'Married at First Sight' recap: Nate threatens to give up on Stacia marriage, Morgan accuses Binh of spreading lies, Krysten scolds Mitch for gaslighting, and Justin and Alexis fight in circles

Married at First Sight featured Nate Barnes admitting he only felt a four for Stacia Karcher on a love scale from 1-10 and was on the verge of giving up, Morgan claiming Binh was spreading lies about her, Krysten accusing Mitch of gaslighting her, and Justin and Alexis struggling to communicate during the Season 15 episode that aired Wednesday night on Lifetime.


The five brides from San Diego who were selected to wed on Season 15 of Married at First Sight were Lindy Elloway, a 29-year-old doctor of physical therapy; Krysten, a 32-year-old sales representative; Alexis, a 29-year-old logistics specialist; Stacia, a 37-year-old accountant; and Morgan, a 27-year-old registered nurse.

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The five grooms starring on the new MAFS edition are Miguel Santiago, 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.

Married at First Sight experts Pastor Calvin Roberson and Dr. Pepper Schwartz matched Lindy and Miguel, Krysten and Mitch, Alexis and Justin, Stacia and Nate, and Morgan and Binh.


After meeting at the altar, the show will feature pairs of strangers 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 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 on Day 20 of marriage with Morgan and Binh weightlifting together at 7AM.

Mitch and Krysten were taking Krysten's dog Luna for a walk, Alexis and Justin were doing face masks together, Nate tried on a new striped shirt Stacia had bought him, and Miguel was cooking Lindy an omelette. "Decision Day" was almost five weeks away.

Morgan and Binh tried to move on from the past by going on an official first date in which they dressed in mermaid tails and went swimming in a pool. This was a test for Binh because Morgan wanted to see if her husband would be up for anything. Binh said he'd do anything to make his wife happy and he was glad the mermaid lessons made her smile.


Mitch was then shown cooking dinner for Krysten and asking her about her life goals. Krysten said she'd like to have babies "soon-ish," and eventually stop working for a company to pursue her own entrepreneurial adventures.

Krysten said after having two babies, she'd like to flip houses -- and maybe they could have a sustainable edge to them. Mitch thought that was great, but Krysten accused him of not paying attention to her.

Mitch then ranted about how the rise of housing prices in San Diego were pushing people out and "only benefiting the rich." Mitch admittedly had a lot of opinions on politics and social-justice issues.

The show experts, Dr. Pepper Schwartz and Pastor Calvin Roberson, then gave the five couples an exercise to help them grow in love. Stacia and Nate discussed love over glasses of champagne in a pool, and Nate, when asked if he was falling in love or in love with Stacia yet, told his wife that he was a four or five on a scale of 1-10.

Stacia seemed a little upset by the revelation, but Nate explained how "low balling" her was more realistic and allowed for more upside potential.


Stacia revealed she was at an eight, and so Nate immediately seemed to realize he had screwed up. Stacia told Nate that love is more of a commitment than a feeling, and while she didn't need him to be "in love" or at 10, she was surprised he was only at a four.

Nate said the more comfortable he became, he'd be able to see the bigger picture. He also hadn't felt love for a woman since high school.

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Nate told the cameras how he didn't want to express love and then be stuck in an unstable relationship, and so he planned to take his time and get to know Stacia better. He wanted them to become best friends and experience more together before letting his heart lead the way, such as dating and getting drunk together.

Meanwhile, Krysten and Mitch shared with each other how they had been in love before, and Krysten admitted she falls in love easily and her last couple of loves didn't end well.


Mitch shared how his parents got a divorce on bad terms and so he only recently came around to the idea of marriage. Krysten asked Mitch if he thought married life was better than single life and he assured her "yes."

"We have a lot of compatibility... I can definitely see that [for us]," Mitch said.

"When I think about my ideal version of marriage, it's crazy to say, but honestly, I don't think we're very far from it," Krysten gushed. "I'm happy every single day. Sometimes you drive me crazy."

Krysten explained to Mitch how she had poured her heart out to him earlier about her hopes and dreams and it was bothersome how Mitch was playing around and acting goofy. She wanted to make sure Mitch could be serious about their relationship and future together, and Mitch apologized and promised to be more attentive.

Mitch then said he'd feel a bit hypocritical to live in a big house and have nice things while being concerned with those who are less fortunate, but Krysten said it's okay to enjoy the things they've worked hard for.


Over at Alexis and Justin's place, Justin shared how he had been in love with the woman he lost his virginity to at age 20. Justin said he was a "yes man" with his ex and she "dogged" him.

Justin thought a woman would love him if he constantly pleased her, but it didn't work out that way.

Justin also said his dad was in and out of his life growing up and so love was one-sided in that regard. Justin also said he thinks it's possible to fall out of love, but Alexis said it would be hard for her to lose those feelings if she's in love.

Alexis said she needed consistency and trust from Justin in order to be in love with him, especially after their big argument over the dogs. She wanted to feel those honeymoon vibes again, and Justin assured her that he was working towards that and she deserved that.

Later on, Stacia and Nate discussed setting "measurable goals" for themselves and not just financial goals. Nate told Stacia that they were "good" but he wanted to understand her soul and know what her vision of having a family was.

Stacia asked Nate if he was making the choice to love or not to love her, and he said "of course" because he wanted to remain married her.


"But I could live with somebody who has a joint bank account with me and they don't love me," Stacia noted.

"I don't really know what to say anymore because I feel you're just playing devil's advocate with the love thing. I feel like we're just going around in circles now," Nate replied.

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Stacia asked if they were having their first argument, and Nate said "no" except it seemed Stacia was trying to manipulate him by trying to get to the bottom of his intentions.

Stacia just wanted Nate to love her, and she wanted to hear him say that, but she also wanted him to genuinely feel that. Stacia said she'd have to consider this on "Decision Day."

On Day 21 of marriage, Miguel's friend warned him about Lindy's emotional breakdown at the couple's housewarming party. He called her "a wet blanket" in the middle of the run, and Miguel admitted the scene turned him off and left him questioning, "Who did I marry?"


Miguel hoped his wife wasn't Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but Lindy had told him it was just a slip-up and she was sorry. Miguel's friends didn't want him to be set up for "some surprises" or turn off his red-flag detector.

After Krysten and Mitch were shown singing some karaoke together and getting loose, Krysten discovered her husband likes to freestyle rap and he's actually pretty good at it. She said it seemed like they had already been married for 10 years and it was cool for him to participate in her hobby.

Krysten thanked him for putting 100 percent effort into their date.

But Mitch admitted Krysten's desire to flip houses triggered him because there are a lot of families out there who can't afford houses and people put in higher bids in order to flip them. Mitch called that path "predatory" but not necessary immoral or illegal.

Krysten insisted she wasn't trying to be a huge corporation and just wanted to be compensated for the fruits of her labor. Krysten asked Mitch to respect her dreams just like she respected his extreme environmentalism.

The pair bickered and Mitch said he didn't want Krysten to make him feel like there's something wrong with him because of what he believes in, but Krysten said she didn't want Mitch to make her feel like she's an ally of greed.


"It feels inauthentic," Mitch said.

"When have I ever called you inauthentic?" Krysten asked.

"I didn't call you inauthentic," Mitch replied.

"Are you going to gaslight me?... What is this puppet mastery? What are you trying to say?" Krysten asked. "I can't have a positive outlook and be kind?"

Mitch explained how Krysten is not an inauthentic person but something she said sounded inauthentic. Mitch said that's just how he was feeling and he was sorry if it didn't sit well with her.

On Day 22 of marriage, Morgan told Binh that she felt genuine love for a man before and he had been willing to do anything to make their relationship work; however, he was the right person at the wrong time.


Binh said he had dated a woman for two to three years but then a series of tragedies happened to him back-to-back, including death and medical emergencies in his family, and so the woman got away because he had so much to deal with and got distant from her.

Binh also opened up about how he had projected his own insecurities onto Morgan with their fight about her nursing career because he said Asian people are typically pushed to become doctors and settle into prestigious careers.

Binh said he was "genuinely sorry for all that," and Morgan said she appreciated the explanation.

"I felt like I was never going to meet your standards, ever," Morgan admitted.

"You are enough and I am enough, even if I get belittled by Asian culture for not being a doctor... but I'm still trying to figure it out," Binh shared with his wife.

Morgan promised to support Binh and help him break the cycle, and she called their conversation a really good thing.


Stacia and Nate then attended a cooking class together because Stacia wanted to show her husband that she had retreated during their fight and wanted to move forward and be in a good place.

Nate told Stacia that he didn't like how she was playing games with him, but Stacia didn't feel it was right for Nate to accuse her of trying to manipulate him.

The couple still had tension between them, and Stacia was trying to keep cool as she was "cussing up a storm inside." Nate said Stacia's questions about their marriage had come from "a dark place," but she disagreed.

Stacia clearly feared being in a loveless marriage, but Nate shared how he had been in a toxic relationship filled with ultimatums and chasing her down.

Stacia admitted she was afraid of Nate not falling in love with her because she thought it was a choice, and he replied, "You don't have to worry about that. I just have to let you know that I really like you and I think you're beautiful, and I want you to believe in me and believe in us with 100 percent faith."

Stacia told that cameras that was "bullish-t" to her and she wasn't going to have blinders on. Stacia planned to continue challenging her husband, even though she has the word "faith" tattooed on her body.


On Day 23 of marriage, Krysten and Mitch had a picnic on the beach and picked up trash together in the sand. Mitch acknowledged he had phrased some things poorly or offensively, and Krysten said she didn't want Mitch to make generalizations about her or manipulate things she wants to do into something negative.

"I'm going to start to resent you, and I just don't want that to happen," Krysten said.

Mitch said he was grateful for her and appreciated her, and Krysten wanted to push "honeymoon Mitch" back down because she didn't like that side of him.

Lindy and Miguel were then shown discussing love, and Miguel suggested he wasn't going to stick around if Lindy had frequent outbursts and breakdowns. Lindy, however, wanted Miguel to see the worst of her and love her despite it.

Miguel said he had been used before because of how easygoing and forgiving he can be. He didn't want their marriage to become toxic, but Lindy wanted her husband to support her when she's feeling "emotionally distraught."

Lindy just didn't want Miguel to keep score on every time they wrong each other.


Miguel realized Lindy had an "infinite" ability to give people grace but things simply added up for him and he'd reach a breaking point.

On Day 24 of marriage, Justin planned a picnic on the beach for Alexis in attempt to win her heart back. Alexis admitted she probably would've run from her relationship with Justin if they hadn't been married and she was putting more effort into their romance than past ones.

That evening, Binh surprised Morgan with a Korean barbecue dinner and Lychee martinis. Morgan thought the gesture was really sweet considering she had a really bad day at work.

Morgan shared how she stopped being a people pleaser by cutting off her father, who never let her feel good enough or proud of herself. Morgan said she healed from the traumas of her past, and the couple talked about loving and accepting themselves.

On Day 25 of marriage, the five couples were getting ready for a group hangout session.

Mitch refused to wear a shirt Krysten had bought him. But Krysten explained behind closed doors how the wives all bought the same shirt for their husbands as a joke and she wanted Mitch to play along.


However, Mitch cursed about how the piece of clothing was something he'd never wear, and he threw a bit of a temper tantrum in the bathroom.

Krysten ultimately got Mitch to agree to wear the shirt, but he refused to keep it on for a long time. Mitch changed his shirt and announced to the group how purchases like that are materialistic and a gift is sometimes forcing something upon someone.

Nate thought the shirt prank was funny, and he told the cameras that the guys were going to need to get the girls back "for sure."

"I don't want to be forced to do things. That's always rubbed me the wrong way, my whole life, and I've always felt like I've been forced to do things. So it was definitely more triggering than she thought it would be," Mitch explained in a confessional.

Dr. Pia Holec, a psychologist and sex therapist, joined the date and had the cast members do an exercise on a wheel of emotions, and Dr. Pia could tell that Justin was bringing traumas of his past into his marriage, although Justin thought otherwise.

Justin attempted to explain how he felt guarded and vulnerable at the same time, which didn't make sense to anyone.


Alexis and Justin bickered in front of the group, with Justin claiming he felt misunderstood and Alexis complaining about how Justin was trying to speak for her. Justin said he was tired and fed up of trying to explain things to Alexis when things made sense in his head.

Mitch told Dr. Pia how he didn't want to compromise too much in the relationship because then he'd feel unlike himself, but Krysten admitted how she was trying to be a version of herself that Mitch would like and so she had kind of lost herself in the relationship.

Morgan suggested how she needed more romantic and sweet compliments from her husband to feel pretty and desired, and Lindy admitted how her "inner-angry child" sometimes comes out and she needed help from Miguel to reel her in.

Lindy said she was trying to hold back because she respected Miguel, but at the same time, she wanted to be her authentic self and still feel chosen.

When asked what she was feeling in her marriage, Stacia called out lonely, vulnerable, isolated, abandoned and sad!

Stacia said she had given everything to her marriage already and Nate wasn't matching her, but he argued that was just Stacia's opinion and he was definitely taking steps to show he's trying and going deeper, such as beginning therapy.


"What more can I do to prove that I'm all in. You need to believe me... [or] I'm going to start giving up. That's all I need to say, and that's why I'm disappointed," Nate announced.

Stacia cried because she didn't want her husband to give up in the marriage, but she also wondered how long she needed to wait for Nate to catch her to her feelings and communicative abilities.

The episode concluded with Nate saying it was disappointing how Stacia didn't recognize his effort in the relationship. Nate told Stacia that he was expressing himself through action, which Stacia had asked him to do, and so he didn't know how to proceed.

"I'm getting to the point where I don't want to prove myself no more... If you keep not believing in what I'm trying to do and you're not going to believe my actions, like, it's not going to work out," Nate told Stacia.

Stacia said she could tell Nate was trying but he promised a lot of things in the future.

Stacia wanted Nate to communicate better on a daily basis, in the present, but Nate said Stacia wasn't patient enough to allow him to open up organically. Stacia wanted an emotional connection, and Nate responded, "Well, you've got emotion now. Are you happy?"


Stacia got married at first sight hoping to be matched with a committed husband, and so she was concerned about how upset Nate was getting over things she considered to be small.

"If this is how he's reacting, it's scary!... You're basically just saying, 'I'll be done.' That's not what a marriage is, and I don't stand for that," Stacia explained in a confessional.

Nate concluded that it was a Stacia problem and not a Nate problem.

Apartment cameras then captured footage of Morgan telling Binh how Alexis had told her "everything."

"Essentially, Binh has been going behind my back and telling lies about me to other people," Morgan told the cameras. "Things are not good right now. I'm going to leave it up to the imagination."

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski