There have been severalMarried at First Sighttrigger words that have left long-lasting impressions in the franchise.Married at First Sightpremiered in 2014, and has 17 complete seasons behind it.Married at First Sightseason 18is currently airing, and is at the beginning stages of the experiment. In season 18, all five couples said yes to their stranger spouses at the altar, and all have made it through the honeymoon and into the living together portion of the experience, although not without their challenges.MAFSseason 18 is already surpassingMAFSseason 17in Denver in its success rate.
In season 17, there was a first-ever runaway bride situation, which caused cast memberMichael Shiakallisto be rematched. One of the couples broke up upon returning from the honeymoon, while another split on their one-month anniversary. Moreover, Michael said no to staying married to his new bride, and the other two marriages also ended in divorce. This poor outcome came on the heels of years of unsuccessful pairings. As it stands, theMAFSsuccess rate is just at 18.75%. 64 couples (not including season 18’s) have been matched, and only 12 of them are still together.
Married at First Sighthas had a history of casting problematic cast members who tend to be the perpetuators of terms like the ones on this list. Whether it’s been cast members who are emotionally unavailable, have clout chasing motivations, shady backgrounds, or difficult personalities, these trigger words are born from their circumstances and behavior on the show. These words underscore the wild ideas in a season, perceptions in the show, and some also translate to the hopes of the cast ofMarried at First Sight.
TheMarried at First Sightcast enter the experiment with high expectations, nerves, and positivity. However, these ideals have tended to shatter, or at the very least, be tested. The trigger words on this list have defined the show over the years, and they are actually funny at this point because they relate to disaster in some way.The words on this list can even play into theMarried at First SightBingo card idea, where fans have heard these words used time and time again, or they pertain to certain kinds of cast.
10"Manifest"
Karla Juarez Loves This Term
Lifetime’sMarried at First Sightseason 18 cast memberKarla Juarezhas showcased her whimsical, spacey, and passive-aggressive personality in her early marriage to her husband, Juan Franco. When meeting with the experts during the selection process, Karla was a big advocate for the idea of “manifesting.” Karla believes she “manifested” theMAFSexperience into her life, and that she had “manifested” her future husband.
Karla’s “manifesting” is funny at this point, because she has been going out of her way to sabotage her marriage. She has done several passive-aggressive acts, like making her husband carry his clothes in a trash bag because he said he had forgotten about her while he spent time with season 18 cast mate, David Trimble.
The word “manifest” is usually tied to people with gentle, observant, and hopeful personalities, but Karla is giving the word a bad rap.
9"Optics"
MAFS Season 17 Overused Optics
Married at First Sightseason 17 was a disaster. TheLifetimeseason not had the first runaway bride situation but also the first attempted group dupe. The four original couples conspired together behind the scenes to present themselves one way on camera, in order to control their narratives, or “optics,” on the show. They encouraged their partners not to share the truth, and it only caused resentment and inauthenticity in the marriages and among the cast dynamics.Becca Haley was a big user of the word “optics,“as she accused her husband, Austin Reed, of caring more about the “optics,” than making his wife happy and trying to understand her.
8"Vulnerable”
MAFS Cast Let Their Walls Down
The word “vulnerable” has been used across the board season after season. TheMarried at First Sightexperts encourage vulnerability among the cast in the marriages, and many struggle to show a “vulnerable” side of themselves. The fact that the cast can’t be “vulnerable” in an experiment which requires that as the participants get to know and level with their stranger spouses, is comical. The experts should be able to detect a potential cast member’s ability to become vulnerable, as it is a necessary part of the process. Sincevulnerability has not come easily to many cast members, and hence their marriages end in divorce, the word has lost a lot of its meaning and intention in the franchise.
7"Intentional”
MAFS Cast Want To Make Their Motivations Known
When things are seeming on course in the marriages, the word “intentional” gets brought up a lot. Whether it’s in the sense of the cast being intentional with their behavior, or intentional with their time and what they choose to share, the cast “intending” on being honest and truthful has been a stretch given the poor success rate. Season 17’s Michael had a big vocabulary and was eloquent with his delivery, butas much as he meant to be “intentional,” he caused his marriage to fail.
6"Healing"
“Healing” is anotherMarried at First Sighttrigger word that would be on the show’s Bingo card. Since many of the cast seem to believe they’ve “healed” themselves from their past traumas, relationship pitfalls, and personal hang-ups, they’ve felt ready for the experiment, when that has not been the case. While some cast likeNicole Lillenthal, were able to “heal” her insecuritieswith the help of her husband, others have taken their red flags they haven’t “healed” from and done damage in their marriages, like Matthew Gwynne’s inability to “heal” his disfunction.
5"Unpacking"
Situations Have Arisen Where “Unpacking” Has Been The Theme
TheMarried at First Sightexperts love to “unpack” what’s going on between the couples, but it hasn’t seemed to help the marriages since most of them have ended in divorce.
A lot of the participants have also been resistant to “unpacking” the issues in their marriages, which plays into the almost comical idea that the show is not selecting the right people to get married to a stranger. By endeavoring to “unpack” the underlying problems, the marriages often end up in worse shape. That could be due to bad therapy and counseling by the experts, the inability of the cast to have the depth to “unpack,” or both.
4"Leaning Into"
Embracing The Experiment
ManyMarried at First Sightcast members have said they are ready to “lean into” the experiment. Season 14’s Mark Maher was selected for Boston’s season after having applied for the show before. He “leaned into” his marriage with an open heart, but was met by difficult personality Lindsey Georgoulis as his bride, which made “leaning into” the experience difficult. Other cast, like Orion Martzloff had said they were ready to “lean into” their next chapter, but had given up and essentially leaned out when they became overwhelmed.
3"A Whole Wife"
“Whole Wife For A Whole Life?”
Lifetime’sMarried at First Sightdedicated an entire episode of season 16 in San Diego to the phrase “A whole wife.“Cast member Alexis Williams was enamored with the idea of being married, and called herself “a whole wife,” upon marrying Justin Hall. However, her fantasy of being “a whole wife” dissolved when faced with the pressures that come with being “a whole wife.” Ironically, Alexis is set to become “a whole wife” again, as she is engaged post-show. The strange phrase was given legs by Alexis, and is a laughable trigger word toMAFSfans who know how that phrase ended for her.
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2"Gaslighting”
Many MAFS Cast Felt Victim To This
Married at First Sightcast members who are often toxic and unaccountable themselves have loved to throw around the word “gaslighting.”
When cast members have not wanted to look inward in tense situations, they push the narrative that they are being “gaslit” by their partners.
Season 14’s Alyssa Ellman felt she was being “gaslit” by the entire experiment when it was her that was the problem in her marriage to Chris Collette. Making their partner question their truth, sanity, and reasoning by way of “gaslighting” has been a staple of some of the more questionableMarried at First Sightcast members like Chris Williams, Zack Freeman, and Morgan Bell.
1Missing The Parade Go By
MAFS Season 18
“Missing the parade go by” is a newMarried at First Sighttrigger word coined by Thomas Kriaras in season 18. When the 42-year-old was talking to the experts, he brought up how his twin brother, Tim, was married, and how he felt like like he was “missing the parade go by.” His eagerness to get married led him to use this odd and pointed phrase several times in the early episodes and pre-episodes of the season. TheMarried at First Sighttrigger words on this list speak to the layer of comical verbage that viewers have seen presented. These words have defined the show and some cast members, and they should be on yourMarried at First Sightbingo card.
Married At First Sightairs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on Lifetime.
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.
