As much as I liked Season 18 of Married at First Sight, I was bored more than half the time. Season 18 of the Lifetime dating experiment had some of the biggest ups and downs in the reality show’s history, but the pacing was all off. Twenty or more episodes is just too many episodes because it takes too long for anything interesting to happen proving that Married at First Sight needs to produce shorter seasons.
Married at First Sight is about people’s day-to-day lives in experimental arranged marriages. The experts pair couples up based on their types or life goals, but most of the time, the marriages end in disaster. Season 18 especially had failed marriages, with two couples splitting because of a cheating scandal. Unfortunately, despite the intrigue of said cheating scandal, most of Season 18 of Married at First Sight was hard to get through and could have been shortened.
‘Married at First Sight’s Episodes Are Repetitive
If Married at First Sight had a new drama every episode, it would be easier to watch. Unfortunately, most of the time, Married at First Sight episodes just get repetitive. Couples fight over the same thing they have been fighting about since the start of the season. Healthier couples bond over activities like pottery or tantric yoga. The experts tell some cast members that they need to change, but nothing ever changes. Season 18 especially had an incredibly monotonous and repetitive first half with the same tired drama playing over and over again.
Then, after 18 episodes of the same issues that were never resolved, there was a two-part reunion episode. Reunion episodes on reality television are great because audiences not only get to see how everyone changes a year after filming but also the effect of online reactions. However, after the Married at First Sight reunion, another episode shows where the cast is a year after the show stopped filming. Seeing how everyone’s lives turned out is great, except that that is half the point of a reunion. Season 18 is not even the longest season of Married at First Sight, but it is already way too long.
The Forced Drama is Dull in ‘Married at First Sight’
Married at First Sight draws out the most irrelevant issues for the less problematic couples. This season, the only successful couple was Thomas McDonald and Camille Parsons. From the beginning, they were obviously on the same page about their relationship. However, Married at First Sight needed them to face issues in their relationship, so they harped on a tiny factor. Trust me, no one cares about McDonald’s “swag factor” so much that six consecutive episodes are needed to address it. We knew that Parsons and McDonald were going to stay together. I just wish they stopped stretching out issues that could be resolved in one episode. There is only so much back and forth about forced issues that I can take.
Any Real Drama is Drawn Out in ‘Married at First Sight’
Since Married at First Sight needs to fill so many episodes, it stretches any real drama in the cast out as long as possible. Season 18 took a long time before things began to pop off. It was not until halfway through that Emem Obot and Ikechi Ojore came to verbal blows at dinner. Following that, David Trimble and Madison Meyers took Married at First Sight by storm with a cheating scandal. Trust me, Married at First Sight capitalized on that scandal for the entire season. The couple swap was discussed in the previews and trailers, but it took so long that the show lost momentum. The build-up alone was four episodes before the reveal. The couples retreat episode was one of Married at First Sight’s best episodes, but it took way too long to get there.
can confidently say that despite the messiness, or maybe because of it, Married at First Sight Season 18 is my favorite season of the show, but it took too long to get to that point. Between blowing small issues up out of proportion and the show’s repetitive nature, Married at First Sight needs to reevaluate the length of its seasons. Married at First Sight must stop dragging out the drama, even if that means fewer episodes.