- ♪ Get up, get up, get up, get up ♪
♪ We about to get it started
[cheers and applause]
♪ Let's go
- Hello, "MAFS" family.
I'm Keshia Knight Pulliam,
and you're watching a brand-new episode
of the "Married at First Sight Afterparty."
Tonight, I'm here with Lauren, Chloe, and Emmy
award-winning journalist Jemele Hill.
Welcome to the afterparty, ladies.
- Hey.
- Oh, we have a ladies party today.
- Ooh.
- I like it, I like it.
So how are you guys doing?
- So good. - You're so good?
- So good, yeah. - OK.
- Doing good.
- Well, I'm excited to have you.
And I want to say in person, thank you
for filling in for me when I was on maternity leave
with my little baby.
He's in the back, so hopefully you
can meet him before you leave.
- OK, it was my honor, really.
- We appreciate it. Thank you, thank you.
So, Jemele, what are your thoughts on these marriages?
And we've already had some divorces.
- Yes.
Me and my husband, we became hooked on
"Married at First Sight," and so we have been all-in.
And one of the things that we love about the show
is that when we watch, it forces us to have discussions
in our own marriage.
I was telling Lauren this off air,
is that I told her that she has the cultural moment
of cultural moments in "Married at First Sight"
history with the bonnet.
- Wait, I love that so much.
- I love that. - I was like, "Yes!"
If you marry a Black girl, you gonna see a head scarf...
- You gonna see a headscarf... - A bonnet...
- Correct. - Something.
- You're going to see something.
You're going to see all of these things.
So I think I really appreciated, you know,
that kind of moment. But it's not easy.
Complete strangers, like, they should
applaud themselves for going through this process.
- Absolutely.
Chloe, we saw your wedding tonight.
- Yeah. - So how do you feel?
- It's wild.
I never, in my wildest dreams,
imagined I would be marrying a stranger.
- I know, I know.
- But I did it. Ooh!
- Well, you did it. - I did it.
- And you looked beautiful while doing it.
So, Lauren, how was it for you?
Because this is the first in "Married at First Sight"
history, where we have other couples
that are actually sitting in the audience.
So how are you feeling in this moment?
- I feel like a sense of nostalgia
because it feels like my wedding
was years ago at this point.
But I'm also feeling really optimistic looking at Michael
and Chloe start their journey.
I'm really excited to see where their journey goes.
- OK.
Well, since tonight's episode was all about Chloe
and Michael's wedding, we are calling
tonight's signature cocktail the "Tie the Knot" tonic.
This cocktail contains dry gin, black cherry syrup,
fresh lemon juice topped with tonic water.
Cheers, everyone. - Cheers.
- Cheers, everybody.
- Mm-mm.
- Well, all right, let's just jump right into
tonight's episode, ladies.
So, Chloe, let's take a look at the first time
you met your husband.
Play the clip.
- Michael, finally standing in front of you
means everything to me.
And right now in this moment, looking into your eyes,
you feel like home.
And I am so sure that you're my person, and I'm yours.
I vow to wake up every single day
choosing you, loving you,
and supporting you in every way.
It's you and me now.
And I can't wait to do life with you.
- Mhm.
- Let me say, first of all, you guys
are a nice-looking couple.
Like, I know you guys got married at first sight,
but is he your type?
Like, what does your visual type usually look like?
- I think if you lined up every man that I've ever
dated or had a relationship with in my entire life,
none of them look the same.
Like, I just really enjoy, sort of,
every element of the rainbow. And--
- OK, and do you think he's handsome?
- I do think he's handsome, yeah.
- I love it.
So, Lauren, is this your first time
seeing Orion since-- - Yes.
- OK. - Yes, first time seeing him.
- Tell me about-- because I noticed
y'all sat on different sides.
What was that experience like, seeing him for the first time
in so long?
- You know, I--
at first, I thought it was going
to be awkward walking into it.
But I didn't really have any
grand emotions seeing him. - OK.
- I liked that I looked really good.
- I mean, of course.
You can't see your ex not looking fine.
Like, what are you talking about?
- You know?
So it's like, I'm not going to lie and say
that wasn't in my head leading up.
But it wasn't-- it didn't become, like,
very cumbersome when I saw him.
It was just like, "Oh, there he is."
- Yeah, because you looked cute.
- Exactly. - Exactly.
Come on now.
- You got to flex on the ex.
Flex a little bit.
[laughter]
- Seeing you all respond in the audience,
even though this has never happened
in the show's history, you see the value in it almost.
When you're sitting there, of course,
you're thinking about your own wedding.
- Oh, of course.
- And of course you're thinking about
what went right, what went wrong.
So allowing the current castmates
to take stock in that moment I thought was--
it really, kind of, came through to viewers
watching at home.
- But almost as a built-in reminder
of why you chose to be married at first
sight in the first place.
- Yeah.
Tonight, Lauren, Chloe, and special guest Jemele Hill
are giving me all the details
about Chloe and Michael's wedding.
And Michael didn't waste any time telling Chloe
about his previous match.
Let's take a look at that.
- So originally, there was an attempt
for me to be married at first sight,
but that did not happen.
The woman that they had matched me up with at the time
felt like she couldn't go through with it.
But I just want you to know that our journey
is our journey.
I don't want you to think that you're receiving,
like, a broken man or there's any, like,
residual from that first experience.
Like, there's none of that.
Like, this is uniquely ours.
And for all intents and purposes,
I'm here to experience this with you.
- So let me start with saying--
- It kind of makes me a little emotional,
if you want the truth. - Aw!
- Not like I was expecting to cry at the afterparty.
It's a party.
We're not supposed to be crying.
- But tell me what you're feeling.
- [sighs] It was just a really beautiful moment.
So I had made peace with the fact that
"Married At First Sight" wasn't my journey.
And I adopt old special-needs dogs.
And so when they said you don't have a match, I...
[laughs]
Went out and adopted an old special-needs dog.
So when they called me to let me know
that they indeed had my match,
it just became such a whirlwind.
And I feel like in this moment, that whirlwind
was culminating in--
in this moment.
And I'm a firm believer that what's meant
for us will never pass us.
- I love the fact that he confronted it head on.
- Yeah.
- And he turned it into a really compelling moment
by telling you that the journey was uniquely you all's.
And I was watching it thinking, like, boy, if "When God closes
a door, he opens a window" was a person,
it's these two right here.
[laughter]
- I must say, kudos, Michael.
You handled it very well.
So, Chloe, on another note,
what are your first impressions of Michael?
- I'm seeing this heart carved into the side of his head.
- And tattoos.
- And I've got these neck tattoos.
And I've got all of these earrings.
And I'm thinking, this man has a story to tell.
And I just can't wait to hear it.
- I love it.
OK, Chloe, you certainly handled
this surprising news very well.
And on the topic of handling things well, Lauren,
you couldn't have been more gracious during
your conversation with Orion.
Let's watch that back.
- I realize that I am carrying hurt
from my past two relationships of being told,
like, "You're not enough.
"You're not doing enough.
No matter what you do, you're not going to be enough."
- So then you probably, overhearing
me saying "My wife doesn't have my back" probably hit.
- It did. And--
- Something that--
- That wasn't just that.
- Of course. - Yeah?
- You know I love hugs.
- A genuine just--
- Aw, I love that moment.
How does it feel for you watching that back?
- I'm very grateful for that conversation.
I'm glad that we were able to have that moment.
I know I'm thankful for Chloe because that moment
wouldn't have happened if all the love
wasn't in the air, I think.
And so I think it allowed for defenses to go down a bit
because there wasn't so much at stake at this point.
- The marriage didn't work, but the blessing is
that you learned a whole hell of a lot about you
and how to be an even better version of yourself.
- Yes.
- And so I thought that was so special.
What do you feel?
- Well, one, see, this is how I know
that the higher power is still working on me because, see,
I'm too petty for that. You know what I'm saying?
I'm Petty Pendergrass, Petty LaBelle over here.
So as soon as he talked about the hug, I'd have been like,
"Why don't you hug that stubbornness
that I had to see all that time?"
- It took a lot to do the hug.
- I was gonna say, was it a lot?
Was there any part of you that just--
- I did want to say no. - OK.
[laughter]
Watching it at home, I had that "yell at the TV moment,"
like, "Girl, don't give him no hug!"
- I had that moment just now. - Did you?
- But see, but this is the thing.
Forgiveness is not for them, it's for you.
- It's for me, yeah. - And the more you--
- She's so mature.
[laughter]
- But I mean, I haven't always been this way.
You don't want to meet before whoosah'd up Keshia.
She was not who you wanted to see in these streets,
let me tell you.
And sometimes people test me,
and it tries to want to jump out.
But my point is, if you continue
to harbor that anger and that animosity,
that is only affecting you, while this other person
out here living they best life.
When you marry a stranger, no questions from family
and friends are off the table.
And, Chloe, you and Michael experienced this
firsthand at your wedding.
Take a look at this clip.
- Do you want to have kids?
- No. - No?
- So for me, there are 450,000 kids in foster care.
I feel like instead of putting a bun in this oven,
I can love the buns that have come
out of everybody else's oven.
- Are you interested in children?
- I haven't had a personal emotional desire for children,
but I'm interested in the fact that I may be in love
with someone so much that if she wants children,
I wouldn't want to prevent that from happening.
- That makes it easier. - You know?
- So fostering might be an option?
- Fostering, adopting, having children of our own,
like, to me, the method is agnostic.
- How was it seeing that on tonight's episode?
- Ah, I'm so passionate about our foster care system.
- You knew the numbers.
You are very passionate.
- I'm very passionate.
And it's something I look very forward
to doing one of these days.
And so knowing that they had this conversation,
knowing what it means to me just is a testament
to how beautiful my friends are.
- Adoption is something that
is so near and dear to my heart.
You know, I just had a baby.
However, I, too, want to adopt.
Like, before I had my children,
I almost adopted. - Ah.
- There are so many children out here who need love,
so I loved your perspective.
- Yeah, and I just love the idea in general
that you all presented a picture
that a family doesn't have to look
or be put together a certain way.
And I think a lot of people get very fixated on it
getting put together a certain way.
You all presented a way or a view
or a picture where there's a 360-degree view.
I mean, I got married later, I mean, in my life.
And so I'm a little older than I look.
- Listen!
- I'm a little older than I look over here.
So it would be--
I would say the options we're exploring are non-traditional.
- I'm a little older than I look, too, so I understand.
I understand. - Right?
- So what are your friends right now saying about Michael
behind the scenes?
- They were all just so taken by how kind--
and it was just really nice to hear everyone
impressed by his heart. - Yeah.
- And I appreciated that. - That speaks volumes.
OK, well, on the topic of wedding guests,
the other spouses attended Chloe and Michael's wedding,
and it certainly stirred up some emotions.
Take a look at this clip.
- I'm excited for their honeymoon, you know?
- You're excited for their honeymoon?
- Yeah, to hear about it and help them,
give them-- you know?
- What advice would you give them pre-honeymoon
knowing what you know now?
Prepare for the honeymoon stage because it will end.
- No, I mean, as long as their feelings
are still the same, then the honeymoon stage
may never end.
[quirky music]
- So, Chloe, I want to ask you,
what did you observe about the couples,
like, upon meeting them?
- I was just so impressed.
Everybody was just lovely
and kind and excited and hopeful,
which I was, now looking back, so impressed by
because to be hopeful for a situation
that you've just seen such a massive turmoil in,
it was really special.
And I was grateful for that. - Yeah.
- We went into this, and I had a talk
with Claire and Emily before here.
And we agreed we are not going to put the emotions of our...
- OK. - Marriages,
or lack thereof, into this day
for you at all because that would be a disservice to you.
- That's some really good insight,
that you guys had that conversation
behind the scenes.
We can tell in this clip that Emily
and Brennan are definitely in the midst of a disconnect.
So tell me your feeling and your perspective
on what you saw in this clip.
- You know, with Brennan in particular,
he looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there.
And in general with him, it sometimes
is a struggle watching him because he comes off a bit
as an emotional terrorist.
Despite all the problems that they're having
and the disconnect that's happening,
that's going on, be inspired by the love in the room.
- Yeah. - And that is not happening.
And so it was really sad to see both of them
struggling in their own ways.
- Because the other thing is the passive aggressiveness
doesn't help your position.
- Yeah, see, mm, I'm not a fan of that.
- It doesn't, that, because they're doing things
that are amplifying on both parties.
Now that we've talked all about the wedding reception,
let's take a look at Chloe and Michael's wedding night.
Roll the clip.
- Let's go to bed. - Let's go to bed.
- OK.
[both softly chuckle]
- Goodnight.
- Ah, goodnight, husband.
- Yes, goodnight, wife.
- [chuckles] Ah.
[tender music]
Are you a cuddler?
- I am a cuddler?
- I'll let you be big spoon.
[sighs]
♪
You better not tempt me. - Mhm.
[smooches]
- Mm.
- You had on pajamas.
You had on a robe. - The bathrobe.
- You were under the sheets--
- Socks.
- The duvet, socks.
How were you not hot?
- [laughing] I probably was.
[laughter]
I told that man, I said, "The most important thing to me
is an emotional connection."
So I'm just not somebody--
I don't casually exchange energy.
- Understood.
- And I do feel like I need to talk about the eyelashes
on my forehead.
Let's go get him.
[quirky music]
- [chuckles] See?
That's the look I want.
You have to stick with that now.
- I told you there was a real--
- It's gold.
- What inspired the forehead eyelashes?
- I had mentioned throughout the night
that I was so tired, I was so afraid that I would not have
the energy to wash my face... - And wake up like that?
- And I'd wake up with a set of eyelashes on my forehead.
I could have literally awakened with four sets of eyelashes
on my forehead, and Michael had been like,
if that's what we're doing today,
then that's what we're doing today, so yeah.
- So you're an energy person, though.
- Yeah.
- How does Michael's energy feel?
- Surprisingly calm and gentle.
And I could not have imagined spending
that first night with anybody else, truthfully, yeah.
- I like it.
Lauren, I have a question for you.
So what did you guys do after the wedding?
Was there an afterparty?
- Yeah, we-- the five of us that were there,
we actually continued on to a bar.
- Oh, nice! - But it was--
the vibes were a lot different
than at the wedding, unfortunately.
- OK, good or bad? - Bad.
- Oh, no. - Yeah.
Orion was very standoffish.
We didn't speak the whole night.
Brennan was also standoffish, but I kind of
expected that based upon what was happening at the wedding.
But it was like a complete 180 with Orion.
- All right, well, as we're closing out this whole thing,
do you have any pieces of advice
for Chloe as well as for Lauren?
- Lauren, just continue to get back to you.
I mean, those of us who are watching at home
saw you present yourself in a way
that you should really be proud of.
- Absolutely.
- And I know it didn't turn out the way you expected,
but there was a lot of growth that you showed.
And I think you really gave a lot of people
a lot to be inspired by.
So really feel proud of the way that you presented yourself
throughout this process.
And, Chloe, seeing the instant chemistry between you
and Michael, I think, was very endearing.
You gave people hope in the sense of,
like, regardless of your age, your moment is going to be
your moment no matter what.
And so continue to lean into that.
- Absolutely. - Thank you.
- That's beautiful. - I second that.
And I can't wait to see your marriage unfold.
That's all that we have time for tonight.
But before we go, here's a sneak-peek
at what happens on next week's brand-new episode
of "Married at First Sight."
- Next time on "Married at First Sight..."
- You have such magical hands, Michael.
- Tensions begin to escalate.
- I don't feel like you treat me as a friend
to, like, to me, like, and-- - All right, let's--
Are you sure you wanna go down this--
want to do this? - He's silencing you.
- I know. - And that's not fair.
- Tomorrow, reality hits. - Yeah.
- And it's absolutely freaking terrifying.
I'm saying I don't know if I can do this.
[dramatic music]
- Hoo, I can't wait. I don't know about y'all.
It looks like a lot is going down next week.
All right, well, Lauren, Chloe, and Jemele,
thank you so much for joining me
and giving me your insight on tonight's episode.
To everyone at home, tune in next week
when I'll be sitting down with Emily, Chloe, and Austin.
I'm Keshia Knight Pulliam. Good night.
- ♪ Pull up, pull up, pull up, pull up ♪
♪ 'Cause life should be a party ♪