Married at First Sight star Mindy Shiben is preparing to marry a total stranger against her family's wishes on the show's new season, and now she's opening up about why she felt desperate enough to apply for the show to begin with.
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Mindy, a 34-year-old figure skating coach from Frederick, MD, was selected to marry Zach Justice, a 32-year-old fitness professional from St. Mary's, GA, on Married at First Sight's tenth season, which just premiered January 1 on Lifetime.
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While even Married at First Sight's matchmaking experts -- Dr. Pepper Schwartz, Dr. Viviana Coles and Pastor Calvin Roberson -- admit it's a huge risk to marry on the series, Mindy revealed she is "so grateful" for the opportunity, according to the U.K.'s Daily Mail.
Mindy apparently reached a breaking point in her search for love in Washington, D.C. prior to appearing on the show.
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"The dating scene in D.C. is kind of rough," Mindy told the Daily Mail.
"I feel like so many young people are so career-oriented and ambitious that love gets put on the back burner."
"Don't get me wrong, I'm all about building a satisfying career," she clarified, "but if that's your whole life, where and how does a partner fit in?"
Mindy's failure to find her match in the real world certainly wasn't due to a lack of trying.
"I'd say I was becoming exhausted with dating and even though I wanted to find my lifelong partner, I was pretty discouraged," Mindy admitted.
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"Dating takes so much time and patience and to have the opportunity to skip all of that -- Um, yes please!"
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Mindy claimed she had dated all the wrong guys prior to her Married at First Sight experience and recalled a disaster of a date in particular that pushed her patience over the edge.
The man allegedly "tossed back eight rum and cokes within an hour" before making a public scene, according to Mindy.
"He spilled his drink all over the bar and yelled at the bartender!" Mindy told the newspaper.
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"I was so embarrassed. If there's one thing that turns me off more than anything, it's rudeness, especially to people in the service industry."
A friend therefore reportedly encouraged Mindy to apply for a chance to marry at first sight.
Mindy, however, had never tuned in to the series before, so she decided to watch past seasons and research the show's experts before submitting her initial application.
Once she realized the experts were the real deal, she became "more excited" about the prospect of marrying a total stranger who might actually end up being the right person for her.
"I needed the help from experts who have dedicated their lives to love, marriage, and relationships. I was so grateful for this opportunity," Mindy shared.
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Although Married at First Sight doesn't have a high success rate for marriages, Mindy admitted she wasn't really worried about that going into the process.
"I knew that even if this didn't work out for me, I'd have my friends and family supporting me no matter what and that gave me a lot of comfort going into the process," Mindy explained.
But as shown in Married at First Sight's January 1 premiere, her parents were not onboard with the idea at all. In fact, they refused to attend Mindy's wedding.
"It's hard when someone you love so much disagrees with such a huge life decision, but at the end of the day, I had to trust my own instincts," the figure skater told the Daily Mail.
Mindy was dubbed "Miss Optimistic" by Lifetime when the Season 10 cast of Married at First Sight was announced late last year.
Mindy shared with viewers how she had sadly suffered a miscarriage one day after her sister's death from a drug overdose.
Mindy took the time she needed to heal and then finally realized she was ready to give and receive love from a spouse and life partner.
Dr. Viviana thought Mindy and Zach would be a great match because they're both entrepreneurial, active and driven. Dr. Viviana also said Mindy is intelligent and Zach maintains a very positive attitude through life's ups and downs.
Mindy and Zach's wedding was not shown on the premiere, but both individuals appeared ready, exciting and willing to blindly take the plunge.
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