Married at First Sight star Jacob Harder has responded to Haley Harris and her mother's comments that his reaction to Haley's treatment of the bracelet he had gifted her was "beyond tacky."
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Jacob and Haley's marriage appeared to hit rock bottom when they fought about an $800 infinity bracelet Jacob had purchased for his wife for their wedding day that Haley hadn't worn one time or even kept at their apartment.
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Jacob admitted he felt "disrespected" by Haley's indifference to the bracelet, and Married at First Sight expert Dr. Pepper Schwartz told the cameras Haley needed to accept responsibility for her role in the problem or else her marriage probably wouldn't work out.
During the April 21 broadcast of Married at First Sight: Unfiltered, Jacob watched back a Season 12 clip in which Haley was shown FaceTiming with her mother.
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"So Jake got upset about the bracelet again, so if you could please send it back so that he can have it in his possession and we don't have to worry about that anymore," Haley tells her mom.
"I will," Haley's mom replies.
"I will overnight it first thing in the morning. That is beyond tacky, like you signed up for it, but he just needs his bracelet back. He should have never bought the bracelet and bought a gift that he wasn't prepared to give."
Haley's mom adds, "If you're going to give a gift, you GIVE the gift."
And Haley gripes, "And if we could not bring up how much it costs again, that would be nice too."
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"That's ridiculous. I hate that you had to deal with this," Haley's mom says.
"I completely agree," Haley notes.
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Haley's mom concluded that she'd find a way to give the bracelet back to Haley so she and Jacob could avoid future conflict, even if it meant driving to Atlanta herself.
Unfiltered host Jamie Otis -- who starred on Season 1 of Married at First Sight -- asked Jacob what it was like watching that footage back.
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"I bought the bracelet for my wife, not for it to sit at her house," Jacob explained.
"This was an investment, you could show some respect and at least have it in the same area code. Like, I don't think that's asking a lot."
Jacob continued, "They can say it's 'tacky,' but I think it's tacky that she didn't even acknowledge the gift. That [bracelet] was never in the apartment."
Jacob therefore suggested he didn't expect Haley to wear the bracelet all the time but hoped she'd at least show some gratitude for the gesture he had made on their wedding day.
"Clearly she didn't like it," Jacob noted. "That's fine."
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"We could have brought it back. I could've returned it and I could've used that money to maybe jump out of a plane with her or whatever," he said.
"I was actually going to ask if that's what she wanted to do at one point, but then we got into a fight and I didn't get there."
Jacob concluded, "She's acting like I'm the assh-le here, and I'm like, 'I don't think I am.'"
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When asked whether he wanted Haley to give him back the bracelet or just wear it, Jacob explained, "At this point, I just wanted the bracelet back."
"It had been six or seven weeks, and by this time, she's clearly shown that she did not care one bit about the gift I had gotten her and didn't acknowledge it right."
Jacob then used his appearance on Unfiltered to take a little jab at Haley.
"It's kind of how it's been with our marriage. I don't feel like she's acknowledged me as a husband, so that's why I asked for the [gift] back," Jacob told Jamie.
Looking back on the situation, Jacob said he stands by how he had handled the situation.
"No, [I wouldn't have done things differently], " Jacob admitted. "No. I feel it was appropriate, so she feels a different way and I'm not surprised. I'm moving on."
Haley and Jacob were intimate during their honeymoon in Las Vegas, but as Haley got to know Jacob better, she pushed him away and began guarding herself from getting close to him.
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Haley attempted to develop a connection with Jacob in subsequent weeks through conversation and activities, but Haley noted Jacob didn't seem interested in her life or initiate conversation -- and Jacob felt it was hard to progress their relationship when Haley refused to even hug him or give him a goodnight kiss.
Married at First Sight expert Dr. Viviana Coles acknowledged on the April 7 broadcast of Unfiltered it was probably difficult for Jacob to break through Haley's walls.
"He's in a really tough spot because if he tries too hard, that's unattractive to [Haley]. If he doesn't try enough, then she doesn't really have the motivation to move towards him," Viviana explained.
Jacob has said on the show he didn't feel like he could woo Haley because she simply didn't want his affection and so he allowed her to take the reins on what type of interactions they'd have.
On the latest episode of Married at First Sight's twelfth season, Haley and Jacob bickered at a couples' retreat in Hilton Head, SC, and couldn't seem to get along.
Haley thought things were getting better after the spouses played games and enjoyed a few laughs, but Jacob departed the retreat early and didn't even communicate with his wife that he was leaving.
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