Married at First Sight star Olajuwon Dickerson had admitted that expert Dr. Pepper Schwartz's comments about how he had allegedly belittled his wife Katina Goode made him lose sleep.
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Olajuwon and Katina, both 29, were matched by Married at First Sight experts Dr. Pepper, Dr. Viviana Coles and Pastor Calvin Roberson to wed on Season 14 of the Lifetime reality series.
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Olajuwon and Katina's marriage was thriving with only 17 days to go until "Decision Day," but Olajuwon was stopped in his tracks during a one-on-one counseling session with Pepper, who claimed she had heard from production that Olajuwon was belittling Katina Goode and acting superior by criticizing her maturity level and alleged lack of life skills.
During the April 6 episode of Married at First Sight: Afterparty, Olajuwon watched back a Season 14 clip of himself venting to his co-stars after a game of volleyball about his previous sitdown chat with Pepper, which had really upset him.
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"I felt like it was a waste because I could've met with the expert and really talked about something that helps my marriage, but I didn't," Olajuwon complains in the clip.
Unbeknownst to the Married at First Sight cast, Pepper and Pastor Cal were watching and listening to their conversation in a nearby room on a television monitor.
"It was more of me catching Dr. Pepper up because she had no clue of what's been going on, and she made it clear," Olajuwon says.
"Keep talking, Olajuwon," Pepper gripes.
And he did, as Olajuwon continues in the footage, "If you're going to feed something to the experts, feed something that's going to help my marriage, not keep bringing negative sh-t to us."
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"That's why I thought the [session] with me and Dr. Pepper was such a waste," he concludes.
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Afterparty host Keshia Knight Pulliam poked fun at Olajuwon's shocked face once Pepper and Pastor Cal walked out and crashed the trash-talking party.
When asked what he was thinking in that moment, Olajuwon replied, "Perfect!"
"Because right there, I was so bothered that I didn't sleep that night. Going into this, I told Katina, 'I can't wait to catch you with these experts,'" Olajuwon shared.
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Olajuwon suggested, however, this experience unified him with Katina and helped to solidify their relationship.
"We talked and we realized, 'We have to move better.' And that helped me in a way of, 'How do you present a problem without talking [blowing up]?'" Olajuwon explained.
Keshia called Olajuwon "a little reckless" with his tone and delivery, but she said she appreciated how Olajuwon worked to become better in his marriage.
When Pepper and Pastor Cal came out from behind closed doors and approached the group during a recent MAFS episode, Pepper explained how production had been watching Olajuwon every single day with concerns and so she just wanted to hear his side of the report and give him an opportunity to set the record straight.
Pepper said she was glad to hear that his marriage was going well.
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Olajuwon in turn told the cameras that he was happy Pepper cleared the air, adding how he and Katina weren't going to shape their relationship for the amusement of the experts or to please America or anybody else.
Pastor Cal then complimented Katina on always having resolution and peace in mind when it comes to conflict with Olajuwon, and he told Olajuwon, "This woman is exactly what you need," which prompted Olajuwon to enthusiastically nod his head in agreement.
"I'm not in love," Olajuwon responded. "But we resolve things."
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When Olajuwon had his initial heated exchange with Pepper, he lashed out and said, "Umm, if anybody wants to say something, they can say it to me, because I don't play those games. And this is my life; I don't even think it's funny."
Pepper replied, "Well I don't think it's funny either."
"I don't think it's funny at all," Olajuwon interjected.
"I want to know, that's all," Pepper stated.
"Dr. Pepper, you're making me out to look like the bad guy," Olajuwon argued. "But I'm really bothered about all this. I'm really serious."
Olajuwon noted on Afterparty how he "absolutely" could've handled himself better with Katina and wished he had softened his approach when expressing his feelings with Pepper, although he had felt attacked and wrongly judged in the moment.
"I wish I kept my cool more... It's just I have so much love for my marriage. I care," Olajuwon told Keshia.
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Married at First Sight's fourteenth season currently airs on Wednesday nights at 8PM ET/PT on Lifetime.
The series also stars Jasmina Outar and Michael Morency, Mark Maher and Lindsey Georgoulis, and Noi Phommasak and Steve Moy.
Alyssa Ellman and Chris Collette also starred on the series but they chose to divorce one week into the extreme experiment.
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