Married at First Sight featured Morgan and Binh separating and Nate Barnes accusing Morgan of being hostile, Krysten no longer walking on eggshells around Mitch, Dr. Pepper Schwartz criticizing Stacia Karcher's demands of Nate, and Miguel Santiago and Lindy Elloway professing their love for each other during the Season 15 episode that aired Wednesday night on Lifetime.
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The five grooms starring on the new MAFS edition are Miguel, a 35-year-old associate medical director; Mitch, a 41-year-old environmental policy advocate; Justin, a 33-year-old digital marketing specialist; Nate, a 34-year-old day trader; and Binh, a 29-year-old engineer.
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Married at First Sight experts Pepper and Pastor Calvin Roberson matched Lindy and Miguel, Krysten and Mitch, Alexis and Justin, Stacia and Nate, and Morgan and Binh.
After meeting at the altar, the couples spend a total of eight weeks together, from the wedding and honeymoon to 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 five Season 15 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 24 days to go until "Decision Day."
Justin said he was just trying to be there for his wife and it backfired. Alyssa met him outside of the restaurant and said, "I don't get how we got here, in that quick of a moment of me just not having anything to say."
Justin said Alexis' body language made it seem like she had shut down at the group dinner and so he was worried. Justin said it threw him for a loop because she's usually outgoing and bubbly with their fellow cast members.
Justin figured Alexis just didn't want to call him out on something, but Alexis told him to flat out ask her if he thinks she's feeling isolated or alone. Alexis said it seemed like Justin wanted her to gush about his progress rather than having real concern for her.
The couple therefore agreed to drop the subject and have a truce.
After the couples' one-month anniversary, Morgan got together with the other MAFS brides and discussed how she felt Binh had lied to her and was going behind her back.
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Meanwhile, Binh admitted to the guys how he had been confiding in Justin and lying to Morgan about it. Binh said it was hard to talk to Morgan in an argument because couldn't get a word in since Morgan is such a strong personality and when he got frustrated, he'd say the wrong thing.
"She's not forgiving and so I try to watch what I say, which is almost worse because then I hold it in and it becomes a ticking time bomb," Binh admitted.
Mitch thought it was normal for him to want to talk to his friends after marrying a stranger, and he thought it was Morgan's problem. Justin also thought Morgan wasn't ready to be married and be a wife. He thought Morgan was making things "all about her."
Morgan, however, thought Binh was constantly making the relationship about him because he was always trying to "save face" and validate himself with other people instead of with her. Morgan didn't think she knew the real Binh, and Lindy told the cameras Binh was still trying to figure himself out and so he wasn't ready to be married.
"So, we're separated," Morgan told the women. "I moved out... [and] he's not doing anything. It's been radio silence."
Mitch thought Morgan needed to give Binh some grace, but Morgan planned to be defensive when meeting with an expert to talk about the situation. Krysten could tell that Morgan was tired and she needed some help.
Miguel could tell Binh really wanted his marriage to work, and then the women crashed the men's party.
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Morgan complained about how there was a lack of accountability on Binh's part, and Binh acknowledged that was true.
But Nate accused Morgan of being hostile and "hella pissed off all the time." Nate said it seemed like everything Binh did was wrong, and he told the cameras how it seemed like Morgan is never satisfied. He hoped Binh would stand his ground and not let Morgan steamroll him.
"He did not have my back at all, and that's when the betrayal comes in," Morgan explained to the group.
Binh said he had told the experts he could easily handle a strong personality and someone who's not in his culture, but he was finding out it wasn't easy -- and not all sunshine and rainbows.
"How can I make someone happy if I'm not happy myself?" Binh questioned. "I'm just trying to slay my demons."
Binh said he understood Morgan's perspective but he was trying and wouldn't stop trying.
With 22 days to go until Decision Day, Dr. Pepper met with each couple.
Morgan still wanted her marriage to work out but she didn't think Binh understood the damage he had caused. Dr. Pepper asked the couple to show each other compassion and forgiveness.
Binh admitted he had been judgemental and insensitive, adding how he talked to Justin because he was afraid to confront Morgan about their issues. He thought it was stressful and intimidating to open up to Morgan, who confessed how she probably hadn't given Binh a safe place to open up to her and come to her.
Morgan said she chose to forgive Binh after the first betrayal about her nursing career and tried to break down her walls -- only for him to hurt her again.
Pepper then met with Nate and Stacia, who shared how Nate was slower to open up and be vulnerable when she was very easily able to express herself fully.
"You didn't marry you," Dr. Pepper told Stacia. "You are fully entitled to want that... but I think if you ask a man to give in the same way and the same style that you require, you're going to be disappointed."
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Pepper also said during conflict, the couple should promise each other that they wouldn't be going anywhere, and the expert also asked them to hold hands when having a tough discussion to modify how they talk and remember they're a team.
Nate and Stacia confirmed they had consummated their marriage, and Stacia said it made her feel more secure in the relationship.
Krysten and Mitch were up next, and Krysten explained how she had tried so hard to please Mitch in the first month of their marriage that she lost herself and her own needs in the process.
"I am just done with walking on eggshells," Krysten declared in tears.
Pepper didn't think that was good for the marriage or for Krysten and Mitch as individuals, and Krysten asked her husband if he still felt the way he did on Day 2 of the honeymoon, when he wasn't physically attracted to her.
"Do you still wish that you got a different wife?" Krysten asked, adding how she wanted to hear that Mitch could love her.
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Pepper pointed out how Mitch didn't respond well to demands, but Mitch expressed how he admired his wife and was grateful for her effort and courageous approach to the process.
Mitch said he was protecting himself because he was afraid, and Pepper said Mitch tended to be critical and self-righteous when threatened. She asked Mitch to work on that, and Krysten said she wanted to feel more validated in her marriage.
Mitch wanted to try to love Krysten in the way that she needed, and Pepper assured the couple that the spark would be there if they both accomplished that.
Pepper then met with Alexis and Justin, and the couple shared how Maya, after her two-week training camp, still had aggressive tendencies and the instinct to attack.
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Alexis said she didn't want to hurt anymore and so she chose to forgive Justin and they had a fresh start.
Justin said he could tell that while Alexis came across as an alpha and dominant woman, she's a sensitive soul -- and he needed to remember that.
Alexis explained that she never saw her mother cry in her life and she felt the need to always be a strong Black woman; however, she noted how she was working on being more vulnerable. Alexis was trying to unlearn that tears mean weakness.
"Vulnerability to me is danger. If I show you everything, then you have power over me," Alexis explained.
"There's no way to be in a marriage without being vulnerable," Pepper said. "Letting people experience things you're unperfect in shouldn't scare you... It's our vulnerability that makes us strong."
With 21 days to go until Decision Day, each pair of spouses showed off their childhood neighborhoods and homes. Each spouse also wrote a letter to his or her younger self and read it aloud. It gave the cast members more insight into their partners, their past and why they did things a certain way.
Mitch played softball with Krysten because she grew up playing sports, and Krysten explained how she felt the need to be a perfectionist -- in and outside of relationships -- because her strict parents preached a "no-room-for-error mentality" when she was growing up.
Krysten said there was a lot of pressure on her to never strike out in a game and to achieve excellent grades, but Mitch grew up with "a large margin for error" in his household with very little structure.
The pair realized their upbringings played a big role in their faults and strengths in the marriage and also helped to explain why they're so different.
Pepper then met with Miguel and Lindy, whose relationship was going very well. Lindy said she was working on how to be less defensive, especially in the kitchen because she didn't consider herself to be a great cook. Lindy just didn't want to feel controlled since she had grown up in a controlling household.
The couple had yet to say, "I love you," to each other, but Miguel explained how he wanted to feel it 100 percent before saying it in order to not do Lindy a disservice. Miguel said he's a true romantic at heart and was looking forward to the day of expressing love to his wife.
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After Justin and Alexis flew a kite together in the park, Mitch took a trip down memory lane with Krysten by letting her look through some of his old family photos.
Mitch's father died in January 2014, and he wished his father could've met Krysten and was proud of the decisions Mitch had made.
Mitch explained how he became rebellious after his parents got a divorce and his father left, and he was apparently a trouble-making kid who didn't have discipline and failed some of his classes.
"I feel like I would have been more patient [had I known]. I feel like [Mitch's story] created a soft spot that wasn't there before," Krysten noted.
Stacia and Nate then discussed how they felt different growing up because they're multiracial, and Stacia said she felt like an outcast in school and really wanted to be popular. Nate was able to go deep with his wife, and Stacia really appreciated the intimate communication.
"I've been waiting for this moment, and I'm just really excited for what the future holds for us," Stacia gushed.
With 20 days to go until Decision Day, Miguel and Lindy were shown taking a swing-dance class together. Lindy apparently felt free when she danced because she wasn't allowed to when she was younger, and her wedding dance with Miguel was her first formal dance.
Miguel liked the fact Lindy wasn't letting her past control her, and he seemed impressed with Lindy's ability to follow her own course and try new things in life.
Later on, Stacia got to spend some time with Nate's father, and she commended him on being a single father and raising a good man. The conversation got emotional, with Nate's father tearing up, and Stacia was also brought to tears.
Nate had learned that crying is a weakness, and so Stacia praised Nate for processing his emotions and expressing them to her now. Nate's father also validated why Nate had started their marriage out guarded and quiet.
After Binh read his letter to his younger self out loud, Morgan said she didn't feel comfortable giving her husband anything "personal or deep" anymore because she was afraid he would judge her or share the private information with others.
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Afterward, Alexis shared her love of basketball with Justin, and she explained how she came from a family of hyper-independent women but wanted to be soft and strong at the same time.
Miguel then shared some of his Puerto Rican culture and history with Lindy. He said when he grew up in New York, he was picked on for looking Puerto Rican -- and then when he moved to Puerto Rico, he was picked on for not speaking Spanish.
Miguel apparently never felt like he fit in, and he was used to expecting the worse in situations, which Lindy found scary and a bit worrisome.
After Miguel read his letter, he said to Lindy, "I love you."
"I love you too," Lindy replied.
Lindy said she felt "elated" to hear those three words, and Miguel expressed how it felt organic and natural to love Lindy. He said it was "possibly the easiest thing" he's ever done in a relationship.
Miguel and Lindy looked forward to starting a family with each other one day.
Meanwhile, Stacia and Nate bonded over their past of being hustlers. Nate learned that Stacia once sold purses to make money, and he was proud they'd be a power couple together in life. Nate also got to meet the father figure in Stacia's life who had been a role model and protector.
The episode concluded with Mitch reading his letter to Krysten, and she got emotional when hearing Mitch say he didn't feel safe expressing his fear to anyone and felt somewhat alone in his childhood. Mitch showed a very soft and vulnerable side of himself, and Krysten was able to let go of anger she had been harboring against him.
"I'm so happy," Krysten gushed.
Mitch explained his anger and the chip on his shoulder stemmed from sadness and fear, and Krysten called her marriage "incredible." She just hoped things would continue in this positive direction.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski