Married at First Sight couples are starting to opt out of sharing an apartment together, which some viewers think should not be allowed. It seems as if many of these new couples are confused about what the show is actually about. These couples are not dating a stranger, they are marrying one, and part of that process involves living together.
Although Married at First Sight’s Dr. Pepper Schwartz, one of the matchmaking experts on the show, admitted last season that she doesn’t live with her husband, that is the exception to the rule. Generally, when a husband and wife don’t live together, it is because they are separated. On Married at First Sight season 16, two couples have decided not to move in together after honeymoons, and another couple has chosen to renew their leases for nine months just in case something goes wrong. This defies the whole purpose of the experiment.
Should Married At First Sight Make Living Together Part of The Contract?
A Reddit thread started by u/Defiant-Estimate-210 demanded that MAFS contracts include a requirement that couples must move in together. Some fans agreed, while others didn’t. One person commented, “It’s like staying with a friend when you visit their city. If you get a hotel you miss out on a lot of interaction. Staying together but separate bedrooms is how to get to know one another.” MAFS expert Pastor Cal Roberson strongly urges the couples to move in together when they resist doing so. As he told Gina Micheletti, who refuses to move in with her husband, Clint Webb, not living together is a step toward divorce.
Married At First Sight Is About Marriage, Not Dating
Some fans believe that it would be too dangerous to insist on the couples living together, and that MAFS would be leaving itself open to lawsuits if something went wrong. However, as one Reddit user pointed out, “2 things 1: you vet better and 2 there are plenty of shows where you have to live together.” In fact, most reality shows have the participants living together, whether it is as a large group or a couple. On other shows like Big Brother, if someone leaves the house, they’re off the show. It doesn’t seem like mandating that the MAFS couples share a home during the eight-week experiment would be legally problematic.
In the last few seasons of Married at First Sight, the participants haven’t seemed to fully grasp the concept that they are in a legally binding marriage. They act like they are just there to be on TV and if they like their spouse, they think they can just continue “dating” after the eight-week filming period. In addition to making living together part of the contract, producers might want to consider casting people who take marriage more seriously.
