Married at First Sight featured Henry Rodriguez accusing Christina of making up lies to try to save face and justify his lack of attraction towards her and the remaining four couples hashing out their issues and trying to bond during a glamping couples' retreat during Wednesday night's Season 11 broadcast on Lifetime.
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The couples starring on this season are Brett Lindsey, a 35-year-old with a career in information technology from Gretna, LA, and Olivia, a 30-year-old nurse from Bossier City, LA; Christina, a 30-year-old flight attendant from Houma, LA, and Henry, a 35-year-old clinical recruiter from Arabi, LA; and Karen Landry, a 30-year-old consultant from New Orleans, LA, and Miles Williams, a 26-year-old who works with youth from Spartanburg, SC.
The other couples are Amani, a 29-year-old non-profit worker who was raised in Chicago, IL, and Woody Randall, a 30-year-old teacher and coach from New Orleans, as well as Amelia Fatsi, a 27-year-old medical resident from Richmond, VA, and Bennett Kirschner, a 28-year-old artistic director from Montvale, NJ.
Brett and Olivia, however, already decided to end their marriage, and so Brett didn't even make an appearance in the latest episode.
Married at First Sight, Season 11 Episode 14
The Married at First Sight broadcast began with 14 days until "Decision Day." The couples were forced to spend almost three months alone together amid the coronavirus pandemic, so the length of the Married at First Sight experiment almost doubled.Karen admitted she was "exhausted" and couldn't give Miles the attention he needed, for example, but Pastor Cal revealed the Louisiana governor had lifted the stay-at-home orders, allowing the couples to venture out and see each other with "Decision Day" looming.
Pastor Cal wanted the couples to lean on each other and seek advice since they were only two weeks away from making the biggest decision of their lives.
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After Olivia and Brett decided to go their separate ways, Amani helped Olivia pack up her apartment. Amani wanted Olivia to feel supported, and Olivia vented about how Brett had taken everything he owned from their apartment -- including their spices and even the salt!
Amani called Brett's behavior "very petty," especially in regards to Brett suddenly moving out without a conversation. (Brett claimed he and Olivia had discussed his decision to move).
Olivia said she was "ready for closure" and texted Brett every now and then. Olivia said Brett once asked her to hang out but told her that it would be okay if she wanted to date.
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"I'm just disappointed Brett didn't really give it a full shot. [Olivia] put her all into this marriage, so it's a little discouraging because even though Woody and I are in a good place, you never know," Amani told the cameras.
Olivia had hoped to find a man with whom she could spend the rest of her life, but the experiment clearly didn't work out for her -- and she noted her vows were "meaningless."
"I 100 percent believe in love and marriage. Unfortunately, Brett wasn't meant for me. But I am hopeful. I am hopeful for the future and that love is there waiting for me," Olivia said.
Meanwhile, Woody paid Henry a visit, and Henry revealed Christina hadn't been around a lot. Christina had accused Henry of sleeping with a man -- who had allegedly texted Christina the information -- and that Henry is gay.
Henry thought Christina might have been reacting to him calling her "dishonest."
"I think this whole situation is one last desperate Hail Mary that would maybe help save face for her, but it's just not true. So that's it," Henry told the cameras.
Henry shared with Woody how his relationship with Christina had been rocky and after he called her dishonest and spoke his mind, Christina finished up their relationship with "a f-cking grand slam" -- after a few drinks.
"She started suggesting things," Henry told Woody. "Things like I was gay."
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Woody called that "crazy" and Henry confirmed it was absolutely not true. Henry said Christina "making up a story like that spoke volumes" in regards to everything he had said.
"Every red flag I saw earlier or any concern that I had early on, it's just kind of the climax of all of it put together. I'm not too surprised," Henry explained.
Christina had previously admitted to Henry she used to be a liar in the most dramatic of ways and "flamboyant" of ways, so Henry was apparently seeing this behavior come to fruition.
Henry anticipated Christina would act fine in front of the group because she had come up with a total lie but he didn't want to get into it with her. Henry admitted his marriage was "spiraling out of control."
With 13 days remaining until "Decision Day," the four remaining couples embarked on a couples' retreat, where they could potentially work on their issues and build a stronger connection.
Karen said she had "mixed feelings" about the couples' retreat because there was a lot of racial injustice going on as well as the coronavirus pandemic.
Karen wished she could take some downtime to herself, but at the same time, she viewed the couples' retreat as an opportunity to "unplug a little bit from the world."
Over at Christina and Henry's apartment, the pair hadn't talked much since the alleged text. Christina didn't know where Henry stood, and she insisted that she never thought Henry was gay.
"He wants me to look like I'm just this lying sh-tty person, and I guess I did bring it up out of anger to get back at him. I should've just said from the get-go, 'Oh, I got this text. What does this mean? It's ridiculous,'" Christina explained.
"But we weren't communicating. Now, I'm just so over the whole thing. I always told myself, 'If you get married, try to make it work.' But I don't know what to do."
Henry thought the gay accusation was Christina's way of confirming to herself that Henry wasn't into her. Henry assumed Christina was trying to justify why they had struggled so much and figured Henry being gay would sum up his lack of attraction to her.
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The pair, however, still attended the couples' retreat in the woods, which turned out to be "glamping" in a series of cabins, and Henry was interested to see what was going to happen.
Heading to the couples' retreat, Karen admitted she was still struggling with physical intimacy with Miles and it didn't help that she was working all the time.
Woody and Bennett said being in lockdown was definitely a learning experience, but they both had grown closer to their wives, Amani and Amelia, respectively.
Bennett said quarantining with Amelia resulted in the pair having some serious, deep conversations about their future, likely referring to how Bennett had agreed to spend half his time in Virginia once Amelia began her medical residency.
Once the group reunited, the group made a big meal together and Henry asked for everyone's thoughts on Olivia and Brett missing out on the couples' retreat. Amani revealed Olivia and Brett didn't see a future for their marriage and so the pair just moved on.
Miles said he had a lot of respect for Olivia, and Christina announced to the group how Brett "wasn't in this for the right reasons" and she had suspected he's a "f-ckboy" and "assh-le" from the beginning.
"I've dated a lot of assh-les, so I saw those red flags," Christina said in tears. "I just hate that she had to go through that. I wish she was here. I want Olivia here.... She is such a good girl."
Woody told the cameras Christina should stick to judging her own self because her relationship was also struggling.
Suddenly, Bennett announced he and Amelia had sex, and everyone erupted in laughter.
Bennett also pointed out all the couples were in "unchartered terrain" in this experiment because they had been together so much longer than couples from past seasons and were more comfortable around each other.
Miles acknowledged he and Karen had been through a lot and really leaned on each other, especially in regards to the killings of African Americans by police enforcement.
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Karen was surprised that Miles had been so open and honest with the group, but she was glad Miles spoke his truth and essentially broke the ice. She gave him credit for speaking his mind.
Christina then announced she was so glad to be on the retreat and "clear some air," which prompted Woody and Henry to look at each other and subtly laugh.
With 12 days remaining until "Decision Day," Bennett attempted to do "the worm" for his wife in his famous mustard-colored nightgown -- and failed.
Over a big breakfast that morning, Christina admitted she probably couldn't and wouldn't move for a man, referencing Bennett's decision to spend a lot of time in Virginia with Amelia.
Henry appeared uncomfortable at the breakfast table, and Amani called Henry out for talking about everyone else's "sh-t" but his own.
Amani asked Henry whether he had grown as an individual through the experiment, and Henry suggested his marriage wasn't going to be a success but he had committed to seeing it through amid a lot of ups and downs.
"I've definitely learned the type of relationship that I would be okay with for long-term, and it would definitely be with someone who definitely wants to be with me," Christina announced.
She added, however, that she still saw "potential" in her marriage to Henry.
Woody suggested Christina and Henry would eventually reach a breaking point and if they stayed together, they would probably lose themselves. Woody wanted the pair to stop talking around the fact their relationship simply wasn't working.
Henry acknowledged differences are "sometimes good" or "combatable" in relationships.
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Karen told Miles that she wanted to continue having genuine conversations so they could build emotional intimacy. Karen admitted their relationship felt a little forced in the beginning.
In turn, Miles said he and Karen had grown a lot as a couple and they could talk to each other and enjoy each other's company.
"But from a physical standpoint, we haven't gotten to where I want to be. We've been married for about three or four months, and still, Karen doesn't hug me or kiss me unsolicited, and that's tough for me," Miles confessed.
Married at First Sight's experts then asked the couples to write letters to their nine-year-old selves, sharing advice on how to avoid struggles and find happiness.
Amelia gushed about how she should take a leap of faith and marry a stranger one day on a reality show, but Bennett advised his past self to keep a Pokemon card that would be worth $20,000 one day since he wouldn't make a lot of money as an adult.
Amelia was upset and disappointed Bennett didn't produce a more romantic letter focused on their relationship, but Bennett said their relationship was great and didn't need to be mentioned.
Christina told her former self to watch out for people she chooses to invest her time in and that people will say and do things out of anger. Christina added that if it doesn't feel right, it isn't right, and she'll be okay.
Henry asked what influenced that letter, and Christina admitted she was "lost" in her twenties and went through a lot of "sh-t." Henry didn't appear sympathetic and told the cameras Christina blamed her past for a lot of things.
"I know things haven't been easy, but that doesn't justify her pattern of dishonesty," Henry told the cameras.
