them. Though they’ve tried to add in other cast members and relationship experts to help, there’s clearly a problem at the core of the group. Without new Married At First Sight experts in place, it’s probable the show will be similar to the last disastrous season.

7. There Is One Problematic Cast Member In MAFS Season 18

There’s A Confirmed Clout Chaser

Although the season hasn’t premiered yet, the Married At First Sight season 18 cast has been revealed online and one of the cast members has a past that makes him seem like a clout chaser. Ikechi, who will be one of the grooms featured on Married At First Sight season 18, appears to have auditioned for the series in another city in the past, and has been involved in other reality TV shows as well. While that doesn’t necessarily make him a clout chaser, Ikechi’s past is suspicious.

While there’s been a decent track record for the cast members who are simply interested in reality TV finding success on MAFS, the clout chasers on the show are always obvious and irritating to viewers. Many find their stories tend to lack substance and hinder those who are actually on the show to find love. The potential for clout chasing on MAFS season 18 is high, which is irksome for viewers.

6. MAFS Season 18 Could Have Another Runaway Bride

One Bride May Not Commit

Married At First Sight season 17 had a never-before-seen historic event when one of the brides found themselves unable to commit to their marriage after walking down the aisle. While her identity hasn’t been revealed by MAFS, the bride was dubbed the Runaway Bride. Set to marry Michael Shiakallis, the Runaway Bride explained that she couldn’t go through with the wedding and left Michael at the altar.

While the drama of the Runaway Bride was interesting, it cut into the season considerably and left Michael alone until he was matched with Chloe Brown. The Runaway Bride may have been interesting on MAFS season 17, but a repeat of the same thing wouldn’t be nearly as interesting. From the Married At First Sight season 18 trailer, it looks like there could be another instance where a groom is left at the altar.

5. The MAFS Casting Process Has Not Changed

No One Has Taken Accountability

The casting process for MAFS, much like the casting process for other reality TV dating shows, starts with a long questionnaire that asks some incredibly in-depth questions. Having applicants share information about their lives, jobs, family history, health, and preferences in their partners, MAFS looks into what the applicants want, what they’ve done, and how they put themselves out there before choosing to bring them onto the series. Even with an in-depth questionnaire, the casting process seems questionable on MAFS.

After a difficult season on Married At First Sight season 17 that had the cast members admitting by the end that they’d duped everyone on the show, including production and the experts, it’s clear the casting process needs a revamp. The casting team may need to ask more in-depth questions or run more psychological checks before bringing the cast members onto the show. Unfortunately, MAFS season 18’s casting process didn’t change from the season prior.

4. MAFS Is Returning To The Same City

The Show Isn’t Making Geographic Changes

With Married At First Sight moving from city to city each season, some of the fun is seeing a new place, new people, and new norms. For example, some of the cities in the more northern part of the US tend to have more relaxed dating norms, while the southern cities are more traditional. Observing the cultural differences surrounding dating is part of the fun of MAFS season.

Married At First Sight season 18 will be returning to a city the show has been to before. Heading back to Chicago, which was featured on Married At First Sight season 5, the show will be tackling the same city for a second time. While things have changed in the near-decade since MAFS has been back in Chicago, it’s irritating to some fans who look for different things in each season that the same city will be revisited.

3. MAFS Season 18 Could Go Too Long

It’s Likely Similar To MAFS Season 17

Each season of Married At First Sight covers two months for the cast members, but it’s surprising when year after year, the seasons have more episodes. MAFS seasons used to have around 20 episodes, but in recent years they’ve skyrocketed to over 30 episodes in a season, which can be taxing on viewers. Married At First Sight season 17 had 35 episodes, which left viewers exhausted by the series by the end of the season.

With MAFS season 18 following a similar formula to the previous season, many are wondering if it will have a similar number of episodes even though the series rarely needs more than 20 episodes to cover the stories of the cast members. While more episodes does prolong the drama of a season, viewers can become tired by the amount of MAFS from season to season. MAFS season 18 could likely go on far too long.

2. MAFS Season 18 Likely Won’t Have Replacement Couples

There Will Only Be The Original Pairs

During Married At First Sight season 17, a replacement bride was brought in for Michael when he had to deal with the Runaway Bride creating chaos on his wedding day and depriving him of the full MAFS experience. Rather than having Michael return to another season, the experts matched him with Chloe and gave them a bit shorter of a time in their marriage, hoping they’d be able to match well. While Michael and Chloe didn’t make a good match, the pair had the opportunity to explore their relationship.

Michael and Chloe’s situation isn’t common, but bringing in a replacement for a runaway spouse is a decent option for the experts, should someone decide to drop out of their wedding. While there appears to be a runaway bride on Married At First Sight season 18, it’s likely there won’t be any replacement couples or spouses on the series. Instead, the original pairs will make up the entirety of the cast.

1. MAFS Has No System For Identifying Clout Chasing

They Don’t Look Into Cast Members’ Backgrounds

Although Married At First Sight typically has issues with cast members applying to the show and coming off as clout chasers, the series doesn’t have any sort of system to identify clout chasing. MAFS season 17 had a few cast members that many felt were clout chasers, but there was no way to actually figure out if they were genuine during the season. In the casting process, the team could’ve done some work to figure it out, but didn’t bother.

With clout chasing an issue for the show, Married At First Sight should prioritize putting together a way to identify clout chasers and keep them off the show. MAFS season 18 appears to already have one clout chaser on the series, which could make things difficult in that marriage and appear off to the audience. Married At First Sight needs to make some changes moving forward, and may need to count the upcoming season as a wash.