TheMarried at First Sightfranchise is at an alarming turning point as trust from viewers has been waning, but there are signs season 19 will exceed expectations.Married at First Sightseason 18’s final reunion episode aired, and the “Where Are They Now?” episode will be the last of the season. Season 18 began in October 2024, and is shorter by one month thanMarried at First Sightseason 17, which ran from October 2023 to late April 2024. TheMAFSexperts tasked with matching the couples and guiding them through the eight-week experiment have largely remained the same.
Dr. Pepper Schwartz has been an expert since season 1, while Pastor Cal Roberson has been an expert since season 4, with Dr Pia Holec joining in season 15.Married at First Sighthas been the major powerhouse reality TV show to come from the Lifetime Network, which is owned by A&E Networks. The success rate of the show as a whole has been very poor, with only 13 couples in 18 complete seasons remaining together.MAFSseason 18 did produce a couple that is still together,Madison Myers and David Trimble, but they essentially matched themselves through cheating.
MAFS Has Steered Far From Its Intent
There Haven’t Been Many Long-Lasting Couples
With so many failures on different planes,Married at First Sighthas steered far from its original intention. The show aims to have a panel of expert therapists match applicants based on their individual preferences in physical qualities, value systems, cultural backgrounds, non-negotiables, and future aspirations. There is a lengthy questionnaire process the applicants go through, and if they are selected from that, they go through rounds of interviews with the experts. Participants are either people who applied for the show themselves, or were scouted by production from dating apps and urged to apply.
The goal of the show is to have all successful matches that end with couples in long-term marriages. Whilethe long-lastingMAFScouplesthat have made it into 2025 are inspiring and well-matched, the number of failures has been a detriment to the show. The show focused on three couples up until season 8, then four couples were highlighted in seasons 8 and 9, before five couples became the norm from there on out. Another major change has come withthe couples comingling on the honeymoon and throughout the experience.The show used to give the couples more alone time.
Moreover, the couples used to have to choose a place to live, whereas now, the couples all live in a neutral space in an apartment building with the other couples for the duration of the experiment. This entire set-up in recent years withthe co-mingling, shared apartment building, and more couples has led the show on a downward spiralin terms of the experiment, leading to successful matches. Within the rapid experiment and the focus on interpersonal cast relations,Married at First Sightnow seems to be about heightened drama at the expense of success rate.
Critical MAFS Fan Reception Has Been Poor
On top of the changing-for-the-worse format, criticalMAFSfan reception has been poor as the success rate of the couples has declined. In the cheating scandal alone between Madison and David (via@mafsfan), fans have been unsettled, as the situation never should have happened.
“Too much airtime at the expense of other ppl’s feelings. It’s MAFS, not Cheaters.”
The cheating scandal gaveMAFSviewers a deep mistrust of the process, as Madison and David were rewarded for going against the show’s premise with more air time.MAFSseason 18 is also on the heels of a disastrousseason 17, where all but one of the couples attempted a group dupe, wherein they endeavored to control their narratives by being inauthentic on camera. This led not only to fans developing resentment for the show but also the cast themselves having issues with each other and their spouses.
Many of theMarried at First Sightcouples also never make it to decision day, or even out of the honeymoons intact.
This is disheartening to fans, and gives the show a bad wrap because the matches obviously weren’t good ones in the first place.
That, or the experts chose people who were not ready to get married or had red flags that were overlooked.
MAFS Season 19 Has A Lot Of Making Up To Do
MAFS' Process Has Not Yielded Many Positive Results
With fans reeling from another lackluster and disappointing season full of bad cast choices and mismatched people,MAFSseason 19 has a lot of making up to do. It’s become clear that the current format and process of the show is not yielding many positive results, and season 19’s production should take heed of the pitfalls of the recent years and make some changes.
With such a huge fanbase,Married at First Sightcan change its framework, cast selection process, and “expert” panel to effect some change in the resulting couples' success.
There is a lot on the line in terms of viewer-retention withMAFSseason 19, as fans are mistrusting of the process, the cast members, and the experts after years of disappointment. Given the critical nature of season 19’s reception, it’s likelyMAFSproduction is looking into how the experiment can work better for the cast and for viewers' enjoyment. At this time,there is no official word that any definitive changes will be made in regard to those areas, but there is a green flag coming withMarried at First Sightseason 19.
20 Best Reality TV Shows Right Now
Reality TV is more popular than ever. With so many to choose from, here are some of the best reality TV shows to stream or watch right now.
MAFS Season 19 Will Not Disappoint
The Streaming Platform Switch Should Help
The huge green flag coming withMarried at First Sightseason 19 is the streaming platform change.Season 19 will move over to the Peacock Network, which is responsible for hit reality franchises likeBelow Deck, Real Housewives, The Traitors, Vanderpump Rules, andLove Islandto name a few. Not only will the next season ofMarried at First Sightget a place with a renowned reality powerhouse it will also benefit from the different marketing, direction, and editing tactics the network employs. Season 19 will be on Peacock in 2025, with a season hiatus ranging from four to six months.
Married At First Sightairs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on Lifetime.
