Married at First Sight season 18 is poised to be the best season in the franchise yet. Married at First Sight premiered in 2014 and has been a powerhouse Lifetime network reality show ever since. In the decade that the show has been on TV, 64 couples have been matched by the panel of experts. Of those 64 couples, 12 are still together today, making the success rate of MAFS 18.75%. Dr. Pepper Schwartz has been an expert since the beginning, while Pastor Cal joined in season 4, and Dr. Pia joined in season 15.
Married at First Sight has typically followed a schedule each season, with seasons having a hiatus of 3-6 months in between. Married at First Sight season 17 was the longest season in franchise history, having begun airing in mid-October 2023 and finished airing in late April 2024. Usually, MAFS seasons air for approximately 3-4 months. There is also a spinoff show, After Party, where current and former MAFS cast members dish on current seasons. Married at First Sight season 18 doesn’t have an official air date yet, but it is likely to draw viewers in and become a legendary season.
The MAFS Season 18 Drama Looks Entertaining & Promising
There have been two trailers released for the upcoming Married at First Sight season 18. One trailer was released at the end of the season 17 finale episode, while the second was released at the end of Part 2 of the Reunion episode. Neither trailer has been shared on YouTube yet. The trailers depict that season 18 has all the markings of being a highly entertaining season with interesting personalities, unique situations, and unpredictable drama.
A bride walking around outside her wedding contemplating getting cold feet was one of the first clips shown, which means there will be some early-season anxious situations to watch. One couple, seemingly during the honeymoon, will question the longevity of their relationship, signaling a possible rift. There will also be a volatile cast member who seems to have been shown in the trailers twice. In the first scene they will swear at their partner about leaving them alone.
“You want your motherf***ing space I will give it to you.”
In another scene, the MAFS season 18 participant shouts, “I’m not everybody cup of tea but I’m somebody Hennessy and Coke and in four weeks there ain’t gonna be no marriage.” This expression means that experts chose someone who is capable of popping off badly and not handling their emotions maturely, but they may have redeeming qualities too. Moreover, another scene shows a different cast member accusing their partner of lying. In just the few clips fans have seen so far, the drama in Married at First Sight season18 looks entertaining, even if there are some difficult moments.
The Married At First Sight Experts Have A Lot To Prove
The Married at First Sight experts have a lot to prove in season 18 since they have failed to produce many successful couples. In season 18, the experts need to take accountability for what has gone wrong in their bad pairings before. That way, viewers can get a clear understanding of their pairing process and everything that goes into it.
Historically, there has been a “Welcome” episode from the experts where they take viewers through their selections, home visits, and the actual methodology of matching the couples. Since there should be even more transparency from the experts than in seasons past, season 18 is already set to be more inciteful and hopefully show viewers that the experts’ matchmaking efforts have credibility. Since MAFS heavily relies on the matching skills of the experts, the spotlight will be on them in season 18 after so many failures, and they will need to perform their job well to perhaps even keep their jobs and appear in future seasons.
MAFS Season 18 Needs Successful Couples To Keep Viewers
Married at First Sight has definitely lost viewer engagement since there have been so many couples who have ended in divorce. In season 17 alone, there were six failed couples. Michael Shiakallis was originally matched with a mystery bride who met Michael at the altar only to tell him she wasn’t ready to marry a stranger. Then, after being rematched, and in an ironic turn of events, Michael said no to his second bride come Decision Day because he felt he wasn’t ready for marriage.
All four of the other couples also separated prior to Decision Day. Only Becca Haley and Austin Reed said yes to each other, but they broke up the very next day. Season 17 was hard to watch because of all the animosity from the female cast members toward the male cast members (via Lifetime) on top of the obvious mismatchings. In MAFS season 16 in Nashville, Tennessee, only one couple, Nicole Lilienthal and Chris Thielk, seemed perfect for each other. They had their own kind of drama that was interesting to watch, proving that couples don’t need to be trainwrecks for the season to be interesting.
Aside from Nicole and Chris, the last few pairs to stick together have been season 15 in Boston’s Katina Goode and Olajuwon Dickerson, although they broke up and got back together several times. And before them, season 12’s Briana Myles and Vincent Morales are still together. Married at First Sight’s formula can and has proven it can work.
More emphasis in season 18 needs to be put on ensuring the couples are matched well to begin with and that they have the proper guidance from the experts to continue into lasting marriages, and production knows that, so there is every indication that season 18 will deliver.
Married At First Sight’s Credibility Is On The Line
In general, Married at First Sight needs to produce an engaging season with charismatic couples and cast members so that the show’s credibility can be reestablished.
Married at First Sight season 18 is poised to be the best season in the franchise yet because fans need to see more successful coupes in order to trust the show’s aim and process. The long-standing show’s credibility is on the line after years of failed couples and season 18 has the ability to bring back viewer engagement and faith in the show’s premise.