Henry told his former self to take singing and guitar lessons and prepare for a pandemic. He advised himself to focus on good people, trust his own judgment, and maintain realistic expectations to avoid disappointment.
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Christina admitted she was "confused" but recognized Henry has a lot of layers.
Amani and Woody were then shown playing a game of Dominoes. Amani said if she won, she would receive another voucher from the coupon book Woody had given her, and Woody asked for a full-body massage if he won the game.
Amani felt she and Woody had gotten lucky because they were able to smile through their hardships or disagreements. Amani said marriage was easy and all she had to worry about was being a great spouse, which was so much more than she could have asked for.
"What would it take for you to say 'no' on 'Decision Day?'" Woody asked.
"I think you would have had to completely shift your character. Like if I didn't feel I could trust you, I would be done," Amani shared. "The patterns that you have created already have made me feel safe."
Woody asked his wife not to shut down or only give him 50 percent of herself. Woody wanted Amani to feel confident in him and their relationship and give it her all. Woody said he would have said "peace" if he couldn't communicate with his wife.
Later that day, the ladies gathered for a chat, and Christina told the cameras she was a little jealous of the successful Married at First Sight relationships on her season.
Amelia revealed Bennett was making a huge sacrifice to join her in Virginia, and Bennett admitted to the boys he was "feeling pretty good" about the move.
It appears at this point in the experiment, Bennett had changed his mind from splitting his time in New Orleans and Virginia to just moving to Virginia with his wife.
"I don't think the gravity of this shift will really strike me until stuff starts to pick back up [in New Orleans]," Bennett said.
Bennett's big sacrifice made Miles reflect on his own marriage, and Miles said he wouldn't be able to take a leap like that for Karen any time soon.
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Christina admitted she still didn't know Henry completely and needed to be more direct with her husband.
Amani asked Christina if she and Henry were being honest with each other, and Christina replied, "Not all the time. My life is crazy."
As for Henry, he told the guys about Christina's pattern of dishonesty and how she would kind of bend the truth to look right in a certain situation.
"I don't think Henry is wrong for me, but he is just very how he is. When he opens up to me, it's fun," Christina explained to the girls.
"It's those glimpses throughout where I'm like, 'I don't know. Maybe something will happen.' So it's been rocky, but I think we're at a better place, which makes me happy."
Amani didn't think Henry and Christina were being honest with each other, and Bennett also pointed out that Henry was making conflicting and "contradictory" statements about his marriage.
Bennett then asked Miles how he felt about potentially spending the rest of his life with Karen. Miles said Karen is "great" and he understood why the experts had matched them for their similarities and differences.
Miles said Karen is the type of girl he'd like to spend his life with but the circumstances of their relationship had been "difficult." Miles said they became friends and had a mutual respect for each other but they still had some figuring out to do.
"Do I know right now for a fact, like, 'Oh, I'm going to spend the rest of my life with Karen?' No, I don't know that," Miles explained to the guys.
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The couple's life together was going to change, especially since Amelia would be working full-time. Bennett thought having a few hours away from Amelia every day would improve their relationship, but he predicted their would be obstacles as well.
Miles and Woody then got some time alone, and Miles revealed he had lost almost 20 pounds during the pandemic.
Miles shared how he had taken sex off the table in his marriage in order to work on everything else. Miles said that wasn't easy because his wife is beautiful but he needed to respect her and her wishes.
Miles said he's a person who likes affection and he and Karen at least laughed, flirted and kissed occasionally. The issue, however, was that Karen allegedly didn't initiate the intimacy.
"To the naked eye, it looks like they're doing good, but to the core, I don't think they're doing good at all," Woody told the cameras of Miles and Karen's relationship.
"Just knowing Miles, I think he needs more than he thinks he needs, and I think it's an absolute disservice to both of you at this point to not experience the best intimacy that you could possibly have with your wife or your husband. You were marrying a stranger -- do the process!"
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Miles said Karen needed to see all sides of him and trust him before feeling comfortable enough to have sex, but Miles was convinced that wasn't going to happen before "Decision Day."
"I don't know what I'm going to do," Miles told his best friend.
That night, the four couples played a game called "Stranger Spouse" with Bennett and Amelia initially serving as hosts. Each of the four couples were asked a series of questions -- from deeply personal to totally absurd -- and the goal was for a pair of spouses to provide the same answer.
The couples were asked to reveal the funnier spouse, the spouse more likely to get into legal trouble, the tidier spouse, whether their partner crumples or folds his or her toilet paper, and much more.
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Amani told her husband that night she was actually happy coronavirus happened because it gave Karen and Miles time to build on their relationship.
The episode ended with Amani determining the small things don't matter in relationships and Bennett singing his wife a lullaby about a bee with one wing.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski