Married at First Sight featured Cameron admitting his future with Clare looked "bleak," Brennan clashing with Dr. Pia Holec during therapy, Becca worried her sexual needs weren't going to be met, and Lauren accusing Orion of being a "gaslighter" during the Season 17 episode that aired Wednesday night on Lifetime.

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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.

The season's fifth intended groom, Michael, was unfortunately jilted at the altar by his match.

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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 the "most intense season" of Married at First Sight yet."

The Married at First Sight broadcast began on Day 18 of marriage with Cameron explaining to Clare how he didn't realize he hadn't communicated with her about his father's failing health.

Clare admitted the way Cameron had brought up his father being on his deathbed at the party was "weird," and Cameron said he understood that.

Cameron explained how his father has been sick for a while and he's already gone through the stages of grief, which is why he seemed "short" when mentioning it at their housewarming party.

Cameron said he didn't want to upset or confuse his father -- more than he already was -- about the fact he had married a total stranger, and so Clare said could see his perspective but she hoped he'd come around to sharing this information with his family.

"Family is everything to me, and now Cameron's family is my family," Clare told the Married at First Sight cameras.

Meanwhile, Emily apologized to Brennan again for how her friends had acted at their wig-themed party. Brennan admitted he could've done things differently and handled it better.

"I never want to come across as defensive, even though it felt like a personal attack. I have to stand up for myself and my marriage, so I apologize for that. I just got heated in the moment," Brennan explained.

Emily assured Brennan that she'd always take his side and her friends had crossed the line, but she reiterated how her besties just cared about her a lot and were protective of her.

"I don't think any less of you. I'm just treating it as a one-off night," Brennan shared.

"That's the right way to look at it," Emily noted.

"It's not your fault," Brennan added.

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Over at Becca and Austin's apartment, Austin taught her how to play a card game that his family loves. Becca always had fun with Austin, but the pair hadn't consummated their marriage yet and so she hinted at how they were moving too slowly in the intimacy department.

"I am respecting the fact that Austin doesn't have the same comfort level as I do," Becca shared with the Married at First Sight cameras.

"But I'm starting to feel worried that I'm running out of ways for us to connect that do separate us from a friendship and still fulfill my needs."

That night, Clare made Cameron dinner and poked fun at how he always used big words. Cameron felt he was annoying Clare, and he complained about how her behavior and body language made him feel unwanted and undesired.

Cameron told Clare that they seemed "stuck," and Clare admitted there was "zero romance" between them and maybe they had hit a wall.

"I'm not saying there's anyone to blame; that's just the way it is. And I don't think that that's healthy," Clare said.

Clare shared with Cameron how it turned her on when he was in tune with her needs and asked if she's okay, and she noted how he wasn't doing anything in particular that was turning her off.

"I just don't think I'm romantically ready to engage in behavior that is sexual at this point. It doesn't feel natural for me to do that with you at this point. It's nothing against you, it's just the way our relationship is," Clare explained.

Clare predicted that Cameron felt the same way and probably didn't even want to kiss her, but Cameron argued that it would feel totally natural to kiss his wife. Cameron let Clare know that he was attracted to her, but this was news to her because his actions apparently weren't aligning with his words.

Clare suddenly felt like she wasn't enough for Cameron, and she apologized to him. But Cameron promised her that she had done nothing wrong and couldn't blame herself for feeling uncomfortable.

"Even with the limited romance we have, I'm getting attached to you," Cameron shared.

"And so, I'm here to try and I'm happy to try. However, I would be doing myself a great disservice if we really thought there was no future, because it's literally just pain at that point."

Cameron told Clare that if they had a potential future together, then the pain would be worth it.

Clare clarified there was a chance their marriage could work out long-term, and so Cameron suggested they should just keep going and try to let romance and affection happen organically.

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Later on, Emily and Brennan took a Pilates class together to continue to bond and hopefully build sexual chemistry, and then all four couples -- including Lauren and Orion -- gathered together for a Potluck dinner.

Brennan shared with the cast how he and Emily were going through "bumps" and he didn't feel "a romantic bond" with her yet. Brennan explained how things changed in his marriage once reality hit.

Orion announced to the group how he had asked for a divorce from Lauren, and Lauren made it clear that she wasn't onboard with that decision and Orion didn't give her a chance.

Lauren declared how Orion had slut-shamed her for having had sex two months before the marriage and also accused her of failing him and their marriage. Lauren said Orion claimed he felt bad for hurting her yet he never actually apologized to her.

"I don't think you failed," Orion said.

"You change what you say, Orion. You change it every moment," Lauren stated.

"If that's your truth, that's your truth," Orion countered.

"You're such a gaslighter, bro!" Lauren clapped back, adding how Orion wasn't holding himself accountable.

Orion explained to the group how he had lost feelings for Lauren and so it wouldn't be beneficial for them to continue on because, in his heart, he was already out. Orion felt he had tried with Lauren but their bickering was consistent and there was a disconnect in their communication.

Cameron said there were major things he and Clare didn't align on, such as their religious beliefs, and they were also having intimacy issues. But Cameron complimented Clare on being the best person he ever met, adding how he was "head over heels" for her.

Cameron called his dynamic with Clare "fiery," and Clare agreed how they challenged each other and both tended to be passionate in their beliefs and how they expressed themselves.

Austin shared how he wanted to know Becca's heart before being physically intimate with her, and he thanked his wife for her support and patience. Becca admitted she and Austin were going through something tough, and she broke down into tears about the fact all the couples were having issues.

After the gathering, Lauren bawled her eyes out and was clearly devastated about her broken marriage.

And Cameron told Clare that he had been inspired to consider himself a little more moving forward in their marriage. Cameron questioned if they were ever going to be able to move past their roadblock of a lack of intimacy and opposing religious views.

"I don't know," Clare admitted to her husband.

Emily and Becca then got together for a girls' night, and Emily shared how Brennan was shutting down in their relationship and he wouldn't explain to her why he wasn't physically attracted.

Becca believed that Brennan was attracted to Emily and so he didn't even really know where the mental block was coming from.

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Meanwhile, Brennan and Austin got together, and Brennan said he was in unchartered territory because he had always been attracted to former flings and girlfriends right off the bat.

"If I could take a pill for that and have chemistry, I would, so that this could work. But I've got to do it the natural way," Brennan told his pal.

Emily was determined to continue being her authentic self, but she cried about how she wished she had a man who was sure about her and sure about himself. Emily wished Brennan would give her direct answers so she could know exactly what was wrong.

Emily lamented about how she couldn't address or change something she wasn't even aware of.

On Day 23 of marriage, Clare and Cameron met with Dr. Pia, and neither of them was wearing a wedding ring.

"It's apparent out long-term viability is probably not there, unfortunately," Cameron told Dr. Pia.

Dr. Pia said that was a strong and bold statement to make, so she asked the couple to take more time to process things and think things through. Cameron said he wanted to make his relationship work but they had "a fundamental disagreement" over how they want to raise their children.

Clare also pointed out how she lacked a romantic connection with Cameron, and it didn't help that they couldn't get on the same page about their future together.

"The hardest thing about this is Clare and I are extremely compatible. She's the smartest and most mature person I've ever been in a relationship with. It's just a perfect mixture where I feel heard... which is rare to me, and we get along well," Cameron explained.

"When I'm away from her. I miss her. And so it's time to protect Cameron because I think our future is bleak."

Clare thought it was time to put themselves first in order to better themselves for each other. They felt they had exhausted all options and given the marriage their best shot.

Dr. Pia asked the couple to just have fun and be in-the-moment, taking sex and religion off the table for a while in order to ease tension, anxiety and mental and emotional fatigue.

Cameron asked if he could sleep on that advice and get back to her later, and Dr. Pia said she respected that.

Dr. Pia then visited Emily and Brennan, and Emily thought she and her husband were "back on track," although there was a disconnect between them.

Emily acknowledged how Brennan didn't feel romance or chemistry with her but they were still spending time together and working on things. Emily wanted to hear more validation and explanation from Brennan as well as see more emotion from him.

Brennan confessed it was difficult for him to verbalize what he was thinking or feeling.

When asked what was turning him off about Emily, Brennan said he wanted to be mindful of Emily and not upset her.

"I am being mindful," Dr. Pia clapped back.

"This is not easy to talk about, and I know if I were in her shoes, I'd be really uncomfortable hearing my partner talk about physical intimacy," Brennan explained, adding how he didn't want to disrespect or "do damage."

Emily said she just wanted to move forward and fix the problem, but Dr. Pia said she needed to know what was going on in order to come up with a solution.

During the conversation, Dr. Pia tried to talk to Emily and ask her questions about her facial expressions and squinting, but Brennan kept interrupting and speaking for his wife.

"This is my wife and I'm going to make sure she's okay," Brennan said.

"But it's my job to ask her if she's okay," Dr. Pia snapped.

Emily insisted she was fine but her squinting was a sign of thinking and frustration. Emily said she'd feel more resentment if Brennan never told her what his barrier or problem was.

Dr. Pia therefore asked Emily and Brennan to have a frank and honest conversation, and she asked Brennan again what was holding him back from feeling a physical attraction to Emily.

"It's just a feeling that I don't have, and so I don't act on it," Brennan noted. "It's just not there, that feeling to want to be intimate."

Brennan said he never experienced this before, but he cared about Emily.

Dr. Pia then suggested that Brennan should go to therapy by himself to get in touch with his emotions, and verbalizing them, or else it would continue to be a barrier for their relationship.

"I don't think so," Brennan argued. "I do a lot of self-reflection and I have a really amazing support system.... It's really hard to explain [my emotions] if they're not there."

During Austin and Becca's chat with Dr. Pia, Austin said he just needed a little more time before he'd be ready to have sex with his wife.

Becca said she was attracted to Austin and felt connected with him so, if it were up to her, she'd move things along. Austin then pointed out how they could start doing things other than sex.

After therapy, Cameron asked Clare if she saw a future for them together, and she replied, "I don't know."

Clare wanted to keep things light, based on Dr. Pia's advice, but she said she'd be okay with the new living arrangement and just didn't want Cameron to be resentful of her.

"I'm not yet," Cameron responded after hesitating for a moment.

Meanwhile, Emily wanted answers from Brennan and she gently pushed that he should go to therapy, and he got angry and the conversation became tense. Brennan said therapy was "never going to happen" for him, and he shut the conversation down.

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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