Married At First Sight season 18 may have just gotten started, but there are already issues impacting viewers’ perception of the series, leaving many wondering when there will be changes made to the casting & matchmaking process. Throughout the majority of Married At First Sight’s long run, the mechanics behind the casting and matchmaking parts of the series have been the same. MAFS participants have had the opportunity to sign up for the series and get selected to be matched, and the matchmakers have been using the information they’re given to try and make sound romantic connections for participants.
Though the back and forth isn’t surprising or revelatory, the system itself hasn’t been working in the last several seasons of the series. Whether it’s due to a lack of ability from the Married At First Sight experts, a poor way of collecting background information about the potential cast members from the casting team, or a mix of those and other issues, the series has been struggling to make successful matches for years. Although many have called for MAFS to change something from the inside out to make better decisions, things haven’t improved in the last few years.
While the conduct of the Married At First Sight experts hasn’t always been something fans condone or enjoy, they’re the group that viewers have had to put their trust into. Unfortunately, the majority of the matches on the show don’t work out, and that’s to be somewhat expected after the last few unsuccessful years of MAFS. The experts haven’t been able to figure out what issues to tackle, nor have they been able to find a solution to the issues that the casting team has on the series, which often brings them MAFS participants who aren’t telling the truth.
As things haven’t been changing, many viewers have called for the removal of the current panel of Married At First Sight experts. While things would clearly change if Dr. Pepper Schwartz, Dr. Pia Holec, and Pastor Cal Roberson left the series, their departure from the show may not mean that there are more successful matches. Instead of calling for them to be replaced, some Married At First Sight viewers have discussed the idea of a change in their process, along with a change in the way the series is cast.
Many people are interested in joining MAFS, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they all fit the bill when it comes to casting the series. With a shift in the casting process and changes to the way the MAFS experts make their matches, things could improve for the show’s lacking success rate. While it may not be entirely feasible, a change-up could be just what Married At First Sight needs.
8 MAFS Should Redo Their Casting Questionnaire
It’s Too Broad & Lengthy
Although the Married At First Sight casting questionnaire is available for everyone to see during the casting process, some viewers aren’t aware of the questions that potential participants are asked before their initial interviews to be on the series. Current questions sometimes lack the depth needed to truly understand applicants’ relationship histories, emotional readiness, or their commitment to an authentic marriage. While the MAFS questionnaire has general compatibility questions, they don’t delve deeply into communication, conflict resolution, or attitudes about finances and family planning. Revamping the questionnaire with comprehensive questions would allow experts to explore the applicants more thoroughly.
While the questionnaire is only the first step in the MAFS participation process, it’s the easiest place for applicants to lie about what’s going on in their lives, relationships, and mindset. The questionnaire itself should focus more on the applicant’s mental health and goals, allowing the experts to understand if the applicant is worth pursuing at the current time because of the way they handle triggers, stressors, or past traumas. Overall, a well-rounded questionnaire would be a great step to improving the Married At First Sight casting and matchmaking processes, pushing for healthier, more successful relationships.
7 MAFS Should Make Potential Cast Members Pass Mental Health Checks Pre-Casting
There Should Be More Psychological Testing
Along with the Married At First Sight questionnaire, the cast members should have to go through some serious mental health checks before their admittance to the matchmaking process. While the MAFS experts do some mental health practices with the participants, the majority of the mental health checks that participants have to go through are kept private and done between the initial questionnaire and the matchmaking process. These practices don’t make it to MAFS on screen, nor are they ever really talked about.
Married At First Sight should consider some more intensive mental health checks during the initial phase of the casting process. Rather than waiting until cast members are nearly at the point of being matched, MAFS should be keeping tabs on their potential cast members throughout the process, but especially early on when red flags are likely easier to spot. While most people can mask their mental health issues, being forthright with them or finding out what’s going on early could make a major difference on the show.
6 MAFS Should Require Mental Health Checks From Unbiased Practitioners
They Need Better Ideas Of The Big Picture
Although it’s unclear who performs most of the mental health checks on MAFS, it’s clear that the experts do have some time with the participants to figure out whether they’re mentally fit for the series. Married At First Sight’s two resident doctors, Dr. Pepper and Dr. Pia, often do their best to bring some mental health practices into their interviews with participants as they move through the early phases of the matchmaking process. Even so, it shouldn’t solely be on them to take care of mental health facilitation.
The Married At First Sight team should be bringing in unbiased practitioners to ensure their mental health checks and understanding of the participants are entirely removed from the MAFS process. While the experts know how to be unbiased, there are likely some biases that they don’t consciously realize coloring their perception of the participants during their mental health checks. Ensuring that the participants are of sound mind and understand what they’re signing up for is key to future MAFS success.
5 MAFS Should Look Deeply Into Participant Backgrounds
They Need More Information About The Past
Although the Married At First Sight participants are vetted to ensure that there are no major red flags in their background, there have been issues where participants fall through the cracks and stain a season. Though things have changed since the early days of the show when participants like Married At First Sight season 2’s Ryan De Nino were cast, there are still cast members who exhibit some major red flags once on the series. Throughout the last few seasons, there have been difficult cast members on both sides of the aisle creating dangerous drama.
Married At First Sight should be focusing on vetting their participants to weed out the potentially dangerous cast members, and expanding their focus to include people who may be emotionally manipulative, as well. While physical danger is of the utmost importance, many MAFS participants come into the show with difficulties regulating their emotions from past experiences, and that can be harmful. The show would do better to get more information about the potential participants’ backgrounds, if possible.
4 MAFS Should Weed Out Clout Chasers
Multi-State Applicants Shouldn’t Be Allowed
Although MAFS casting has made it difficult for people who exhibit serious red flags to join the series, there are different ways that people who are looking for attention rather than affection join the cast. Some Married At First Sight participants wind up being cast members who are looking for clout rather than for a loving relationship, hopeful that appearing on the show will allow them to build a following they can take outside of the series. With some MAFS participants clout chasing, it can be hard to tell who’s being genuine about their interest and who isn’t.
Despite knowing that Married At First Sight has viewers who can spot clout chasers on the series, the experts often don’t find themselves weeding the clout chasers out of the final cast. Rather than focusing on people who are more genuine in their approach to their MAFS marriage, the experts often choose clout chasers in their place. Weeding out the clout chasers, like MAFS season 18’s groom Ikechi who applied for the show twice before being cast, would be better for the long-term success of the series.
3 MAFS Should Diversify The Panel Of Experts
They Need Different Points Of View
After years of focusing on similar MAFS experts to come into the show with intellectual perspectives on what’s happening with the participants, the series should diversify its panel of experts for good. Though past seasons of the series have brought in other experts with different backgrounds and perspectives, they’ve often only had the supplemental experts for a few episodes at a time. Rather than bringing them on for the season, the extra experts are only available for certain situations.
Instead of bringing in new experts for differing opinions in just a few different circumstances, Married At First Sight should enlist their panel of experts with a diverse mix of people. Experts who come from sociological backgrounds, from different age groups and nationalities, and from different places in life would help switch things up. With more diverse experts, the participants would get a range of points of view.
2 MAFS Should Use More Psychological Practices In Their Matchmaking
They Shouldn’t Simply Stick To Talk Therapy
Typically, the MAFS experts use some variations of talk therapy and couples counseling to move forward in the process and help them through various issues. While talking out issues and identifying major problems can be incredibly helpful, there are other methods of therapy that could be useful to Married At First Sight participants, as well. MAFS participants would be better off on the show if other therapeutic practices were utilized, especially ones that help the experts psychologically understand them.
While talk therapy and counseling techniques should still be used, the Married At First Sight experts could look into other therapeutic techniques to unearth issues that the participants may not even be aware of. By treating the experiment more like an experiment and less like a traditional relationship, MAFS participants may have the opportunity to work through problems in their marriages. New tactics could help shift the perspective on what the MAFS experts can do.
1 MAFS Should Bring In More Experts To Be Well-Rounded
They Could Do More With A Variety Of Voices
Although the Married At First Sight experts are already doing what they can on the series, it would be beneficial to expand their team in order to give a more well-rounded point of view of the marriages. Despite the trio of experts working hard to give their input to each couple and try to provide them with the tools to succeed, the experts often seem like they’re spread too thin. With more experts on the show, there could be an interesting split in how they deal with each of the couples.
More MAFS experts could make the series more interesting, as they’d be coming from different perspectives and backgrounds when dealing with the issues of each couple. Even though Married At First Sight participants would have to do their part and open up about their problems, the MAFS experts having more people involved would make it easier to continually be vulnerable. Expanding the team may not be feasible, but MAFS could benefit from it.
Married At First Sight airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EDT on Lifetime.
Source: Married At First Sight/Instagram
