Married at First Sight featured Kirsten Grimes feeling ignored and disconnected from Shaquille Dillon, Gina Micheletti slamming Clint Webb, Airris Williams sensing "a sexual shift" with Jasmine Secrest, and Mackinley Gilbert expressing romantic interest in Gina behind his pal Clint's back during the Season 16 episode that aired Wednesday night on Lifetime.

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The remaining four Nashville-based couples on Married at First Sight for Season 16 are Airris and Jasmine, Kirsten and Shaquille, Gina and Clint, and Nicole Lilienthal and Chris Thielk.

Mackinley and his match, Domynique Kloss, decided to get a divorce on Day 12 of the process and were not featured in the latest episode.

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Married at First Sight experts Pastor Calvin Roberson and Dr. Pepper Schwartz matched the five couples for matrimony in Tennessee.

The show features strangers meeting at the wedding altar and then spending the next eight weeks embarking on a honeymoon, 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 16 couples will reach "Decision Day" and have to decide whether to remain married or decide to end their marriages and divorce.

According to Pastor Cal, this is the "most intense season of Married at First Sight yet."

The Married at First Sight broadcast began with only six days to go until Decision Day. The couples were returning home to their Nashville apartments from their fun retreat weekend in Gatlinburg, TN.

Chris thought Airris and Jasmine or Shaquille and Kirsten had made the biggest strides in their relationships, and Nicole pointed out how they kept having little growth moments as well, which was huge for them.

But Nicole admitted Chris had seen her competitive side in which she can be a sore loser, but he showed her that she can do any activity with him and he'll make it enjoyable for her.

Chris then asked if they could drop their "pineapple" safe word, which Chris was supposed to say when Nicole was acting intimidating or coming across too strong. He said it wasn't necessary because he never had to "pineapple" her and hold her back, and Nicole was thrilled that Chris loved her on her good and bad days.

Meanwhile, Airris thanked Jasmine for making the Couples' Retreat smooth, fun and lit. Airris thought the weekend was a reset for all the couples, and he told Jasmine that she had shown improvements and he wanted her to continue speaking her mind and opening up.

In turn, Jasmine asked Airris to create a safe space for her to talk and confide in him, and she hoped their intimacy could increase. Airris therefore asked Jasmine not to be shy about grabbing his hand or hugging him whenever she wanted to.

As for Gina and Clint, with five days to go until Decision Day, their relationship was growing, but Clint joked about how his real connection was with Gina's dog Hank. He said they had a real bromance brewing and he thought Hank loved him more.

Kirsten was then shown meeting up with her brother William. Kirsten shared how her romance was up and down and she didn't think Shaquille was having enough "intentional conversation" with her.

"I still don't feel 100 percent emotionally connected to him, and then sometimes I also don't feel like the physical connection is there as well," Kirsten explained.

"I don't feel like we're being affectionate enough towards each other. I don't. I don't feel like he's trying to win me over. I don't feel like he's that interested in being in this marriage with me. It just feels like we're disconnected and it just feels like we're living with each other and existing with each other."

Kirsten thought Shaquille was trying to juggle so many things at once -- including his career and school -- that he was having trouble focusing on their relationship and finding a balance.

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Kirsten, however, acknowledged how she could take more initiative to welcome Shaquille into her family and make him feel accepted. Kirsten's brother agreed and said he'd be happy to stop by their apartment, along with Kirsten's parents.

But William warned Kirsten to make sure Shaquille is The One before introducing him to her father. William called their dad "the judge."

Kirsten said she wanted to feel more confident in her marriage with Shaquille and she was always one foot in the door and one foot out.

Chris then chatted with his brother Brandon, a life coach, while they looked at vintage cars together. Chris said he felt "really good" about Nicole, even though she has "an intense personality," but they balanced each other out and he was able to calm her and put her at ease.

When asked if Nicole could've been doing anything better, Chris shared how his wife was very self-critical -- especially about her body and looks -- and he didn't think she needed to be that way. Chris said he constantly had to remind Nicole that she's beautiful.

"Can I see myself with this woman for the rest of my life?" Chris questioned. "What is life after this process going to look like? Will the happiness in this process last?"

Chris said it would be heartbreaking if things didn't work out with Nicole because they had put so much effort and energy into the process.

Meanwhile, Clint was shown working out at the gym with Mackinley.

Clint said there was still potential with Gina, but Mackinley pointed out how they simply weren't attracted to each other. Mackinley then seemed to pitch to the cameras why he'd be a better match for Gina. He explained how he and Gina are both hardworking entrepreneurs who aren't big partiers.

"I'm pretty sure she found me attractive and I clearly think she's attractive, so yeah, I wish maybe me and Gina would've been matched over me and Dom. If she wasn't married, maybe we'd go on a date. Who knows," Mackinley said in a confessional.

Mackinley told Clint that he was dating around and still looking for love. He wasn't holding back, and Clint advised him not to deprive himself of an opportunity to potentially meet the right person. Mackinley hoped he'd eventually find The One, and Clint said he was going to be just fine.

Meanwhile, Shaquille Zoom chatted with his friend Sherman, and he shared how he was feeling a six or seven on a scale from 1-10 mentally because he was trying to be his best and most authentic self in many areas of his life.

Shaquille also wasn't sure where he and Kirsten stood in their marriage. Shaquille said they were "trying to vibe," and while they were growing, he wasn't sure they were growing together.

Shaquille was waiting to connect and be on the same page, but Sherman advised him to be patient. On that note, Shaquille complained about how he hadn't met his father yet, which was a big problem for him.

Shaquille wanted to know if Kirsten could see him being around her family, without her around, and he wanted to feel included in her life -- especially if they were going to have kids together.

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Jasmine and Gina then took a pole-dancing class together with an instructor named Cherry. Jasmine said the women wanted to get their "sexy back" since their husbands still weren't attracted to them. They wanted to feel beautiful and comfortable in their own skin.

At the end of the class, Airris showed up to watch, and his eyes seemed to light up at the sight of Jasmine dancing and pulling off some twerking. Airris joked about how they should put a pole in their house, and Jasmine giggled and seemed to like the attention from her husband.

That night, Kirsten and Shaquille made breakfast for dinner, and Kirsten said she was going to invite her family over their apartment. Shaquille asked what had suddenly changed, considering he had been waiting to spend time with her relatives, and Kirsten said her family was extremely busy and their schedules hadn't been lining up.

"Your scheduling hasn't been lining up for two months now?" Shaquille asked with skepticism.

"Yeah, it has," Kirsten clapped back.

Shaquille thought it was "weird" it had taken so long for them to want to come over their apartment, and he wondered if Kirsten had a lack of communication with her family. He wondered if Kirsten's parents and brother really supported Kirsten, and he also wanted to feel important to Kirsten's loved ones on a personal level.

Kirsten then opened up to Shaquille about how she wanted him to make her feel like he liked her. She was missing a spark and affection from Shaquille.

"When you come home, I don't feel like you're happy to be here. Sometimes you don't talk," Kirsten claimed, adding how they were just existing with each other and not talking or touching.

Footage from their apartment's camera then showed Shaquille walking in the door and giving Kirsten one-word answers. He was shown walking right by her or sitting next to her on the couch and starting at his phone.

"It's like why are we here. Do we like each other? What's going on?!" Kirsten vented.

Shaquille said he didn't know Kirsten felt like that, and she kindly noted how they could work on it.

The MAFS experts then sent Jasmine and Airris a package of items -- including a feather and a mask -- to help their intimacy grow. Airris gave Jasmine a nice foot massage, and she rubbed his back.

Airris also asked Jasmine to slap him across the face in a sexy manner, and after a couple failed attempts, she managed to pull it off and slightly turn Airris on. Airris didn't know what "married sex" was like, but he said he was looking forward to it with Jasmine.

"I do feel like there's a sexual, intimate energy shift slowly starting, so who knows what will happen?!" Airris told the cameras.

With four days to go until Decision Day, Nicole reached out to her father and advised his daughter to stick with the marriage because Chris seemed like a well-rounded man. He guided his daughter into saying "yes" or "no" with a full heart, saying that 99 percent committed is 100 percent uncommitted.

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Meanwhile, Gina took Clint to a salon so her friend Marlon could give her husband a haircut. Clint had been cutting his own hair for eight years, and he ended up liking his shorter haircut, which also felt a lot lighter to him.

"He's got some swag, he's looking good," Gina admitted. "I don't know if we're at the point of that leading on to anything, but you know, honestly, that might be what I've been missing this entire marriage. I don't know."

After Shaquille and Kirsten were shown going to church together, being intentional about their faith, and bonding over their religion, Kirsten pointed out how they could rely on God but they also needed to put effort into their marriage.

That night, Jasmine and Airris visited with a medium, who read some tarot cards and gave the couple a spiritual reading. The medium told Airris that he's confident and makes a statement but he was still figuring out who he is. She told Jasmine that she questioned herself too much and carried a lot of fear on herself.

The medium thought Airris and Jasmine made a great couple, but she said Jasmine needed to be patient with Airris because, although he had a lot of growing up to do, he's a man of his word with a good heart.

The medium also claimed Airris' great grandmother, who was deceased, really liked Jasmine, who is an old soul. The medium said Jasmine was actually the first woman in Airris' life whom she liked.

Kirsten and Shaquille were then shown having Kirsten's mother over their apartment.

Kirsten said her brother needed to work, and Shaquille once again thought it was "weird" that only one person showed up to the family gathering. Shaquille confessed to Kirsten's mom that he wasn't being his best self and had put a guard up, right when Kirsten had let her walls down with him.

"Did I use the bricks she was taking down to build up my wall?" Shaquille questioned aloud, adding how it felt like his communication with Kirsten was never enough.

Kirsten said she just wanted Shaquille to be happy once he got home and saw her, but Kirsten's mother gave them some words of wisdom.

Kirsten's mother asked them to take their expectations down because when a person gets caught up in those, they're not really living and falling in love in the moment. She told the couple to relax, breathe and live -- not expect.

That evening, Pastor Cal and Dr. Pepper paid Gina and Clint a visit, hoping to get them back on track before Decision Day. Clint and Gina admitted they never watched the movies that Dr. Pepper had asked them to watch, and she was noticeably disappointed.

Dr. Pepper was hoping to bring out emotion in the couple, and Clint said they wanted to tap into a part of their relationship they hadn't yet.

But Gina admitted her feelings hadn't progressed "past a friendship" for Clint yet, although the couple was doing everything they were supposed to be doing.

When asked why there were kisses and flirtation at the wedding and never again, Clint and Gina confessed that they had behaved a certain way to please their wedding guests and it was a bit of an out-of-body experience.

Gina attempted to explain that she and Clint weren't very compatible, but Clint pointed out how he could see why they were matched.

"We're both very business oriented, successful and driven people... We have a ton of commonality, no doubt. That's not the problem... We don't have that yearn to get romantic with each other," Clint explained.

Gina agreed and elaborated how the physical attraction wasn't there from the very beginning and their personalities were a bit of a mismatch.

Gina said Clint's personality is outrageous, fun and he's the life of the party.

"Everyone is consistently laughing and he brings this energy that's, in a sense, a bizarre energy that I've grown to love about him. At first I was like, 'Umm.' It's a crass sense of humor, almost a feeling of secondhand embarrassment," Gina explained.

Gina acknowledged that sounded "terrible" to say but she's simply not attracted to that type of personality.

Gina also said there was never a time when she "really felt like a wife" through the whole process. Gina admitted she had been waiting to see initiative from Clint and seeing him go the extra mile for her.

"But if he had..." Pastor Cal began.

"I don't know. I've questioned it," Gina confessed, adding how she wanted to see the act of Clint pursuing her. "I never felt the act of being pursued whatsoever."

Clint said he tried to do thoughtful things for Gina, such as making her dinner, but he owned up to not doing as much as he could have. Gina, however, claimed a lot of the cooking was for Clint because he enjoyed doing it. Gina didn't think making food was a gesture "for" her.

Gina wasn't sure what Clint could have done differently, but she said he never had much intentionality.

Clint was shocked. While he took accountability for not acting like a husband in its full capacity, he accused Gina of sidelining him "out of nowhere." They were at the end of the process, and Clint felt Gina was suddenly bashing him for being weird and crazy.

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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