Married At First Sight season 17 is more than halfway over, and so far, it seems like none of the couples are going to last. The long-running dating series doesn’t have a good track record. Since premiering in 2014, the show has been marrying strangers paired together by a group of relationship experts who take their lives and personal traits into consideration. The experts are also there to help the couples work through any issues. Though the shows had some success stories, like Jamie Otis and Doug Hehner from season 1, they usually break up.
Married At First Sight’s success rate is one of the lowest in reality TV dating history, and by the looks of season 17, which is currently airing on Lifetime, the track record of the relationship experts hasn’t improved. With two of the relationships already over, only three couples are still together and trying to make their marriages work. Despite the best efforts of the relationship experts to put together successful unions for Married At First Sight season 17, here’s why the remaining marriages aren’t going to work either.
Michael Was Jilted
Married At First Sight season 17 opened on a bad note with eccentric groom Michael being left at the altar. This was the first runaway bride in the history of the series. Michael was waiting at the altar for his bride, wearing the crown and sword she gifted him before the ceremony. Michael’s biggest hope was that he and the stranger he was about to marry would be a great match and that there would be sparks when he met her. Before the wedding, he told the producers he was an “acquired taste,” but was open to his future wife’s feedback regarding his eccentric appearance.
“My biggest fear is when she sees me, and lays eyes on me, if it’s clear that maybe she’s not really attracted to me,” he told producers. Sadly, his worst nightmare seems to have come true when his potential bride, whose face was never shown, walked down the aisle. She told him, right away, that she couldn’t go through with the wedding before running away.
A few episodes later, during the Married At First Signt season 17 mid-season trailer, the experts and producers offered Michael another bride and a second shot at finding love with a stranger. Though the teaser didn’t show his answer, it would appear that Michael agreed to give it another try. According to publicly available information, Michael did ultimately get married. The remainder of the season will likely include his continued journey.
Lauren And Orion Already Divorced
Lauren and Orion hit it off the moment they laid eyes on each other. They had a great time at their wedding and even enjoyed the first few days of their honeymoon. However, after Lauren commented on Orion’s “red face,” it was downhill from there. Though she was referring to the fact that he was sunburned from the Mexican sun, Orion, a Native American, took her comment to be a racial slur.
Lauren apologized repeatedly for the perceived slight, but Orion simply couldn’t get over it because he was addicted to being a victim. He’d rather feel oppressed than be happy, which is why Lauren dodged a bullet when he demanded a divorce. Lauren seems like a great catch and deserves to be with someone who isn’t going to make her feel bad all the time.
Clare And Cameron
Clare and Cameron didn’t have as much initial chemistry as some of the other couples, but they both expressed an enormous amount of respect for each other. Especially Cameron, who even referred to Clare as one of the best people he had ever known. That being said, their differences got in the way from the moment they met.
Right away at their wedding, the dramatic size difference between the petite Clare and extremely tall Cameron made it a struggle to even pose for their wedding photos. However, physical compatibility wasn’t their biggest challenge as a couple. Most of their issues were based on religious differences. The Catholic Clare wants to raise her children with religion, while Cameron does not. This is an insurmountable difference that is unlikely to be reconciled.
Emily And Brennan
Brennan and Emily both looked happy to be marrying each other on their wedding day, but the attraction didn’t last. At least not for Brennan, who made it clear he wasn’t attracted to Emily. Although they initially seemed to have great chemistry together, Brennan started pulling away from Emily during their honeymoon in Cancun.
Emily and even the experts tried to talk to Brennan about his sudden emotional distance. He told them that the reason for his distance is that he isn’t as attracted to Emily as he’d like to be. He refuses to be specific about what it is about Emily that he isn’t attracted to, implying that he doesn’t want to embarrass her or hurt her feelings. Brennan hasn’t asked for a divorce yet and has said he wants to keep trying, but this marriage is likely to be headed for divorce.
Becca And Austin
Becca and Austin were the season’s best couple in terms of chemistry. They have a similar sense of humor, which leads to great back-and-forth banter between them. While the couple had lots of positive moments, they had several serious issues, including their different views on sex. Their problems should have been obvious from the start when they refused to talk about serious subject matter.
Though this led to less conflict, it kept the pair from getting to know each other deeply and kept their relationship on a surface level. They also have different religious backgrounds, which could be a difficult challenge. Nonetheless, their biggest hurdle has been the fact that Becca wants to have sex right away, while Austin wants to take it slower. If Becca can’t get her needs met and Austin feels too pressured, this Married At First Sight relationship is doomed.
