Why Married At First Sight Season 18 Is Going To Be So Important For The Franchise

Married At First Sight season 17 was a tough break for the series, leaving none of the couples together after Decision Day, but the upcoming MAFS season 18 will be tremendously important for the franchise. As Married At First Sight season 17 comes to a close, viewers are once again frustrated with the series as they move into another season where none of the couples actually wound up making their relationships work. Though there were valid efforts between several of the pairs to keep their marriages alive, they chose divorce on Decision Day, shocking viewers who were hoping for success.

Though Married At First Sight season 17 is only one season of the successful series, the results are eerily similar to past seasons of the show. In the last several years, only a handful of Married At First Sight’s marriages have wound up staying together, which has made it tough to root for couples on the show from the beginning. While they appear to have the best of intentions, not all the MAFS couples likely come into the experiment looking for a lasting relationship. With a mixture of issues at play, MAFS season 18 will be crucial for the series.

MAFS Season 17 Was A Huge Fail

After years of watching Married At First Sight, viewers typically know whether or not couples will work out on the series. With the exception of some major surprises, it’s usually clear if a couple is happy with one another and how things are headed during their final Decision Day, when they choose whether they want to stay married or file for divorce. For MAFS couples that are headed toward divorce, the issues they face have usually stemmed throughout their relationship. Couples who choose to stay married could’ve faced issues, or could’ve had a relatively drama-free relationship throughout the MAFS process.

There was a consensus that the MAFS season 17 couples were mismatched by the experts. Early on, Clare Kerr & Cameron Frazer and Lauren Goodger & Orion Martzloff were struggling in their newly formed relationship, with even the most basic vulnerability. The couples dealt with deeper issues than the personality clashes Emily Balch & Brennan Shoykhet or Austin Reed & Becca Haley were handling, and they chose to separate long before Decision Day. Emily & Brennan struggled to communicate throughout their marriage, while Becca & Austin struggled to develop attraction. All of the MAFS season 17 couples, including Chloe Brown & Michael Shiakallis, ultimately chose to divorce.

The Last Five Seasons Of MAFS Have Not Been Successful

The statistics behind Married At First Sight don’t mean everything but prove that the series has rapidly declined in success over the last several seasons. Despite having participants interested in joining the experiment and finding the love of a lifetime, the casting team on MAFS only chooses specific people to participate. After the casting process, potential participants are screened and paired up by the Married At First Sight experts, who are supposed to be the best in their field. While the matchmakers can only do so much for the participants, things have been tough throughout the years MAFS has continued.

Over the last five seasons, Married At First Sight has only boasted one successful marriage. MAFS season 16’s Chris Thielk and Nicole Woley met on the series, getting married sight unseen and working to build their relationship. Connecting quickly, Chris and Nicole had some issues throughout their time on MAFS, but they ultimately decided to stay together on Decision Day. Outside of Chris and Nicole, there have been no successful marriages in the last several seasons of the series. While Austin and Becca may have tried to work things out, they ultimately split like the other MAFS season 17 couples.

The MAFS Experts Have A Lot To Prove

While MAFS has had successful marriages in the past, the series has struggled to bring couples together for the last several seasons, which has cost them the trust of their viewers. MAFS viewers enjoy the series in times when the couples are struggling through drama, but they also tend to like to see more of a happy ending than the series has been providing in the last handful of seasons. The series needs to work harder in the areas it can control, like casting and matchmaking, to provide a more successful end product to the viewers who watch the show.

While there’s blame on some of the couples themselves for not working on their relationships effectively, the issues with Married At First Sight’s relationships stem from the initial casting process and the work of the MAFS experts. While the casting can be revisited, the experts account for some relationship issues. The experts, who have changed over the years but are currently comprised of Dr. Pepper Schwartz, Dr. Pia Holec, and Pastor Cal Roberson, need to work harder to match up the participants for more successful relationships. Their time and conversations with the couples also need to serve the marriages better.

MAFS Needs To Impress Fans

While there are still Married At First Sight viewers who are dedicated to the series despite the lack of matches made in the last several seasons, many are finding themselves bored with the series. After seasons of similar storylines that have failed to result in successful relationships, Married At First Sight may be feeling stale for dedicated viewers of the series. While different relationship issues can crop up throughout the marriages, knowing that many have felt the show has gotten predictable and unexciting to watch is disheartening. Things need to change for the viewers who love Married At First Sight.

With MAFS season 18 coming soon, the casting team, experts, and participants will have the opportunity to create some fascinating relationships for the series. Though the goal isn’t to create relationship drama that stems throughout the season, the series itself is good at picking up on what’s going on between the couples and teasing it out to bring organic drama. With Married At First Sight season 18, the experts should focus on trying to build a successful match that will turn into a lasting relationship, while the cast should focus on being open and honest in front of the cameras.