'Married at First Sight' recap: Becca breaks down, Chloe leaves Michael, and Cameron drops a bombshell!

Married at First Sight featured Becca breaking down and unloading her frustrations about Austin, Chloe spending three days away from Michael, Cameron admitting he'd like to stay married to Clare on Decision Day, and Brennan and Emily having a breakthrough during the Season 17 episode that aired Wednesday night on Lifetime.


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

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Orion and Lauren already chose to divorce, but they continue to appear on the season every now and then.

Married at First Sight features 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.


And at the end of the experiment, Married at First Sight's Season 17 couples will reach "Decision Day" and have to decide whether to remain married or decide to end their marriages and divorce.

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 Day 7 of Michael and Chloe's wedding. The couple had just returned home to Denver from the couples' retreat.

Chloe told Michael that she wanted to take a few days to herself to be with her senior dogs and just "process" everything they had been through.

"Being together all the time, we don't have a chance to think. We don't have a chance to feel. And I'm this deeply introverted person who needs a lot of alone time and a lot of silence to feel like I'm listening to my own needs, and I think I just need that time," Chloe explained.


Michael admitted to the Married at First Sight cameras that he was surprised by this news and couldn't help but wonder if something was "bothering" her -- like if she didn't want to be with him or spend time with him.

Chloe questioned if she was making the right decision by going home, and she wondered why she was craving distance from her husband. She claimed Michael was everything she ever wanted in a man, yet she wanted to take a break. Chloe wondered if she just missed her dogs or needed time to think, or if something larger and more significant was at play.

Meanwhile, there were only 12 days left until "Decision Day" for the other couples.

Brennan was still supporting Emily at home while she was on her way to recovery after her ATV accident, but Becca and Austin's relationship was imploding.

Becca was shown crying in a confessional saying that she had tried to help Austin put things into a gift bag in the gift shop at the wolf sanctuary and he began mumbling under his breath in frustration. Becca said it turned into a 90-minute drive home of more bickering and miscommunications.


"He admitted that in the last week, he's been questioning whether we would work or not," Becca lamented. "It's hard, but it's also hurtful because I don't understand why he didn't bring it up before."

Becca said she couldn't really talk to Austin about how she felt because he never seemed to handle her emotions and concerns well. she therefore noted how they desperately needed a counseling session with the experts.

Austin believed his issues with Becca were "snowballing" and they had lost a handle on the things they had been doing right.

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With 11 days to go until Decision Day, Austin and Becca invited Dr. Pepper and Pastor Cal into their apartment.


Becca explained how she was having a hard time because her communication with Austin had deteriorated. Becca said neither of them felt heard in the relationship and she was having a more difficult time than she had let on to anyone.

Becca recalled helping Austin load his bag at the wolf sanctuary, but Austin had a different perspective on what happened. Austin claimed that when a gift-shop employee handed him a bag for his trinkets, Becca said they didn't need it and could put the items into a bag they already had.

Austin said he didn't want his purchase to get lost in Becca's big bag and he felt like she was trying to micromanage him.

"You got very upset... Your direct quote was, 'I don't like being told what to do.' There has been a level of dismissiveness and combativeness, and I know it's a high-pressure situation, but it makes me shut down -- and then the shutting down for him is perceived as the problem," Becca explained to the experts in tears.

"But what's frustrating is all of these fights and all of these things are days and nights of rejection. I feel rejected by deep conversations at times, and I feel rejected when I try to flirt at times. I get swatted away or laughed at, and it's so hard."


Becca told Austin that she dealt with rejection so well that he didn't even know the half of what was going on inside of her. Becca also took accountability for not sharing how she felt with Austin most of the time.

The experts believed this problem was "fixable," but Austin didn't seem convinced.

Becca then went on to allege, "It often feels, when the Married at First Sight cameras go away, he's not asking for that depth or that intimacy or that connection in the same way when we're on-camera."

"Just because it doesn't happen on-camera doesn't mean it's not real," Austin insisted. "You know I am committed to figuring these things out, I just don't think the timing is already right."

Austin admitted everything had changed in their relationship and it appeared to be because their physical intimacy wasn't where Becca wanted it.

Becca claimed Austin wasn't fighting for their marriage and that what he was saying in that moment was different from his typical everyday behavior off-camera.


Becca then suggested that Austin was gaslighting her because his actions weren't lining up with his words or own personal version of past events.

"I'm starting to go crazy, like, I don't have my own self-awareness. I'm at a loss on where to go now," Becca cried.

Dr. Pepper told Austin that if a woman doesn't feel sexually desired, it's going to be corrosive to the relationship. She promised Becca that she wasn't crazy and she just needed more reassurance and validation.

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Becca also brought up how Austin had ditched her one night at the couples' retreat to sleep in a football player's bed. The experts appeared shocked and pointed out how that was a bad decision to make, especially because it had been fueled by excessive alcohol.

"[You] were not putting your wife first," Dr. Pepper announced.


"I admit that it was a mistake. It definitely wasn't intentional... I did [apologize]," Austin shared.

"The first time he apologized, it was because a producer prompted him to!" Becca alleged.

"That wasn't the first time I apologized to you about it," Austin declared.

Becca chose to accept Austin's apology this time around, but she was questioning his sincerity because there always seemed to be something blocking their opportunities to be intimate and he allegedly never followed through on intimacy assignments.

Austin explained how that when he made a move on his wife, it was never enough. And now, he was afraid to act because Becca might think he was just doing it for the Married at First Sight cameras.

Becca cried about how the past week had been so difficult and she was losing hope in her marriage, but Pastor Cal asked her to look at her relationship as a whole considering the beginning was so great for the pair.


Dr. Pepper also asked the spouses to give each other validation and reassurance in order to rebuild trust. Austin therefore reminded Becca how he wanted to keep working on things with her and stay in a relationship with her.

Becca said she was grateful and relieved to hear Austin say that, but she was admittedly "drained and really tired."

With nine days to go until Decision Day, Brennan ordered Emily hamburgers to nourish her body, and the couple was smiling big together.

On Day 10 of Michael and Chloe's marriage, Chloe met up with her close friend Cesar at a restaurant. Chloe explained how she had taken a few days away from Michael because her first week of marriage was "a lot."

Chloe insisted that Michael wasn't the problem and she just needed some time to process things and cool her jets.

"It's given me an opportunity to think about exactly what I asked for [from the experts] and how Michael aligns... and every day that passed, and the more I processed who Michael is as a human, the more I missed him!" Chloe revealed.


"I actually missed being with Michael, and I realized that for every ounce of different we may be in one another, we are almost the same in everything else. There is not a thing about our relationship I'm concerned about."

Cesar, however, was a little worried to hear that because he admitted Michael was very good with his words and knew exactly what to say to make Chloe feel happy or secure. Chloe agreed with that, but she said Michael had given her no reason to trust him.

"But it's going to be in the back of my mind, until it's not in the back of my mind anymore," Chloe conceded.

Emily and Brennan were then shown driving to the hospital so Emily could get her stitches out. Emily felt excited, and Brennan guessed there were about 35 stitches to remove from Emily's forehead and scalp.

"I look scary, but [the doctor] said I look good, so I have to believe him," Emily quipped.

Becca and Austin also went to a sun and water spa to relax, unwind and connect again. Austin said his vibe with Becca had changed for the better after their counseling session, and they enjoyed some time in a hot tub outdoors on a cliff.


Becca said she was feeling hopeful and optimistic again, but she was still questioning a lot about herself. Becca wondered if she was being too sensitive, and she questioned which of her concerns were truly valid.

"When you make a step towards intimacy, I have to trust that it's not because you have to but because you want to," Becca explained to Austin. "I love that in your heart, you have been committed."

On Day 11 of marriage, Chloe returned to her shared apartment with Michael after a spending a few days by herself, and she told Michael how she was feeling refreshed and recharged. Chloe said she's an introvert while Michael is an extrovert and so it was good for her to take a little time away.

Michael could sense a renewed sense of energy in Chloe, who seemed more relaxed and at peace. Chloe also brought her senior poodle, Theodore, to live with them, and the dog got along well with Michael's dog and cat.

Michael and Chloe then decorated for their 90s themed hip-hop party, and Michael bought several pizzas for their guests as well as alcohol.

"You know what tequila does," Chloe told her husband.


"Why do you think I got some?" Michael joked. "You think I don't know?"

With eight days to go until Decision Day, Brennan did the dishes and cleaned up the apartment for his wife, who had been instructed to take things easy and not physically exert herself.

Emily said her injury had brought the couple closer together, and Emily finally felt cared for in her marriage. Emily told Brennan that she appreciated him and his support.

"This has made me trust you fully," Emily told Brennan.

"I feel the same way. I feel like I can trust you way more now. I feel like just as much as I've been there for you, you have been there for me, which is a huge aspect of it," Brennan shared.

Emily looked forward to keeping the "post-trauma, happy vibes going."


Meanwhile, Michael and Chloe got their party started and brought their friends together.

Chloe announced how whenever she shut down, Michael swooped in and saved the day. Michael, in turn, called Chloe very considerate.

Chloe told Michael's friends, Evrim and Paige, that Married at First Sight was "a stress test" for her, and Evrim explained how she should always speak her mind because she could never over-communicate with Michael.

Paige also advised Chloe to demand to hear Michael's true feelings because he's a people pleaser who would set out to make his wife feel comfortable all the time.

Chloe noted how healthy conflict in a marriage is good and so she wanted to make sure that Michael was being authentic with her. With that being said, Paige told Chloe, "Don't let him get away with that sh-t."

And Michael told Chloe's two friends that he didn't want Chloe to overextend herself in the spirit of being selfless. Michael wanted to create the best environment for love to grow and then leaning into that, and he thought Chloe and himself were both doing a great job.


With just seven days to go until Decision Day, Brennan met up with Cameron -- who just had surgery and was struggling with atrial flutter -- at a bar, while Clare got together with her mother Julie.

Clare opened up about how she had been on an emotional rollercoaster in her relationship with Cameron, who said Clare had been as supportive as she could have been during his recovery.

Clare said it's in her nature to help people when they're suffering but Cameron didn't really want that help from her. Julie explained how sick people tend to isolate themselves sometimes.

Clare voiced how Cameron is "amazing, kind, and unbelievably smart." She said she respected Cameron and how he constantly challenged her and made her think. Clare also liked how Cameron called her out on her sh-t when she needed it.

"He's the greatest, I just believe 'husband and wife' wasn't the correct title for our relationship," Clare explained, breaking down into tears.

Cameron told Brennan that Clare was growing and maturing in her feelings and so she frequently asked him how he had changed or matured in his feelings towards her.


"It's not something that's been growing or progressing for me. I think that's hard for her, and I can totally see why," Cameron told his pal.

"Do you think she's trying to get you back or trying to reconcile things?" Brennan asked.

"I don't know. She's coming at things from the angle of, 'There wasn't maybe the attraction,'" Cameron said.

"But from my perspective, I couldn't make it work and I was feeling quite a lot of emotional stress. Maybe it's the reason I'm struggling to breathe right now. I kind of just had this crumbling sandcastle that I couldn't put back together, and trying to put it together was causing me more pain."

Brennan said Clare confused him because when he distanced himself from her or threatened to leave, she'd become emotional.

However, Cameron dropped a bombshell on Brennan -- that he was open to saying "yes" to staying married to Clare on Decision Day!


"I don't know how that whole thing is going to go down," Cameron said. "If she says she wants to stay together, like, I'm going to stay together with her on Decision Day. I am not going to leave her out to dry; we're doing this together!"

On Day 12 of Michael and Chloe's marriage, Michael took his wife to one of his personal kickboxing classes. Chloe liked seeing Michael in his element, and he was turned on by his wife's interest in his sport and her participation.

"My husband is so sexy out there in that ring!" Chloe gushed in a Married at First Sight confessional. "I knew he was an athletic and strong boxer, but I didn't know what I was going to see. And holy cow! It was great!"

After a good workout, Chloe confronted Michael about claims he's a people pleaser. Chloe, as a recovering people pleaser, asked Michael what exactly he needed from her. Chloe said Michael had been his rock on "more than five occasions" and that wasn't fair to him.

Chloe told Michael that he was allowed to ask her to chill out, and Michael said any slack he had picked up in their relationship recently wasn't beyond his capacity.

"But if I do start feeling that way, I'll be mindful of communicating that with you so we can step back and figure out what we need to do," Michael explained.


The Married at First Sight episode ended with Emily and Brennan having a Zoom discussion with all of the show's experts at once. Emily shared how she and Brennan had a good week and they both realized that life is too short.

"I was so happy he was there. He doesn't do well with blood, but he really pulled it together," Emily said.

"It really did bring us closer together in a new way," Brennan revealed.

"We were talking about being friends and everything, but those are just words. Actions speak louder than words, so to actually be there for one another... and us supporting each other and being there for one another has really grown our relationship."

Dr. Pia thought their new bond was really beautiful, and Emily reiterated how it felt so good to have Brennan by her side. She said it brought her back to the early days of her marriage when she and Brennan really liked each other and got along seamlessly.

"I am realizing and seeing that he really does care about me," Emily said in a Married at First Sight confessional. "


I am a little sad it took me hitting a tree for us to have this bonding experience, but I'm happy that it did [happen]… It's helping me see things clearly as Decision Day gets closer."

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski