Married at First Sight Is At An Alarming Turning Point Amid Waning Trust In The Show’s Process (Signs Season 19 Will Exceed Expectations)

adminMarch 23, 2025

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The Married at First Sight franchise 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 Sight season 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 than Married at First Sight season 17, which ran from October 2023 to late April 2024. The MAFS experts 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 Sight has 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. MAFS season 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 Sight has 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. While the long-lasting MAFS couples that 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 with the 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 with the co-mingling, shared apartment building, and more couples has led the show on a downward spiral in terms of the experiment, leading to successful matches. Within the rapid experiment and the focus on interpersonal cast relations, Married at First Sight now seems to be about heightened drama at the expense of success rate.

Critical MAFS Fan Reception Has Been Poor

The Recent Years Of Cast Had Viewers’ Mistrusting

On top of the changing-for-the-worse format, critical MAFS fan 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 gave MAFS viewers a deep mistrust of the process, as Madison and David were rewarded for going against the show’s premise with more air time. MAFS season 18 is also on the heels of a disastrous season 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 the Married at First Sight couples 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, MAFS season 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 Sight can change its framework, cast selection process, and “expert” panel in order to effect some change in the resulting couples’ success.

There is a lot on the line in terms of viewer-retention with MAFS season 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 likely MAFS production 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 with Married at First Sight season 19.

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MAFS Season 19 Will Not Disappoint

The Streaming Platform Switch Should Help

Married At First Sight Season 18 Cast montage of them on their wedding days — Custom Image By César García

The huge green flag coming with Married at First Sight season 19 is the streaming platform change. Season 19 will move over to the Peacock Network, which is responsible for hit reality franchises like Below Deck, Real Housewives, The Traitors, Vanderpump Rules, and Love Island to name a few. Not only will the next season of Married at First Sight get 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 Sight airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on Lifetime.

Source: @mafsfan/Instagram