Why Is There a Hiatus Between Married at First Sight Seasons 17 & 18 (& How Long Will It Be?)
Married at First Sight fans are having to wait between seasons 17 and 18, but why is that, and how long will the wait be? Married at First Sight first premiered in 2014 and showcased three couples who were matched together by a panel of expert therapists. The show highlighted three couples per season until season 8. Seasons 8 and 9 each had four couples, and the norm thereafter has been to have five couples matched every season. In the decade that Lifetime has aired the hit reality romance show, 64 couples have been paired together by the experts.
Of those 64 couples, only 12 are still together, making the show’s success rate 18.75%. However, the couples that are still together present very positive and loving relationships that are something for future participants to aspire to. Jamie Otis and Doug Hehner from season 1 were a match made in heaven and have been a solid couple from the day they said I do. Other couples, like Katina Goode and Olajuwon Dickerson, have had a more tumultuous marriage, with several breakups in their past. In any case, fans love watching the stories unfold, but they’ve had to wait between seasons.
Married At First Sight Season 17 Ended In Late April
Married at First Sight season 17 was the longest season in the franchise yet. The first episode aired in mid-October 2023 and only ended on April 24, 2024, making the season about six months long. The reason for the season’s longevity was because the experts originally matched participant Michael Shiakallis with a bride who met him at the altar only to tell him she wasn’t ready to marry a stranger. The experts scrambled and rematched Michael with Chloe Brown, and the two began their eight-week process while the other couples were already halfway through.
That meant several episodes after Decision Day focused on the couple’s post-breakup lives while Michael and Chloe’s marriage progressed. Married at First Sight season 17 was also a major failure, with all five, six if you count the runaway bride, couples ending in divorce. In fact, only Michael and Chloe made it officially to Decision Day. Orion Martzliff asked for a divorce from Lauren Goodger upon returning from the honeymoon, Clare Kerr and Cameron Frazer broke up on their one-month anniversary. Emily Balch and Brennan Shoykhet had an ugly falling out days before Decision Day, as did Becca Haley and Austin Reed.
The other massively unfortunate situation that occurred in season 17, was an attempted group dupe that took place among the entire cast, except for Michael and Chloe. The cast endeavored to control their narrative and make themselves get good edits and look better on camera by only presenting what they wanted to be shown. Therefore, the marriages were inauthentic and ultimately detrimental to each couple’s ability to connect fully.
What’s worse, is the experts completely missed the group dupe and had the wool pulled over their eyes. The group dupe also led to the season 17 cast being the most contentious cast in Married at First Sight history (via Lifetime.) Because of all these failure, season 17 was very lackluster.
When Will Married At First Sight Season 18 Start?
As of the writing of this article, it has been more than a month that Married at First Sight fans have been without the show to watch. It’s possible the network wanted to give fans a break from a not-so-great season in order to build up interest in a fresh season with a fresh set of couples. There could also be a delay in the premiere of Married at First Sight season 18 due to continued editing that needs to happen. None of these theories are confirmed or proved wrong, however.
What is known is that the trailer for Married at First Sight season 18 has been released and shows some red flag scenarios between several couples. There is even an inclination that a runaway bride situation could happen again. Having the trailer released means that filming is at least over, and the next season is imminent. It’s possible a second trailer could be released when the new season’s premiere date gets announced. As to when fans can expect the season to drop is unclear.
Why Is There A Hiatus Between MAFS Seasons?
Having hiatuses between Married at First Sight has been normal historically. MAFS season 14 started in early January 2022 and ended in mid-May 2022. MAFS season 15 started in early July 2022 and ended in late October 2022. MAFS season 16 started in early January 2023 and ended in early June 2023. MAFS season 17 started in October 2023. That said, there is typically a 2-4 month hiatus between seasons, so fans will have to keep waiting for season 18 to drop.
Having the hiatus gives fans a chance to grow frustrated by having the content they are craving and possibly become enchanted by other shows, so having a long hiatus between seasons is risky for the franchise.
Fans can build resentment toward the show for making them wait, or it can do the opposite and build anticipation.
In the case of Married at First Sight, hiatuses are nothing new and something that fans have to live with.
Are Hiatuses Normal In Reality TV?
While it is established that having a hiatus between seasons of Married at First Sight is normal, every franchise and network makes its own rules regarding hiatuses.
For example, there are four core spinoffs in the 90 Day Fiancé franchise that rotate their airing schedule, so it could be as long as two years between seasons of the OG 90 Day Fiancé show. With Love Is Blind, the show is majorly hyped for around two months before it premieres, and then after the month it airs, fans usually have to wait up to six months for the next season.
The Ultimatum has showcased itself to be a season a year, and so has Seeking Sister Wife. Married at First Sight fans should sit tight and try not to get frustrated by the months-long hiatus they have to endure between seasons 17 and 18 because it is normal. With one month down, viewers are looking at waiting another month to two months before season 18 premieres.
