'Married at First Sight' recap: Cameron drops a bombshell to Clare's friends, Brennan fights with Emily's friends

Married at First Sight featured Cameron dropping a very personal bombshell in front of Clare's friends, Brennan clashing with Emily's friends, and each couple hosting a housewarming party 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, Orion and Lauren, Clare and Cameron, and Austin and Becca.

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The season's fifth intended groom, Michael, was unfortunately 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.

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 15 of marriage, with Austin celebrating Becca's birthday by giving her breakfast in bed.

Brennan told the cameras how he had decided to move in with Emily the next day, and Emily said she was excited to live with her husband. They were also about to have a housewarming party.


Meanwhile, Clare said she and Cameron got along very well and had an easy time living together, which would probably allow for an attraction to grow.

Emily was then shown meeting up with her friend Sophie for lunch. Emily explained how Brennan was into her when they first met but then by the end of the honeymoon, things had taken a turn where Emily could tell that she was starting to like Brennan more.

"It seemed like communication was a big issue for him. He has trouble opening up in general. It kept feeling like I was carrying the conversation, and he doesn't really open up on-camera," Emily explained, adding how Brennan had signed up for this and so she expected him to do better and try a little harder.

Emily, however, thought "something's there," and so she wanted to give Brennan the benefit of the doubt. She hoped to have a lighter week with Brennan, emotionally, and grow closer by living under the same roof.

Clare then surprised Cameron at work by bringing him lunch. Cameron gave Clare a little tour of his bicycle repair shop, and Clare asked him if he ever got bored.


Cameron said fixing bicycles was his passion and it was like being a surgeon because every problem was different.

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Clare was impressed that her husband owned his own business, and then he taught her how to work on one of the bikes -- and she thought it was "really cool."

Clare shared with the Married at First Sight cameras, "I'm seeing him on a whole new level. It's an attractive trait to see someone doing something they love. I really am hopeful that the more time we spend together, it could increase the attraction."

Austin and Becca then went out with Becca's friends for her birthday. Becca said she really liked living with Austin and they had so much in common, except for religion.


When asked how their sex life was, Austin admitted he was "the slow one."

And Becca confirmed she was letting Austin "take the lead on things," which was actually unlike her behavior in past relationships. Becca's friends loved Austin and felt he accepted her for who she is.

Becca shared how she wasn't falling in love yet but she was ready to have sex and could see their marriage moving in that direction.

On Day 16 of marriage, Emily and Brennan were shown moving and getting settled into their neutral apartment. Brennan laughed about how much stuff Emily brought into their new place. He even looked in one of her suitcases and said, "Holy sh-t."

Brennan found Emily's suitcases "really overwhelming."


Brennan admitted to the Married at First Sight cameras, "I've been on a slower pace but I'm really hopeful that living together now helps us get closer. I set a goal for myself that I would never be divorced, and I don't really know what else to do. So this is a big step for us."

Emily told Brennan that she thought they'd be fine but she wanted him to give her a warning if she started annoying him at any point.

Meanwhile, Lauren and Orion went their separate ways and broke the news to their friends that they were already divorcing. Orion had lost romantic interest and so he didn't think it would be fair to Lauren to continue with their marriage.

Orion said his family was disappointed for him and he wasn't ready to begin the search for another girlfriend/future wife.

Orion admitted he had genuine feelings for Lauren and so he couldn't imagine himself jumping into something else right away.

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Lauren shared how getting the divorce was not her choice but she supported Orion in his decision. Lauren said she had gone through many different emotions since the split, including laughter and anger.

"I think what I feel the most is a lot of pain and a lot of resentment," Lauren explained, adding how it "sucked" to have a partner who didn't want to work things out.

Lauren's friends advised her not to take the breakup personally, and she was happy for the confidence boost.

That night, Emily and Brennan went shopping at a party store to pick out items for a themed party. The pair agreed to buy different wigs, and they enjoyed a few laughs together.

Brennan said he was glad that he had moved in with Emily, and he thanked her for trusting him with time to himself to think. Emily in turn thanked Brennan for giving the experiment his all, and she thought they both deserved to have some fun.

Cameron then arrived at home with no food for their party, which immediately stressed Clare out.


Cameron pointed out how they were in downtown Denver, and he just hoped his mistake wouldn't ruin their night together. As the pair discussed their plans, Clare complained that Cameron was very unprepared. They were hosting a no-cup party, and Cameron apparently didn't have anything to drink out of.

Clare became increasingly more stressed, but Cameron didn't think it was about the food. Cameron wondered if Clare was just nervous to introduce him to her friends. However, Clare voiced to the camera how being so unprepared made her feel anxious and uneasy.

Each couple then hosted their housewarming party.

Austin spoke to two of Becca's best friends, and they advised Austin to have open communication and talk through any issues they may have.

Austin's pal warned Becca that Austin could be a tough nut to crack, but that revelation actually surprised her based on his actions thus far. Austin's friend was "blown away" by Becca and how well the experts had done.

Becca did seem a little concerned by their different religions, and she hoped he'd be willing to "bend on that" a little bit, just like she was willing to.


Over at Emily and Brennan's apartment, Emily's friends, Alex and Kiara, were worried that Brennan had one foot in the door and one foot out. When Emily's two girlfriends got a chance to talk to Brennan alone, they asked him how he planned to be a backbone for Emily.

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Brennan said he's a giving and supportive person, but then Kiara pointed out how Brennan didn't help Emily move any of her bags upstairs into their apartment. The girls told Brennan that he was in a real-life marriage and they were a little worried and upset.

"She deserves the world, and I'm not sure that you're giving that to her," Alex vented.

"I don't want to call you out, but her taking everything out of the oven and preparing it, I was like, 'Hey, do you need any help?' And I was almost looking at you when I said that."

Brennan argued he had taken everything out of the oven, but Alex called him out for not putting the food on a platter. Brennan thought the girls were "attacking" him "instead of trying to understand."


Kiara accused Brennan of making filming miserable for Emily because he didn't like the cameras being around. The conversation became tense and ugly, with the girls and Brennan shouting over each other.

Brennan believed the girls were coming at him hard, but they claimed they were just asking him questions.

The girls questioned Brennan's motive for going on the show and said that he seemed reluctant to open up and give himself to the process. But as the women pressed harder, the more Brennan shut down and wanted out of the conversation.

Brennan told the women that they didn't know him, and they shouted about how that's exactly what they were trying to do.

Emily, for her part, asked Brennan's guy friends if Brennan was truly ready for this level of commitment.

Meanwhile, Cameron and Clare had a lot of cold food, and Clare apologized for rushing the food order when Cameron could've picked it up hot closer to party time.


During the party, Cameron revealed his father was on his deathbed and that he had never told his dad about Married at First Sight. Clare was shocked and taken aback, and she apologized to Cameron for what he was going through. Cameron didn't know how his dad would react to the news.

"It's really strange to me he's bringing up really heavy things in front of people when he won't even do that with me in private. I'm just really confused, honestly. I feel like he doesn't trust me enough to tell me," Clare noted in a confessional.

The revelation threw Clare for a loop, and she didn't like how his family wasn't involved.

Cameron admitted he tended to be standoffish with Clare but he was working on it.

Clare asked Cameron if he regretted doing the show, and Cameron said he wouldn't do this again but he's very happy to have done it the first time.

Cameron figured Clare's therapist friends would "psychoanalyze" him, but he was okay with that.


Cameron told Clare's pals that he really liked Clare and she's the smartest girl he had ever been in a relationship with. However, Cameron thought he was bearing more of an "emotional struggle" in his marriage and felt like he was "sinking."

Cameron was referring to how he doesn't want to raise his kids with religious beliefs, but Clare was a woman of faith.

Clare was apparently on the same page. Clare shared how there was mutual respect in her marriage and he was impressed by Cameron, but she wasn't sure if that was "enough" to result in a lifelong marriage.

Clare's friends ultimately wondered if Cameron was going to be open and forthcoming about his feelings with Clare. They hoped he'd be enough for her.

At the end of the night, Becca thought intimacy with Austin would come from just having fun. She also wasn't going to push the religion issue.

Cameron said he liked Clare's friends a lot, but Clare confessed to her husband that she was very taken aback by his public revelation. She didn't understand the timing behind that, but Cameron wasn't in the mood to open up.


"There's no real expression of feelings towards me. There's no chance of intimacy. It's very different to build a relationship and a marriage with someone given the circumstances," Cameron told the Married at First Sight cameras.

Over at Emily and Brennan's place, Brennan admitted his conversation with her friends didn't go well.

Brennan said her friends had come at him unfairly and attacked his character and so he had to stand up for himself. Brennan said Alex and Kiara considered his behavior defensive, and Emily felt bad about the situation, especially since her friends are a reflection of who she is.

Emily said Kiara and Alex just cared about her a lot and they shouldn't have behaved that way. Emily apologized on their behalf, but Brennan said she had nothing to apologize for.

"Emily was very supportive, and I give her a lot of credit for how she's acted in this type of moment. I appreciated her having my back in that situation," Brennan concluded.

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski