'Married at First Sight' recap: Newlyweds have intense talks with in-laws and couples begin their honeymoons

Married at First Sight featured each newlywed meeting with his or her in-laws, resulting in some intense conversations, and the four couples then taking off to Antigua and beginning their honeymoons during Wednesday night's episode on Lifetime.


Season 9 of Married at First Sight, which was filmed in Charlotte, NC, stars Iris Caldwell, a 27-year-old virgin who works for a nonprofit from Raleigh, NC, and her husband Keith Manley, a 27-year-old high school basketball coach from Greensboro, NC, as well as Elizabeth Bice, a 30-year-old accounting executive for her dad's company from South Carolina who was raised in Mooresville, NC, and her husband Jamie Thompson, a 35-year-old technical consultant from Columbia, SC.

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The season also stars Deonna McNeill, a 30-year-old operations manager currently living in the Charlotte area, and her husband Gregory Okotie, a 32-year-old math learning center owner from Fort Washington, MD, and Amber Bowles, a 27-year-old eighth grade English teacher currently living in the Charlotte area, and her husband Matt Gwynne, a 32-year-old professional basketball player from Raleigh, NC.

The four pairs of strangers were matched by returning Married at First Sight experts Dr. Pepper Schwartz and Pastor Calvin Roberson as well as newcomer Dr. Viviana Coles, a psychotherapist who replaced Dr. Jessica Griffin for Season 9.


The Married at First Sight broadcast began with all four couples heading to their hotel suites after marrying to spend their first night together with their husbands and wives.

Iris said her wedding was everything she ever wanted it to be and she was feeling "a whirlwind of emotions" to have potentially been matched with the man she's going to fall in love with.

And Jamie really liked his wife. He said she was "quirky" and "funny" and the framework seemed to be there for them to fall in love and be together forever.

Amber's dreams also came true, as she said Matt was "perfect" and he was everything she had hoped for. They were off to a good start, and Amber couldn't wait to cuddle her husband.

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As for Greg, he thought Deonna was amazing, and he complimented her beautiful smile and eyes. He also liked that she was curvy and seemed to have a bubbly personality.

Greg was optimistic for an amazing journey with the potential love of his life.

When Jamie was helping Elizabeth out of her dress, he thought she was "gorgeous" and found himself "crazy attracted" to her. He wanted things to progress forward on an intimate, physical level, but part of him was also hesitant and thinking maybe they should get to know each other first.

But Elizabeth admitted she's a very sexual person, and she basically got half naked in front of Jamie right away.

"Damn my wife is hot!" Jamie told the cameras.


"I took my dress off because I'm actually more comfortable naked, but I think he liked it!" Elizabeth said.

Before bed, Elizabeth put a facial mask on Jamie, but he didn't seem to mind.

And Greg thought Deonna was "super sexy" when he helped slip her out of her dress. Deonna also thought Greg was her type in that he's tall, dark and handsome, but she said it was "slightly awkward" because they had just met and were both a little nervous.

The couple had compatibility and chemistry, and Greg asked Deonna to put her name into his phone. She chose to plug herself in as "wifey."

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Meanwhile, Iris anxiously revealed to her husband that she's a virgin, but his mother had previously informed him of this at the wedding.

She was afraid how Keith was going to react, and while he did have mixed emotions, he assured his wife there was no rush in that department and he was actually impressed by her ability to wait 27 years to have sex.

"I have purposely saved myself for my husband... It's a big deal," Iris told Keith.

"I think it's something to be proud of and it definitely lets me know that our marriage and our future is something that you're taking seriously," Keith replied.

Iris and Keith shared a couple kisses before bed.


In Amber and Matt's hotel room, Matt recognized Amber was "very forward," which made him more attracted to her. She felt butterflies with Matt and admitted it was easy kissing him.

"She is beyond what I expected. I think she's beautiful. Her eyes are beautiful, she's got a nice body, and there's a mutual physical attraction, I feel like. I definitely want to have sex tonight, but who knows what might happen," Matt said in a confessional.

"I don't know if we're going to have sex or not, but I think it's a very strong possibility."

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The next morning, each couple woke up next to each other for the first time.

Elizabeth said her first night with her husband was "super awesome" but nothing sexual happened.


"Not because we didn't want to, but because we were tired," Elizabeth noted.

Iris woke up next to a patient and caring man, and she couldn't believe Keith was her husband. She wanted sex to be part of her marriage, but she was glad Keith didn't feel the need to rush things.

Keith knew Iris' virginity would be a challenge in their marriage, and he still thought it was shocking, but his goal was to make her feel "comfortable and secure" in their relationship.

Meanwhile, Greg revealed he did not have sex with Deonna on their wedding night but that connection would hopefully happen soon. Deonna felt at ease with Greg and said things felt "normal."

But Greg was surprised to hear Deonna doesn't really care for sweets.

And Matt thought Amber was such a sweet and beautiful girl. While they didn't have sex, he was okay with that, because he wanted their marriage to last forever. Matt still had walls up, but Amber could tell he was "slowly letting them down."


Amber then asked Matt why his parents didn't attend their wedding, and she soon discovered his family didn't even know that he was married.

"Certain circumstances surrounding my parents' divorce, I didn't want to bring all of that into our marriage," Matt explained.

Amber hoped to get to know Matt's family down the road, but until then, she planned to support him in any way possible.

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For the first time in Married at First Sight history, each spouse then sat down individually with his or her new in-laws for an open and honest conversation.

This was also their last chance to get some new insight into their spouse before the honeymoon.


Elizabeth met with Jamie's mother Barbara, stepmother Barb, and father James among others. James could tell she was bubbly and outgoing, and he noted Jamie needed someone who would be upfront with him.

Jamie told Elizabeth's parents she was "a lot to handle" but he thought she was great. Jamie, however, thought his wife's father, Ronnie, had been a bit passive aggressive during his speech at the wedding, so he didn't know what to expect.

Jamie told Ronnie and Elizabeth's mother Drema that he loved his wife's energy, but Ronnie came off a bit aggressive. Not only did Ronnie ask Jamie to take Elizabeth's last name, but he also expressed anxiety when Jamie mentioned he had lied with Elizabeth in bed the night before.

"It burns the inside of my ears when you say 'lay' with my daughter," Ronnie admitted.

"Man, I don't even know where to go with this," Jamie said.

"[Elizabeth]'s heart is mine. He can't have that. As you can tell already, I take care of her. I couldn't even watch you kiss her last night. I'm very protective of my daughter. Your lips on her face got me upset," Ronnie told Jamie. "That's still my little girl and it makes me a little sad."


Jamie could tell Ronnie had a lot of separation issues with his daughter, and it got him wondering where he was going to fit into Elizabeth and her father's life.

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Deonna told Greg's family she was ready to be with someone after spending 10 years as a single woman. She wanted to know more about Greg, and his loved ones said he was a very caring and determined person.

Deonna's father Albert warned Greg that Deonna is strong-willed and driven, and then he asked Greg to explain his intentions.

"My intention is just to be her life partner, grow with her, and do whatever I can to make her happy," Greg replied. "I'm here for her."

Iris told Keith's parents she had a lot in common with their son, and then his mother Mary revealed Keith can get a bit grumpy and short when he's tired or stressed out.


Meanwhile, Iris' father Tony had "the daddy talk" with Keith. Tony wanted to know how Keith would make his daughter happy, and he said he'd continue to be a better person every day and listen always.

Tony was glad Keith truly wanted to make his marriage to Iris work.

As for Matt and Amber, Matt's friends told Amber that her husband has a way with his words and he's a songwriter. They also asked Amber why she was still single considering she's such a great catch, and she explained she was a "bad picker" -- meaning she chose men who weren't ready to settle down.

And Matt was a bit intimidated by meeting Amber's parents, but his meeting went well. Amber's father Bryan just advised him to take the marriage seriously and be ready for a commitment.

Matt promised to give 100 percent to his marriage because he wanted a woman to grow old with and eventually welcome children with. He also confirmed he'd be willing to stay in Charlotte or move from the area depending on what Amber would want.

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Matt also explained he didn't invite his parents to the wedding to avoid drama.

"I've always been really close with my family, and that's why recent events have been really difficult," Matt shared. "I talked to my mom every other day and my day every week... but I truly believe when the time is right, we will reconnect and work everything out."

Matt was accepted into Amber's family, and he said that meant a lot to him.

"No matter what happens, I will treat her right," Matt promised.

It seemed every spouse had passed the test, but Jamie worried how his relationship was going to work with her father being so involved and protective.

Suddenly, each couple received a gift basket to celebrate their marriage. When exploring the baskets, they learned they'd be going on a honeymoon to Antigua.


Everyone packed their belongings, headed to the airport, and flew to the romantic destination of Antigua. Iris was a little nervous knowing most people have expectations of sex on their honeymoon.

Once the couples arrived in Antigua, they checked out their condos by the ocean and anticipated growing closer to their spouses.

Greg didn't foresee "romance" happening the first night, but Deonna was excited and chose to pop some champagne. She could tell Greg was sincere and genuine, which made her optimistic about their future.

But romance was in the works for Elizabeth and Jamie, who carried his wife over his shoulder into the bedroom.

"I find my husband very, very sexy. He does things that I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, that is so hot.' My husband is really impressing me right now and I want to just jump him," Elizabeth told the cameras.

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Jamie even joked he was going to "explore" his wife in their condo.

Amber was also looking forward to "some alone time" with her "boo." She thought Matt was a great kisser and predicted they might be intimate that night.

As for Iris and Keith, she insisted her honeymoon was already feeling like a romantic fairy tale. Keith was even wondering when he was going to wake up from this dream.

"We make a good team," Keith said of his new travel companion.

Iris shared with Keith she had never lived with a male before and it felt "surreal," and Keith jokingly apologized ahead of time.

Greg was then shown asking Deonna if she was "smitten" with him, but she wouldn't admit it.


"Greg checks all of my boxes, plus some, but we just met. We are still in that awkward phase of getting to know each other and playing 21 questions, like, every five minutes," Deonna said in a confessional.

Deonna, however, told Greg that she was comfortable, and he intended to be patient in waiting for her to "soften up."

"I've got a little crush on my wife," Greg told Deonna.

While Iris and Keith were getting to know each other better, Amber and Matt were shown drinking champagne and making out in a pool.

Matt hoped Amber would fall in love with him on their honeymoon, and he said he was ready to build a life together.

"I am ready to take this to the next level, and who knows what will happen," Amber noted.


The episode concluded with Elizabeth putting on some sexy, black lingerie for her husband.

"What he doesn't know is I have a lot of little numbers like this, so hopefully this will make him feel good and he can't wait to take it off of me," Elizabeth told the cameras.

When Jamie saw her come out of the bathroom, he said, "Damn, babe!" He loved how she was open, honest and lived in the moment -- not to mention the fact he thought she was gorgeous.

The episode concluded with Elizabeth and Jamie kissing in bed, and Elizabeth telling the cameras she had planned to have sex with her husband on their honeymoon.

"We're going to be having a lot of fun on our honeymoon. I can already tell," Elizabeth gushed.

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski