Married At First Sight: I Think The Season 18 Experts Should Explain All The Bad Matches (It Seems Like They Set Up Weird Pairings On Purpose) SPOILERS

Married At First Sight season 18 is well underway, and the experts need to answer for their bad matches during this installment. The hit Lifetime series has charmed fans for years, but recent casting decisions have been baffling and inappropriate. While it’s understandable that reality TV stars need to create tense and dramatic situations in order to provide entertainment, it seems like genuine matches are a thing of the past. As Married At First Sight season 18 unfolds, it’s time to analyze the experts’ terrible choices.

Married At First Sight season 18 dropped in October 2024 and features couples living in the Chicago area, a popular location for the show. The couples, Emem Obot and Ikechi Ojoré, Michelle Tomblin and David Trimble, Madison Myers and Allen Slovick, Camille Parsons and Thomas, and Karla Juarez and Juan Franco have all had their issues throughout the season. A potential Married At First Sight couple swap spells trouble for the increasingly problematic experts. Maybe they were thinking about genuine connections rather than ratings.

Were The Experts Kidding With Emem & Ikechi’s Pairing?

All the couples have their issues, but the experts really messed up with Emem and Ikechi’s pairing. They’re just not compatible in any way. Both of them struggle with communication, which is basically an automatic fail. Usually, if one person in a pairing has trouble talking about their problems, the other can support them and coax out their feelings. However, both of them shut down. Even in the beginning, during a conversation with Emem’s cousin, Ikechi seemed very combative and closed off.

Emem and Ikechi also don’t match in terms of their intimacy styles, which is supposed to be Dr. Pia Holec’s area of expertise. Ikechi has criticized Emem for being aggressive regarding sᴇxᴜᴀʟ matters, meaning there’s a serious miscommunication (unsurprising, given their inability to speak freely to each other) about expectations in the bedroom. While they seemed to have some chemistry at first, Ikechi calling Emem “the homie” doesn’t bode well for their romantic connection.

It seems like Ikechi and Emem are likely divorced after the season, though it’s not confirmed. However, this isn’t a surprise given the show’s high failure rate. Only 12 Married At First Sight couples are still together today, and given that the show has 18 seasons, that’s not a particularly successful number. The pressure to stay together or create drama seems to be a higher priority for Married At First Sight than forming genuine connections.

David & Michelle May Encounter A Cheating Scandal

David and Michelle are another glaringly horrible match on Married At First Sight season 18. Michelle was unsure about David from the start, even crying in the bathroom with her friends during the reception. She definitely wasn’t impressed with his living situation, since David lived with his parents. While he claimed it was the most convenient situation as he ran their business, Michelle viewed it as an excuse to not grow up and take responsibility for his life. He didn’t seem ready for marriage.

The couple swap in Married At First Sight hasn’t been confirmed yet.

However, there could be a cheating scandal that undermines David and Michelle’s relationship further. Allen, Madison’s husband, has been liking Michelle’s Instagram photos. Since Married At First Sight hinted at a couple swap in season 18, it seems likely that Allen and Michelle got together. Furthermore, Madison hasn’t shown much romantic interest in Allen, and it’s clear that she’s not attracted to them. The experts appear to have messed up badly.

The Experts’ Tactics Don’t Seem To Work

The experts’ tactics don’t seem to work anymore, and it’s time for them to explain their process and why they get such terrible results. The Married At First Sight cast members come onto the show to make their unconventional marriages work. Unfortunately, love often doesn’t find a way. The couples can’t help it if they’re fundamentally incompatible in areas of communication, intimacy, attraction, and lifestyle. It’s up to the experts to actually do a good job, which they consistently do not.

It’s unreasonable to expect a 100% success rate, but the experts could do better.

It’s time for the Married At First Sight experts to actually explain their process and defend their choices, otherwise they’re just going to continue to fail on the hit Lifetime series. Lately, it seems they are manufacturing drama rather than focusing on long-lasting couples. Experts only witness events during scheduled parties and weddings, lacking insight into the couples’ day-to-day dynamics. This limitation hampers their ability to provide actual informed guidance, especially when couples communicate poorly.

The experts seem intent on creating dramatic situations and then rushing in, as the qualified therapists and trusted religious leaders they are, to save the day. Unfortunately, that just doesn’t work. Dr. Pepper Schwartz, Pastor Cal Roberson, and Dr. Pia aren’t exactly hitting home runs. It seemed like Dr. Pia could have been a positive addition to the cast, but she hasn’t helped couples any more than Dr. Pepper or Pastor Cal.

Should The Married At First Sight Experts Be Changed?

It’s time for Married At First Sight to scrap the current experts entirely and begin anew. Furthermore, the entire model needs to change. All five couples in Married At First Sight season 18 are hanging by a thread, and it’s not likely that any of the marriages survived their time on the show. It’s understandable that there would be some level of conflict or incompatibility, but all five couples failing is an unacceptable standard for the experts.

Married At First Sight fans deserve better from the show’s experts.

It’s become clear that the experts prioritize drama and conflict over genuine connection. While the rough relationships are entertaining and cringe-worthy viewing, they can’t all be terrible. Obviously, their secretive matchmaking tactics aren’t working. They either need a fresh perspective or completely new experts to reinvigorate the popular series.

Dr. Pia, Dr. Pepper, and Pastor Cal don’t offer the support that cast members need throughout this bizarre and emotionally taxing experiment. If MAFS wants to continue, it’s time for them to start over with their experts. Viewers will continue to tune in, but it’s easy to become jaded when the success rate is so low. Nobody expects a 100% success rate, but something higher feels attainable with the right tactics. Married At First Sight is an experiment worth fighting for.