This year, I’ve seen so many ways that singles can connect and get partnered from online dating apps to blind date photoshoots. One thing’s for sure, my friends and I would joke from time to time on whether we would sign up to find love via reality television.
It’s not just us apparently, but hundreds of people who actually go through with it on cable and network television to find a boo or spouse, as evidenced on the hit Lifetime reality show Married at First Sight. For eleven seasons, dozens of unmarried hopefuls apply to get paired by professional experts with someone they will not meet until their wedding day.
The newlyweds who’ve newly met go on a real honeymoon trip then return home to start their lives as one. After 8 weeks, they sit before the experts to decide if they want to remain married or get divorced. And this is not TV marriage, this is legit, legal marriage! Which makes me question why some of the participants on the show were willing to sign up for something that seems so risky. Well, season 11 premiered this July with the focus on five couples from New Orleans:
While at least two of the couples so far seem to be going in a healthy direction, the other three have definitely reminded me that while you don’t have to be perfect to enter a relationship, there should be some things you have in order before you get married. Here’s a list of reasons why you shouldn’t sign up to be on Married at First Sight:
Still not over an ex: There are at least two cast members this season that have shown some hang ups about their past. This is a fair warning: marriage is not a good rebound move or way to get over an ex. Whatever unaddressed issues you didn’t get a chance to process yet about that ex will spill over into your new relationship and it will show, trust us. I know the experts mean well, but they need to screen applicants better to make sure they are emotionally available to be on a show like this.
You’re too picky: If you know for a fact you are picky when it comes to dating someone, this may not be the way to find love for you. Remember that the premise of the show is that you will be legally married to someone who you have not met (99% accurate). So you will not know what they look like, their race, or even their name until the day of your wedding.
You’re set in your ways: Season 11 bride Olivia was not letting her new husband change her routine much at all when they got married. As we get older and live on our own, we tend to want things to go our way and find comfort in that. But if you’re intentional about making your marriage work, you’ve got to be willing to compromise for the health of your relationship.
You didn’t know what the show is about: I promise you it’s like people have never seen the show before who get on a show like Married at First Sight and want to catch an attitude with the production process. In most reality shows, you will have producers and camera people around you, with probing questions and editing magic with the purpose to sell a narrative to the audience. So if you don’t mind putting your budding romance on display, by all means, apply. But if you don’t like the cameras and process like this season’s bride Christina doesn’t, then don’t do it!
These are some honorable mentions that may or may not be totally related to the Season 11 couples, but take note to avoid applying for Married at First Sight if:
You were pressured to apply
You’re not willing to give the experiment a try
You’re only on here to gain fame/attention
You don’t take marriage seriously
Actually, most of this can be applied to relationships and marriage outside of television. Whether there are cameras recording or not, marriage is serious and requires work and effort made by both parties before and after they say “I do.”
Are you watching this season of Married at First Sight? Catch it every Wednesday night on Lifetime! If you think you’re ready for Married at First Sight, they are currently casting for the upcoming season for those who live in Houston, Texas.
