Married at First Sight's new cast has reacted to Michael's shocking wedding and how his bride jilted him at the altar and refused to participate in the experiment at the last minute.
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Michael, a 38-year-old senior project manager, stood at the top of the wedding aisle with a big smile on his face, looking forward to possibly meeting the woman of his dreams during Married at First Sight's Season 17 premiere, which aired Wednesday night on Lifetime.
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But once Michael's bride walked down the aisle in her wedding gown and saw her groom, she bluntly told him, "I don't think I can do this."
The bride -- whose face was not shown -- then walked away from Michael, who admitted he was very "hurt" as he hugged his Best Man and sought emotional support. Michael eventually broke down and cried.
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During the Married at First Sight: Afterparty episode that aired following the premiere, host Keshia Knight Pulliam discussed the dramatic scene with the rest of the Season 17 cast.
Keshia first interviewed Emily, Lauren and Clare.
"What kills me the most is just [this mystery bride] took an opportunity from someone else, who went through this very long and grueling process and who, like us, were very confident and sure in what we wanted," Emily explained.
"We were committed to marriage and the process, and she took that away from Michael in that moment from someone else who would've filled her shoes and done just that."
Lauren then chimed in and shared, "To get to that moment, knowing all that you went through, like, what a waste of time!"
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"I would feel just so devastated," Lauren added, "and I can't imagine what other emotions Michael was feeling. But I know I would feel just completely devastated and like I wasted my time."
Clare piggybacked those sentiments and said she would've felt "crushed" had she been in Michael's shoes.
"I would just feel all the things that I was picturing about the future and having a partner would just literally dissolve," Clare lamented.
Keshia, however, proceeded to offer the Married at First Sight ladies "a different perspective" on the heartbreaking situation.
"What I know is that what's for you never misses you," Keshia reasoned, "and when things like that happen, that wasn't for him! It wasn't for them."
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"So I'm grateful that she decided from the onset [to back out] instead of knowing she did not want to do this and dragging him through this process and not being present along the way," she continued.
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Lauren pointed out how she understood where Keshia was coming from because "rejection is sometimes just redirection."
Lauren therefore wondered if something had happened to the bride that viewers didn't get to see right before the wedding ceremony that would explain her "reasoning" for changing her mind about a reality TV marriage.
"What I can say is that some of the intel I've received behind the scenes is that she made this decision prior to walking down the aisle," Keshia revealed of the mystery bride.
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"But again, all of this is hearsay because, you know, we weren't there! So it's very, very interesting."
During the second half of the hour-long Afterparty episode, Keshia discussed the rejection Michael had faced with several of Married at First Sight's Season 17 grooms.
"We had our first runaway bride situation [on Married at First Sight]," Keshia announced to the men.
The guys were asked how they felt about Michael's brutal on-camera dumping, and Orion shared, "With the nerves I already had with this process, that's worst case scenario. That is worst case scenario when your chosen walks out."
Brennan confessed that he'd be "devastated" to have his bride reject him on his wedding day.
"That's one of my biggest fears, is, you know, she sees me and I'm not what she expected or wanted and just walks out," Brennan admitted.
"That would be hard to come back from, so it would be really tough."
And Austin agreed that if his wedding ceremony was cut short like that, it would be "really hard."
"It would be really hard not to take it personally and think there's something wrong with you and that you are not an acceptable person for that [bride] to marry," Austin explained.
"It'd be extremely challenging," he elaborated.
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Keshia closed the segment by pointing out how this bride simply wasn't Michael's person and "that's okay."
On Married at First Sight's premiere episode, Michael put on his suit for his wedding and gushed about how he was "super excited" to hopefully meet his future wife.
Michael said he couldn't wait to grow with his wife and enjoy everyday things with her -- such as watching a scary movie together or cooking a new dish as a team.
Footage then showed Michael walking up the altar on his wedding day and putting a crown on his head.
Although he looked confident, Michael said he was afraid his bride wasn't going to be attracted to him or be "into him" right from the get-go.
Michael's bride then slowly approached him, and she announced how she couldn't go through with the wedding.
Michael's Best Man reminded Michael that he's so deserving of love and had conducted himself like a gentleman during that difficult interaction.
Married at First Sight viewers were left speculating if the bride ran away because she didn't find Michael attractive.
If that's the case, it's very unfortunate, because Michael -- who did acknowledge he's "an acquired taste" both in the looks and personality department -- said he was "open to my woman having input in designing me."
Michael shared with the Married at First Sight cameras, "This is me at my most confident... but I want my wife to be attracted to me, and I want her to [care] enough to give me that input... like, 'Can you take that nose ring off?'"
Married at First Sight aired Emily and Brennan's wedding on the premiere, and it appeared to go well, but fans will have to wait to find out what unfolds for the other Season 17 couples as the season continues on Lifetime.
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