Married at First Sight featured Noi Phommasak admitting she wouldn't want to live with Steve Moy after "Decision Day," Jasmina Outar confessing she didn't have feelings for Michael Morency, Lindsey Georgoulis and Mark Maher struggling to communicate, and Katina Goode and Olajuwon Dickerson resolving their issues during the Season 14 episode Wednesday night on Lifetime.
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The five grooms who are starring on the new edition are Chris Collette, 35, Olajuwon, 29, Michael, 28, Mark, 37, and Steve, 38.
The couples matched by Married at First Sight experts Viviana, Dr. Pepper Schwartz, and Pastor Calvin Roberson are Lindsey and Mark, Alyssa and Chris, Jasmina and Michael, Katina and Olajuwon, and Noi and Steve.
Chris and Alyssa, however, chose to divorce one week into the experiment, and so other than a bowling night with their co-stars, they haven't been featured on the show since.
The Married at First Sight broadcast began with 24 days remaining until "Decision Day."
Katina paid her pals, Jasmina and Michael, a visit, and explained how Olajuwon fought with her over a dating app he had found on her phone -- an "old" app that she had never allegedly deleted and forgot was there.
Katina complained about how Olajuwon had approached the situation with "disrespect" and accused her of coming up with excuses when she was just trying to share her truth.
"I know Olajuwon says he's working on his tone, but I haven't seen a change. And today, the tone that he used wasn't okay," Katina said in a confessional. "So for me, I'm thinking, 'Is this something you're going to do again to me?' And I don't know if I can see myself with someone who operates like that."
Michael told Katina that Olajuwon's emotions were probably taking over his logic and so any explanation Katina provides would sound like an excuse to him. Jasmina also said Olajuwon tends to say mean things when he's upset, but none of this made Katina feel any better.
"I am a real person with real feelings," Katina cried to her friends.
Jasmina noted how Katina isn't the type of person who cries a lot and so seeing Katina in this hurt and emotional place wasn't sitting well with her.
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Jasmina advised Katina to voice her concerns to Olajuwon about not putting his words into action in regards to how he spoke to her and handled disagreements.
Olajuwon subsequently told Michael that seeing a dating app on Katina's found made him question everything, including, "Is this just about TV for you?"
Olajuwon insisted Katina is a smart woman who knows right from wrong and has common sense, and so he said Katina not deleting a dating app after 30 days of being married was unacceptable.
"I know look at her a little different. I have to," Olajuwon told Michael.
To Olajuwon, trust is everything, and so he worried Katina was "one foot in and one foot out" of their marriage and not truly committed. He planned to keep his eyes open going forward, and Michael just hoped the couple could work things out.
With 23 days to go until "Decision Day," Mark created a schedule on a whiteboard in attempt to build some structure and help Lindsey. He penned in moments for quality time -- including movie watching -- and hoped this would create a natural balance for them in their relationship.
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Lindsey said the problem with living with Mark is he's "a stubborn only child" and so he liked things his own way. She therefore considered this a beautiful compromise and said she loved Mark making time and space in his life for her.
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Steve was then shown taking Sushi to a groomer's so she could have a bath, and Noi gushed about Steve being a good dog dad and really embracing his role. Steve even gifted Noi's furbaby a new jacket, and to Noi, this was evidence he'd be a great father one day.
It meant a lot to Noi that Sushi and her husband had created a very special bond.
Later on, Mark and Lindsey went grocery shopping with $150 budget, and Mark got a little upset that Lindsey picked out so many fruits and vegetables -- which he didn't like -- and went 40 percent over budget.
Mark admitted he wasn't working at the time and so it was important for them to be careful with their finances. He complained about how every dollar adds up, and so he wished Lindsey would respect and "stick to" the plan.
In turn, Lindsey also couldn't believe that she had married "a chicken-finger man," someone who doesn't have a broad or experienced palette and doesn't like to try new food.
Meanwhile, Michael began teaching Jasmine how to drive. She had been in some car accidents in her life and therefore feared getting her permit and being behind the wheel.
However, Michael said it would be very helpful for Jasmina to drive so she could get herself to work and also run errands for them, which he had been doing on his own up to that point.
Michael quizzed Jasmina on the rules of the road before letting her drive in a parking lot so she could practice weaving through cones and steering the car.
"I appreciate that he's taking this step and doing this on his own, because Lord knows I wouldn't have!" Jasmina gushed about Michael's assistance, adding, "We are definitely enjoying being around each other more, and it's definitely bringing us closer."
"I have no doubt if that continues, then more affection will come," she added.
Olajuwon and Katina were also shown moving past their issues after cooling off and giving themselves some time to unwind and loosen up. Katina told the cameras how she had apologized to her husband, and she apologized once again on-camera.
Olajuwon confessed he must learn how to control his emotions better but they were "good" again and had agreed to a fresh start. Olajuwon said with a little effort, anything is possible, and Katina told her husband that she appreciated him.
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With 21 days to go until Decision Day, Mark played football with Steve on the beach and shared how he cared about the person Lindsey is but freaked out once Lindsey talked about kids and combining their finances.
Mark said Lindsey was pressuring him to find a job in Boston, and Steve could relate since Noi had been wanting him to secure a full-time job -- even though Steve felt like he was in a good place financially and had a lot of money saved as a former sales engineer.
"I'm contributing three or four times as much. I'm not asking [Noi] to contribute more, so in the now, I don't think there's a problem," Steve explained.
"But I think there's a perception problem and I think there's a future problem."
Steve told Mark that he needed his wife to believe in him and he had proven -- through "verbal and physical expressions of love -- how committed he was to Noi in their marriage. He also said he was cooking and cleaning the apartment and wished that was enough for Noi.
Steve said if he went back to a full-time job, he wouldn't have the creative energy to plan a future with Noi. He therefore wanted her to tell him exactly what she wanted and whether she envisioned them saving money, traveling, buying a house, buying fancy things, etc.
And Mark explained how he cared about Lindsey but wasn't sure those feelings would be enough to say "yes" on Decision Day. He was thinking about the longevity of his marriage and how it might be if their problems weren't resolved.
With 20 days remaining until Decision Day, Steve felt Noi should step up and take more responsibility of Sushi since she had brought the dog into the marriage. He also thought she would help out a little more around the apartment.
"I hope I would get appreciation for [taking care of Sushi] rather than an expectation," Steve explained, adding, "I don't think anybody wants to feel like they have to be the person to do everything."
Steve was concerned about how Noi would contribute to their relationship in the future, and so he asked her to clean one of their two bathrooms and split cleaning tasks.
The conversation led into a tense yet playful argument in which Noi confessed she thought Steve should take care of everything in their apartment since she was the only person working full-time.
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"Okay, so we'll split the Sushi duties and split the bathroom duties. Pleasure doing business with ya!" Steve replied. "No, your not stoked?"
"No," Noi replied. "I think you should do it all while I'm working. I think that's fair."
"I don't think that's the right play here," Steve countered.
"Then you can kiss my ass," Noi said.
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Noi told the cameras that Steve was driving her crazy because they always talked about what she wasn't going rather than what Steve wasn't doing.
Each spouse was then shown meeting with a friend to receive advice and also confide in that person about his or her marriage. Olajuwon met with a father figure and one of his former coaches, who pointed out how Olajuwon is a passionate speaker but he doesn't have a mean bone in his body.
Olajuwon acknowledged how he's not perfect and is going to slip up, but the coach warned Olajuwon not to say anything too harsh that could never be unsaid. Olajuwon suggested that he was working really hard to build trust and develop a deep connection with his wife.
After Michael was shown expressing to his sister Claire how he and Jasmina were finally on the same page, Jasmina admitted to her mother Kimberly over a Zoom chat that she wasn't feeling a romantic connection with Michael yet.
"There is no more tension... I would say he's doing a lot better with communication," Jasmina said.
She added, "But also, it's been a month and I don't have feelings for him. I'm not closed off to him [though]... and my heart is open, for sure, for those feelings to come."
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Michael wanted Jasmina to reciprocate the effort he was putting into their relationship.
"Mentally, physically, emotionally, we need to be on the up and up. And if there's any part of our relationship that has taken three steps back, then me saying 'yes' on Decision Day is not going to happen," Michael admitted to Claire.
And Jasmina said she would say "no" on Decision Day if she hadn't developed any romantic feelings for Michael by then.
Over at Lindsey and Mark's place, Mark said he was "on the outs" for her and she wasn't sure he'd be able to get back in. She wanted Mark to take accountability for his mistakes, like when he had dried some of her clothing the wrong way and allegedly ruined them.
Lindsey complained in a confessional that Mark hadn't followed through with his whiteboard promises or his search for a new job. She said he had "never been consistent" and "never followed through."
"I am furious and he is clueless. He is falling short in every way, and then he's not giving me any actions that show in any way or form that he cares for me... This is no man of mine, no friend of mine," Lindsey said.
Pre-recorded footage also showed Lindsey accusing Mark of touching his cat more than he touched his wife.
That evening, Katina met up with her sister-in-law Ana and revealed how she and Olajuwon had not consummated their marriage yet. Katina felt she was opening up emotionally more, and she seemed optimistic about staying together with her husband on Decision Day.
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Katina, however, noted how she needed to maintain patience with Olajuwon and hoped he would handle conflict better in the future.
"He's a good man. He's funny and he has a really big heart, so you know what? I'm like, 'Here I am! It is what it is!'" Katina gushed in a confessional.
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Suddenly, Noi and Steve's apartment camera showed the couple having a calm disagreement about their plans for after Decision Day, assuming they'd stay married.
Noi admitted she wasn't comfortable with the idea of living with Steve, in the same apartment, after Decision Day, and Steve found that very surprising since he considered living with someone to be a part of marriage.
"What's the rush?" Noi asked.
"What do you mean, what's the rush? We're married," Steve pointed out.
"I just don't feel comfortable, like, combining our lives completely," Noi confessed. "I'm just not comfortable with that yet."
Steve therefore accused Noi of not really being committed to their marriage, which caused Noi to shut down and end the conversation prematurely.
Steve asked Noi to explain why she wasn't comfortable with the idea of living together post-Decision Day, and she didn't answer his question. Steve wished Noi would express herself better, but he assumed she still had an issue with his employment status.
"You're saying you're not ready to be married," Steve noted.
But Noi said Steve was blowing things out of proportion because there are plenty of couples who sleep apart when they're married and she would just feel more comfortable keeping her own apartment in case something happened and they split.
Noi later revealed to her sister how she had previously moved to Boston for a man and their split was messy and very difficult for her and so she wanted to prevent that same situation from happening again.
If her relationship with Steve didn't work out, she didn't want to have to rebuild her life again.
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"Another thing that really rubbed me the wrong way -- he's like, 'Why don't we do this hypothetical situation where Noi picks up more elsewhere to see if she can, because I don't think that she can. You're already so tired from working,'" Noi vented.
"What?! I'm going to pick up more housework so you can have less?! And then what else are you going to do?"
Noi really wanted Steve to just find a job rather than wait for her to come up with a gameplan. Noi said she'd be happy if Steve did anything, even if that was just working a part-time job.
Noi suggested that Steve didn't have his stuff together and she never thought she'd date -- or marry -- a man like that.
Just like Noi and Steve, Lindsey and Mark's communication issues also continued. Mark complained to his friend Erica about Lindsey's "tough exterior" and how they weren't understanding each other or processing information correctly.
Mark apparently wasn't at the point where he thought he couldn't live without his wife, and that worried him.
After Jasmina was shown telling Michael that an emotional and romantic connection would probably follow their friendship and Michael promised to keep giving 100 percent, Katina and Olajuwon enjoyed a "Taco Tuesday" night together and shared quite a few laughs.
Olajuwon called Katina "brilliant" and "funny," and he thought they had come a really long way. Olajuwon even went as far as to say he "loved" their marriage.
But the episode ended with Lindsey and Mark getting into another explosive argument. Lindsey planned a photo shoot with their cats dressed in shark costumes in honor of Mark the Shark's nickname.
Lindsey wanted a fun and relaxing night, but Mark talked about how the process hadn't been easy while they ate dinner together.
Mark explained how he didn't know whether he wanted to continue their marriage after Decision Day because their relationship had been such a roller coaster, and Lindsey felt Mark wasn't taking any fault or blame for their issues.
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Lindsey wasn't sure she could put any additional effort into their romance, and the pair argued about Mark raising his voice at her during fights. Mark said he only raised his voice once Lindsey did, and then he asked her not to grab him during a conversation.
Lindsey insisted she was just trying to look at Mark and connect with him, and so when he recoiled, it really hurt.
"I'm talking to a wall, and a brick wall is a brick wall," Lindsey vented, adding how she couldn't deal with the lack of boundaries in their relationship.
"You keep pushing me away. You keep doing things where you [show] you are not invested... You don't try to do nothing hard!"
Mark said he hated how Lindsey always came from such a negative place, which made it difficult for him to try to change. He said their fights were the same every time.
Despite their argument, Mike asked Lindsey to participate in the photo shoot, which she reluctantly agreed to do.
"Do I want to pretend that I like you? I don't," Lindsey lamented.
But Lindsey eventually came around and smiled for the cameras, and at one point, she even posed with Mark all cuddled up to him. Mark realized Lindsey was always in a good mood when they did activities together, and so the pair once again got over their disagreement.
"Communication-wise, it just doesn't work, and I wonder if it ever will," Mark said.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski