Married at First Sight star Airris Williams has revealed he was dating someone when he was matched to marry a stranger by the show's experts.
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Airris, a 39-year-old software engineer dubbed "Reformed and Ready for Love" by Lifetime, was matched to wed Jasmine Secrest, a 31-year-old cheerleading coach and beauty queen dubbed "Queen Without a King," on Married at First Sight's sixteenth season, which filmed in Nashville, TN.
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On Wednesday night's episode of Married at First Sight Afterparty, which aired immediately after the Season 16 premiere on Lifetime, Airris admitted to show host Keshia Knight Pulliam that being engaged was "new territory" for him.
"I mean, it was my first time this has ever happened, and so I'm still getting adjusted to it," Airris explained.
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Airris then watched back a Season 16 clip of himself asking the other grooms -- during the men's first meet and greet on the show -- to reveal the last time they had sex.
Airris' co-star Chris Thielk admitted he hadn't been intimate with a woman in about a year, and then Airris blurted out in the clip, "Two weeks [for me]."
Airris clarified, however, "[The sexual encounter] was before I found out I was getting married... Like, the night before."
The five guys all laughed at the restaurant and then Clint Webb chimed in, "Yeah, same boat. So now I don't feel so bad! You went first."
Once she watched the footage back, Keshia asked Airris on Afterparty if he "got any" the morning of his MAFS engagement.
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"No, I was tired," Airris confirmed. "My mindset was, 'I'm single until I'm not.' Honestly, like, I knew there was a [chance] where I may not get selected [for the show]."
Airris therefore explained, "If I was to meet someone leading up to [the show], should I just not entertain it and not explore that?"
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Airris apparently didn't want to shut down an opportunity with a woman that could have worked out for him in the long run had he not been cast on Married at First Sight.
When Airris discovered Dr. Pepper Schwartz and Pastor Calvin Roberson had found him a match and he'd be tying the knot on Married at First Sight, Airris said he gently broke the news to his lover from the previous evening "face to face."
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"It wasn't a call. I had some type of dignity and some type of respect," Airris claimed.
"It was tough. I mean, we had only been hanging out maybe for, like, a little over a month -- about five weeks."
While the woman may have thought her romance with Airris was thriving and blossoming, it wasn't difficult for the Nashville-based bachelor to cut ties.
"It wasn't long enough to be super serious, but it was long enough to have some type of feelings there. So I wanted to just [be transparent]," Airris reasoned.
When asked how the woman handled getting dumped, Airris confessed, "Not too well."
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But Airris expressed pride in the fact the woman never blocked his phone number or social media accounts.
Airris went on to joke, "She's probably having a [Married at First Sight] watch party with some snacks and friends. I'm probably getting talked bad about in a group chat."
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Airris' co-star Shaquille Dillon then admitted he'd gone without sex for six months prior to marrying a stranger.
Mackinley Gilbert, on the other hand, only went "two weeks or a month," similar to Airris' situation, before being matched for matrimony.
Airris said on Married at First Sight's Season 16 premiere how he had made himself emotionally available at the age of 28 but it backfired and a woman "ghosted" him. Airris said the heartbreak led to him being guarded and having walls up for the next decade.
Airris, whose father was murdered, said he longed to have a family of his own one day, and so he hoped to find a woman who would love him and elevate him like never before.
But Airris' family was worried about him going from "playing the field" to being married for the rest of his life. Airris had also never been in a fully committed and traditional relationship.
Even Airris' cousin Fallina begged of him, "Please don't do this."
Meanwhile, Jasmine expressed to the cameras how she'd love to be a wife and mother. In fact, Jasmine ended up with four dogs because she said she bought one every time she was battling "baby fever."
Jasmine hoped to find a committed man, but she admitted she can be stubborn and must travel a lot for work. All of her previous relationships lasted four or five years but none of them would "man up" and propose marriage.
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Pastor Cal said Airris, who is suave and thoughtful, has done a lot of self-healing and Jasmine is accepting and devoted. He thought the pair would be like-minded individuals able to come together and form a long-lasting marriage.
Married at First Sight currently airs on Wednesday nights at 8PM ET/PT on Lifetime, and the series also stars Jasmine, Clint, Shaquille, Mackinley, Chris, Kristen Grimes, Domynique Kloss, Nicole Lilienthal, and Gina Micheletti.
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