Married at First Sight star Iris Caldwell has revealed some behind-the-scenes details from her MAFS season and that she would love to star on the show's Married at First Sight: Second Chances spinoff.
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Iris' marriage to Keith Manley on Season 9 of Married at First Sight, which was set in North Carolina and aired last year, ended with Keith wanting a divorce when Iris was hoping to work out their issues and stay married.
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Although Iris' time on the show ended in devastation, she admitted in a series of Instagram Stories videos she posted during a Q&A session with her followers recently that she'd definitely be up for another shot at finding love on reality television.
When asked whether Iris would appear on Married at First Sight: Second Chances, she gave a very enthusiastic, "Yes," for a reply.
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Married at First Sight: Second Chances premiered in April 2017 and followed singles David Norton and Vanessa Nelson -- who were fan-favorites on their previous MAFS seasons -- as they received another opportunity to find their perfect match with local interested suitors.
The pair were once again guided by Married at First Sight experts, but the process didn't work for David, who left the show single. And although the season ended with Vanessa getting engaged, she eventually broke off the relationship.
The Second Chances spinoff only aired one season.
It's likely Iris watched the spinoff since she's apparently a huge fan of the Married at First Sight franchise.
"I have been watching since Season 1 with Jamie Otis and Dougie [Doug Hehner]!" she said.
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"I've been watching them since literally Season 1, so I watched every season possible before I got up the courage to apply to get married at first sight."
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As for Keith and his knowledge of the series, Iris revealed he was actually "recruited" for Season 9.
"I definitely asked him, like, 'What made you apply to want to be on the show?' He was like, 'I didn't apply, someone texted me about it,'" Iris recalled.
"And I was not a happy camper to know what that text message said, like, I'm just letting y'all know."
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Keith, however, apparently didn't waste any time letting Iris know the truth of how he came to be on the show.
"We actually talked about it on the beach on the first day of our honeymoon," Iris said. "But apparently all that just didn't get on air."
Iris was therefore asked by a fan whether she thought it was fair some couples can be recruited for the show.
Iris assured Married at First Sight viewers, "So just to make it clear, no couple -- like two people, a couple together -- are recruited. Each individual person [is cast] and they just happen to be matched together."
"But I'm okay with people being recruited," she continued, "as long as you're in it for the right reasons and want to be married. There's a difference."
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Iris revealed on Instagram she is not officially divorced from Keith yet because in North Carolina, there is a one-year waiting period from when a couple separates and stops living together that they must wait before filing the divorce paperwork.
Iris and Keith tied the knot in March 2019, so they are close to being able to make their split official. However, Iris confirmed an annulment is not possible for them.
"Every state has a different way of doing divorces and annulments, whatever. I mean, I'm not a lawyer, but... as far as I know, the show does not allow annulments. It's an official divorce, divorce, divorce," Iris explained.
As far as prenuptial agreements go, Iris disclosed, "Prenups are put into our contracts" when signing up to appear on Married at First Sight.
"So what you come in with is what you leave with," Iris said. "Because I'll be darn tooting if somebody is going to try to come and take my house! No!"
Iris has said she doesn't regret her Married at First Sight experience at all because, although she left with a broken heart, she became a stronger woman who learned a lot about herself and relationships.
However, she admitted in her Instagram videos filming constantly was absolutely "grueling."
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"Y'all, filming was crazy, like, we maybe might have had two days off," Iris revealed.
"Every other day was literally filming -- almost all day. Like, had to get off work and come straight home to film. I got off early, 'Oh snap, let's go!' [Nope], film."
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Married at First Sight is currently airing its tenth season on Lifetime with five new couples.
When asked whether she'd compare her relationship with Keith to any other couple who has starred on Married at First Sight over the years, Iris replied, "No."
"I don't like to compare myself to any of the previous... or current MAFS [couples because] everyone is their own individual person and their own individual couples," Iris noted.
"Like the only similar thing we all have in common is that we all married a stranger."
Keith's choice to divorce Iris on "Decision Day" shocked many Married at First Sight viewers because they seemed to have a healthy relationship during the show.
The pair rarely fought during their eight-week marriage, and Keith and Iris supported each other during tough times -- including the death of Keith's beloved grandmother.
Keith told the cameras on Married at First Sight he wanted to split from Iris because of her alleged lack of emotional maturity due to her lack of sexual and relationship experience.
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Iris, however, seemed to think during filming that Keith simply had an issue with the fact she was a virgin.
In November 2019, Iris had revealed the last time she saw Keith was at Married at First Sight's reunion special, which taped even months before that.
The reunion special featured the four couples from Season 9 gathered in-studio together two months after "Decision Day" taped to provide updates on their relationships. The reunion aired on Lifetime in September 2019.
The topic of reconciliation came up during the reunion special for Keith and Iris. Iris noted she'd be willing to give Keith another chance if he'd be up for marriage counseling, but he expressed there was probably no hope of them getting back together.
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Keith confessed he really wasn't ready for a wife, and he believed at the time Iris wasn't ready to be a wife either.
Married at First Sight is currently airing its tenth season on Wednesday nights at 8PM ET/PT on Lifetime.
The new couples starring on the series are Katie Conrad and Derek Sherman, Taylor Dunklin and Brandon Reid, Jessica Studer and Austin Hurd, Mindy Shiben and Zach Justice, and Meka Jones and Michael Watson.
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