- Getting married to a stranger is crazy.
- Please stand.
- Once upon a time,
ten singles took a brave leap of faith
in order to find love.
- Hi, I'm Lindsey.
- They married as complete strangers.
[cheering and applause]
- We got married, it's official.
I got the ring on my hand.
- Last time, our couples were honeymooning in Puerto Rico.
- ♪ It was a midnight summer dream ♪
- Noi and Steve.
- He makes me feel secure with him.
He would do anything, I think,
to make me feel safe and loved.
- ♪ Locked in like a pageant queen ♪
- Jasmina and Michael.
- ♪ Moving heads like a movie scene ♪
- We have had, like, our ups and downs,
so communication is definitely something that
we still need to work on in this marriage.
- Lindsey and Mark.
- I feel so bad for my husband.
He is currently being browbeaten by his landlord,
and he is busy with me trying to get to know me.
I'm a little bit of a mama bear.
- Okay. - I don't like what I've seen.
- Okay.
♪ ♪
- Katina and Olajuwon.
- I'm like 98% that we'll be smooth when we go back,
but there's a little 2% that's like--it worries me.
[tense music]
- Alyssa and Chris.
- My thought was that you could move into
the apartment for the first half.
And then I could move in in the second half.
- That's not something I'm interested in.
♪ ♪
- And tonight, the honeymoon is officially over,
and real life is about to begin.
- I never welcomed a woman in my home
like I'm doing with you.
- This is Yoshi, Jim, and Michael.
- If we were just boyfriend and girlfriend and not married,
living in the same place, you wouldn't tell me
that you lived with the opposite sex?
You've been aggressive, you've been yelling.
- So why would yell at you-- - All right, so I'm a liar now.
- What about this thing about him requiring you to cook?
- I don't deal with men who speak to me disrespectfully.
- This is something that I...
- You won't compromise. - No.
- I'm so insulted and offended by you.
You're [bleep] clueless, and it makes me so mad.
- Alyssa has no interest in being married to me.
- I just feel like I worked so hard to get here.
- For me...
[dramatic music]
This is my Decision Day.
- ♪ It's all or nothing ♪
- This is "Married at First Sight."
- ♪ There's no other way ♪
♪ ♪
♪ It's all or nothing ♪
[mellow music]
♪ ♪
- So we're leaving Puerto Rico!
- Whoo!
- ♪ Girl, you got me hangin' on a lie ♪
- We are at the airport,
and we're getting ready to go home,
and we feel very sad inside, but you can't see.
- But the good news is we get to move in together.
- Ugh, same.
- You still happy?
- Yeah, you?
- Yeah. - Okay.
All right.
♪ ♪
- ♪ I like hip-hop music ♪
♪ You like it 'cause you choose it ♪
♪ Most DJs don't refuse it ♪
- Oh my gosh, it's so cute!
- Ooh, they want us to make babies.
- ♪ Hey, I like hip-hop music ♪
- We provided each couple with a neutral apartment
in the same complex to make sure
they're entering this marriage on equal grounds.
♪ You like it 'cause you choose it ♪
- Oh my God, it's so pretty. - Ooh!
- Because moving in together is a big step
for any relationship, but especially our newlyweds.
So in addition, we the experts will be
coming to help them out along the way.
- This is home. - That's true.
Look at that pool. - I know.
- Because before they know it, they're going to have
to make the biggest decision of their lives,
to stay married or get a divorce.
- I love it.
- Yeah, it's nice.
Can't believe this is our home.
- ♪ I like hip-hop music ♪
♪ ♪
- Oh, you know
what I would love? - What?
- To put your dirty laundry in the wash.
Do you want to give me the bag? - What happened?
- You wanna give me the bag of your dirty laundry
and I'll throw it in.
- Yep.
- Being together non-stop for this whole week
has been a lot,
but at the same time, I really appreciate
the fact that she's very nurturing
and such a caregiver, and the fact that, like,
she's always gonna be there for me.
It's just something new that I've never had before.
- Oh, I should have gotten you a water bottle at my house.
I'm going to get you one tomorrow so we can
start the sustainability.
- Oh boy.
- You can have a Hydro Flask, a Nalgene.
I got 32 ounces,
I got 24 ounces, I got 12 ounces.
I'll buy you a gallon if you want a gallon.
- Thank you.
- To be honest, I just wanna wash my face and go to bed.
- Okay. We have a big day tomorrow.
We gotta go into my apartment and get a few basic things.
It's kind of a mess.
- Okay, that makes sense.
Okay, I'm getting to the bathroom part.
- I'm just hoping for all the emotions of moving in
and living together won't be too much because
she's a little much, 24 hours a day.
But at least I'll never get bored.
[sighs]
♪ ♪
[laughter]
- I didn't even laugh, and you got that
scary [bleep] laugh, here we go.
- What?
- You're supposed to be relaxed at the nighttime.
- It's way too hot.
- Okay, sweetheart, stop movin',
you're movin' too much.
Can you stop movin'? It's like 100 degrees in here.
- Shh, your volume, here.
Bring it down here, thank you.
- Well, I mean, you're moving around.
You're, like, trying to, like, go to bed.
- Shh, shh...
- [whispering]
- Shh, shh...
- You sound like you're hyperventilatin'.
It doesn't even sound normal.
- I love that Mark makes me laugh before bed.
- Is this what you're gonna do every night before bed?
- I think him and I will laugh
for the rest of our lives together,
and I'm really looking forward to that.
- Okay, okay, we need to go to bed.
We have a big day tomorrow.
- Oh my God, I'm not looking forward to it.
♪ ♪
- Uh-oh, now, this is where the magic truly,
truly, is gonna happen.
Look, they even start you off with a little tray.
The experts must've heard you.
- They got all the pots and pans and stuff.
- Oh man, so you really got no excuse.
When you goin' shopping?
- For me personally, living with my husband
is going to be an adjustment.
I've never lived with a boy before.
This is our home now.
- So let's just act it out-- Go over there, right?
Go near the--near the oven.
I'm gonna sit right like this.
- What am I acting out? What am I saying,
"Baby, want some breakfast?"
Want some bacon or sausage?
- I'm just tryin' to get an image of this.
- Do you want some bacon or sausage?
- This is a lifetime commitment thing so, you know what I mean,
I'm tryin' to get a few visuals of this.
Mm, mm, mm, mm.
- I'm so used to going out to eat and, like,
doing what I want and just feeding myself that way,
but he's made it very clear
that he wants home-cooked meals consistently,
every single day.
He just keeps, literally, drilling it in my mind.
- I'm used to living by myself so, like,
for me in the morning, it's easy for me to just
grab peanut butter and bread and just go.
- Mm-hmm. - But I have a wife now,
so I know I can't do that.
I'm gonna be all on your back.
7:00-- - You're gonna be texting me
like, "What are you making when I get home?"
- No I ain't doin' that, I'm just going to expect--
I'm just gonna open the door. - A surprise?
You're gonna expect a hot meal?
- Mm-hmm.
- I promise to put my best foot forward
when making sure you're well-fed every day.
- That's a good deal, that's a good deal.
- This is the most pressure I've ever felt
in a relationship, This is a lot.
♪ ♪
- ♪ Yeah, I know you're feelin' ♪
- Is this bed tall enough for you?
- [chuckles]
- Tall enough? Yeah, I think--yeah.
You know what, after we're done packing,
let's take some of the pillows out...
- We should test it out again.
- See that my head and toes can fit on both.
- I'm just, like, thinking of you now.
There's a part of me that's nervous about
living with someone that I barely know.
I don't know how my husband will want to live
and, you know, I don't know if my quirks
will go well with his, so it's always nerve wracking.
- Okay. - It looks like you fit so far.
- My feet officially fit.
- Let's check.
- Are we good? - You, like, barely fit.
I mean, you can talk about the person that you are,
but day to day, like, is that actually who you are?
I think we're good.
And then Sushi can sleep right here.
- Just snuggled up right between us.
- We'll never be able to cuddle.
- Could we get him a little foot--
A little foot bed or something, you know?
Maybe--maybe...
- No, he's gonna wanna sleep right here next to me.
- He'll wanna be right up and...
- He might sleep on the pillow.
- Like, he used to being right in your face?
- Mm-hmm.
He'll probably sleep on this pillow too.
He may need his own pillow.
- The good thing is it's a fresh move in, right?
So if there's any time that he may need to make
some adjustments, this is like, you know,
the start or something.
Even if we built a little something right here,
maybe, he could just be still right up in your face.
- No, he needs to be on the bed.
- It's gonna be tough.
I don't think the matchmakers mentioned this,
but let me see what he looks like and what he smells like.
- He smells lovely.
- ♪ I'm gonna go out, I'm gonna be up late tonight ♪
♪ Don't sleep now ♪
- Alyssa has already made the decision
not to move into the apartment.
For me, it's all or nothing.
So I'm moving into the apartment
because I had always planned to.
I've packed so that I would be moving into the apartment,
and that's what I committed to from the beginning.
[edgy music]
♪ ♪
I'm stuck. To this day,
hearing through the grapevine, occasionally,
things that might be the reasons
why she thinks we're incompatible,
from tattoos to political views...
- ♪ So who am I playing games ♪
- And these are all someone told someone,
and it eventually kind of gets back to me,
and I'm wondering if it's even true or not.
And she says if I hear something,
I should go to her and talk to her and ask her about it.
I don't know how to meet her.
I don't even have her phone number.
- ♪ Said it makes it dangerous... ♪
- I'm gonna sit back.
I'm gonna let her take the lead on this one.
And I'm here when she's ready to let me know
what's going on between us.
- ♪ Between Mars and Venus ♪
♪ All this questioning, second guessing, boy ♪
♪ Are you in this with me ♪
- How are you feeling about us?
Like, in the honeymoon we seen a lot of each other.
- Mm-hmm. If we're living together,
we're gonna see a lot of each other as well.
- Yeah. - Are you worried about that?
Are you nervous about that? What are your thoughts?
- Just like living with a man every day...
I mean, my current roommate is a guy,
so I'm used to living with a man every day.
The only difference is we go to our own bedrooms.
- Mm-hmm.
- Yeah, well, I mean, what about you?
Have you ever lived with a woman?
I can't remember you saying if you did or not.
- No, never--never.
That's new territory for me.
- So you're staying here tonight?
- Yeah, I'll be here tonight.
- Yeah.
I need to find a new doggy daycare.
Like, you can't just put your child into any school.
- Right, right, right.
- So I'll just be figuring out Feeny's school situation,
so I think it would be good to have some time
to myself, get back in a normal routine...
Instead of jumping, like, right back into it
without having a clear head.
♪ ♪
- I think you taking time away--
I think it's just not healthy.
It'll just be-- It's not--it's not a good way
to start our marriage.
Every time you have some type of disagreement,
I wouldn't want us to go somewhere else to go to sleep.
We wouldn't want this to just be like a...
something that we always do when things get rough,
because this is a marriage, and we have to figure things out.
- Me not moving in for the first couple of days
is not because I need space.
It's to figure out things with Feeny.
But it's just good that there's space.
- I'm just hoping when we do see each other
that we start off on a great foot.
♪ ♪
- This is not what I envisioned day one
back in Boston to look like after getting married.
I know that Feeny is very important to her,
but at the end the day, I'm not sure if that's
the real reason all this is happening.
- Keep the house clean. - I'll try.
- ♪ We ♪ ♪ ♪
♪ will never be the same ♪
♪ ♪
- Good morning.
It's our first morning waking up in our new apartment.
- The time that our couples spend together
in the first days after moving into
their shared apartments is extremely important.
- I'm still really tired.
[laughing]
- This is a unique window of time
that reveals how they each function in the real world.
- I was knocked out last night and he told me
that I was talking in my sleep so...
- They will begin to see each other's daily habits,
their quirks, and exactly what they need to do
to blend their lives together as husband and wife.
[water running]
- Huh, that's interesting.
You move your head, not the brush.
You're all like, grrr!
[laughing]
Mark brushes his teeth like Mark the Shark, go get 'em!
[laughing]
- It's not wrong, it's just--it's different.
- Couples who don't move in together will face
a much more difficult road ahead.
And the more time they spend apart,
the more difficult it will be
to build a foundation for a long-lasting marriage.
But we can't force anyone to do anything.
We can only hope that they realize
that the distance hurts more than it helps
before it's too late.
♪ ♪
- ♪ I'm about to so yeah ♪
♪ Know ya, tell you what to... ♪
- Welcome to my house.
- I finally get to see your home.
- Yes, yes, yes.
- Our couples have been married for just over a week.
- Hey! - Hey.
- How are ya?
- They learned a lot about each other
during the honeymoon,
but nobody knows better than I do
that visiting their spouse's home
could reveal so much more
about the stranger they just married.
- ♪ Once upon a time we thought we had it all ♪
♪ We'd never grow old ♪
♪ For sure ♪
[knocking at door]
- Who's that?
Hi! - Hey.
- How's it going? - It's going.
- Come on in--oh...
This is Sushi.
It's so important that my dog Sushi loves Steve,
because if they didn't get along,
that would get in the way of our marriage.
So I'm hoping that they fall in love at first sight.
Sushi has like two, three beds in here.
So this is his bed, that's his bed, this is also his bed.
- And then the main bed too? - Yeah.
- It's pretty much his house?
- It's Sushi's house.
Do you want to hold sushi?
- Yeah, sure. - Okay.
- Here, let me get comfortable.
Hi, Sushi.
- Be gentle, he's old.
- Hi.
[Sushi whines]
- So, is this dog currently house trained?
- Yeah, he is.
- Okay, so we shouldn't expect the new apartment...
- Oh, no.
- Okay. - No, definitely not.
- 'Cause that is something I have a hard time with.
But... - Oh! [laughs]
- Not--not--you know, I feel like I'll have to
just get used to picking it up, because my brother has a dog,
and the last time I just felt like...
it was just really hard for me to put the bag on the hand.
- Well, he does poop, and we do need to pick up his poop.
- Yeah.
Yeah, it makes me a bit nauseous picking up the,
you know, picking up after a dog.
I've watched my brother's dog, and I had a hard time with it.
It might just take a little getting used to.
Are you going to bring all three beds for sushi,
or are you going to give, you know--
Does he have a favorite?
- Well, I'll bring that bed for sushi,
and then he'll sleep in our bed.
[light music]
And then he probably will sleep on the couch too.
- So what's the orange bed's purpose then?
- Just when he wants his privacy.
- Yeah, having the option to have a bed,
but not--but, yeah, okay.
And you don't think--you don't think if we put that bed
close to our bed, eventually he'll be like,
you know what, it's just more comfortable
for everyone involved if I just sleep here?
- He just likes to be near me,
and he'll want to sleep with us.
♪ ♪
- Gotcha.
- Is that okay?
- Um, it should be.
Um, we'll find out shortly.
♪ ♪
- ♪ What are you waiting for? ♪
♪ Keep coming back for more like ♪
♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪
♪ ♪
- Are we touching things? Do we need gloves?
- No--no, I'm not touching anything.
I mean, I'm just gonna go through clothes into a bag
and throw sneakers into a bag, and that's it.
- I mean, technically, unless you're using magical
telekinetic powers to move the things into the bag,
I believe there's hands involved.
- I feel a little embarrassed because there was like
a bedbug situation in my whole apartment.
So it's kind of a mess.
It was very clean and ready to go prior to the wedding day,
and then it's kind of like all torn apart.
So I'll feel better once we leave this place,
'cause it's kind of a hot mess up there.
Okay, you ready?
- Ride or die. - Okay. Okay.
- If I get bed bug bites...
oof, I'm gonna want so much TLC from you.
- Okay, done.
- I will be very, very honest.
Bed bugs are one of my biggest fears
because I have had them from traveling,
and it still haunts me.
Thank you, thank you.
- Yeah, so this is my apartment.
[light music]
Not how it usually is, but typically I had a couch
over here, and I would watch movies at night over here.
- The thought of possibly bringing bugs into our new home
is freaking me out.
- And this is the kitchen.
- I'm a little freaked out.
- My Keurig, my Foreman Grill.
- We're getting rid of the Keurig.
Too much plastic--it's not good for the environment.
- See, I have all these dishes that,
like, I never really use.
I don't really use anything but just one plate.
This is from my parents' house, so I kept the set
and I just brought it up, but I usually just use one
and wash it and put it back.
- All right, let me ask you, does it spark joy?
When you hold that, do you feel good, do you love it?
- No, no. - Then get rid of it.
Donate it, and we'll get you something that does.
- Okay, let me show you the bedroom
that doesn't look like it used to look but...
- Okay. - Okay.
So...
Used to have big bed over here and TV I haven't used.
- All right, let's do this. I'll hold it, you dump it.
- Okay.
- Boom.
Let's bag it and double it.
Are any of these pieces of furniture valuable to you?
- No. - Then get rid of all of 'em.
Like, get rid of all that.
Was this your mom's?
- Nope, that's all my-- That's all my baseballs
from when I was a kid.
- Wh--why?
- I kept 'em. - Why?
- Because I did.
- Do they bring you joy?
- Yeah, it's my childhood.
- Okay.
- I feel like my life was very organized
prior to getting married,
and then the situation in my apartment
happened while I was gone, and I couldn't take care of it.
It happened without my control.
- I think these are done.
What is this?
- Those are "90210" CDs.
- All right, this is gonna be trash.
- And now she's chucking bags everywhere,
so it's just a lot of things that are not controlled.
- These are your sentimental stuff,
so let's keep these off the ground.
- Okay.
Jeez, I just told you to be careful with that.
- I know.
- Like... - I know!
- Just leave 'em, just leave 'em, just leave 'em.
I think that's always been just a difficult thing for me
is somebody trying to do things for me
without listening to how I like them first.
- All right, I'm out. - Okay.
- I got nothing to do here.
- No.
I'm an organized person, so bagging up my watches
and clothes and sneakers in trash bags
wasn't the way I wanted to move out of my apartment.
So I was like, thank you for doing that,
I don't like that at all, though.
But thank you.
Why don't you take the keys? I'll take the bags.
There you go.
That's--that's-- That's the door, it's open.
- My bad. - No problem.
♪ ♪
- For real, for real, for real, come back, come back.
I want you to really get a visual of this.
- Okay. - Get a visual of this.
Can you imagine yourself holding your hand?
- I'm doing it now. - No, I'm saying,
and doing this, like, imagine, like,
kids running out like, "Mama, Daddy," can you imagine that?
- Mm-hmm. - 'Cause this is really where--
We're at that part of life now.
So I want you to really take this in.
I never welcomed a woman in my home like I'm doing with you.
As in for real, for real.
This is the first time my wife is gonna see how I live.
I'm not gonna lie, I am nervous because
my wife has a little more swag than I do, I would say.
Welcome to my crib. This is my favorite part.
That's how you know
some character in here. - With the little bottle.
That means you gonna
be shooting out some babies.
So I'm just thinking, dude,
what happens if she doesn't like my style
or she thinks this house is too manly?
I don't know--I really don't know--I don't know.
But I'm hoping that my wife's gonna wanna move in with me
and actually come into my space
and staying there for a lifetime commitment.
So this is the kitchen.
Is this your type of style of a kitchen?
- Um...
I would definitely not have that there.
Like that coffee thing, I don't like that.
- Why? I look at it every day.
- Yeah, I just don't like the--
- The design. - The design, yeah.
- You want a different theme? - Yeah.
- Even though I make the best coffee in the country?
- Yeah, but you don't need to put it in the window.
The curtains, they weren't, like, youthful enough for me.
It kind of gave me like a little older, like,
not his age vibe so, yeah, they can go.
- You're probably wondering, where the hell's the gym at?
- Yeah, where's the gym? Show me.
- Gotcha. - You have a basement?
- Yeah. We did this, me and my brother.
- Oh, wow, another TV.
- This is where I get my cardio on.
This is how I get my strength so I can pick you up at night.
You know what I mean, you know what I mean?
You know what I mean? Do I look good with it?
So do you like my style, the green,
you know, you like this?
[light music]
- I could see myself living here with him,
but I would say his house is a lot more like a bachelor pad.
The equipment's fine, I would change the color.
So, you know, if I'm going to be moving in here,
we're gonna have to switch a few things around.
- If you had to grade my house
on a scale of one to ten-- It's okay--it's okay.
- Like, as a home and everything,
like, just it being a cute home, a nice home,
I'd say it's like a--it's a eight.
- I'll take that, that's nice--I'll take that.
- I'd say the decorations, I'm gonna give you a five.
- Why did I not get a ten for downstairs
on the main floor, 'cause of the coffee curtain?
- Yeah, I would help you paint the kitchen
another color, like a light gray.
- No, absolutely not, that doesn't even match.
The granite is tan. The floor's tan.
- Then that would have to change.
In my head...
- Do you know how much that costs to change that?
- I know, like, what, like 50,000?
- You just chill--you just chill and enjoy--
You just worry about enjoying the place,
don't worry about changing [bleep].
- I know that this is his house,
but I don't know how he expects me to live here
if I can't make it my home too.
[laughs]
- I ain't change--
You know how expensive that would be?
♪ ♪
[knock on door]
- Hey! - Hey.
- How are you? - Welcome to my apartment.
- Wow.
With everything happening so unexpectedly at my apartment,
I'm really kind of hoping that Lindsey's place
is a little bit more settling for me.
Hopefully it's a big enough space for the two of us
to unwind and get situated.
- These are my plants--would you like to meet my plants?
- Okay.
- This is Yoshi. - Yoshi.
- Jim, Michael...
This is Lindsey.
Named after yours truly.
That's Fran. - Fran.
- She has new growth coming in, she's coming in hot,
look at that.
[whispers] You're doing so great.
- Yep, this is Lindsey's place.
- This has to come with us.
- What's that?
- In India--
In many countries they have squat toilets because
the natural squat position opens up your ass, right?
Your rectum?
Just-- So you just squat on your pot,
one size fits all.
- Is that a box? - Storage unit.
The bed mattress goes up
and there's bunch of storage underneath.
- The bed goes up, like that way?
- Yeah.
- That looks like a stove for like a four-year-old.
It's like so tiny. - I hate cooking.
- This is definitely your place. - Why?
- It's--it's like so Mother Earth.
[both laughing]
- Like--like I feel like you come home, "Hey, guys!"
You just start waterin' things, cats runnin' everywhere.
♪ ♪
- Excuse me, what's that face for?
- [laughs] - Excuse me.
- This is, like, definitely your apartment.
- He keeps saying it's so Lindsey,
your house is so Lindsey,
and I was like, what does that even mean?
Because I just found an infested dilapidated place,
and I'm cool with it so if he judges me, he's such a dork.
- Oh boy, this is quite the little apartment.
- Well, listen, this is just one little room.
We can get rid of the couch-- - This is the only room
This is the only room.
A bedroom doesn't count. It's a bedroom.
And it folds? There's storage underneath.
It's max occupado. - Oh, man.
I was really kind of hoping that Lindsey's place
would be a big enough space for the two of us
where we could go after Decision Day,
pending we stay married, but this--
This isn't gonna work out.
No.
♪ ♪
- ♪ Shadows in the night ♪
♪ Show me somethin' ♪
♪ Paint a smile upon my face ♪
♪ When you're gone ♪
♪ I tell myself that I... ♪
- Well, I like your space. It's nice.
It's just, it looks like a single man's apartment.
You have, like, a bunch of gym equipment right there.
- Up until about a week ago,
it was a single man's apartment, so...
And I got my dumbbells over here too.
- Wow.
This apartment definitely screams
that a single man lives here.
He has gym equipment everywhere.
He has nunchucks--[laughs]
I mean, it's okay though.
I really like him, so it's okay that he has
a lot of weird things going on in here.
But I think we can make our apartment a lot less manly.
- And I don't know if you noticed, but...
[clicks tongue] - Oh, the LED lights.
- But just to show you what else it's capable of,
we got some other settings here like party mode.
[party music]
♪ ♪
[laughter]
I have color lights, I have LED lights.
- Are these in your bedroom too?
- They're in the bedroom, they're in the--
- In your bathroom too? - Kitchen. They're not
in the bathroom and they're not in the hallway, so...
- That's good.
My husband is obsessed with LED lights.
I learned that about him today.
- So we have green, blue,
and then if you want to get like extra kinda--
- Whoa.
He is lighting up talking about his LED lights
like a little child.
It's really cute, but I don't know
if I want the LED lights in my apartment.
- So I was thinking we could do one or two things.
We could either take all the lights here and just fill
the apartment up, or we can just buy lights
for every room in our new apartment.
- Um...
♪ ♪
- ♪ I know what we do is all right ♪
- Welcome.
- Don't mind if I do.
- When I told Michael I was going to go back
to my old apartment, I told him that I was
gonna go make sure that I have everything set for my dog and,
you know, finding the new school for him.
But it was more so I just need to reset
to be able to come back to him with a clear head.
And I feel like because we did click on the wedding day,
that we can click like that again.
So when I say that I'm in a space to start over,
I truly mean it.
- All right, here's my room.
[energetic music]
♪ ♪
- Who is that? - Oh, ha ha!
This was a painting that a friend drew for me.
This isn't anybody in particular.
- Oh. - It was a birthday gift.
- If you say so. - Yeah.
- Mike's room is very frat boy.
You know, he got this big poster of this naked woman
so I'm like, you know, do you got porn videos in here?
What you got in--
You know, is there a kinky drawer?
Okay, it's just clothes.
- Yeah, nothin' exciting.
- All right. - It's just boring stuff.
- Let me go to your roommate's room,
'cause you probably hid stuff in there.
[light music]
Living room.
You Like crystals?
- That's not mine.
- Whose little golf thing is this?
- My roommate.
- How many roommates you have?
- Two.
- I don't see much of you.
- Yeah, I feel like I'm never really here.
I'm like in and out.
- Are you and your roommates friends,
or do you guys just, like, separate.
- Yeah, we're kinda--yeah, we're friends, yeah.
- Okay. Where is your roommate?
- Somewhere here. - Hmm.
[light music]
♪ ♪
- I didn't know you had a girl roommate.
- Yeah. - Wow!
Oh, secretive, oh my God! You didn't--
You never told me that.
- I know, we haven't really talked about it.
- Kenny, who has the hat on, this is my best friend.
He's also my current roommate as well.
I've mentioned I have a guy roommate,
you would think that that would be when you say,
"Oh, you live with a guy, well, I live with a girl," you just--
- I live with a girl.
- Oh, okay, well, you never mentioned it.
- It didn't come up. I don't know.
I didn't hide it from you on purpose.
- Oh, okay. - No, I swear, I didn't.
- Oh.
I'm annoyed with Mike, I'm kind of disappointed at this point.
This is the first time that I'm hearing about
him having a female roommate.
And if I didn't see her walk out,
when would he have told me that he lives with a woman?
And I personally don't have a problem with it,
but I'm trying to get over our past conflicts.
And I feel like it doesn't help keeping
the roommate situation away from me.
Okay, I think I've seen it all.
[edgy music]
♪ ♪
- So you want to get some of this stuff into the car
so we can head back to our place soon?
- Now that our couples are packing up their things,
the fact that they are moving in together becomes more real.
- It has been a crazy morning. Moving week is always stressful.
Cats, apartment, move.
- And we gotta do it in one day.
- Hello there, pal. - This is Feeny.
- This is when it's really going to sink in
that this person they barely know
is now legally their husband or wife.
- Home sweet home.
See, I kept it nice and tidy for you.
- Okay, where do you want the dog bed to go?
- And that this is the beginning
of the rest of their lives together.
- Ben and Jerry, meet your fat long-lost brother.
Boys, come on.
- We have five cats now between us
and I've never put my animals
in a room with other animals.
- I would keep your distance.
- So I'm nervous about how the cats are 'cause that's like
one of those situations where the cats are like my kids.
[cat meows] - Be nice, Ben.
[snarls] Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!
- I'm like, kinda getting nervous because her cats hiss.
My cats don't do that.
And if they don't get along,
that's another thing I can't control.
Another thing that adds to the pressure.
♪ ♪
- It'll be nice to see, um...
See how we mesh livin' together.
- Is that right? - Yeah.
- I have a question. - Mm-hmm.
- When we were at your apartment,
I don't know if I didn't hear correctly,
but I thought you said you had a female roommate.
- Did I say a, like one? - Yeah, mm-hmm.
- Well, that's not what I meant.
- So you have two female roommates?
- Yeah.
♪ ♪
So what did you think,
that I purposely didn't tell you about that one?
- Well, I mean, I didn't know about the first one.
If we were just boyfriend and girlfriend
and not married, living in the same place,
you wouldn't tell me that you live with the opposite sex?
- It would come up when it comes up.
- It's come up.
Have you ever lived with a woman?
I can't remember you saying if you did or not?
- No, never.
- So there's been opportunities.
- But it wasn't because I didn't
want to to tell you, like I think you'd care.
- The thing is, it doesn't bother me that you
live with women.
I lived with men before. I currently live with a man now.
It just bothers me that you didn't think
that was something important...
- I get it. - To tell me.
And it's not just one, it's two women.
That's just-- Being in the same space
with the opposite sex is serious,
so the fact that that didn't come to your mind first
it's why I'm like...
- Okay, I did it, but even if I didn't,
what does that mean?
Like, what would I be trying to get away with?
Like I currently live with women.
I don't think it makes me
like I'm trying to hide something.
- Well, that's what it seems like when there's been
plenty of opportunities to bring it up and you didn't.
- I'll agree with you-- Bad judgement call.
There were times when I could have told you.
I should have told you.
But it wasn't because I'm trying to get
away with it to get you not to know.
You're looking at me like
you don't know what the hell I'm saying.
- Nah, I hear you. - But...
- What you say just don't make sense.
[tense music]
♪ ♪
- I'm here in the cat palace,
hanging on by a thread, if I'm being honest.
Mark's life has pretty much blown up,
even more so in the last few days.
My grandma's like 70 pounds, which is very thin,
so she's not doing that great.
And that's a lot of work.
And... his landlord has been ridiculous.
He's about to explode from all of this stress,
and I'm not sure who Mark is right now.
There's Mark the Shark, MTS, Mark, Mark, Mark, Mark,
you know.
But...
who he is off camera right now is completely different.
And he's so hot and cold, on and off,
and I don't think he's actually aware of that.
And...
♪ ♪
If I'm being honest, it's driving me insane.
♪ ♪
- You're playing reds, right?
- Oh, nice pull.
- Hi! - How are you?
- Good, how are you? - Good, good.
Look at this feast.
- I'm gonna lose my D4, so get ready.
- Nick is definitely one of my best friends.
He and I have known each other for a long time.
He's helped me get through some really rough patches.
He's a pretty straight shooter and won't hesitate to be like,
"Chris, you're being an idiot" if he thinks I am.
Or, "Chris, you need to get the hell
out of this," if he thinks I should.
- So should we talk about what's happened?
- Yeah, what has happened?
- I think I, like, blacked out from, like,
the time that I saw him until, like,
the time that I actually got there.
- Wow, I could see that, yeah. - Like, I kinda, like, don't
remember walking down.
And then I--
And then I saw him and I was just like, that's not--
Not what I envisioned, you know, being there.
What were your thoughts?
- I was kind of, maybe, expecting a cowboy.
- Me too.
- But he is cute.
There's no doubt he's a great guy, he's really nice.
- But he's also not--you haven't seen the way treats me.
- No, but I'm just saying, the way--
I only met him, you know, at the wedding
and the morning after, and he seemed like a good kid.
- It's like, you know, to hear this
person that you just married, like,
likes to, like, debate until the cows come home,
and likes to, like, argue their point.
And then, you know, I started learning things about him.
And I was like, wow, we are just,
like, so different in every way.
- She also tells me that one of the reasons
we're not compatible is because I don't have the tattoo
that her psychic said that I'm supposed to have,
which is of an eagle.
- Please stop. - I don't have an eagle--
- Please stop. - I don't have
an eagle tattoo. - Please stop.
- Don't you have an eagle tattoo?
- Uh, no.
- Maybe there's some 80-year-old war vet
with an eagle tattoo who might be her soulmate,
but she can go ask her psychic about that.
I gotta be honest man, if you went out on a date
with someone and you were like,
"Hey, her regular psychic says this," I'd probably be like,
"I don't think this is the one for you, man."
- [laughs] That's fair. That's fair.
- So what do you think the core values are
that you guys don't seem to have?
- I think, like, one of the biggest things
for me is the lack of respect for other people.
And, you know, one of the other big things is he--
He posted on his Instagram about, like,
defunding the police.
And like, you know the high regard that I have
for first responders and, like, how much respect I have
for them and what they do, and for somebody to post that
on social media is just, like, very disturbing to me.
Like, what are you going to do if you have to call the police?
You think they're gonna save you when you say don't fund them?
- Right? - Like...
- You're literally my best friend
and you're literally a police officer.
[laughs]
So--so...
I haven't had the opportunity to talk about
what I really believe.
I think that there's a real conversation to be had
in society.
The problem is, I can't ever tell her
any of these things and walk through
what I think is a reasonable conversation around it,
even if she fundamentally disagrees with it,
because this is what I heard from someone
who heard from someone
that heard from her that she wanted to talk to me.
- I'm wondering,
what would you need to decide that you,
indeed, wanted to stay with him after Decision Day?
♪ ♪
- I think the bottom line is, like, I need, like, trust,
honesty, respect, and like, good communication.
And I don't feel like we have that right now.
For me, I need to start seeing it
actually happen in order to feel any different.
- Well he needs to prove himself.
- Yeah. - And show you.
- Mm-hmm.
Right.
♪ ♪
- ♪ I was hopin' you would chase me down ♪
♪ ♪
- Our couples are legally married,
but they've only known each other for just over a week.
And in just seven weeks, they'll have to make
the biggest decision of their lives,
whether they'll stay married, or get a divorce.
To help them make a more informed decision,
I'm visiting each couple to try and give them
the nudge they need to accelerate their pace
of getting to know each other.
These couples need to dig deeper to see
where their spouses stand on important issues like children,
finances, responsibilities, and life goals,
because the future of their relationship
depends on the foundation they are building right now.
[knocking at door]
- Comin'.
Come in, how are you doing?
- What's up? How you doing--okay.
- I'm doin' good. - It's good to see you, man.
- Good to see you as well.
- You're married. - I am married.
- Yeah, ha ha ha.
- Hello! - Hello.
How are you, my dear? - Good, how are you?
- I'm awesome, I'm awesome. Good to see you.
- Nice to see you too!
- Let's talk, let's talk, let's talk.
So how's it going?
Okay, there you have it.
[laughter]
You just said a whole volume right there, okay.
I want to start openly and honestly, okay,
about where we are, and about where we're going.
Your marriage started to spiral.
On the honeymoon.
I want to talk about what the heck is the problem.
- A lot of the conflicts we had, he chose to
talk to me a certain way that,
like, turned me off.
And when he brought them up
off-camera, he was very aggressive.
And he was very loud, and he had a tone,
and was very, just, disrespectful in general.
I also know
that he's not at a ten when he's talking to me
and that it can get worse. - How do you know that?
- Wait, so you're saying that
he has the potential to explode and go even ballistic?
- He did tell me that that's a problem
that he has had in past relationships.
And even his family has said he can act that way.
- It's almost like because I told her the fact that,
yes, this is something I need to work on,
it almost backfired on me because
now she's painting a picture of who I am.
- Michael. - Yes.
- Every single time we have a conflict, you yell,
and there's no cameras to show that side.
- I don't--I was not yelling at you.
- Now, Michael. We're not about to do this.
- I'm not, like-- - Here's the thing--
- Listen--wait, wait-- - Here's the thing.
Sorry--I'm sorry I cut you off.
[tense music]
- Michael.
- Yes. - Every single time
we have a conflict, you yell,
and there's no cameras to show that side.
- I don't--I was not yelling at you.
- Now, Michael. We're not about to do this.
- I'm not, like-- - Here's the thing--
- Listen--no, wait, wait-- - Here's the thing--
Sorry--I'm sorry to cut you off.
[dramatic sting]
If you want to say that I was speaking in a tone
that you didn't appreciate, I'll give you that.
If you want to say that
I was speaking in a condescending tone,
I would give you that.
But if you're saying that I was yelling at you,
that's just not true, Jas.
Like, why would I yell at you--
- All right, so I'm a liar now.
You've been aggressive, you've been yelling,
and I'm trying not to get to that point.
So I don't appreciate you
sitting right here and saying that
you're not yelling when you've agreed with me
that you have been aggressive
and your family agreed. - I've never said that--
No, no, no, aggressive?
I've never used that word.
- Jasmina-- - Why would I lie about
that one piece? - Hold on, Michael, Michael.
- I've been honest about everything else.
- You wasn't honest about your roommates.
- Here--okay, listen, here's what we're gonna do.
Y'all gonna have to listen to me
because here's the thing.
I want to talk about your communication.
Why it's not working, okay?
Honesty and transparency are key
when it comes to communication in marriage.
You understand that, don't you, Michael?
- Yeah.
- And so is forgiveness.
Jasmina, are you willing to forgive and move on
so you can at least see what the heck you have?
[tense music]
- Yeah. - Okay.
Now I wanna talk to you about talking at,
talking with, and talking to.
There's a difference.
When you talk at someone,
you talk to them like they're a subordinate.
- Mm-hmm. - Like they are of less value.
And I feel as though that's how she was feeling
that you were talking at her.
Am I right, Jasmina? - Yes.
- When you feel like he's talking to you that way,
say to him, "I am not your enemy."
Okay?
When she says that...
[quiet music]
Correct.
Does that make sense to you?
- Yeah--yes.
- 'Cause I need you to talk to her like a wife, okay?
Are you willing to say that to him?
- Yes.
- Okay, great.
- ♪ Believe it ♪
♪ ♪
- ♪ Can you feel it like I feel it ♪
♪ Do you want me just as much as I want you ♪
♪ Can you feel it like I feel it ♪
[knocking at door]
- How's it going? - Hey.
- S'up, brother? - S'up, man?
What's up, what's up? - How you doin', how you doin'?
- How you doing? - Good, man, great.
- Great.
- Last time I saw you, you weren't married.
- I know. - Something smells good.
- I made some spaghetti with some garlic bread.
- Good grief, girl, you threw down, didn't you?
- [chuckles] - [grunts]
- I tried. You know it's his requirement.
- Yeah. - Okay--oh, is it now?
- Yeah. - Yeah.
- Let's talk about this.
- Yeah. - [chuckles]
- Oh, wow.
- Yeah, um... - What is it--
'Cause I'm--I'm gonna be straight with you,
That was not a deal breaker when we talked to him.
- Really? - No!
Dude...
- That's important--very important to me.
[quirky music]
I'm telling you, like, that's huge.
- Why is it huge?
Help me understand.
- Because I just--it's something that,
you know, when I have like, uh,
a level from my wife and I expect,
like, hey, you know, you cook.
Like, we talked about it.
- Here's my thing.
'Cause, look, like,
30, 40, 50 years ago, okay fine.
You know, that was the way it was.
- No.
- You know what I'm sayin', but--but--
- No.
- I don't want you to be stuck in a time warp.
It's like--it's like-- - No, no.
I know it sounds like it, but no.
- Do you understand what I'm sayin'?
- Yeah, yeah, no, no--
- And I don't want people to look at Olajuwon
and say Olajuwon is a neanderthal,
Olajuwon wants a woman to stay pregnant,
barefoot, and in the kitchen cooking and making his babies.
- No, no, no, absolutely not. - Is that what
we're talkin' about here? - Absolutely not.
No, no, 'cause I--I say to her too, like,
"Hey, I'mma cook some nights.
Like, I make it clear,
like, I get up in the morning.
I make us breakfast every morning.
Like, no, she knows that.
Absolutely. - Okay, all right, all right.
Do you feel he's communicating to you well?
- No, so me--well, me and him,
yes and no. - Okay,
Okay, and don't worry about throwing him under the bus.
- No, I'm not. - Don't trip about that, okay?
Because--because when--look,
when I saw the video of you guys riding the horses.
- Just relax, the horse knows, it's been trained.
You're not the first person to ride it,
you're not gonna be the last, it's okay.
- Okay. - If the horse
wanted to throw you, he would've threw you
all the way back there. - Don't say that.
- You were real nervous and real scared.
- Mm-hmm. - And he was like, "No,
just come on, come on, come on.
Just come on, come on, come on."
And I said, "I don't like the way
dude talkin' to her, man, what the heck?"
I want to make sure that you feel like
you're being heard. - Mm-hmm.
- Do you feel like your opinions
are valuable in this relationship?
- Yeah, I do.
I would say that his execution
is hard, that's what I'll say. - Right.
- I told him, I'm like, "I don't deal
with men who speak to me disrespectfully,"
so I made that clear to him. - Good, good.
You do value her, am I right?
- Oh, she knows-- you know that.
Absolutely, I don't-- - Yeah, I feel like you do.
- I make it clear to her every day,
you don't gotta question that, she knows.
- Okay, you guys
have, uh... been intimate?
[quirky music]
- No.
- You have not? - We have not.
Mm-mm.
- I don't know if it was something
that was mutually agreed on or?
- Yeah, somewhat.
Yeah, I guess.
[laughter]
- Somewhat.
- I don't believe that at all.
Is it--is it really mutual?
- Well, I think it's my decision.
- It's your decision? - Yeah, man, yeah.
- Wow, why? - Um, you know what it is,
I think too far.
Like, say if, like, later on,
if--like, if we start falling off--
What if it don't work?
I don't want to look like-- - What--but--but that is--
That's what I was talking about.
What if it doesn't work?
That's what I was trying to get at.
- You have to question it. - No, you don't.
If it's like--if you said
that this is a long term,
lifelong thing. - Yeah.
- If it is, then there is
no such thing as "what if it don't work?"
- Right.
- Because the moment you start entertaining those thoughts,
"What if it don't work? What if it don't work?"
You are killing the relationship.
- Okay. - Because you're saying--
You're giving yourself an out.
[quiet music]
But if you say to her,
you know, I'd rather not--
I'd rather get to know each other,
she could take that as though
you don't find her sexually attractive.
Have you ever felt that way?
- Yeah, a little bit.
- Yeah. - Mm-hmm.
- Yeah.
How do you respond to that?
- I think it's just crazy.
[chuckles] - Why?
- Because she's beautiful.
She knows that.
I grab her more than she touches me.
Like, she pulls back, like--
- That might be because she doesn't feel as though--
- Secure. - Secure.
Yeah, she doesn't feel secure.
- But that's--and I explained to her I'm like, "Hey" --
- Explaining it is one thing.
- Yeah, I'm talkin'.
[chuckles] - And talk is cheap.
- I know.
- Okay, but I don't wanna just--
- Especially when she wants somethin' else.
[music fades out]
Y'all ain't gotta do it. Don't let me--I'm not tryin'
to push y'all into the bed. [laughter]
All right, 'cause look, I got my own thing.
Y'know, y'all do you.
But my thing is--
I'm just sayin', I'm just sayin'.
- I love it, I love it. - If you want to have sex
as a married couple,
have sex. - Okay.
- [laughs] - I hereby,
by the power invested in me,
declare that you are
man and wife.
You can be married
and do the stuff that married people do.
- I know. - Okay.
- You gotta be vulnerable now.
- You worry--worry about you.
- [laughs] I know, it's time.
Pastor Cal gave me the green light.
- ♪ Back and forth we go ♪ [laughter]
♪ Up and down we're so ♪
♪ ♪
- Hi.
- Hey.
How are the cats doin'?
- Fine. - Yeah?
- Yeah.
[tense music]
♪ ♪
- I'm having a really hard time with you, Mark.
I feel like I'm getting two different versions of you.
Since the honeymoon,
and your phone started blowing up
from Denise and your roommate,
I've watched you completely shift your demeanor.
And I've just been saying to you, like,
"Mark, I can see that you're overwhelmed,
you gotta let me know what you need."
And I don't think you've taken one second to acknowledge that.
And it's frustrating for me.
- I don't think I have two sides, I mean.
- I'm just telling you, I'm seeing, like,
all these red flags and I'm diving into you.
They're big ones for me.
- I see red flags and I'm just taking it day by day
because it's early.
[music fades out]
- [groans]
I just need Pastor Cal.
I--honestly, I'm not--
I need a moment to think about what I want to say
because I'm frustrated with you right now.
[tense music]
I literally-- - It's--it's fine.
- I just need a moment, please, because I'm just...
- What do you want me to do? - I don't know.
- Usually when you take a moment, you usually walk away.
- No, you do, you walk off to the cats.
Just, like, gimme a second where you just don't talk to me.
That's what I need.
- No problem. - I just need a second.
- Okay, take as much time. - Thank you.
[music fades out]
- ♪ Never had a feeling like this before ♪
- What's going on?
- All right, all right!
Now look at you!
So tell me a little bit about how this thing has been.
How's it-- How's married life, guys?
- I mean, I just feel like we hit the ground running,
really, you know?
She walked down the aisle, one of my friends
just gave me the thumbs up.
From that point, I was like, "All right, we're good."
Then I saw her, I'm like,
"All right, we're definitely good."
And then ever since then--
- She's--she's pretty cute, wasn't she?
- Yeah, she's beautiful, and then on top of it,
from introverted-extrovert, to we like dancing to music,
and it's just like, every time something comes up,
it's like, "Oh, one more thing
that we have in common," you know, so...
- Sounds very cool. - Yeah, it's pretty wild.
You guys did a good job. - Definitely got it right.
- Yeah. - Good, good, good.
What are some of the things
that you guys have talked about up to this point?
I know it's only been just less than two weeks, but...
- We talked about how many children we'd like to have.
- Okay. - So we definitely are on
the same page about having children,
but the number of children
is a little bit different. - All right.
Let's talk--let's talk a little bit about
this whole kid thing 'cause I--I know
that you want three kids. - I want three kids, yeah.
- Okay, and you?
- So I went into this--
Or I've been in my head
thinking two kids is pretty ideal for me.
I kind of approached her and was like,
the number of children, you know,
shouldn't we, to a degree, play it by ear?
We can target three, but what if
we get to two and realize,
you know, whether it's the amount of resources,
love, time, energy.
Oh, it makes sense to stick with two.
And she just kind of was looking at me like...
Dead set on three.
For me, it's also like,
I've worked in special needs before.
If a child requires more--
Even more energy than we had planned, we can't just--
Oh, we gotta do three because we said so, right?
You know, like, you just--we just don't know,
there's so many unknowns. - What do you think about that?
Or--or are you still set in stone
that it must be three?
- There's a lot of things that I will budge on
and that I will compromise on, but this is something that I...
- You won't compromise? - No.
[dramatic sting]
- You will not compromise
on three children?
- No. [chuckles]
- Are you serious? - Yeah.
I can't do it. - Okay, you--you--
Okay, we have to delve into this, Noi.
You have to tell me more.
- Yeah, I grew up with, like, three children in my family.
And, like, most of my cousins and everyone
have three kids in their family.
And it's just worked really well.
So in my mind, the perfect image of a family
is three kids. - Is three kids.
- Yeah. - What if you,
as he said, there's a special needs kid
who requires the energy of three children?
What if it takes a while to have children?
- Mm-hmm.
What if it's not possible?
[dramatic sting]
Do you understand what I'm saying?
How does that factor in your--
In your hopes and dreams?
- I mean, I hadn't thought about that, but...
- Yeah, well, that's why this analytical dude
is here to help you out,
you know? - Yeah.
Because I understand,
people have ideas,
people, you know, have desires,
but you have to always allow for possibilities.
- Mm-hmm.
- Have you guys talked about finances?
- Yeah, when we initially brought up
this conversation, we were talking about children
and I said, "Well, children are expensive.
"And I know you want kids and that's wonderful,
but kids cost money, they're expensive."
So, you know, that got us into the conversation
about finances and where he was at right now.
Like, what do you, like, do for work?
- I worked as a sales engineer.
- Oh, cool. - So that's what I was doing
prior to December.
Around that time, there was a round of layoffs.
- Mm. - So since then,
I actually went on this huge road trip.
And then I was gonna figure out what I was doing next.
- It's a little scary for me.
If I'm being honest. - Why--and it's scary because?
- It's scary for me because I don't want
to have to worry about money.
Yeah.
- That's because you grew up--
I think we talked about that.
- Mm-hmm. - You--you--
You guys struggled.
- Yeah. - Yeah, yeah.
And that--that's kind of a sensitive thing for you.
That's why you work so hard.
- Yeah, and we touched on it a little bit,
but I didn't--he doesn't know,
like, the full extent of, like, how I grew up.
- Yeah.
- Growing up without a lot
and in a refugee camp, I mean,
it impacts you on such a deep level.
We didn't have running water, I had two shirts.
And for a while, my parents and my two siblings
and myself struggled quite a bit.
I mean, to be honest, though,
I mean, it is a trigger for me a little bit.
- I want you to do me a favor. I want you to talk to him.
Okay, I know you're talking to me, but let's--
Let's break the wall-- Break the barrier here.
Tell him about how you feel
about why this is important as far as finances.
Talk to him, tell him why.
- I mean, it just scares me.
[quiet music]
That, like--
Like, I don't want my kids to worry about money, you know?
And I don't want to have, like, financial instability.
So it scares me a little bit.
- Those were really tough times for you guys.
- Yeah.
[quiet music continues]
- Yeah.
[music fades out]
- You know, I've explained the opportunities
that I currently have with self-employment, you know,
from website design, logo design and photography,
but I have options,
like, I have--you know, as far as, like,
making money goes.
I'll always be able to make money.
The next step is
getting back into my career to just have a stable
steady source of income. - Yeah.
- Like, I hear, you know,
all these things, but, you know.
- She doesn't have the luxury
of being as free-wheeling
as you are. - Mm-hmm.
- Because she has that past that's sort of pushing her.
So when you get into a relationship
with someone with her history,
she needs a plan.
She needs to know that this--
This great guy that I've married,
he's going to provide.
- Now that I'm a married man, I do
need to make sure that my wife is happy
and feels secure in our situation.
But if I start a new full-time position,
at the end of the day, would I really have
that much time and energy to dream or create?
That's everything to me.
So I don't know if
I'm willing to make those sacrifices.
I don't know.
[tense music]
- ♪ I don't wanna love ♪
♪ I don't wanna love ♪
♪ I don't wanna love you ♪
[knocking at door]
♪ But I do ♪
- Push this in.
- Hey. - Hey, what's up, Mark?
- How are you?
- How're you doing, man?
- I'm all right.
I'm okay. [laughs]
You're lookin' sharp.
Come on in.
- How you feelin'? - Okay.
- All right, all right, all right.
Is that her out there on the balcony?
- Yeah.
She needed a--a minute.
- What's going on?
- It's been a bumpy patch.
- Oh, boy.
[quiet music]
Hey, Lindsey.
Sweetie, it's so-- - Hey, sorry.
- So close out there. - I was doing my little--
A little meditation.
- That's okay, I hate to interrupt you.
- Welcome to my home.
- Okay, well, let's sit down,
we can talk. - Okay.
- Yeah, come on. - Okay, I'll come in.
- My communication problem with Lindsey is
the way she says things, it turns me off because it's--
It's like it's condescending, I guess.
I know it's not meant to be that way,
but it's just her impulse reaction to something
and she just goes that route.
So I think it's good to have, for us,
a healthy, professional mediator
to really listen to our concerns.
And maybe if another individual
can add their two cents
to each of us, maybe something will click.
- Talk to me, tell me how things are going.
[music fades out]
- I was really open and honest
with you day one, on the wedding night,
and we just laid all our cards out there.
And I was like, I love this.
He's open, he's vulnerable, we're gonna figure this out.
I still think this is meant to be a beautiful marriage.
What I'm seeing is you not giving me
the best version of you.
And you don't see that, and that frustrates me.
I've literally just tried to, like,
help you where I think you need help.
- I get it. So there's a lot going on here.
- I think that you're not
processing these changes well,
and you went from
sharing your fears and concerns with me
and us having sex to you not even wanting to hold my hand
or be affectionate with me.
Don't roll your eyes. That's how I feel.
That's exactly what I'm feeling.
- Just let her get it all out. - Okay.
- Please. - And I'm telling you that,
and I'm telling you my feelings are hurt
because you went from all to nothing.
I'm so insulted
and offended by you.
I'm so mad right now.
I literally cannot talk to you.
I need to take a moment
because I'm furious and you're [bleep] clueless,
and it makes me so mad.
Work on us.
- I'ma tell you something.
You're afraid.
- Of...
- You're afraid to say things to her.
- 'Cause I don't-- I just met her,
so when I don't know somebody,
I don't really speak up at times.
- Yeah, I hear you. - Get over it, man.
I'm here, just tell me. - But that's great
that you feel that way-- That's how you feel.
That's not how I work inside.
- Okay, let's talk about how you work inside.
- Okay. So...
I meet you at the wedding,
and a lot of excitement,
different than what I've ever seen in a girl.
And I'm kinda like, "She's a lot."
But then we talk all night,
we let out everything that we were maybe shy to talk about,
let it out.
We have an interim moment, and it felt great.
And then... the situation on the plane
threw me off.
Showed me a side of you that I didn't like.
And then the honeymoon--
Another interim moment, and I felt like...
it was just a different connection I felt.
So I thought I'd be open and honest with you
because...
[sighs]
- Take a sec. You want some water?
- No. I need you to speak. Go ahead, what is it?
- [sighs]
- It's okay. - I respect her enough
to tell her that I have to go slow.
♪ ♪
And I try to say that to her,
and then when--
[somber music]
♪ ♪
I didn't do that to-to-to just do it.
I felt something that night.
- Yeah. - But when it happened
the second time and third time, I felt something was off
for both of us.
And sex is great, but...
if I don't feel myself, I can't just do it.
♪ ♪
You coming with affection, it's-its--
I appreciate it, but sometimes it's too much.
When I'm already bothered inside,
it's so much, it pushes me away.
At times I feel like I'm not in my own skin.
I've seen you poke, and it makes me uncomfortable,
so I don't poke you, I just shut my mouth.
- How does it feel
to hear him say he's afraid to express things to you?
- Ugh... honestly,
it feels like I never gave him a reason to feel that way.
- Lindsey, come on.
Come on, hon.
- Oh, God, let me define the bull[bleep].
Let me think. - Lindsey, sweetheart.
I see what he's saying. - I don't even know
what he said--it was just a run-on sentence.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
[tense music]
- Lindsey.
Come on. Come on, hon.
- Oh, God, let me define the bull[bleep].
Let me think. - Lindsey,
I see what he's saying. - I don't even know
what he said--it was just a run-on sentence.
[tense music]
♪ ♪
- Lindsey, this is what I need you to hear.
You're very intelligent. You're very sharp.
And you speak what you think,
and you speak what you feel sometimes without filter.
- Absolutely. - Okay?
Now, where you've worn that as a badge of honor,
sometimes it's not.
- I agree with you. - You agree with that, right?
- Absolutely. - The no filter's
different than how I am-- It's not the same energy.
It's not bad. It's very different.
- It's very different, yeah.
- There's nothing bad about you.
Everything comes from a good place.
I've said that every day. I said that on the honeymoon,
I said it every day. - Hear that.
- It's how your filter is not my filter,
and it's very awkward for me sometimes in the situation,
'cause it's not how I go about the way I present myself.
- We knew when we put you together,
you both were a lot.
We knew that you were a lot.
But you needed somebody who's a lot.
- Yeah, I was very clear about that.
I said that. - You were very clear about it.
- I was like, "I'm a lot. I need a stable guy."
- If you had somebody who was very weak and mousy,
you would have run right over him.
- Absolutely. - We knew that you were
Mark the Shark. You were larger than life.
And you needed somebody
who was going to meet you where you are.
You wanted somebody who was going to be affectionate,
be emotional, because you never felt
you never got that back from women.
Hello! - Yeah.
- This is what you both got.
- Be careful what you wish for. - Hey, this is what you got.
This is what you asked for.
So now here's the question.
Because you're getting what you asked for,
now how do we make this work?
♪ ♪
Mark, tell her what is it that you need from her.
- I-- - Eyes up here.
- I need you to just...
sometimes let me get through things
the way I normally can get through things
without trying to do it for me.
If I need your help, I know you're there.
I feel that it's difficult for you to do that.
- You do have to let him
fix some things on his own. - Absolutely.
I told him, for sure. - And not take over his life.
But did you hear what he said a moment ago?
He said, "I don't feel like I'm in my own skin."
- I know, and I see that. - Lindsey,
but you don't want that! - No, and I see that.
I just want you to see that. - You don't want your husband
to feel like he's being smothered or being inhabited.
That he's being taken over by
by an alien! - Also he's not in his own skin
because he's been plucked out of his comfort
and put into this-- - No. Because--no,
he feels like he's not in his own skin
because he feels as though you are taking him over.
- Is that what you feel? - Yeah, yeah.
- 'Cause I feel like you're not in own skin
'cause you're in chaos. - No! No!
- Listen to what he's saying here.
Because you know you're a lot, all right?
You have to give yourself to him in doses.
He needs time to at least process what you've done
or process, and then you pull back,
let him process that, then you can move forward.
What is it that you need from him?
- You need to put gas in your tank.
There's a difference between pulling back
and pulling out, and I'm telling you,
I feel like you've pulled out.
- Yeah, she needs to be affirmed.
- Thank you. That's it.
- And she needs to know that you're still in it.
- It's a marathon, not a sprint.
- It is, but understand, marathon and sprint,
you both are at least running. - Right.
Just at different speeds.
Okay? But you're both running.
- Right. - Understand
that she's coming to you
from a very pure,
loving place.
- You can't hold yourself back 'cause you're afraid
of what I'm gonna react to.
You're not giving me a fair chance at that point.
And you're not giving yourself a fair chance, truly.
Give me the benefit of the doubt.
- That's a benefit.
Our spouses are supposed to benefit us.
You're saying that she's a lot, okay?
And I'm not gonna lie. She is a lot.
Accept the fact that she's a lot.
- ♪ So you found me deep in the water ♪
- Are you willing to deal with the lot that she is?
- I went into this process knowing that
I don't know the person, but there's all the layers
I'm gonna peel back and get to know them.
She has a lot to give,
and I appreciate her being so supportive.
But I think the difficulty is
whether it's Cal or Pepper or V,
they're not living here day-to-day.
There's a lot of time that no one's around
and conversations get had and things get said
that triggers me.
Then you're gonna keep on taking losses
if you don't speak up and say I'm tired of things.
Things need to change.
- ♪ Deep in the water ♪
♪ ♪
- ♪ Overflow ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Overflow ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Overflow ♪
- Hey, how are you? - Good, how are you?
- Good.
- ♪ Overflow ♪
- How was the drive?
- Oh, well, traffic, but...
not too bad. - Yeah.
Pastor Cal said he's probably gonna be here soon,
so any minute, probably.
[knock on door]
Hi. How are you, sir?
- How you doing, buddy? - Good to see you.
- How are you all? - We're doing.
- Well, you're doing, you're doing.
- [laughs]
- We want a little better than that.
Hi, guys. - Hi.
- Hi. How are you?
- I'm good. Here's another question.
How are you?
- That's a good question. - Oh, yeah, I know, I know.
I know there's been some... some trouble in paradise.
Major, major, major issues.
Tell me your assessment of everything that's going on
in your marriage right now.
- The big picture headline
is that...
Alyssa, I think, from the wedding night,
she thinks, I think, from the few days after,
has no interest in being married to me.
She said that we're not compatible,
she's used the phrase "robbed, gypped,"
and it started the night of the wedding.
- What about you, Alyssa?
When did you first feel disappointed?
- Mm-hmm.
You know, when I first saw him,
I was like, okay, I don't think that that's like
my physical type. [sniffling]
I could have walked away then, but I didn't.
Because, you know, I was like, okay,
let's see why we were matched
and let's see what's, you know, going on.
And then I think I started to
get a little bit like nervous
when I started, like, hearing his friends
tell me things and like things from his family.
And I think that was like when I first started to be like
"Oh my God," like...
what did I get myself into, kind of.
- Did you guys talk in depth about these things?
- No, 'cause, like, too many things kept happening.
I just felt like I kept getting, like,
pushed down in the ocean
by, like, a cinder block or something
and I like, could not get out.
- You couldn't swim. You couldn't get out.
- I mean, I know that, like,
I came into today
wanting to try and work on things
and see what we can do. - Okay.
- Um, I felt like--and I hoped that we could have gotten
to a place, and, like, I saw glimmers of it,
like when we were paddleboarding, like I said,
I felt like we had a good time,
and when we were playing tennis,
I felt like we had this good thing going
and we could chat, and then--
- Alyssa, but I gotta-- Hold on, honey.
I gotta help you here,
because even on the wedding night,
you didn't want to go to the suite.
- No.
The "sharing the bed" thing has just, like,
never been something I've been comfortable with,
no matter who the person is.
- But you do know that you were getting married.
- No, I know.
- You get married,
you go on your honeymoon,
and you move in together.
You don't go on a honeymoon and then say, "Okay, fine,
"I'm gonna stay here four weeks,
"you stay there four weeks,
because we have to get acclimated."
That's not marriage.
I mean, I'll quote from his perspective.
You were already showing a pattern
of not wanting to be around him.
- There are many reasons
why sharing this apartment isn't ideal for me.
Number one, we both have two big dogs.
- Yeah? - Name is Lily.
- Lily?
- Do you know where, like, she originally...
- Number two, I am allergic to dogs,
which I'm not sure if you know that or not.
I am not super allergic to Penelope anymore
'cause I've been around her for ten years.
New dogs. A husky has a lot of hair,
so that would flare up for me.
♪ ♪
- Well--
- Okay, well, a husky sheds a lot.
Um... I just...
Like, I have been trying to look for things
and, like, try to look for positives and--
- What have you found?
- Um, I really haven't.
- Well, because he found some.
Early on, he--his testimony
was that, "Hey, I see why we were matched."
- Uh-huh.
- 'Cause you said initially
what about her?
- The word that I used over and over and over again
was "impressive."
- Yeah. - I always thought,
on paper, that we were...
- Yeah. - Well, we did too.
- Compatible. - We did too.
- I imagine you did. [laughs]
- When we match you guys, we honestly--
When we read, we went through
every possible document
that you guys prepared...
- Yeah.
- We did compatibility charts,
and, believe it or not,
you lined up. - Mm-hmm.
I don't like the way things are right now,
and I would like to see how we can move forward.
- See how we can move forward.
Well, let's start by looking at him
and telling him that--
Telling him what you just said, basic--
- Okay. - Just, yeah, talk to him.
- Um, I wanted to come here today
because I don't like the way things have been going,
and I don't like how they got here,
and... I--like I said,
I've been in, like, a better headspace
since I've gotten home,
and, like, I'm still working towards that,
but, like, I'm getting to that space.
And, yeah, I mean, my purpose of coming here
today was to stop the pattern that we were on
and figure out how we can move forward
from this place that we're in, I guess.
- Okay.
- How do you want to respond to that?
- [sighs] Um...
♪ ♪
For me...
this is my decision right here.
♪ ♪
- Uh, this is my decision right here.
♪ ♪
- So wait, are you saying you want a divorce?
♪ ♪
- I want a divorce.
♪ ♪
- Okay. How you feel about that?
- [sniffs] Sorry.
- Yeah, it's okay.
It's okay.
♪ ♪
- Um...
I just feel like I worked so hard to get here,
and, like, I never thought
this would be the outcome for me.
- When you say "this," what are we talking about?
- I just, like--I guess the situation
that I'm in right now:
like, the arguing and the miscommunication
and, like, the disrespect
and, like, feeling alone.
Um... [sniffs]
- How do you want to respond to that?
- It's tough.
- Speak what's on your heart, though.
I need you to speak completely open and honest.
- I... came into this
with a set of expectations.
For me,
it goes from taking it slow
to chasing somebody who doesn't want to be chased.
- You're feeling--
And so you're feeling as though she's checked out a while back.
- If I didn't wanna be here, I wouldn't be here.
I had chances to leave and go home,
and I didn't, and I have told you that,
and I have--I mean, everybody knows that.
Um, I-- - I think there are a lot
of reasons to still be here,
but I don't think marriage is the one
that you're here for.
♪ ♪
- I have a problem with, like--
When you speak like that,
it seems like you are insinuating
that I'm not here for the right reasons.
Like, I didn't come here to be on TV.
I came here for the right reasons
and to be married, so when you say
that I'm not here for the right reasons,
it triggers me,
because it's not fair and not accurate.
♪ ♪
- I always said that
the second-most important thing to me,
the thing I want more than anything else
that's second,
is a long, successful, happy marriage
with whoever I get paired with.
The thing I want more than that
is that we are just happy long-term.
- Mm-hmm. - Right?
If it means happier not married than married,
then that's what I want.
♪ ♪
And I feel like that's where we are.
- Mm-hmm.
- Um...
it's not what either of us wanted.
♪ ♪
- And I understand, when there's deep hurt,
when there's pain, when there is disappointment,
sometimes those things are difficult to get over.
The road ends here. Okay?
And I'm so sorry, 'cause this is not what we wanted.
It's so not what we wanted.
- I appreciate it.
- Okay.
♪ ♪
[sighs]
- At no point have I felt like Alyssa wants to be here.
I'm angry. I'm disappointed.
I'm frustrated still.
But it's never been about who I was matched with.
It's never been about the process.
It's always been about that the person that I married
didn't even wanna try to be married to me
in the way that we say marriage.
♪ ♪
- Yeah, I mean, I don't think
there's really anything to say, so...
- I wish you the best.
- Okay.
♪ ♪
I'm just sad about the whole situation.
Does someone know where my phone is?
♪ ♪
I don't know.
Like, I just have said it from the beginning.
Like, I just want respect.
Like, I'm not a bad person,
and I'm a good person,
and...
it just upsets me that he tries to make it
look otherwise.
♪ ♪
- I don't believe in fate or luck or destiny.
I don't. I don't believe in soulmates.
I think that everything takes work.
So I was ready to do whatever I had to do,
and I know what I want,
I know what I need, and I know what I like
more than I ever have in my life.
I know what my strengths are. I know what my weaknesses are.
So I don't know. I don't know.
She's out there somewhere, whoever I end up with next,
and I'm really, really excited to meet her,
and I think that, had I not done this,
that relationship, which I hope lasts the rest of my life,
would not be the amazing relationship
that I'm expecting it to be.
- From the chains that are holding you down ♪
♪ Free from the chains ♪
♪ That keep your dreams in the ground ♪
♪ Break free ♪
♪ ♪
- Hi! - Come on in!
- Next time on "Married at First Sight"...
- Cheers to our friends.
- We love our friends!
- With only six weeks left until Decision Day,
our couples will see their friends and family
for the first time since the wedding.
- That's right. That's correct!
- I was gonna say that!
♪ ♪
- Roller coaster! - Yes!
- Really?
- You gave me the silent treatment.
You ghosted me and walked out of the apartment.
And I when I look on social media,
you posted, "this relationship's not working."
- When we're together,
it makes me feel uncomfortable when you do that.
Don't do that. - Okay, but you know what?
I don't like to brush things under the rug.
- Okay, well, this is a team, and if you can't get that,
this isn't gonna work.
♪ ♪
Oh, my God.
- That's what I thought. Walk away.
- Okay. - Call your mom.
See if she can let you in tonight.
- Have another drink.
♪ ♪