Married At First Sight Should Make This Change In Future Seasons (It Could Freshen Up The Show)

Married At First Sight season 18 is just around the corner, and there are things about the show that viewers have taken issue with in recent seasons, so the series should make this change to freshen up the show. With Married At First Sight season 17 having pushed the limits of how authentic the contestants felt compelled to be on camera, things are changing for the series, not necessarily in a positive way. Viewers have been struggling with Married At First Sight for years, but the most recent seasons have been particularly difficult to get behind with few relationships succeeding.

As Married At First Sight season 18 approaches, many have been wondering what the show will look like as it nears its 20th installment. After MAFS season 17, viewers were hopeful that there would be some serious change, but it appears that Married At First Sight season 18 will be a lot more of the same that viewers have taken issue with in the last several seasons. Throughout the history of the series, the success rate of the expert panel has been staggered. The current experts, Dr. Pepper Schwartz, Dr. Pia Holec, and Pastor Cal Roberson, have to change course.

The Last Few MAFS Have Been Flops

While Married At First Sight has been on the air for over a decade, the series has struggled in its most recent seasons. The show was successful early on in its run, putting couples together and finding them staying together for years, even still together after building the foundation of their relationships on the show. For couples like Jamie Otis and Doug Henher who were featured on MAFS season 1, the show has become just part of the fabric of their marriage, but it’s been tough to recreate the same level of connection from season to season for the experts.

In the last several seasons of Married At First Sight, the experts have found themselves having an issue creating lasting relationships that make it through the series. In the last five seasons of the show, only one couple has managed to stay married and remain together after their season. Married At First Sight season 16’s Chris Thielk and Nicole Woley have been the most successful couple in the last few years, and their marriage was something they worked on during their time on the series. Although there have been couples who seem they work, things have gone poorly on MAFS.

New Cities Should Be Highlighted In MAFS

One of the issues some are finding with the most recent seasons of Married At First Sight is the return to various cities. While the series typically takes place in large cities all across the US, some of the cities have been repeated. The upcoming Married At First Sight season 18 will be returning to Chicago, which was featured on MAFS season 5. While there’s quite a bit of time and space between MAFS season 5 and MAFS season 18, the culture of the city hasn’t changed enough to make it a different experience. The upcoming season could feel repetitious.

New cities need to be featured on Married At First Sight to be able to create entirely new experiences. Part of the interesting nature of MAFS comes from the fact that it features different cities where the dating culture isn’t the same. Moving from city to city, the culture behind dating, relationships, and marriage changes, which impacts the way that people connect and deal with conflict, and shifts what they prioritize overall. The majority of MAFS seasons have taken place in major US cities, but shifting things to different areas could make for more interesting conflict between the couples overall.

With New Cities, The MAFS Casting Process Should Change

With the addition of new cities to the Married At First Sight roster, the casting process of the series should change as well. New cities could mean new cultures, but the casting process of the show being what it is could impact the way that the couples’ relationships develop. Generally, the casting process for MAFS requires applicants to answer some intense questions about their background, beliefs, and experiences before they’re even brought to a casting agent to talk about the possibility of being on the show. While the questionnaires are extensive, they don’t cover everything and allow room for fabrication.

Although the MAFS casting process isn’t entirely public knowledge when applicants are behind closed doors, the experts have spoken about their involvement in how they choose people to be part of each season. With the experts having a hand in the casting, the background checks should be extensive, but there seem to be people who slip through the cracks from season to season. The casting process of the series needs to change, prioritizing the safety of other MAFS cast members and ensuring that the cast members want to get serious. With more interested cast members, MAFS could be more successful.

MAFS Needs To Improve Its Success Rate

Changing its locations and casting could help the success rate of Married At First Sight’s marriages, which needs to improve for the show to stay on the air. With just one couple having made it through their time together in the last several seasons, viewers haven’t been satisfied watching MAFS in recent years. Though the drama of a dying relationship can be interesting to watch sometimes, seeing couple after couple fail on Married At First Sight can get depressing for viewers. The opportunities for singles to find their unique match are tantalizing, and not seeing it happen can be disappointing.

Although making major changes to the structure of Married At First Sight could be a game changer, if the success rate continues to be poor, viewers won’t want to tune in. The show needs to figure out why couples are failing and rectify that situation before anything else, and while making changes to other aspects of the series could impact the success rate, the root of the issue needs to be addressed before it can be changed in a widespread way. Married At First Sight has been working to change, but needs to take its matches more seriously moving forward.