'Married at First Sight' recap: Mackinley slides into Gina's DMs and Clint feels "blindsided" as spouses reflect before Decision Day

Married at First Sight featured the remaining four couples weighing the pros and cons of possibly saying "yes" on Decision Day, Mackinley Gilbert admitting he slid into Gina Micheletti's DMs, and Clint feeling "blindsided" by Gina's "unwarranted" attack on his character during the Season 16 episode that aired Wednesday night on Lifetime.


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

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.

The Married at First Sight broadcast began with three days to go until Decision Day.

The morning after Clint and Gina's meeting with Pastor Cal and Dr. Pepper, Clint said he was "blindsided" and "caught completely off-guard" by some of Gina's comments, including how she thought he has an odd and strange energy.

Clint was trying to figure out what that meant, and he was wondering why some of these things hadn't been vocalized or expressed to him earlier in the process.


"This feels bad. It doesn't feel good. I'm still processing some of this. It just doesn't make sense," Clint explained in a Diary Cam.

Airris and Mackinley were then shown taking a boxing class together, and Mackinley asked Airris how the intimacy was going in his marriage to Jasmine. Airris shared how Dr. Pepper had redefined the word "intimacy" for him and given him a new perspective -- that it's not just about sex.

Airris said there had been improvements, which gave him a little hope, and he envisioned a world in which he could say "yes" on Decision Day and be happy. Airris said if the pressure and stress of sex was eliminated from their relationship, maybe they could learn and grow together.

Airris then confronted Mackinley about some rumors he had heard, about Mackinley allegedly sliding into someone's DMs.

"I slid in Gina's DMs," Mackinley confirmed.


But Mackinley explained his reason for doing so probably wasn't what Airris thought it was.

"She has some celebrity friend that I follow. She's super sexy," Mackinley said.

"And so I was like, 'Hey that's crazy. How do you know her?' And she was like, 'Oh, we're friends.' And so I hit her up about her friend I have no chance with because she's some super famous singer. But no, that's what it was."

Mackinley, however, admitted he thought Gina was good looking and that they got along and are like-minded individuals.

"Would I go on a date with Gina? I probably would," Mackinley told Airris, "not that I'm looking to date Gina -- but I think she's a good looking girl and I'd probably go out with her, maybe if the circumstances were different."


Mackinley told the cameras that if Gina and Clint got divorced, he'd probably initiate something with Gina and ask her out because "you never know" what could happen.

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Meanwhile, Kirsten and Shaquille met with a singer and songwriter named Caitlin. The couple shared details about their relationship in order to help the singer create lyrics so they could take home a personalized song about their life together.

It was a romantic and sentimental moment for Kirsten and Shaquille that reminded Kirsten of the good times they had spent together. Kirsten hoped this would help Shaquille realize how much they had been through and accomplished together.

Kirsten then explained to Shaquille how she'd bring him around her family more after Decision Day because her father didn't want to film for the show. Shaquille admitted he wanted to feel "secure" in their marriage, explaining, "And at times, I don't really know if I do."


"It's up to you to believe me," Kirsten noted.

Afterward, Clint and Gina were shown driving to a ranch to go horseback riding. Clint was still upset about Gina's "unwarranted" complaint about his personality, which he thought was a bit of a character attack. Clint, however, planned to rise above it and enjoy the day.

Gina told the cameras she was well aware she had given Clint a "harsh" review, but she thought it would be constructive criticism since he had some maturing and growing up to do.

Clint also planned a picnic for the couple, complete with a plaid blanket and a bottle of wine.

Clint admitted to Gina he was taken aback by some of the things she had said, but Gina stood her ground and repeated how he's "bizarre" and "outrageous."

"You are!" she insisted.


But Clint pointed out how her criticism was out of left field since she had never said anything like that before.

Gina explained how Clint's partying and drunken behavior wasn't all bad and it sucked to point things out but she was just trying to process through her feelings and determine why they still lacked chemistry and a physical attraction. Clint then agreed he can be an "eccentric" person.

Clint and Gina agreed they had gone through the process, and all of its peaks and valleys, as a team. Gina thought they covered what typical couples do in six months to a year in a short two-month period.

Gina said she planned to reflect on what she truly needs in a marriage and wants after her experience with Clint, suggesting that she was going to say "no" on Decision Day.

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Meanwhile, Nicole surprised Chris with a rooftop dinner outdoors where a chef was going to prepare them a fully curated meal.


Nicole gushed about how she could be herself with Chris but didn't want to get lost in that comfortability. Nicole never wanted to end up in the friend zone with Chris if they were to both say "yes" on Decision Day, and Chris said he wanted their communication to remain consistent.

"If we went months without living with each other, you could potentially pull back in the relationship and not be as close," Chris explained.

"I want us to live together; there's no secret to that. If we can't make that decision yet, is it because we don't feel like we're ready to live together yet?" Nicole questioned.

"And if we're not... is it because we don't feel confident in our relationship?" she continued. "I'm getting very much in my head... It's very important we figure out the living situation. I don't like things looming."

Chris said he wanted to wait to have that conversation after Decision Day, and Nicole didn't fight it. She just hoped they were going to make the right decision for their future, and not just because of how they're feeling in the moment.

Airris and Jasmine then sat down for a conversation with Dr. Pepper and Pastor Cal.


Airris shared how he and Jasmine had made progress in terms of holding hands and hugging, even if the physicality in their relationship wasn't as far along as they or the experts would have liked.

Airris explained how Jasmine helped his social anxiety and made him feel more comfortable in a group setting, and Jasmine said it made her feel good to know she was having a positive impact on Airris and changing him for the better.

"It might be little, but there are a whole lot of little things that add [up]," Airris said.

Pastor Cal said Jasmine and Airris were experiencing intimacy in a different form and he wanted them to realize that. Airris agreed and added, "What we have is good... Maybe that spark we're looking for could potentially happen."

Airris then told Jasmine that he loved how she's strong, open, and a good listener, and Jasmine thanked Airris for pushing her to be more open and vulnerable in their marriage.

Jasmine announced there was a possibility of her relationship working after Decision Day as long as they were both willing to put in the work.


"But some days I feel like he's in and some days I feel like he's out... I don't want to just do it just to do it; I want to do it and feel like there's a change," Jasmine clarified of her expectations.

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Pastor Cal mentioned how Jasmine and Airris probably wouldn't know if their efforts were working unless they agreed to keep trying outside of the extreme experiment and cameras.

With only two days to go until Decision Day, Pastor Cal and Dr. Pepper met with Kirsten and Shaquille for a chat about their relationship.

Shaquille explained how he and Kirsten grew apart and then grew together. He said they often had miscommunication and sometimes felt like they weren't sailing in the same boat.

But Kirsten acknowledged how she and Shaquille had learned to be accountable for each other. Shaquille also apparently met Kirsten's father off-camera and her dad liked him and couldn't wait to hang out with him again.


"Why couldn't this happen a few weeks ago? I'd feel amazing," Shaquille lamented. "I want to be connected to Kirsten's dad and the people who love her and support her."

Dr. Pepper thought the pair was making great strides, and Pastor Cal pointed out how they had the elements to become a power couple and create something beautiful.

Meanwhile, Airris and Jasmine went kayaking together, which was a first for the both of them. They enjoyed having fun and being in the moment, and during times like these, Jasmine thought Airris was really trying to make the marriage work.

The couple then enjoyed wine after their kayaking trip, and Jasmine confessed Airris that she was going "back and forth" on whether to say "yes" on Decision Day. Airris said he felt pretty comfortable with where he was at, suggesting that he already had his mind made up about what to say.

Airris could tell Jasmine was coming out of his shell, and he thought that was a good thing.

Jasmine believed she had given 1,000 percent to the process, and so she noted how she'd have no regrets no matter what. Jasmine told the cameras that she'd "need way more" work from Airris and that he'd have to be way more intentional in order for their relationship to last.


Afterward, the MAFS grooms got together for drinks, and the ladies of the show also gathered together.

Clint described Gina's complaints about him to the experts, including how she believed he hadn't taken a dominant husband role in the marriage, and Gina told the women how she never intended to put Clint down or give him a complex.

"It's nothing anything you're doing wrong," Gina explained to the girls about Clint. "You're charismatic and crazy, but to me, it's not something that's a turn-on."

Clint then told Chris that he was waiting for Chris and Nicole to have their first argument, to see how they'd handle it and come out of the other end. Nicole gushed about how Chris is the nicest man in the world but she didn't want him to lose himself in order to make her happy.

Nicole also didn't want Chris to say "yes" to being married just because he was afraid to hurt her.

Kirsten told the women how she and Shaquille just needed to relax and let things be, without having too many expectations of each other and getting overwhelmed. Nicole said she thought those two have something special and they just needed to brush off some of "the bullsh-t."


Shaquille said Kirsten's father was great and could be a great father figure for him, but he admitted he and his wife weren't having a lot of fun together.

When Clint asked Shaquille if he could see himself being single again, Shaquille responded, "I don't know if I want to see myself single again... I definitely enjoy [being married], like going to sleep next to someone and waking up next to someone."

Airris was asked the same question, and he replied, "Yes and no."

However, Airris claimed he was over the temporary satisfaction of dating, and he admitted that he missed Jasmine when he traveled away from her. Airris was also impressed Jasmine had created a peaceful environment at home during these stressful times, especially considering he wasn't attracted to her.

"I was leaning one way, but [the experts] definitely gave me some things to think about," Airris shared.

Jasmine told the women how her dynamic with Airris was improving but she needed to see more effort from him. Jasmine pointed out how she had good moments with Airris that could last forever but she was going to choose what's best for her and what she wants on Decision Day.


Gina said Jasmine's newfound confidence was "inspiring," and Jasmine felt proud of herself.

While the women were out and about at a bar, a group of men approached them. Nicole said she was very respectful of her boundaries, and Kirsten totally shot a man down.

"What are you focused on?" a bachelor asked Kirsten.

"On my husband," Kirsten hilariously replied.

Kirsten laughed and told the cameras that she was over the dating scene and didn't want to re-enter it.

But Jasmine admittedly liked the attention of one man in particular, a man who also bred dogs and found things in common with the beauty queen. She said she wasn't going to think about any offers from anyone since she's a married woman, but she giggled and flirted a bit.


The episode ended with each couple spending their last night together before Decision Day.

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski