'Married at First Sight' recap: Airris takes sex off table, Shaquille feels "blindsided," Chris needs "big d-ck energy," and Gina pictures her future

Married at First Sight featured Airris Williams taking sex off the table with Jasmine Secrest, Shaquille Dillon questioning if he wants to stay married to Kirsten Grimes, Nicole Lilienthal's demanding "big d-ck energy" from Chris Thielk, and Gina Micheletti finally picturing a future with Clint Webb during the Season 16 episode that aired Wednesday night on Lifetime.


The remaining four Nashville-based couples on Married at First Sight for Season 16 are Gina and Clint, Nicole and Chris, Airris and Jasmine, and Kirsten and Shaquille.

Domynique Kloss and Mackinley Gilbert decided to get a divorce on Day 12 of the process and were not featured in the latest episode.

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Married at First Sight experts Pastor Calvin Roberson and Dr. Pepper Schwartz matched the five couples for matrimony in Tennessee.


The show features strangers meeting at the wedding altar and then spending the next eight weeks embarking on a honeymoon, moving in together, and navigating the joys and struggles of daily life together.

And at the end of the experiment, Married at First Sight's Season 16 couples will reach "Decision Day" and have to decide whether to remain married or decide to end their marriages and divorce.

According to Pastor Cal, this is going to be the "most intense season of Married at First Sight yet."

The Married at First Sight broadcast began on Day 28 of marriage with Kirsten getting a pedicure with one of her friends. Kirsten admitted it was difficult for her to open up and she didn't want to go into "Decision Day" with Shaquille thinking he didn't really know her or she hadn't given him her all.

"If he's there, I want his attention. I want him to hold me and talk to me and really connect with me. That will make me feel comfortable," Kirsten explained.


Kirsten said her marriage had been up and down depending on the day. She said Shaquille sometimes came home and made time to talk to her, but other times, he'd allegedly just say, "I'm tired."

Kirsten said that when Shaquille behaved that way, it made her a little upset and question their marriage. Kirsten acknowledged her attraction to Shaquille had grown but maybe her lack of attraction to him in the beginning of the process was still bothering him.

Kirsten told her friend that Shaquille holding back wasn't going to help their marriage grow.

"If we both have walls up in this marriage, we're not going to make it anywhere," Kirsten noted.

Meanwhile, Nicole's father Mark paid Chris and Nicole a visit, and Mark got a chance to talk to his new son-in-law, whom he had only heard good things about.


Chris said it felt like he had known Nicole for a long time, but Mark reminded him they were still in the honeymoon phase. Mark advised Chris to find his own happiness in the marriage and not be co-dependent on Nicole or just constantly strive to make her happy.

"Chris is a nice guy. You know what he needs? I'm going to say it on-camera. He needs a little big d-ck energy here, is what he needs," Mark told the cameras.

"I'm not taking anything away from him, because he seems like a great guy.... He doesn't need to thump his chest, but you can be an alpha quietly and confidently, and I believe he has that quiet confidence -- he just needs to show it."

Airris was then shown sitting down with a friend at a bar, and his pal joked about how Airris was essentially a virgin again. Airris had told Jasmine that he's not physically attracted to her.

"I had to be honest. I don't think she's ugly; she's just not my normal type... I just need a vibe, man!" Airris explained.


If it couldn't be her looks, Airris said he needed something special from Jasmine to make him feel attracted, such as sexy unique style or being "hella funny." But Airris admitted all of that was missing for him and he just needed to create good vibes and moments with his wife.

Airris was hopeful things could improve in his marriage, but he didn't know what to do. Airris told his friend that he wasn't throwing in the towel or acting like a sitting duck.

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On Day 29 of marriage, Clint and Gina went on "a redneck comedy bus tour" with Nicole and Chris in Nashville to celebrate their one-month anniversary on a lighthearted and silly double date. The two couples tasted different shots of moonshines.

Clint and Gina were just trying to have fun together, hoping chemistry and a physical attraction might grow from there.


Nicole shared how she was going to change her last name but she didn't even have a Tennessee license yet and would prefer to do so after Decision Day. Gina, however, said she would wait about a year to change her last name.

Meanwhile, Airris and Jasmine went to a rage room. Airris believed Jasmine was struggling to express her emotions and feelings, and so he thought "breaking stuff" and screaming would help her let loose and get everything out.

"I'm not really happy in our marriage. We haven't really progressed in a way I thought we would have coming into this," Jasmine admitted.

"Before even getting married, I was eager to have babies and build an empire. I feel I've been preparing to be a wife for years, and I'm not as enthusiastic as I was before. I'm trying my best to be more open and more optimistic, but I'm definitely overwhelmed and frustrated with everything."

Jasmine noted "a lot would have to change" for her and Airris to end up in a happy and successful marriage.

On Day 30 of marriage, Clint was feeling a little hungover, but he and Gina went on a hike to a waterfall, which was essentially a way to revisit their most memorable excursion during their honeymoon in Jamaica.


The pair had a great time, and Gina said this was exactly what she was looking for in a marriage.

"I was looking for someone who is loyal, compassionate, has a very strong sense of humor, and is adventurous. And I got that with Clint, so I'm definitely feeling hopeful," Gina told the cameras.

"I can definitely see a future with Clint," she added.

And to celebrate their one-month anniversary, Chris showed his appreciation for Nicole in a big way -- by taking her on a helicopter ride. Nicole said Chris went "above and beyond" every day but she was so excited to literally take her relationship to the next level.

It was a new experience for them both, and Nicole gushed about having a husband to hold and protect her.

Nicole gushed about how Chris made her feel so special and she never had to question if he liked or cared about her. Nicole said she loved her husband and her feelings were growing for him with each passing minute.


Shaquille was then shown surprising Kirsten with a roller-skating rink shut down just for the two of them. Kirsten grew up roller skating with her family, and so she was thrilled about the sweet and thoughtful gesture.

After a great time in the rink, Shaquille pointed out how he wanted to get to know Kirsten better, which prompted her to say that he needed to be around her more. Kirsten said she needed him to focus on her and be attentive in order for her to feel comfortable letting her walls down.

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Shaquille didn't think they were on the same page about "quality time" because he believed he was around her all the time. Shaquille wondered what he needed to do differently to motivate Kirsten to open up.

"[I'm] not seeing you let your guard down. We talk about getting to the next stage and then we always end up in the same place," Shaquille lamented.

Shaquille mentioned how "time [was] ticking," but Kirsten argued, "We have a lifetime."


"We have a lifetime but we also have a decision date we both have to work towards," Shaquille explained. "Decision Day comes and then a lifetime comes."

Kirsten wasn't sure if Shaquille was more focused on Decision Day or staying married forever. Kirsten admitted in a confessional that she didn't want her family and friends to get attached to Shaquille if he was going to split on Decision and be "one foot in" the marriage "and one foot out."

Kirsten wished she felt certain that Shaquille was going to be committed to her, regardless of where there's a Decision Day looming in several weeks.

Meanwhile, Jasmine and Airris enjoyed a one-month anniversary dinner outdoors. They looked through their wedding album, and it unfortunately made Jasmine a little sad because she remembered how happy she felt that day.

Jasmine was no longer in that head space, which was a big upsetting. Jasmine, however, insisted she was still open-minded and was going to continue putting in "3,000 percent."

"I'm just a lot more guarded than I was on my wedding day," Jasmine shared.


Jasmine and Airris went on to read their wedding vows to each other, and Airris realized he hadn't processed the whole experience yet, which had been moving very quickly. Airris said the marriage wasn't going as he had expected but he was hopeful to find "a middle ground" with Jasmine.

Airris said he needed a better connection with his wife and so hoped to achieve that by finding out commonalities, shared interests, and things they both value and believe in.

While eating dinner, Airris admitted to his wife he had been a little checked out of the marriage, and Jasmine agreed their relationship was stagnant.

Airris explained how he struggled to share his truth because he didn't want to hurt Jasmine's feelings.

"I think it would be easier if we just, like, said there wasn't going to be any sex until after Decision Day," Airris told his wife. "There wouldn't be a wait, like, 'Oh, is today going to be the day or is it this week?'"

Jasmine confirmed she wasn't waiting for sex or expecting it, and she suggested they should try to build on their intimacy in other ways.


Airris agreed, and so the pair decided to take sex off the table.

Airris was apparently worried having sex would increase Jasmine's emotional attachment to him, and he didn't want to hurt her. Airris said he's had enough meaningless sex in his life and he wanted it to mean something this time around.

That same night, Gina decorated her apartment with palm-tree balloons and flags in attempt to recreate their honeymoon. The pair enjoyed a nice meal together as well as some laughs.

Clint told Gina that he was drawn to her drive and motivation, and Gina said she liked how Clint overly committed to something without caring about what anyone thought. Gina appreciated how her husband liked to have a good time and didn't take life too seriously.

Clint acknowledged he and Gina were in a good place and they had made "monumental leaps" from where they were even two weeks prior. The couple intended to keep working at it.

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At the one-month mark of marriage, Nicole and Chris watched their wedding video, and Nicole kept complaining about how her makeup looked "so bad" and her hair looked like "trash."

Chris wanted to just enjoy reliving the footage, and he found Nicole's complaining an "annoyance" as well as "concerning." He didn't like hearing his wife picking herself apart and putting herself down. Chris said he thought Nicole looked beautiful on her wedding day.

On Day 31 of marriage, the four couples still married gathered together for a nice dinner and bonding session.

Clint and Gina confirmed they were bonding and focusing on the positives, and the group agreed that the couple looked great together and should continue focusing on having a good time together.

Jasmine then announced how she was attracted to Airris and so she was just allowing him to take the lead. Jasmine declared that if Airris couldn't become attracted to her, she'd just have to accept it.

Nicole wanted Airris to start treating Jasmine like a wife and not a friend, and Chris thought it was going to be tough for the pair to get over that hump.


Nicole revealed at the dinner how she and Chris wanted to have sex all the time, but then Kirsten shared with the group how she and Shaquille weren't hitting any of the bases.

"We have a little bit of a connection. The chemistry is there a little bit," Kirsten said.

Shaquille, who said he had been giving Kirsten grace and patience, seemed rubbed the wrong way by her comment. He had been putting in effort to be vulnerable and bring down his walls, and so he expected the same of his wife.

"The same energy is not being given," Shaquille told the cameras.

Once the couple returned home to their apartment, Shaquille explained to Kirsten how her announcement at the dinner was a setback in their marriage.

Shaquille asked Kirsten what she needed because he was trying to get to the next level.


"When we get with everybody else, I'm left blindsided, like, 'Damn, she couldn't tell me this at the house? She couldn't tell me when we got home later? She can't tell me how she honestly feels?'" Shaquille vented.

Kirsten told Shaquille that he needed to ask her how she felt in order to find out, but Shaquille wanted his wife to just come right out and tell him on her own.

Shaquille thought he frequently asked Kirsten how she was doing, and she noted that they needed to work on their "horrible" communication and their intimacy level.

Shaquille complained how everything was "on Kirsten time" and she barely wanted him to touch her at the beginning of the process.

"It's always on your time, of what you've wanted, and for me, that ain't gonna fly! It's not all about Kirsten!" Shaquille said.

"It's about the both of us, but this is not going to help our relationship. This is not going to help our marriage grow," Kirsten said in reply.


Shaquille countered, "I don't know if I want to be with somebody who just continues to have a guard up with somebody who actually wants to be in this marriage with them."

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski