Married at First Sight (American TV series)
Married at First Sight is an American reality television series based on a Danish series of the same name titled Gift Ved Første Blik.[1] The series first aired in the United States on FYI. Beginning with season two, it aired in simulcast on sister network A&E. The series features three couples, paired up by relationship experts, who agree to marry when they first meet. For the first three seasons, the experts were clinical psychologist Dr. Joseph Cilona, sexologist Dr. Logan Levkoff, sociologist Dr. Pepper Schwartz, and humanist chaplain Greg Epstein. Starting with the fourth season, the experts are Schwartz, pastor and marriage counselor Calvin Roberson, and communication and relationship expert Rachel DeAlto.[2] The couples spend their wedding night in a hotel before leaving for a honeymoon. Upon returning home, they live together as a married couple for eight weeks. Thereafter they choose to divorce or stay married. On October 25, 2016 FYI renewed the show for a fifth season. In 2017, for the fifth season, the show moved to the Lifetime channel. The following year, two spinoffs were announced to premiere that October, Married at First Sight: Honeymoon Island and Married at First Sight: Happily Ever After.[3]
| Married at First Sight | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Reality television |
| Based on | Gift Ved Første Blik (Danish TV series) |
| Opening theme | "All or Nothing" by Louise Dowd, Jason Tarver & Marc Williams |
| Ending theme | "All or Nothing" by Louise Dowd, Jason Tarver & Marc Williams |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 10 |
| No. of episodes | 64 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 42 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | FYI (2014–16) Lifetime (2017-present) |
| Original release | July 8, 2014 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
The ninth season premiered on June 12, 2019.[4]
On September 20, 2019, the series was renewed for a tenth (which premiered on January 1, 2020) and eleventh season (which will premiere on July 15, 2020).[5][6]
On June 17, 2020, it was announced that two TV specials titled Married at First Sight: Matchmaking Special and Married at First Sight: Kickoff Special will premiere on July 8, 2020.[6]
Synopsis
Over the first ten seasons of MAFS, 34 couples were chosen for the experiment. Out of these 34, 21 chose to stay married on Decision Day, at the end of the six to eight week experiment. As of mid-April 2020, however, only 9 couples are still married, making for an overall temporary success rate of 26%.
Season 1
The first season took place in New York City and Northern New Jersey. The couples were:
| # | Couple | Age | Occupation | Final Decision | Current status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamie Otis-Hehner | 27 | Nurse | Yes | Married |
| Doug Hehner | 31 | Software salesman | |||
| 2 | Cortney Hendrix | 26 | Make-up artist | Yes | Divorced |
| Jason Carrion | 27 | Fireman | |||
| 3 | Monet Bell | 33 | Product development manager | No | Divorced |
| Vaughn Copeland | 30 | Field service technician | |||
Season 2
The second season, just like the first, took place in New York City and Northern New Jersey. The couples were:
| # | Couple | Age | Occupation | Final Decision | Current status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jaclyn Methuen | 30 | Vodka saleswoman | Yes | Divorced |
| Ryan Ranellone | 28 | Real estate agent | |||
| 2 | Davina Kullar (now Davis) | 34 | Pharmaceutical saleswoman | No | Divorced |
| Sean Varricchio | 35 | Trauma nurse | |||
| 3 | Jessica Castro | 30 | Receptionist | Yes | Divorced |
| Ryan DeNino/Oehl | 29 | Businessman | |||
Season 3
The third season took place in Atlanta, Georgia. The couples were:
| # | Couple | Age | Occupation | Final Decision | Current status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vanessa Nelson | 26 | Event manager | Yes | Divorced |
| Tres Russell | 27 | Luxury car salesman | |||
| 2 | Ashley Doherty | 30 | Nursing student | No | Divorced |
| David Norton | 29 | Software account executive | Yes | ||
| 3 | Samantha Role | 30 | Bank manager | Yes | Divorced |
| Neil Bowlus | 31 | Compliance specialist | No | ||
Season 4
The fourth season of Married at First Sight premiered on Tuesday, July 26, 2016. The setting was South Florida (particularly Miami) and in this season, two new specialists joined sociologist Dr. Pepper Schwartz: communication and relationship expert Rachel DeAlto, and marriage counselor Pastor Calvin Roberson. Doctors Joseph Cilona and Logan Levkoff exited the series after season three. The couples were:
| # | Couple | Age | Occupation | Final Decision | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sonia Granados | 33 | Social worker | Yes | Divorced |
| Nick Pendergrast | 32 | Vacation rental manager | |||
| 2 | Heather Seidel | 32 | Flight attendant | No | Divorced |
| Derek Schwartz | 35 | Account executive | |||
| 3 | Lillian Vilchez | 24 | Realtor | Yes | Divorced |
| Tom Wilson | 29 | Boat interior designer | |||
Season 5
The fifth season of Married at First Sight was renewed on October 25, 2016. For this season, the show moved to the Lifetime channel. The episodes aired in 2017 and featured couples in Chicago.[7] The couples were:
| # | Couple | Age | Occupation | Final Decision | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danielle DeGroot | 30 | Dietician | Yes | Divorced |
| Cody Knapek | 26 | Trainer / gym owner | |||
| 2 | Sheila Downs | 31 | School district facility director | Yes | Divorced |
| Nate Duhon | 26 | Branch manager of a car rental company | |||
| 3 | Ashley Petta | 30 | Manager of family-owned bar & grill | Yes | Married |
| Anthony D'Amico | 33 | Sale account executive | |||
Season 6
The sixth season of Married at First Sight was renewed on the Lifetime channel. The first of the episodes aired on January 2, 2018 and featured couples in Boston.[8] The couples were:
| # | Couple | Age | Occupation | Final Decision | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shawniece Jackson | 29 | Cosmetologist | Yes | Married |
| Jephte Pierre | 26 | 2nd grade school teacher | |||
| 2 | Molly Duff | 25 | Commercial insurance adjuster | No | Divorced |
| Jonathan Francetic | 28 | Financial associate | |||
| 3 | Jaclyn Schwartzberg | 29 | Technical sales representative | Yes | Divorced |
| Ryan Buckley | 29 | Firefighter | |||
Season 7
The seventh season of Married at First Sight has been renewed on the Lifetime channel, and features couples from Dallas, with the first episode aired on July 10, 2018. The couples are:
| # | Couple | Age | Occupation | Final Decision | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mia Bally | 29 | International recruiter of an airline | Yes | Divorced |
| Tristan Thompson | 29 | Tutoring club owner | |||
| 2 | Danielle Bergman-Dodd | 30 | Software saleswoman | Yes | Married |
| Bobby Dodd | 27 | Construction project manager | |||
| 3 | Amber Martorana | 36 | Senior title analyst | Yes | Divorced |
| Dave Flaherty | 37 | High yield bond trader | |||
Season 8
The eighth season of Married at First Sight features couples from Philadelphia, and premiered on January 1, 2019. The couples are:
| # | Couple | Age | Occupation | Final Decision | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephanie Sersen | 35 | Financial consultant | Yes | Married |
| AJ Vollmoeller | 37 | President & CEO of a staffing & recruiting company | |||
| 2 | Jasmine McGriff | 30 | Assistant director | Yes | Divorced |
| Will Guess | 37 | Financial analyst | No | ||
| 3 | Kate Sisk | 28 | Hotel marketing specialist | No | Divorced |
| Luke Cuccurullo | 31 | Civil and environmental engineer | |||
| 4 | Kristine Killingsworth | 29 | Residential real estate agent | Yes | Married |
| Keith Dewar | 29 | Kidney dialysis patient care technician | |||
Season 9
The ninth season of Married at First Sight features couples from Charlotte and premiered on June 12, 2019. The couples are:
| # | Couple | Age | Occupation | Final Decision | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iris Caldwell | 27 | Non-Profit Program Coordinator | Yes | Divorced |
| Keith Manley | 27 | Mentor/Coach | No | ||
| 2 | Elizabeth Bice | 29 | Account Executive | Yes | Married |
| Jamie Thompson | 35 | Financial Technician | |||
| 3 | Deonna McNeill | 30 | Operations Manager | Yes | Married |
| Gregory Okotie | 32 | Math Learning Center Owner | |||
| 4 | Amber Bowles | 27 | Middle School Teacher | No | Divorced |
| Matthew Gwynne | 31 | Ex Professional Basketball Player | |||
Season 10
The tenth season of Married at First Sight featured couples from Washington D.C.. The first episode aired on January 1, 2020. The couples are:
| # | Couple | Age | Occupation | Final Decision | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Katie Conrad | 25 | Mental Health Professional | Yes | Divorced |
| Derek Sherman | 26 | Cyber Security Engineer | |||
| 2 | Jessica Studer | 31 | Nurse Manager | Yes | Married |
| Austin Hurd | 31 | Network Technician | |||
| 3 | Taylor Dunklin | 27 | Research Scientist | No | Divorced |
| Brandon Reid | 34 | Sales Manager | |||
| 4 | Meka Jones | 25 | Category Analyst | No | Divorced |
| Michael Watson | 31 | Education Director | Yes | ||
| 5 | Mindy Shiben | 34 | Figure Skating Coach | No | Divorced |
| Zach Justice | 32 | Fitness Professional | |||
Season 11
The eleventh season of Married at First Sight will feature couples from New Orleans, Louisiana.
Timeline of Cast
| Cast | Seasons | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Second Chances | 6 | 7 | Honeymoon Island | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| Dr. Pepper Schwartz | Expert | Expert | Expert | |||||||||
| Dr. Logan Levkoff | Expert | |||||||||||
| Dr. Joseph Cilona | Expert | |||||||||||
| Chaplain Greg Epstein | Expert | |||||||||||
| Pastor Calvin Roberson | Expert | |||||||||||
| Rachel DeAlto | Expert | |||||||||||
| Dr. Jessica Griffin | Expert | |||||||||||
| Dr. Viviana Coles | Expert | |||||||||||
| Jamie Otis | Contestant | Unfiltered Host | Unfiltered Host | Unfiltered Host | Unfiltered Host | |||||||
Spinoffs
Married at First Sight has had seven spinoffs:
- Married at First Sight: The First Year
- Married Life
- Married at First Sight: Second Chances
- Jamie and Doug Plus One
- Married at First Sight: Honeymoon Island
- Married at First Sight: Happily Ever After
- Married at First Sight: Couples' Cam
- Married at First Sight: Australia
Married at First Sight: The First Year
Married at First Sight: The First Year follows the lives of the two Season 1 couples that remained married from the six-month mark to the one-year anniversary and beyond. The couples are Jamie Otis-Hehner and Doug Hehner, and Cortney Hendrix-Carrion and Jason Carrion. The first episode premiered on January 13, 2015. A total of two seasons have been shown for this spinoff.
Married Life
Married Life continues to follow the daily lives of two married couples from Season 1, Jamie Otis-Hehner and Doug Hehner, and Cortney Hendrix-Carrion and Jason Carrion. The first season premiered May 5, 2015. The second season premiered January 24, 2017.[9]
Married at First Sight: Second Chances
Two participants from Season 3, Vanessa Nelson and David Norton, both took part in the first season of the second spinoff Married at First Sight: Second Chances. Both David and Vanessa selected from a group of men (for Nelson) and women (for Norton) to date in a format similar to that of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette, ultimately ending with each of them choosing someone to marry. The groups were narrowed down from one hundred (in a speed dating-like situation) to twenty-five, to ten. After Vanessa and David each picked their top ten, they eliminated one person each episode (with the exception of one week's double elimination) until finding 'the one'. The first season premiered on 27 April 2017 and concluded on 6 July 2017 with Vanessa becoming engaged to Andre, although they ultimately ended their relationship, and David choosing to marry no one.
Jamie and Doug Plus One
Jamie and Doug Plus One continues to follow the lives of Jamie Otis-Hehner and Doug Hehner from the time right before the birth of their daughter Henley, through the first months of new parenthood. The series shows the couple's struggles with caring for their newborn while trying to maintain intimacy in their marriage.
Married at First Sight: Honeymoon Island
Married at First Sight: Honeymoon Island is an eight-episode series about sixteen singles on an exotic island attempting to match themselves.[10] Casting includes unmatched singles from earlier seasons of the original, fan favorites, and new candidates. Married at First Sight: Honeymoon Island premiered on October 23, 2018, and the participants are:[10]
| # | Name | Gender | Age | Occupation | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brandin Brosh | Female | 28 | Clothing boutique owner | Biloxi, MS |
| 2 | Isabella McKenzie | Female | 25 | Hostess | Atlanta, GA |
| 3 | Jada Rashawn | Female | 27 | Nanny placement specialist | San Antonio, TX |
| 4 | Jocelyn Thompson | Female | 30 | Business owner | Los Angeles, CA |
| 5 | Katie Muller | Female | 28 | Digital advertising specialist | Denver, CO |
| 6 | Kimber Gardner | Female | 28 | Medical sales representative | Las Vegas, NV |
| 7 | Lizzie Muse | Female | 30 | Kundalini yoga teacher | Boston, MA |
| 8 | Mekalya Silvera | Female | 32 | Hair stylist | Miami, FL |
| 9 | Bryan McKay | Male | 40 | Estimator | Miami, FL |
| 10 | Chris Perry | Male | 29 | Personal trainer and youth counselor | Binghamton, NY |
| 11 | Corey Saunders | Male | 31 | Founder and CEO of BEFIT | Boston, MA |
| 12 | Eric Acosta | Male | 31 | Entrepreneur | Denver, CO |
| 13 | Jona Bienko | Male | 35 | Auto broker | Como, CO |
| 14 | Shannon Raddler | Male | 33 | Pharmaceutical sales representative | Atlanta, GA |
| 15 | Travis Dalton | Male | 30 | Aerospace engineer | Bluffton, SC |
| 16 | Tyler Moody | Male | 26 | Construction company owner | Greeley, CO |
At the end of the season, the following participants remain:
| # | Couple | Age | Occupation | Final Decision | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimber Gardner | 28 | Medical sales representative | Yes | Engaged but have since broken up |
| Shannon Raddler | 33 | Pharmaceutical sales representative | |||
| 2 | Jada Rashawn | 27 | Nanny placement specialist | Yes | Engaged but have since broken up[11] |
| Chris Perry | 29 | Personal trainer and youth counselor | |||
| 3 | Brandin Brosh | 28 | Clothing boutique owner | Yes | Engaged but have since broken up |
| Jona Bienko | 35 | Auto broker | |||
Married at First Sight: Happily Ever After
The fifth spinoff Married at First Sight: Happily Ever After follows the lives of couples from previous seasons who still remain married and are expecting children, including Ashley Petta and Anthony D'Amico from Season 5, Shawniece Jackson and Jephte Pierre from Season 6, and Danielle Bergman and Bobby Dodd from season 7.[10] The first episode premiered on October 30, 2018.
Married at First Sight: Couples' Cam
The sixth spinoff titled Married at First Sight: Couples' Cam premiered on May 20, 2020.[12]
Married at First Sight: Australia
The seventh spinoff titled Married at First Sight: Australia premiered on May 27, 2020.[13]
International versions
The format created in Denmark has been adapted in several countries.
| Country | Local Title | TV channel | Year aired |
|---|---|---|---|
.svg.png){kind=small} |
Blind Getrouwd | VTM |
|
 |
Женени от пръв поглед | NOVA |
|
 |
Manželství na první pohled | TV Nova | TBA |
 |
Gift ved første blik | DR3 DR1 |
|
 |
Married at First Sight | Channel 4 |
|
.svg.png){kind=small} |
Married at First Sight | Nine Network |
|
 |
Matrimonio a prima vista Italia | Sky Uno, TV8 (season 1-3) Real Time (season 4) |
|
 |
Hochzeit auf den ersten Blick | Sat.1 |
|
 |
Ensitreffit alttarilla | AVA |
|
 |
Mariés au premier regard | M6 |
|
 |
Ślub od pierwszego wejrzenia | TVN | 2016–present |
 |
Casados à primeira vista | SIC |
|
 |
Married at First Sight | Three | 2017–present |
 |
חתונה ממבט ראשון | Keshet | 2017–present |
 |
Married at First Sight SA | Lifetime | 2016–present |
 |
Gift vid första ögonkastet | Sveriges Television | 2014–present |
 |
Married at First Sight | RTL4 | 2016–present |
 |
Casamento à Primeira Vista | A&E Lifetime |
2015–present |
 |
Casados a primera vista | Antena 3 |
|
External links
References
- "'Married At First Sight' Lawsuit: Woman Claims FYI Stole Her Idea For Hit Series About Blind Arranged Marriage". International Business Times. 18 December 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
- "Meet Married at First Sight's Season 4 Cast Members". People. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
- Hohman, Maura (September 11, 2018). "Lifetime Announces 2 Married at First Sight Spinoffs: Honeymoon Island and Happily Ever After". People. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
- "Lifetime Releases Airdates for Summer Unscripted Series". The Futon Critic. April 25, 2019.
- "Lifetime Commits to Two More Seasons of "Married at First Sight" for 2020". The Futon Critic. September 20, 2019.
- ""Married at First Sight" Heads to "The Big Easy" for Season 11 Premiering July 15". The Futon Critic. June 17, 2019.
- "Season 5". Retrieved April 20, 2017.
- "Season 6". Retrieved December 15, 2017.
- "Married Life (TV Series 2015– ) - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved Feb 17, 2020.
- "Lifetime Announces 2 Married at First Sight Spinoffs: Honeymoon Island and Happily Ever After". People. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
- "'Married at First Sight: Honeymoon Island' couple Chris Perry and Jada Rashawn split and break-up". Reality TV World. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
- "Lifetime Announces New "Married at First Sight" Self-Shot Spin-Off Series "Married at First Sight: Couples' Cam" Premiering May 20". The Futon Critic. April 8, 2020.
- "Lifetime Goes Down Under with "Married at First Sight: Australia" Premiering May 27". The Futon Critic. April 22, 2020.