‘Married at First Sight Chicago’ Ignites What Denver Couldn’t

Married at First Sight Denver kicked off with the travesty of a runaway bride. The entire season 17 was filled with train wreck after train wreck, resulting in fans of the show demanding a reboot. The Denver season wrapped without connections or even cordial exes, but season 18 proves the experts paid attention to fans’ frustrations and attempted to pay closer attention to finding compatible matches for the Chicago season.

Michael, a very eclectic groom based in Denver, CO, was heartbroken when his intended bride saw him and broke down exclaiming that she couldn’t go through with the process. Michael’s disappointment was immediately overshadowed by the dysfunction of the remaining four couples on the show. As audiences went along on the Married at First Sight journey in the Mile-high city, it was apparent that this season was harboring the most toxic couplings the experts have ever mismatched. Orion and Lauren file for divorce after their first disagreement on the honeymoon. Lauren joked with the other women that she got married at first sight and divorced at first fight. To Lauren’s benefit, she didn’t initiate the divorce, but Orion insisted that there was no other option for him but to end the marriage and move on with life. The honeymoon enlightened handsome Australian groom Cameron to the reality that his wife was not attracted to him.

He was honest about his instinctive reaction to protect himself from his wife Clare’s rejection. Clare and Cameron’s disconnect was subtle compared to groom Brennen’s irrational disgust for his bride Emily. Audiences fell in love with Emily’s blonde hair, spunky personality and, most of all, her desire to make her marriage work. Brennen remained unaffected by Emily’s charm and took every opportunity to let her know that the most he could offer was a cool friendship. He refused to admit he didn’t find her physically attractive, but was crystal clear that he was unhappy with the experts’ choice for him. The final couple, Austin and Becca, started out strong but fizzled almost immediately due to differences in religion and lifestyle.

Chloe Was Michael’s Replacement Bride After First Ran From the Altar

Amid complete mayhem happening for the remaining four couples, Dr. Pepper and Pastor Cal convince Michael to take another mysterious trip down the aisle. Michael was hesitant but eventually agreed to try his luck one more time. His intended bride, Chloe, was briefed on the disastrous turn of events that defined his first nuptial ceremony, and she expressed empathy for his situation. Married at First Sight fans tuned in with little hope for the remaining season, because at the time of Michael and Chloe’s marriage at first sight, two couples were already separated with another moving quickly towards throwing in the towel. Michael donned a pink silk suit with flowered patterns for his wedding tuxedo and took another hopeful trip down the aisle. As with most MAFS brides, Chloe’s tribe was excited about their friend potentially meeting the man of her dreams at their wedding.

Chloe’s feedback during her confessionals convinced viewers that she was ready to take the leap and get married to a stranger. From their first sight of one another, Michael and Chloe were committed to saying the right things instead of being candid. Whether it was because of the other Denver brides and grooms’ huge failures or because they didn’t want to fall victim to the MAFS Denver curse, Michael and Chloe refused to be honest about their feelings. The audience grew weary watching the couple dance around topics remaining cordial but never confronting their true feelings for one another. By the time the couple’s delayed decision day rolled around, fans had lost interest, realizing early on that Michael wasn’t interested in going the distance with Chloe nor did Chloe want to remain married to Michael.

Chloe Had Concerns Over Michael’s Effeminate Wardrobe

Chloe and Michael talked to their co-stars but never shared much of their personal feelings. Watching Michael clasp one of her pearl necklaces around his neck made Chloe visibly uncomfortable. She sarcastically mentioned during a confessional that she never expected to have a husband with way more clothes in his closet than hers, or a husband who dressed more femininely than she did, but instead of sharing her surprise with Michael, she chose to swallow her concerns. Viewers were far more aware of Chloe’s discomfort with the way Michael dressed and carried himself than he was.

Michael seemed oblivious to Chloe’s discomfort, possibly because he was too focused on hiding his own feelings. For a man as comfortable in his skin as Michael, it was expected that he would be more forthcoming about voicing his issues with their marriage. Instead, Michael skated around his issues with Chloe choosing to remain optimistic on camera, although it was clear the two weren’t connecting outside polite conversation for the sake of the surrounding producers and cameras. Chloe and Michael continued having pleasant dates, keeping their conversations pleasant and polite. While visiting an animal sanctuary, Chloe seemed intent on forcing Michael to admit he was experiencing doubts about their compatibility. Chloe shared her desire to one day soon have her own animal sanctuary. Michael seemed blind-sighted but listened intently, asking Chloe about her personal expectations for the project. Chloe pushed even harder, insisting that she wanted to adopt several at-risk children also. With each revelation, Chloe pointed out how difficult the tasks could be to take on. The entire episode felt as though she was daring Michael to be honest and admit that he didn’t want to take on a 100 acre sanctuary and 5 pre-teen-thru teenage-aged children. Michael continued listening patiently and asking certain questions before deciding to retreat back to the couple’s default safe space of pleasantries.

Dr. Pia Called The Couple Out For Being Inauthentic

When asked about their physical intimacy, Chloe was quick to go through the motions of complimenting Michael with her words, but her actions never showed true physical attraction to her husband. Michael was the same side of a different coin and expressed every reason that Chloe seemed like a great match for him, but yet he didn’t attempt to connect with Chloe physically. Dr. Pia attempted to push the couple for the truth about their feelings, but was unsuccessful. Chloe was offended by Dr. Pia’s accusations that she was being less than authentic when asked about the status of the relationship. She became fixated on Dr. Pia’s questions instead of the obvious disconnect between herself and her groom. Michael also denied Dr. Pia’s suggestive remarks and doubled down, insisting he was very pleased with the expert’s choice for him this go round.

The couple’s focus on Dr. Pia’s concerns eventually fizzled, and they moved their attention to decision day. Both bride and groom remained faithful to their stories leading up to the 24 hours before their decision. In the end, Chloe made the decision to stay married, although she seemed to be hoping against hope that Michael would say no so that she could escape from the failed social experiment. Michael kept his emotions in check, but it was clear to the experts that he wasn’t wavering in his decision that the marriage to Chloe wasn’t in his best interest. It was clear that neither of them were truly happy during their six weeks together, but seemed to have an unspoken agreement not to trash each other on camera.

Does MAFS’ Need a Reboot?

The Denver season of MAFs was historically one of the most toxic and unsuccessful seasons in the franchise’s history. From Lauren and Orion’s filing for divorce after their first week as a married couple. Brennen and Emily never moved in together and never had any romantic chemistry. Clare and Cameron were also never able to get their union off the ground. Becca and Austin started hot but cooled off before the honeymoon was over. Michael and Chloe readily moved in with one another and went through all the motions of playing the game. Out of the five Denver couples, their interactions with one another were the most inauthentic on camera because, instead of being honest, they avoided every issue and pretended to be smitten with each other. Their inability to fake a true connection was realized by most viewers and is also why the final show left much to be desired for fans. If Married at First Sight is going to reignite the viewers’ enthusiasm about the new season, the experts are going to have to work harder at getting their brides and grooms to be honest and forthcoming with each other and the producers. If not, it’s safe to say viewers of the popular franchise will continue to check it out.

MAFS Season 18, set in Chicago, began very differently from the weddings to the initial wedding night for all five couples. Instead of a bride breaking out at the altar, all the Chicago brides were attracted to their mates at the altar. Karla J a free-spirited Latina couldn’t stop smiling at her groom, Juan, after meeting him at the altar. “What a wonderful surprise,” she expressed, noting how handsome Juan was at first glance. For all five couples, there was a noticeable physical chemistry at the altar that in seasons past had been missing. For David, a social worker with strong family ties, his exact physical preferences were realized in his bride Michelle. “I told the experts that I have a weakness for blonde hair and blue eyes,” he shared. Looking at Michelle, David was impressed that the experts listened and provided the woman of his dreams. Michelle and her entire bridal squad were equally smitten with her husband’s good looks. Beyond the initial physical attraction, 29-year-old Madison voiced her relief at realizing the experts really paid attention to the requests she made in her questionnaire. “I can see why the experts paired us. It definitely makes sense,” she acknowledged to her groom Allen’s friends and family. For Madison, the exterior wasn’t a problem in her previous dating journey, it was more about finding someone that was compatible. “People see me and say why is she single? She is gorgeous and, yes, that’s true now, but I didn’t always look this way. I had to go through alot and learn to love myself to get to this point in life and I wanted someone that was fit for me.”

Emem and Ikechi Navigate Love and Trust

Emem, a successful Nigerian physician’s assistant, was also pleased with her husband Ikechi. “I asked for a leader and someone who really loved Black women,” Emem shared. Learning that her husband, Ikechi, is a college entrance counselor who specifically requested a black woman, was extremely comforting to Emem after realizing she was attracted to Ikechi at the altar. As MAFs fans look forward to the episodes chronicling the honeymoons, four couples are in kismet with one experiencing a bit of trepidation. After Michelle got over her attraction to David, she was surprised to hear that he still lived at home in his parent’s basement. Instead of holding the red flag close to her chest, Michelle mentioned it to David on their wedding night. He attempted to calm her fears, assuring her that living with his parents was temporary. Whether that answer will be enough for Michelle remains to be seen as the newlyweds prepare to leave for their honeymoon.

MAFS viewers realize the social experiment of marrying a stranger based on compatibility is not an exact science. There is a strong possibility that couples currently enamored with their spouses’ looks may end up hating them by decision day. What is appreciated is a conscientious effort on the experts’ part to pair singles with someone where there is a strong possibility of finding a long-term connection and compatibility. Fans of the show enjoy watching the new brides and grooms work together to create a lifelong connection. When there is no possibility of that happening from day one, it feels as if viewers have wasted 8–10 weeks of their television viewing on something that had absolutely no possibility of working. Seeing the experts put more effort into the matches is encouraging for upcoming seasons of MAFS. Married at First Sight can be streamed on Lifetime.

Watch on Lifetime