Married at First Sight featured Cameron and Clare agreeing to get divorced, Austin believing Becca may end up in hell, Brennan calling Emily "a red flag," and the MAFS experts giving Michael a second chance to marry a stranger during the Season 17 episode that aired Wednesday night on Lifetime.
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Orion and Lauren already chose to divorce, but they continue to appear on the season. And the season's fifth intended groom, Michael, had unfortunately been jilted at the altar by his match.
The MAFS season already featured strangers meeting at the wedding altar and enjoying a honeymoon, and now they'll be 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 Pastor Calvin Roberson, Dr. Pepper Schwartz, and Dr. Pia Holec.
The Married at First Sight broadcast began in Denver, CO on Day 24 of marriage, with Emily asking Brennan to continue opening up and sharing more with her, especially since he refused to go to individual therapy. Emily wanted to talk more, do exercises, set goals and keep progressing.
Brennan offered to hug Emily more, but that was the bare minimum in her mind. Emily was hoping to build more of an emotional connection, and she admitted to her husband that she felt "frustrated" but was "committed" to figuring things out with him.
Meanwhile, Pastor Cal, Dr. Pepper, and Dr. Pia gathered together and talked about the "emotional disaster" that happened to Michael on his wedding day earlier in the season.
The three MAFS experts felt guilty for having matched Michael with a bride who ultimately jilted him at the altar, and they also felt bad for Michael that he missed out on the opportunity to get married at first sight.
The experts then met with Michael, and they explained how they never could have predicted the woman running away from him and the experiment, without even giving Michael a chance. However, they were impressed by Michael's resilience and how he had acted like a mature gentleman throughout the whole thing.
Michael also explained to Pastor Cal, Dr. Pepper and Dr. Pia that although he was very upset on his wedding day and blamed himself at one point, the incident didn't change his outlook on marriage or his desire to be a husband one day.
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"There has been some talk if we could find in the very large pool of people that we didn't look closely at enough, if we could find someone we thought was worthy [of you], would you be willing to take another chance while we're still in Denver?... Would you want to face that moment again?" Dr. Pepper asked.
"You emotionally and mentally kind of tune yourself for this, and I discovered things about myself that I didn't know in the moment. I was ready for marriage, but I didn't know I was THAT ready... I would 100 percent do this again," Michael replied.
The experts then asked Michael what he wanted most in a partner, and he said a woman who is smart, silly and sweet.
Later on, Clare and Cameron tried to bring some fun into their relationship by going indoor skiing. Cameron didn't think they were on the same page, and so he hoped an activity would bring them closer together.
The pair had a good time together, but their energy was off and Clare admitting sitting down and talking to Cameron felt "weird" and "uncomfortable."
Clare told Cameron, "I didn't sign up for a platonic marriage... [but] I'm not a quitter. I think it's important that we try everything."
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Clare wanted to spend more time with Cameron, especially since they had become best friends at this point, but she worried Cameron was going to become resentful since a big piece of their relationship -- the physical aspect -- was still missing.
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"We got into a topic about heaven and hell. Austin was being very loving and comforting in telling me that even if it does end up that, like, I die and go to hell, he still thinks he can love me in the same way in this lifetime," Becca explained to the MAFS expert.
"It makes me feel less than. I don't think I'm going to hell. It's hard to be married to someone who isn't sure if I do or not, and it makes me feel really sad and hurt."
Becca is agnostic, and so she shared how she doesn't believe in anything but, because of that, thought anyone could be right about God, heaven and hell.
Austin is Christian, and she said she didn't like the idea of their souls breaking up in the after life, according to Austin's beliefs.
Pastor Cal reminded the couple that no one has died and come back to life to share what the afterlife is like, and Austin agreed. Austin acknowledged, however, that he believes if a person doesn't accept Jesus into his or her heart, then that person is going to hell.
"Accepting Jesus is one thing, but accepting the principles of Jesus is something completely different," Pastor Cal explained, adding how many Christian people don't follow the rules in the Bible, which could be a different argument for going to hell.
Austin said he was open to learning more and talking to peers to figure out his beliefs, but he reiterated how he could still love Becca and be her husband.
Pastor Cal insisted to Becca that she was Austin's match, regardless of the fact she's not Christian. And Becca pointed out how Austin accidentally told her that he loved her the prior night.
But Becca still felt uneasy about the religion topic, and so she asked Austin to make learning and researching a priority so they could hopefully see eye to eye on at least what would constitute a person getting sent to hell.
Austin promised he'd look into it, but he asked for patience and grace since he didn't have a lot of free time during filming.
On Day 29 of marriage, Clare met up with Lauren, who revealed that she hadn't spoken to Orion at all since the cast's potluck dinner. And Orion spoke to Cameron about how he and Lauren weren't on the same page, or even in the same book.
"I think it was best for him to leave his marriage, and now, I'm essentially on the brink of walking away from my marriage," Cameron told the Married at First Sight cameras.
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For instance, Clare allegedly told Cameron that she preferred him being in the apartment with her than being away from her.
Meanwhile, Clare told Lauren that she didn't think Cameron was physically attracted to her and she feared Cameron was trying to "force it" because they were married and he wanted their marriage to work out.
"I've been so in my head the entire time... It just feels so forced," Clare confessed to Lauren.
Cameron was leaning towards divorce, and he shared with Orion how he "had feelings" for Clare, who also acknowledged how she and Cameron had hit a wall and she didn't know what to do.
