Is ‘Married at First Sight’ the most toxic show on TV?

Marrying someone moments after meeting them seems fairly unreasonable for the majority of people with common sense. However, Married at First Sight provides a fascinating social experiment where that’s exactly what the show’s contestants do. These hopeful contestants agree to marry a complete stranger with who they’re paired with by the use of “scientific” matchmaking methods. 

Yes, endlessly entertaining for the viewers, but is this show problematic for its cast. Recently, the show’s longest-running husband & wife duo, Jamie Otis and Doug Hehner have revealed the conflicts in their seven-year marriage. The season 1 couple have opened up on social media to reveal their strife after meeting on Married at First Sight.

MAFS season 1 couple reveal their struggle 

Jamie and Doug, thirty-five and thirty-seven respectively, announced that they were hitting a rough patch in their marriage. The couple shared a video on Instagram teary-eyed but holding onto one another. Otis captioned the post, “We’re not giving up on each other—not now, not ever.”

Jamie Otis explained that the couple had a heated couple’s therapy session which included, “anger, yelling, blaming..but ended with us holding each other & trying to figure out our next steps TOGETHER”.

She lightheartedly added, “sitting in the car in a random parking lot crying-like the hard ugly cry with snotty noses & hiccups was not at all what I intended on sharing today . . . but here we are”. 

“I’m a fighter. I have been since the day I was born & my mama had plans to adopt me out. The couple was at the hospital ready to take me home but my mom said she took ‘one look’ at me and knew she had to keep me.⁣ I was legit born a fighter,” she continued.

The wife and mother of two concluded, “I will fight for my family! I mean, sometimes more than they even want me to . . . But right now, I’m fighting for my marriage. For my children. For ME.”

Jamie and Doug’s previous issues in their marriage.

The season 1 couple of Married at First Sight has always been open to sharing their personal struggles. On a podcast with life coach Dr. Gertrude Lyons months ago, Jamie Otis discussed their recent marital problems. 

“I’m in a rut here and I’m begging for help in every aspect of my life … I’m angry and sad and hurt and I don’t know what to do,” she detailed in the episode. She added, ”I literally have to manage every aspect of our life. … Needless to say, we’re obviously working on our marriage. I’m just at a loss. I feel completely deflated.”

The couple has also been transparent about their struggle with infertility. She once revealed that their late son, Jonathan, passed away after seventeen weeks of pregnancy. She explained, “Johnathan is still very much a part of our lives in a sense. For Christmas, he was due in December so every year we buy little boys’ toys that would be for his age and we donate them. It’s a nice way to honor him.”

Jamie & Doug’s journey and the truth about MAFS

While many might believe that Married at First Sight is just an emotional disaster waiting to happen, Jamie and Doug prove that the right couple can make it work. Obviously, not every random pairing will last a lifetime and no one on the show is actually forced to stay together. They each have the right to decline the proposal.

With over twelve seasons of Married at First Sight, forty-four couples have matched. In the show, 61% of the couples have chosen to stay married on Decision Day. Meanwhile, over half of these couples have divorced, filed for divorce, or announced their divorce, as of now. Currently, thirteen couples have remained married which makes for an overall success rate of 30%.

Well, although 30% isn’t too low it definitely isn’t a high percentage at all. It’s unimaginable that 100% of couples would have a happily ever after. Yet, it seems that a handful of couples truly did fall in love on the show. Despite Jamie and Doug being one of those happy couples, they still have their own issues just like any marriage.

Does the scientific matchmaking process actually work? Probably not. However, couples like Jamie Otis and Doug Hehner prove that a lasting marriage from a single moment can survive with hard work.

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What do you think of the Married at First Sight season 1 couple? Do you think the show is toxic? Let us know in the comments below!