Married At First Sight has been one of the longest-running reality TV dating experiments, but with the show having been on the air for a decade, has it gotten too far away from its original intention to continue? Throughout the years, Married At First Sight has proven that the experiment can work, as couples have been matched up from the show throughout the seasons and chosen to stay together. Even with some successful MAFS couples, there have been dozens more who have broken up either before the beginning of the season of by the time it comes to an end.
With Married At First Sight season 18 coming soon, viewers have been looking back at the series and investigating what’s gone wrong with some of the couples in the last few seasons. After several seasons of couples failing to choose each other at the end or struggling to keep their relationships firmly together until Decision Day, viewers are having a hard time seeing the series for what it once was. Married At First Sight burst onto the scene as an exciting concept that was incredibly out of the box, as the reality TV community hadn’t seen anything like it before.
As the couples on MAFS were tasked with letting go of the control of who they’d be paired with and entering into a legal marriage, it was a high-risk, high-reward model. For the last decade, viewers have been watching as people who are now more familiar with MAFS have gotten onto the show, making it easier for them to use the series for clout than ever. MAFS participants have been less genuine through the years, and with a mix of disingenuous behavior and experts who can’t create couples that actually go the distance, the show has grown tough to watch.
MAFS Has A Very Low Success Rate
Although MAFS has been one of the longest-running reality TV dating shows in the market, and was the first to introduce the concept of love being, for all intents and purposes, blind, the series has an incredibly low success rate. Throughout the last several seasons of Married At First Sight, the couples who have chosen to stay together after Decision Day are minimal. Although there have been a few couples who have managed to stay together in the last seasons, the number of couples who have even made it to Decision Day has diminished in recent years.
Throughout the last few seasons, only Married At First Sight season 16 has had a lasting match. The season’s couple that made it through Decision Day was Nicole Woley and Chris Thielk, who had some struggles during their time together, but ultimately chose each other in the end. The couple are still together and happily married. The most recent couple prior to Chris and Nicole is MAFS season 12’s Briana Myles and Vincent Morales, who are still together and welcomed their first child in 2024. Regardless, two couples in the last six seasons is an alarmingly low success rate.
Married At First Sight Manufactures Drama Now
Although MAFS has been lacking on the side of happiness for the couples, things have been more dramatic in the series than ever, which isn’t necessarily a good thing. The show has featured a lot more drama in recent seasons than ever before, changing the way viewers feel about the cast members. While Married At First Sight has always had some instances of drama throughout its seasons, it feels like the series has been manufacturing drama for the sake of ratings.
Throughout the last season of the series, the cast took the drama into their own hands and chose to manufacture their storylines behind the backs of the experts and MAFS production. Married At First Sight season 17’s cast chose to create their own storylines in order to keep themselves looking good on camera, trying to ensure that they didn’t get bad edits. When it was revealed that the strange vibes from MAFS season 17 were actually present because of the cast, viewers built a major sense of distrust with the show.
The MAFS “Experts” Don’t Match The Right People
Although the Married At First Sight experts have spent their careers trying to create successful relationships, things have gotten difficult as the series has continued on. The experts, comprised of Dr. Pepper Schwartz, Dr. Pia Holec, and Pastor Cal Roberson, have been working hard to create the best matches possible, but something isn’t clicking. Whether it’s because of the way the show’s casting works, which is a difficult process that doesn’t seem to work well, or because of the experts themselves, the series doesn’t typically have cast members who match well.
Even with some level of success, the Married At First Sight experts tend to focus on the wrong parts of the matchmaking process. Focusing on values and making sure that the couples are aligned in their lifestyles, the experts don’t always focus on the personalities of the people they’re matching. Putting laid-back grooms with over-stressed brides, MAFS has a habit of matching people incorrectly, which tends to push viewers away in the long run.
Married At First Sight Is Losing Its Fanbase
While Married At First Sight has continued to run on Lifetime throughout the years, more and more viewers are finding themselves tuning out of the show rather than watching as things get worse. MAFS has struggled to create stories that keep viewers invested, especially with the couples ultimately choosing to separate more often than not. With a low success rate creating a low rate of satisfaction for the viewers, Married At First Sight ’s audience is tuning out and opting for other shows they can rely on to see the real reality TV dating landscape roll out in front of them.
Could MAFS Get Canceled?
Although Married At First Sight has been on the air for more than a decade, it’s possible that the show could be canceled after the upcoming season. While it’s not likely, it’s a possibility that viewers could be so fed up with MAFS that it comes to an end. Even though it’s more probable that things change from the inside out, like the production team shifts or the experts are refreshed, it could be easier to cancel Married At First Sight and move forward. Although the series would be missed, MAFS coming to an end could be the best option.
