Married at First Sight star Greg Okotie admits he was shocked, concerned and nearly questioned the experts' judgment when he discovered his wife, Deonna McNeill, hadn't been in a relationship for 10 years prior to saying "I do."
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During a Wednesday night appearance on Married at First Sight: Unfiltered hosted by Jamie Otis, Greg was asked to recall how he felt in the moment when he first learned Deonna had been single for the last 10 years prior to marrying him that day.
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"I was about to reach back and call [MAFS expert, Pastor Calvin Roberson] and ask, 'What did you just do, like, can we talk about this?! Wait a minute!" Greg said with a laugh.
When viewers saw Deonna break the news to Greg after their ceremony on Married at First Sight's ninth season, his eyes opened wide and Greg asked his new wife to confirm he had heard her correctly.
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"Yeah, don't make that face," Deonna replied softly on the show. "I feel the judgment. I feel the judgment."
Deonna, however, explained to Greg that she had graduated college, obtained her Master's Degree, traveled abroad, and learned a lot about herself during those 10 years before she finally felt ready and willing to share her life with somebody.
"I mean, yeah, you saw my facial expression -- I was definitely shocked," Greg told Jamie on Unfiltered.
"All of those thoughts came to my mind like, 'I don't know, are you really going to be committed?' Because I knew that my vulnerability and my openness in my marriage would be there, and I'm going to give 100 percent, but if she doesn't have the experience, then how does she know when to really give her all in this marriage?"
Greg's Married at First Sight co-star, Amber Bowles, joined him on Unfiltered and revealed how she would have felt had her husband on the show, Matt Gwynne, been single for 10 years prior to tying the knot.
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"I would see that as a red flag," Amber admitted.
"But I would also give it a chance! You never know why someone makes the decisions they do, and so, I'd want to get to know the reason why."
Jamie then asked Pastor Cal on Unfiltered whether Deonna's lack of dating history was a red flag for Married at First Sight's experts when they were going through the matchmaking process.
"I mean, it would have to cause some [hesitation] -- a yellow flag at least," Pastor Cal said with a laugh.
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"So we did talk to her about it, her dating history and why she had been single, and we found that it wasn't a dealbreaker, you know, as far as her getting married at first sight. It made sense."
Deonna and Greg, however, appeared to hit it off and find instant chemistry after marrying each other.
In addition to Deonna, Greg, Amber and Matt, Married at First Sight's currently-airing season on Lifetime also stars Iris Caldwell and Keith Manley as well as Elizabeth Bice and Jamie Thompson.
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