Married at First Sight's reunion featured Ryan Oubre professing his love to Clara Berghaus, Virginia Coombs and Erik Lake giving a relationship update, Briana Myles revealing she has baby fever, Haley Harris suggesting Jacob Harder sex was horrible, and Paige Banks admitting Chris Williams had broken her spirit before an explosive Chris and Pastor Dwight confrontation during Wednesday night's broadcast on Lifetime.
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But Paige decided to end her marriage even though Chris entered Decision Day "undecided," and Haley and Jacob also opted to get a divorce when meeting with Married at First Sight experts Pastor Calvin Roberson, Dr. Pepper Schwartz and Dr. Viviana Coles.
Married at First Sight Season 12 Reunion
Part 1 of the reunion special on Wednesday night was hosted by Kevin Frazier, who met with each couple individually for a discussion after about six months of marriage.Erik and Virginia kicked the show off by announcing they are still married, with Erik adding "very, very happily."
Erik said it's hard for him to watch back some of the scenes in which he seemed controlling or demanding, and he noted Married at First Sight was a big learning experience for him and he's trying to change those things through some self-therapy.
Virginia revealed she and Erik have "a healthy amount of disagreements" but no one is perfect and they learn more about each other and how to communicate effectively every day.
Virginia also told Kevin that she had moved into Erik's condo -- which was a big point of contention for the couple towards the end of the MAFS season -- and took over his guest room, which is now essentially a big closet and room for her cats.
Erik acknowledged Virginia's cats are "cool" despite his allergies and his place has turned into a bit of a zoo.
Virginia said she'd still be interesting in moving into a new place for the both of them but Erik's condo is getting "more and more comfortable" for her to live in.
In never-before-seen footage, viewers learned Virginia had tested positive for coronavirus when she had just been matched to marry. However, it turned out Virginia's test was a false positive because two or three subsequent tests gave her a negative result.
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Virginia and Erik therefore almost lost their dream to be married.
On Virginia's partying and alcohol consumption throughout the season, she said she likes to drink and go out with her friends on occasion but it wasn't an issue in their relationship and never will be.
Erik said as long as Virginia communicates her whereabouts, he's totally fine with her going out with her friends.
"I think I said I like to party more than I actually like to party, because I hardly even do it now!" Virginia said.
Erik agreed, "Yeah, I don't know, there's just never an issue."
Virginia also said she never meant to call Erik "controlling" and she came to understand how his request for a text message when she arrives somewhere, for example, is just because he wants to make sure she's okay and safe.
Erik also expressed regret over his delivery sometimes, saying that sometimes his actions and words didn't match his intent. For instance, he confirmed that he respects and trusts Virginia's guy friends and really likes them.
"We are both very passionate people about what we believe in, and sometimes that passion comes out in negative ways. So communication [is key] and we're working on how we say things to each other," Virginia explained.
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Donna, however, clearly wanted Virginia to have children pretty early on into her marriage to Erik.
"The 50/50 thing is not that I'm 50/50 on if I want [kids] or not. It's been if my husband didn't really want them, then I'd probably be okay -- and if my husband really did want them, I'm okay with that too. It's not off the table, but it's not like, 'Oh, I'm going to be pregnant in two years!'" Virginia clarified.
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Clara and Ryan are also "very much still married," according to Ryan.
Clara said Ryan has done a good job of incorporating her things into Ryan's home and her dog Miska has been comfortable, and Ryan bragged about how they're very direct in their communication one-on-one.
Ryan explained he and Clara don't want to have children for a few more years and they'll talk about whether to raise their kids in the church once that time comes.
Although Clara said she's definitely not pregnant, she said, "But we do have a little announcement: We are getting remarried!"
Clara said many loved ones couldn't attend her wedding due to COVID-19 and so they want to have a big party and include everyone they care about.
Kevin pointed out how Ryan had never said "I love you" to a woman before and Clara said on the show that if Ryan didn't express his love to her within six months, she'd be done with him.
"Have you said it yet?" Kevin asked Ryan.
"At this point, no we have not," Ryan admitted. "But we are actively speaking through it and talking through it."
Kevin admitted it's strange Ryan had yet to say "I love you" to Clara when they have a vow renewal coming up. Ryan insisted there wasn't a hold-up or checklist and he was just taking things day by day and step by step.
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"I think I do," Ryan replied.
Clara then looked at Ryan and asked with a big smile on her face, "You love me?!"
"Mhmm," Ryan acknowledged. "I love you."
"I love you too!" Clara said, before kissing her husband.
"I do love my wife!" Ryan announced.
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Clara said she had already known that Ryan loved her due to "the little things" and small gestures he does for her all the time, such as filling up her car with gas or taking care of Miska when she's gone.
Clara and Ryan, however, wouldn't reveal whether or not they have consummated their marriage.
"I don't know, have we?" Clara playfully asked Ryan while dodging the question. "I don't know, maybe!"
Ryan also confirmed he was not a virgin when he got married at first sight, which was a concern show expert Dr. Viviana Coles had in the process.
Ryan revealed he and Clara spend a lot of time together, and Clara added how they prefer life without cameras and producers around.
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Both Ryan and Clara agreed their relationship seems "meant to be."
As for Vincent and Briana, Briana gushed, "Of course we are still married!"
Vincent gushed about how Briana keeps him in line, is a great cook and is open to anything he wants to do. He said it's "a blessing" to have Briana in his life.
Briana and Vincent are apparently staying in Vincent's place in Buckhead for the time being and Briana has had to compromise and learn to live with someone in a small place.
"It can't be perfect and it can't be my way all the time," Briana noted.
Vincent said he and Briana are preparing to get a bigger place in the Atlanta area and they also "plan on buying a condo" in the Dominican Republic, where Vincent has family!
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"We are going to be buying a home," Vincent shared of the couple's plans for the near future.
"And kids!" Briana exclaimed.
Briana said Vincent learned how difficult it is to be a father by watching his nephew for a while and now he wants to wait longer to have children.
"But I have baby fever! We're going to meet in the middle... I say, 'Whatever happens, happens!'" Briana said.
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On Vincent's little breakdowns throughout the season, he said his anxiety was through the roof during filming and his little outbursts were due to being "overwhelmed." Vincent also admitted he doesn't like to be embarrassed, especially on-camera.
Vincent even confessed he had "overreacted" to some of Briana's alleged disrespectful comments or jokes at times.
The Married at First Sight women from Season 12 then gathered on the stage, and Kevin pointed out to Haley how she and Jacob had been intimate one night in Las Vegas, which resulted in Haley essentially shutting down.
"There was no connection and nothing was going on. Save this man's reputation a little bit, because it seems like that moment when y'all connected, you didn't connect and there was no fire and no heat," Kevin said.
"No, we didn't connect," Haley confirmed, adding that she was trying to find an emotional and physical connection.
"My last straw was the physical connection, and when that didn't work, I was like, 'Alright, where do we go from here?'"
Kevin told Haley that from a fan's perspective, it looked like the sexual encounter must have been "horrible" and then Haley determined she was "out."
Haley flashed a big smile and just said, "Umm, no comment."
"I think maybe I just won't talk about it because it's nowhere good," she added with a laugh.
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Briana and Virginia agreed Haley and Jacob are polar opposites, and none of the women seemed surprised that Haley and Jacob's relationship didn't work out.
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"I think he doesn't like me very much," Haley said with a laugh.
Paige admitted it was "an extremely uncomfortable" and "disappointing feeling" knowing other marriages worked out on the show and hers didn't.
Paige said she essentially had "a wedding and a funeral in the same day," which was really hard given her intentions going into her wedding were extremely pure, and Haley confessed it was difficult to watch Paige's experience back.
Haley and Clara also defended Paige by saying Chris kept coming back to Paige and it wasn't the other way around.
"[Chris] knows how to get into a woman's mind and her heart because he's done it before. He knows what he's doing and he told Paige what she needed to hear in the moment, and I don't think Paige has any fault there," Clara announced.
It then became time for Chris and Paige to sit down with Kevin.
"Is this the first time you have seen each other since Decision Day?" Kevin Frazier asked the pair.
"We did go through some counseling to reconcile and figure things out," Chris revealed.
"I felt like if we can reconcile and make it past this, I felt like getting someone who is a third-party mediator [would] be able to assist us."
While Chris went on to confirm he and Paige never moved in together after Decision Day, Paige clarified the couple had at least considered it.
"Yeah," Paige admitted.
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"That's correct," Paige replied.
Chris then elaborated, "The only reason why we are not together now is because Chris Williams II is immature and I am not deserving of a woman of her caliber at this point in my life."
Seeking clarification, Kevin questioned Chris, "So if you could, would you be with Paige?"
"If circumstances were different," Chris noted, without disclosing what those circumstances might be.
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When asked flat out whether he wants to be with Paige, Chris laughed and said, "I don't think it's fair to have a conversation like that because that's playing mind games, and I don't want to do that."
Paige, for her part, suddenly interjected and spoke up.
"I think a lot of it is being focused on [Chris] and this is also a mutual thing," Paige insisted. "I just don't think that we are meant for each other."
Paige then watched back MAFS footage of Chris telling Pastor Cal that he wasn't attracted to Paige's face and there are many beautiful queens in Atlanta the experts could have matched him with instead.
"[I feel] devastated," Paige said. "No person wants to hear that they're not desired... It definitely broke my spirit."
Kevin said Chris's comments probably made a lot of women out there, especially Black women, upset, and Chris chose to apologize and "repent" to them all for his "inappropriate comments."
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"To see him act as immature and childish as I did, it's disgusting. It was pure arrogance and I'm embarrassed by it," Chris said. "I offended this valuable queen whom I was undeserving of."
Paige admitted she wished she had waited longer to have sex with Chris after their wedding day but didn't want to have a conversation about sex in order to be respectful of herself and her family.
"I don't want to have any more conversations about why my decisions are what they were," Paige announced.
Chris declined to reveal whether he was still in love with his then-pregnant ex-fiancee Mercedes Myrick during filming. Chris said his focus was on Paige at the time but had he known Mercedes was pregnant before his wedding day, he never would have married a stranger.
Chris also refused to answer whether Mercedes still owns the brand new luxury vehicle, a Mercedes Benz, Chris had purchased for her.
Part 1 of the reunion special ended with Kevin forcing a confrontation between Chris and his former friend Pastor Dwight. Chris was angry and felt disrespected that Pastor Dwight had met up with Paige during the experiment behind his back.
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Chris said Dwight owed him the courtesy of a conversation or heads-up prior to meeting up with Paige.
Dwight told Chris that his intentions were to be a spiritual mentor and he loved him and always wanted the best for him, but Chris called that "a bunch of B-S." Chris said he never viewed Dwight as a mentor.
Chris accused Dwight of "tearing Mercedes down" and "diminishing her value" in order to lift up Paige and make her feel better. Chris insisted he wasn't going to be fake and had no intention of "mending anything" with Dwight that day.
"It breaks my spirit because they've known each other way longer than I've known either one of them," Paige noted. "I don't think this should be a divide in y'alls relationship."
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"Chris does not like criticism, and when I corrected Chris..." Dwight began.
Chris then flipped out and called that "bullsh-t" again. Chris said he felt disrespected by Dwight and started yelling at Dwight to stop talking.
Chris said he'd be open to talking to Pastor Cal but he didn't want any mentorship or guidance from Dwight.
Chris cussed out Dwight -- as Kevin begged Chris to stop yelling -- and then stormed out of the studio. Chris yelled at Dwight that he was a "disrespectful ass m-therf-cker."
"We can get it cracking, bro!" Chris yelled. "F-ck you! If you've got an issue, come out to the m-therf-cking parking lot. If you've got a f-cking problem, come to the m-therf-cking parking lot right now!"
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski