There are signsMarried At First Sightproducers employ multiple strategies to manufacture drama on the show, which may continue in the upcoming 18th season. Since its premiere on July 08, 2025,Married At First Sighthas become one of the most-watched reality dating shows, and the show’s viewership has grown over the years. In 2019,MAFSreceived the highest social media activity of any major television program and has kept that success ever since. However, despite its viewership success,the show has faced multiple criticismsfor creating drama for TV while losing sight of its premise.
The criticisms againstMAFSover the past couple of seasons include producers' new strategy of focusing on and manufacturing couples' drama over healthy relationship building and the inability ofMAFSrelationship experts to match couples successfully.These inadequacies have led to several chaotic seasons, includingthe recentMAFSseason 17, which featured a cast of major clout chasers who were only on the show for publicity, producing no stable couples after eight weeks. However, withMAFSseason 18 expected to premiere on October 2, hopefully, these strategies will not be repeated.
10MAFS Has A Lot Of Filler Editing
The Show Features Redundant and Repeated Scenes
One of the issues that fans have noticed aboutMarried At First Sightacross several seasons is howproducers often use a lot of time fillersto try and build up intrigue about what’s to come or what just happened on the show. However, due to how repetitive these fillers are, they take away from whatever effects the producers intend. Each episode ofMarried At First Sightfeatures a preview of a scene viewers may or may not see during that episode and a recap of a scene that just played, which feels unnecessary and redundant.
9The Long Between MAFS Seasons Hiatuses Are Suspect
Long Time Between Seasons Creates Drama
Married at First Sighttypically films a few months before each season airs, but despite these quick turnarounds, the time between each season’s premiere has been getting longer in recent installments. For example, there was a six-month gap betweenMarried At First Sightseasons 15 and 16, and season 17 aired six months after season 16. However,the time between seasons 17 and 18will even be longer than usual, and considering the quick turnaround between filming and premiere, one wonders ifthe delay is another tactic by producers to create drama.
8The MAFS Couples Hang Out In Groups Too Much
Couples Groupies Breeds Drama
For a show based on how quickly two strangers can form a strong romantic bond, one key ingredient must be privacy for the couples to figure out and work on their differences without too much external influence. However,due to the need for drama, new couples on the show are often made to hang out in groups,which creates unnecessary comparisons and competition between the couples.
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Earlier seasons ofMarried At First Sightfocused more on individual couples. However, that has changed in recent seasons, which adopted a group-focused approach. The need to hang out and interact with other couples on the show often creates issues and causes drama, which is toxic to new relationships. However, producers would rather have more drama than relationship success on the show.
MAFS Fields Contestants Seeking Exposure and Endorsements
Like many dating reality shows,Married At First Sighthas also featured multiple contestants who are on the show for the wrong reasons. Over the years, fans have seen cast members like Airris Williams, Olajuwon Dickerson, and Jasmine Secrest, who were accused of being on the show for the exposure and numerous professional opportunities it offers, not to find love or build a relationship.
However, unlike other shows that aim to cut down on havingclout chasers as cast members,MAFShas failed spectacularly in this area.Married At First Sightseason 17, the most recent installment, alarmingly featured many clout-chasing contestants.Stars like Michael Shiakallis, Chloe Brown, Cameron Fraze, and Clare Kerr were all accused of being on the show just for the clout, as they contributed to a very messy season.
6The MAFS Experts Pair Mismatched Couples
MAFS Match Couples Who Can Maximize Drama
The poor success rate of relationships inMarried At First Sighthas been attributed to many factors. However, the poor performance of the experts, especially regarding matching couples, is one of the most obvious. Throughout various seasons of the show, fans have watched several cases ofexperts matching two individuals with nothing in common, often creating messy and toxic relationships for drama.
Meanwhile,former contestant Olivia Frazeralso gave a damning assessment of the experts and their matches. Olivia noted that the show does not want successful couples. Instead, she alleged that the producers hold the real power in pairing the brides and grooms, only “consulting” with the experts as an afterthought.
5The Point Of The Reunions Has Gotten Murky
MAFS Reunions Are Now All About Couple’s Drama
TheMAFSreunion episodeswere set up to be an avenue to bring back some of the most memorable brides and grooms from the season to look back on some of the critical moments from the season and give an update about their relationship. However,in recent seasons, the reunion episodes have become an arena for couples to fight and contestants to air different allegationsagainst each other. Producers have been accused of prioritizing ratings and drama over the well-being of the couples after some former contestants spoke out about their negative experiences after appearing on the show.
MAFS Contestants Forming Cliques To Control On-Screen Narratives
Married At FirstSeason 17 was a season of many firsts in the franchise’s history, including an attempted group dupe by some of the cast members.The show featured contestants who conspired to control their storylines and portray themselves in a positive lightfor the cameras. After a messy and dramatic season, embittered exesClare Kerr and Cameron Frazerexposed the scheme involving other couples. The group dupe boomeranged, resulting in a chaotic season and animosity between the men and women.
3The MAFS Experts Have Not Guided The Couples Properly
In addition to matching couples, one of the duties of theMarried At First Sightexpertsis to guide them through their relationship challenges, which might result in successful relationships off the show. However, after the disappointing success rate of relationships over seventeen seasons, theMAFSexperts have been accused of not providing adequate guidance and support to the couples.TheMAFSrelationship experts have been questioned about their lack of accountability for their bad matchesand their lack of attempts to be there for couples who’ve had a hard time on the show.
2The Editing Has Made It Less About The Couples
MAFS Editing Focuses More on Drama Than the Couples
In recent seasons, the editing ofMAFShas come under intense criticism from contestants and viewers after a few mishaps that showthe production team’s focushas shifted away from the couples and their journeys to maximizing drama on the show. Some tactics include staging reaction shots and featuring misleading scenes to present situations and contestants more dramatically to fit the intended narratives.The show’s editing has been less about the couples who plan to find love and build a relationshipand more about who can get the messiest.
1Most Couples Don’t Stay Together
MAFS Has a Disappointing Success Rate
AlthoughMarried At First Sighthas created some successful relationships since its premiere, throughout 17 seasons and about 69 matched couples, only about 11 couples have stayed together.Currently,the relationship success rate ofMAFSstands at 15.9%, and in only one season have the experts been able to match two successful couples. Due to the low success rate of the show, fans now go into new seasons ofMarried At Sightexpecting drama and toxic couples, not the excitement of watching two couples find love, which is the show’s central premise.
Married At First Sight
Cast
Based on the Danish version of the series, Married at First Sight is a reality show/social experiment that gives singles a chance to find a lifelong partnership with one particular caveat: they must agree to marry a stranger arranged the moment they meet. Experts provide counseling and guidance as they help couples navigate their new marriage with their unknown partner and highlight the journey of the newlyweds from wedding to honeymoon to beginning their new lives together. At the end of eight weeks, couples will decide to stay married or divorce.
