In a Married at First Sight franchise first, there was a mystery runaway bride who left her hopeful groom, Michael Shiakallis, devastated. The premiere episode of Married at First Sight season 17 introduced viewers to nine participants in the marriage experiment: Brennan Shoykhet and Emily Balch, Cameron Frazer and Clare Kerr, Austin Reed and Becca Haley, Orion Martzloff and Lauren Goodger, and Michael. Michael was set to marry Chloe at the altar, sight unseen. The experiment is led by a trio of experts: Dr. Pepper Schwartz, Pastor Calvin Roberson, and Dr. Pia Holec.
Season 17 is taking place in Denver, Colorado. The experts had difficulty choosing a match for Michael and settled on returning to their pool of prospectives at the end of the “Matchmaking in Denver” episode. During the premiere episode of the season, viewers heard from each of the marriage hopefuls as they described their motivations and dating histories. One couple, Emily and Brannan, tied the knot. A clip from Michael’s wayward wedding was shown at the very beginning of the episode before the episode went back in time to introduce the cast.
The Married At First Sight Experts Failed Again
The last few seasons of Married at First Sight have not produced many long-lasting matches. In fact, the experts only had a 6% success rate in the previous three seasons. Since the show’s premiere in 2014, there have been 64 couples to come on the show. Of those 64, only 12 are still together, making the total success rate 18.75%. In season 17 alone, none of the couples ended up staying together, and a lot of the blame can be put on the experts. There was only one couple that was still together come Decision Day, Austin and Becca, and even they broke up the very next day.
The experts have a lot of making up to do, and the participants deserve to be matched with the right people instead of mismatched for dramatic purposes. It’s not a good sign they matched Michael with someone willing to give up. It speaks to their inability to make effective choices and read people’s behavior and motivations. They were supposed to have come up with the right match; it’s why they took extra time in their search. It’s possible they rushed the process, and that’s why they ended up with a runaway bride.
Who Is The Married At First Sight Season 17 Runaway Bride?
The identity of Michael’s runaway bride remains a mystery. However, Married at First Sight fans now have an idea about her character since she was willing to crush Michael at the altar without explanation. It is surprising that web sleuths and MAFS fanatics were unable to find the identity of the runaway bride, and the woman has never spoken up about her experience and why she ditched Michael.
Did Michael Continue The Experience With Someone Else?
Michael did continue the experiment following his wedding day upset. Married at First Sight fan page, @mafsfan, confirmed early on in the season that Michael did get married in season 17. When the other Married at First Sight season 17 couples were already halfway through the eight-week-long process, Michael was approached by Dr. Pepper with the idea of rematching him.
Michael thought he had enough time to process the trauma from the runaway bride and accepted the offer to be rematched.
38-year-old Project Engineer Michael married 39-year-old non-profit coordinator Chloe Brown in season 17. The pair had instant chemistry and fun banter on their wedding day, and their relationship only grew from there. Chloe and Michael showcased their excellent communication skills and were the only season 17 couple to consummate their marriage. However, Michael began to question whether he was even ready for marriage and whether he could give Chloe what she wanted.
On Michael and Chloe’s Decision Day, Chloe said yes to Michael but Michael ended up saying no to Chloe because he didn’t feel like staying in the marriage was right for other of them because he had more to learn about himself. Michael and Chloe didn’t talk much after Decision Day but rekindled their friendship at the Reunion. In the Married at First Sight season 17 “Where Are They Now?” episode, Chloe and Michael’s friendship was highlighted, clearly showing there was no animosity between the pair.