Orion advised Cameron to advocate for himself more so he wouldn't get cut at the knees.
The remaining couples then celebrated their one-month anniversary, except for Clare and Cameron, who thought the word "anniversary" put too much pressure on their relationship.
While Cameron and Clare spent the day apart from each other to relax and clear their heads, Emily and Brennan let loose a little bit and went horseback riding, hoping another adventure would bond them more.
"He felt a spark with the horse, just not with me. Him and Gucci!" Emily joked.
"Gucci is special," Brennan noted.
At dinner that evening, Brennan spoke to his wife about how he was trusting the process.
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"So I'm a red flag?" Emily asked.
"I mean, yeah. It's very uncomfortable to have something and then have it be gone and you don't know why," Brennan explained. "In the past, when that fizzled out, I would run... but I'm trying."
Brennan said he was just giving their marriage some time to see if anything could change. But Emily told the cameras that taking things day by day wasn't going to cut it -- and that she needed to see more from him in order to move forward.
Becca and Austin, meanwhile, had already built a great foundation together, and they went ice skating and toasted marshmallows over a bonfire for their anniversary date.
Austin told Becca that he thought their marriage was "amazing," and he pointed out how they had established trust with each other.
That night, Cameron didn't return home to the apartment. While Clare was a little upset, she said she wasn't shocked because Cameron was getting attached to her and she wasn't feeling him.
Clare told the cameras how she and Cameron had different religious beliefs and were lacking a spark, which made her feel sad and deflated.
"I don't like feeling like I can't meet him where he's at," Clare lamented to the cameras. "He's a great person and I want to be able to get there, but it's just been a lot for me mentally."
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On Day 31 of marriage, Austin chatted with Becca's Catholic friend Lindsey via Zoom.
Lindsey shared how she believes an evil person who kills and constantly hurts others will be separated from God in the afterlife but a pure, giving and kind person -- like Becca, who exudes "light and love" despite being agnostic -- couldn't possibly be condemned to hell.
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Michael was then shown meeting up with a few of his friends and dropping the bombshell that there was a possibility he may be matched with another stranger to be married on the show.
One of Michael's friends suggested that the experts would need to change their matching methods for her to have faith it could work for Michael the second time around. His friends had clearly lost a lot of trust in the process and the experts.
Dr. Pepper pointed out how this never happened before in 17 seasons, but Michael felt his failed marriage was the biggest failure in his personal life, and so his friends didn't want him to feel that way again.
Dr. Pepper said the experts had done their due diligence and found Michael a match.
"Are you willing to get married at first sight again?" Dr. Pepper asked.
"I kind of made peace with the possibility that may not be in my future, but I most definitely am, yes!" Michael responded.
Michael's wedding was going to take place in less than two weeks, and Dr. Pepper thanked him for being resilient, civilized and open-hearted.
On Day 32 of marriage, the cast gathered together for a group dinner, but Clare said this was difficult for her because she and Cameron had been separated for a few days and certainly weren't in a celebratory phase of their relationship.
Emily went into the dinner feeling like she deserved better and Brennan needed "to step the f-ck up."
Cameron announced how he and Clare had been misaligned, and Clare apologized for giving mixed signals as she self-reflected. But Clare said she was finally no longer confused about where she was at.
With that being said, Cameron and Clare both decided it would be best for them to separate and divorce. They were finally on the same page, even though their announcement had shocked their castmates.
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Cameron told Clare that he'd never take back the days they had spent together, and Clare said Cameron had taught her a lot and she was grateful for having met him. Neither person had regrets about marrying a stranger, and Cameron even said that Clare had made him a better man.
Cameron thought divorce would be the best way for Clare and himself to stop hurting each other.
Emily, for her part, complained to the cameras about how Brennan wasn't saying anything or being vulnerable at all.
Clare then asked Emily and Brennan if they saw a future together, and Brennan said he was taking things day by day. The "day by day" statement was about to make Emily snap because he allegedly repeated it constantly.
Brennan thanked Emily for being resilient and patient with him, but she was clearly tired of waiting for him to express himself. Emily felt sad and frustrated, and she complained to the cameras, "It's not what I deserve."
Emily went to the bathroom and asked Brennan not to follow her, but Clare ran to her side to talk. Emily was tired of Brennan not talking, and Clare said Emily was the only person being honest in her relationship and she deserved better.
Emily said she really wished she didn't care about Brennan -- but she did.
Once Emily walked out to the car, Clare warned Brennan that Emily really liked him. Brennan said Emily put on facade in front of him that everything was okay and so he had no idea she was so upset. Brennan told the cameras that he didn't want to hurt Emily.
Brennan and Emily then had a conversation in their car, and Emily shared her frustrations and how she felt "embarrassed" by Brennan's apparent lack of interest in her and refusal to open up.
"He just says the same sh-t, and that's annoying!" Emily cried in a confessional. "It's literally just frustrating."
Brennan told Emily that he didn't have all the answers, but Emily said that night went really badly and she just wanted him to be there for her.
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"It's hard when it's all the time... I don't want to resent you, and that will happen if you don't make changes," Emily replied.
That night, Cameron moved out of the apartment, and he and Clare decided to separate. The pair looked over their vows before ending things, and it made them both emotional.
"It was a beautiful wedding. It's just crazy how, in that one month since then, how much has changed," Clare shared in a confessional. "This is not a happy feeling... My future is walking out the door right in front of me, and that's hard."
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
