'Married at First Sight' Decision Day: Becca catches Austin lying, Emily stands up to Brennan, and Cameron throws Clare under the bus

Married at First Sight featured Becca and Austin staying married only to crumble one day later over Austin lying, Emily standing up to Brennan and ending their marriage, and Clare and Cameron divorcing during Season 17's Decision Day episode that aired Wednesday night on Lifetime.


Married at First Sight's seventeenth season was filmed in Denver, CO, and the show stars Emily and Brennan, Clare and Cameron, Austin and Becca, Lauren and Orion, and Michael and Chloe.

RELATED: 'MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT' COUPLES NOW: WHERE ARE THEY NOW? WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS RE-MARRIED? (PHOTOS)

Orion and Lauren chose to divorce early in the process, but they continued to appear on the season every now and then.

Married at First Sight featured strangers meeting at the wedding altar, enjoying a honeymoon, and spending about two months moving in together and navigating the joys and struggles of daily life together.


On "Decision Day," each couple must decide whether to remain married or end their marriage and get divorced.

The couples were matched by Married at First Sight experts Dr. Pia, Pastor Calvin Roberson, and Dr. Pepper Schwartz.

The Married at First Sight broadcast began on Decision Day for Becca and Austin, Emily and Brennan, and Clare and Cameron.

Becca and Austin were up first, and Becca said she hadn't spoken to Austin since having a very emotional conversation with him. Austin said he'd been "flip-flopping" with his decision, mainly because a lot of his issues with Becca had started in recent weeks, and it was good to have a little time apart.

"I feel like I have fought for the marriage... but I don't know to fight for the marriage anymore. I don't know how to separate the reality of Austin's intentions and if he genuinely cares about me as much as I love and care about him," Becca told the Married at First Sight cameras.


And Austin noted, "There's a large part of me that wants to say 'yes,' but I don't know if that's what she wants."

The couple had chemistry and shared interests, and they were also compatible personality-wise. But the pair had drastically different religious beliefs and had been on a different pace when it came to intimacy and sex.

"I am starting to feel worried that Austin was more concerned with how we were coming across on-camera vs. how we were actually doing," Becca told the cameras.

Austin, meanwhile, said Becca needed to work on trust because she always questioned his motives and decisions. Austin admittedly felt "disconnected" from his wife and shared how they still needed to overcome some major hurdles.

Before meeting with the spouses, Dr. Pepper, Dr. Pia and Pastor Cal talked about how Becca and Austin had started out as their "golden couple" but miscommunication plagued their relationship.


Dr. Pia also claimed that Austin lacked some emotional awareness and he had a difficult time expressing himself to her.

Becca and Austin then reunited on Decision Day and sat down with the experts.

Austin explained how he and Becca were unable to manage their problems in a healthy way, and Becca admitted she wasn't about to be authentic throughout the process because Austin had asked her multiple times not to reveal certain things on-camera.

Becca revealed how she often felt "silenced or misunderstood" by Austin and that it appeared Austin cared more about the "optics" of their relationship than actually making it work.

RELATED: '90 DAY FIANCE' COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS SPLIT? WHERE ARE THEY NOW? (PHOTOS)


Austin insisted that he cared for Becca but she didn't trust him. He also thought it was normal to be somewhat concerned with one's image or reputation when you're being filmed for months.

Becca was apparently craving more private moments with Austin to see his true colors and discover his real feelings for her.

She cried, "Maybe this means I wasn't ready for this process, but I don't feel centered to be able to tell. I feel like I need to re-ground myself, re-group and re-trust my intuition, because everything feels shot at this point."

Becca recalled how Austin was a lot more affectionate, complimentary and gentle with her on-camera during the process but she wasn't accusing him of being fake or a totally different person off-camera either.

Becca explained that Austin was just more aware of himself when cameras were rolling and so it was difficult to differentiate what was real and what wasn't, but Austin countered, "I don't do what I don't want to do."


Becca said she needed to take time for herself but she was willing to stay in her marriage to Austin.

"I want to say 'no' to where this marriage has been, but I want to say 'yes' to where it could be," Becca announced to the Married at First Sight experts.

"So am I hearing then that your answer is, 'Yes?'" Dr. Pia asked.

"Yes," Becca replied.

"I am excited to say that I want to stay married," Austin stated in reply.

Dr. Pia advised the couple to be real and brutally honest with one another going forward. Becca hoped Decision Day would serve as a cleanse for the pair, and she looked forward to spending time with him without production around all the time.


Becca admittedly hadn't been happy in a few weeks, but she was hoping Austin could make her happy again and that they could become a happy couple in the future.

It then became time for Emily and Brennan's Decision Day, and Emily was admittedly feeling on edge not knowing what Brennan was going to say about her. She planned to express everything she had been wanting to say.

Emily explained that instead of Brennan trying to protect her, she wished he had been honest and looked for ways to progress their relationship forward. Emily claimed that Brennan had the potential to be a good husband but he "put a block up" in the beginning that prevented him from being able to become one.

Brennan told the Married at First Sight cameras how he and Emily struggled to communicate and her negativity was a problem for him. While he entered the Married at First Sight process saying that divorce wasn't an option, he came to realize that divorce was the only option for him.

When Emily and Brennan met with the experts, Brennan claimed he had grown a lot through this experiment because, in past relationships, he'd run at the sight of the slightest red flag or inconvenience.

"I never really gave it my all or the full chance of the relationship," Brennan said.


"You haven't ran? Everything you just said you grew from is exactly what you did," Emily clapped back, adding, "You ran, I think, in the hardest way that you've ever ran before."

RELATED: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS) 

Brennan reminded Emily that he had stayed by her side and helped her recover after her ATV accident, but she claimed he had just checked the boxes and didn't really try.

Dr. Pia pointed out how Brennan was being defensive, but Brennan said that he felt "attacked" by his wife, which Dr. Pia didn't agree with.

"When you said you did everything, that's just not true. There was homework that you were given that you simply did not do," Dr. Pia vented.

Emily said while one exercise wouldn't have made a difference in their marriage, Brennan was not taking accountability for his actions and she had always tried to see the best in him.


"I ignored signs to see the best in you," Emily told her spouse. "There are times when you have tried to silence me, tried to take control of the controllables... and that is through telling me to leave Diary Cams and me feeling, at times, that I couldn't fully stick up for myself."

Emily claimed there were "repercussions" she had to deal with after every single tense or negative conversation. Emily said Brennan would always focus on her complaints or concerns rather than the good things that were happening between them, which caused conflict.

Brennan told the experts that neither spouse was his or her best self throughout the process, but then he criticized Emily for her "constant negativity." Emily said that comment hurt her the most because she's always a positive person who's the life of the party and a bright light in every room.

"You chose not to see the best qualities in my on purpose, because I think you don't have them in yourself and so you took that out on me," Emily claimed.

"I felt drained and pushed away, and I didn't have any effort left to give at a certain point," Brennan replied.

Brennan said he never wanted to hurt Emily with "harsh" words and so he tried to protect her by being constructive, especially when he was asked why he wasn't feeling an attraction to his wife, but Emily argued that his efforts simply weren't there.


Brennan said had he known their relationship would have this outcome, he wouldn't have tried to protect Emily after all.

When Brennan repeated how he was trying to protect Emily and be respectful to her throughout filming, Pastor Cal countered, "I see BS. I'm sorry, I do. I'm going to be straight with you. I see complete BS."

Pastor Cal elaborated, "I could tell you were suppressing your emotions. I could tell you were placating, but it was so early in the relationship."

Pastor Cal asked Brennan if he was invested in his marriage from Day 1, and he said, "Yes." But Pastor Cal disagreed, and so did Emily, who alleged Brennan had shut down after their honeymoon.

Pastor Cal noted how there was "a serious misfiring" between Brennan and Emily, and so Brennan apologized to Emily.

"Do you know what you did, though, that you're saying sorry to?" Emily asked. "I felt disrespected from the day I came over after the honeymoon because I knew, in that setting, you had friend-zoned me and you knew that we were going to get a divorce and that you were not going to give this your all."


Emily complained about how Brennan didn't respect her enough as a person to give her a real chance, and she also claimed he had spoken to her disrespectfully off-camera and treated her poorly.

"What he's also said through this is that he pities me. [He doesn't] want himself to be the reason why I don't date ever again," Emily alleged. "You were trying to control the narrative, and while you said that was for 'us,' it felt like it was for you, and that was disrespectful."

Brennan said he was trying to do what's best for Emily but he clearly failed in that area, and so he apologized.

"Do you think the things you would want to say to Emily would be devastating to her?" Dr. Pepper asked Brennan.

"Yes," Brennan replied.

"I mean, he also threatened me the other day and said he has enough to ruin my life on TV after all this came out," Emily claimed. "So, no, I don't believe that... Nothing he could say could hurt me at this point. It would actually be progress over not saying anything at all."


"You told me you wanted to go to war with me," Brennan countered.

"I did not," Emily argued.

"She said she wanted to go to war with me," Brennan told the experts. "Maybe I said that, I don't know. It was a very hostile exchange. [She] told me that everyone hates me and everyone is against me."

"I did not say that... It's recorded. I don't know what reality you're living in," Emily told Brennan.

Pastor Cal could tell this couple's relationship was irretrievably broken, and so it became time for Emily and Brennan to announce how they both wanted a divorce.

Emily said she deserved respect and that's something she hadn't received in this marriage.


"Therefore, I would like a divorce," Emily said.

"I've done my best, through and through, throughout this entire relationship," Brennan told Emily in response.

"I'm sorry if you ever felt like I tried to silence you; that was never my intention. But the reality is we just don't click  from a physical or emotional perspective. It's not a blame thing... We tried, and it just didn't work. So with that, I would like to get a divorce."

Emily cried on her way out of the meeting, and Pastor Cal advised her never to let anybody make her feel bad about herself. Dr. Pia also reminded Emily that she's a phenomenal woman with great character.

Although Emily was sad, she said she felt relieved and was ready to start therapy to work through what she had just been through. Emily was actually excited to be "Emily Part of 1" again.

Clare and Cameron's Decision Day was up next after they had been living separately for weeks. The pair had also spent very little time together due to Cameron's heart surgery and recover.


Clare said she didn't feel desire from Cameron, nor did she feel wanted by him, and that he struggled to open up to her. Clare often felt pushed away by her husband, but she also really liked Cameron and was grateful to have done this process with him.

Cameron claimed that Clare sometimes heard what she wanted to hear and she could've done better focusing on building a stronger connection. Cameron said he was getting attached to Clare during the experiment, which was painful, and so he felt the need to leave their shared apartment.

Cameron explained how he needed to work through his health crisis alone, although he appreciated Clare reaching out to him and trying to support him. Clare felt Cameron had kept her at a distance, but Clare said she cared about wanted to be there for her husband.

Cameron claimed he was too weak to accept Clare's support, and had they met under different circumstances, they probably could've had a successful marriage.

Clare told the experts how she and Cameron had many misunderstandings and they viewed situations or conversations very differently. Cameron elaborated on how he and Clare remembered conversations differently 100% of the time.

"We tried to protect each other... and we didn't open up to you guys like we should've," Clare told the Married at First Sight experts.


"Maybe we shot ourselves in the foot, but we did talk about, like, 'What did you ask for?' In hindsight, it was too early for that conversation and she took issue with the word 'slender' and she basically said that she was not. I said, 'From my perspective, you absolutely are,'" Cameron revealed.

"I was literally arguing with her that how she saw her body was very different from how I saw her body."

Clare acknowledged having a history of body-image issues, which made her feel like she wasn't his type. Clare also said she couldn't internalize his compliments because she wasn't in the right headspace.

Cameron also recalled how once Clare knew she wanted to work on things, it was "too late" for him.

Cameron expressed how he and Clare had become friends and he felt a comradery with her, and Pastor Cal noted how it was unfortunate that Cameron and Clare were like to ships passing in the night who could never connect with one another.

Cameron took his share of the blame for missing Clare in communication and possibly communicating poorly, although part of the issue was that Clare allegedly heard what Cameron was not intending.


And Clare admitted in tears that she was confused and "all over the place" during many points of the journey. She apologized for being unaware of her feelings so often because she naturally confused and hurt Cameron, who went on to confess that he "f-cked up the process" by moving out.

Pastor Cal asked the pair if they wanted to reset and give their marriage another shot since they got along so well and had an immense amount of respect and admiration for each other -- but neither spouse was prepared to try again.

Cameron told Clare that he was proud of them as a team, but he said, "Whatever attraction I had for you is gone in that [romantic] capacity. When I look at you, and please don't take offense to this, but I see a family member. I see a sister, someone I have an amazing bond with and I care about deeply. For me, for that reason, I can't stay married to you and I want a divorce."

Clare, in reply, thanked Cameron for being amazing to her and patient with her.

"I literally couldn't imagine doing this with anyone else, truly. I learned a lot about myself... There were so many beautiful parts of our marriage; however, I want a love where I can just express my feelings and not have to explain myself."

Clare told Cameron that she cared about him deeply but she "would like to get a divorce."


The pair left the experiment on good terms, and Cameron said that spoke to their maturity and their ability to succeed in future marriages.

At 11:35PM on Decision Day, Becca lamented to a Diary Cam about how Austin was not at home with her.

"I thought all Austin and I wanted was to be done with the cameras and done with production, and I am at home and the girls are out," Becca revealed.

"Clare and Emily are out, and I just got a text from Clare saying they just saw Austin and Brennan out with [our] producer, which is funny because he's so worried about optics. I don't think he understands that the optics don't look good for him!... It's hurtful, and I really don't know where to go from here."

One day after Decision Day, the entire cast got together, and Becca put Austin on the spot and asked him if he had gone out the night prior. Austin, appearing tense and confused, noted how he did go out.

"Any producers there?" Becca asked.


"No," Austin replied.

When Becca repeated the question, Austin replied, "I don't know."

Austin asked Becca if she was mad at him, and then she snapped, "Did you come into this experiment for a friendship with a producer or for a marriage with me?"

"Definitely came into it for a marriage with you," Austin responded. "I didn't go out with a producer. I did not."

Lauren and Clare chimed in and accused Austin of lying, and they asked him to be honest. Austin therefore claimed everyone had just run into each other the previous night.

Austin told Becca that she was putting him in a tough position, suggesting that producers and cast members aren't allowed to mix and mingle outside of filming.


"Nothing is fake with me," Austin insisted.

"So then why haven't you been honest with me?" Becca countered.

Becca explained to Austin how having a producer around them all the time was a "rift" in their marriage and Austin clearly decided the path forward -- and the path to healing -- in their marriage was to spend more time with the producer.

"I told you, I ran into them," Austin reiterated.

"You didn't run into them, Austin. I'm not a f-cking dumb b-tch," Becca complained. "Did you think about how that would impact me?!"

"I didn't think that it would be a problem," Austin said.


"Then that says everything," Becca said.

"That is the problem," Clare agreed.

Becca argued that she had every right to flip out because she had been calm, cool and collected throughout the filming process, but Austin complained that wasn't true and that Becca tended to be every emotional and sensitive.

Becca reacted by telling Austin that she acts that way when she's not in a secure or safe place.

"My secure and safe place is not with you, because of so many trust issues. And last night, the fact you're even lying about it to me right here, right now, and that you're continuing to lie about aspects of it tells me that my intuition was correct," Becca firmly stated.

Becca concluded that she could not trust Austin's authenticity and that he had just shot any chance of fixing that to hell.


Austin acknowledged his priority had been misplaced, and Becca noted how that was a common theme in their marriage.

"I think you will find someone who is truly more independent than me... not as emotional and not as sensitive -- I am all those things, and that has not worked in your favor... I have given you so many chances to make me the priority and time and time again, I am not," Becca announced.

Becca was really angry and had been struggled to separate reality from fiction.

Austin said he really tried to be real for Becca and thought he was improving, and so he didn't know what to do. Austin acknowledged how their relationship had drifted into an unhealthy place and he wasn't sure they could recover from that and get through it.

Becca then declared how she felt more confused than ever before, and Clare spoke up about how the women during this experiment were often silenced.

Cameron claimed that he was actually the one being silenced in their marriage, but Clare argued that some of their conversations deserved to be in secrecy, which was a different thing altogether.


Cameron insisted he had supported Clare in everything she said, and then he cleared the air about a comment Brennan had allegedly made to him about wanting to double date.

"I was the instigator, not Brennan. I was the one who said, 'After all this, let's go out and have a good time. Let's go on a double date!'" Cameron announced.

"But it wasn't after all of this. [Brennan] asked you in the moment, 'Do you want to go on a double date?'" Clare countered. "It's not a misunderstanding."

Clare pointed a finger at Cameron and accused him of lying, and then Cameron shouted, "I've literally lied every single day of this f-cking marriage to protect [Clare]."

Emily declared how this protection the men were after all season long only hurt the women in the end.

"I was asked to give protection," Cameron alleged, suggesting that Clare had asked him not to speak on things or reveal things on-camera.


Cameron went on to tell the Married at First Sight cameras that Clare had always dictated what he could or could not say on-camera. He claimed she was being "hypocritical" because she had asked him to keep so many secrets from production.

"The fact she's not attracted to me, that's one of the things she told me I couldn't say out loud. Oh, well, there you go! I just broke a promise," Cameron vented.

"I just walked away from the group and I'm getting text messages from her right now, trying to make sure that I don't let her secrets out."

Clare, was in fact, shown texting Cameron, who alleged that Clare had been "manipulating" him since Day 1 and he couldn't take one more second of Clare accusing him of any wrongdoing.

"If we were in the public court system, I'd be in jail for stealing a candy bar, and she'd be in jail for murder," Cameron concluded.

The episode ended with Emily crying and telling Brennan that they had both made mistakes and were imperfect. The pair held hands and hugged it out, and it seemed they'd be able to move forward in a civil manner.


Lauren also announced how she'd be willing to work on a friendship with Orion, who appeared thrilled by that news.

And Becca wrapped up the gathering saying, "Now I have proof he lied to me. There might be a bridge in the future, but I need to learn how to heal and trust my intuition again. I know he's going to be the perfect guy for someone, but I don't think it's me."

Austin admittedly felt "blindsided" by Becca's revelation, and he wasn't sure how he was going to proceed.

Becca said while she loved Austin, it was up to her to see that maybe she wasn't the right woman for Austin.

RELATED: 'MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT' COUPLES NOW: WHERE ARE THEY NOW? WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS RE-MARRIED? (PHOTOS)

Interested in more Married at First Sight news? Join our Married at First Sight Facebook Group or click here to view our Married at First Sight newspage!


And click here for more updates on former Married at First Sight cast members and info on where they are now!







About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski