To most people, the idea of marrying someone the very moment you meet them sounds absolutely insane. Lifetime, however, has proven that that idea isn’t as crazy as some people think. Since 2014, the series Married at First Sight has done exactly that. Each season, people sign up to allow a group of ‘experts’ to pair them with a potential life partner based on different areas of compatibility. Before walking to the alter, each person literally knows nothing about their spouse. Still, they agree to enter into a legally binding marriage. Since the show is technically an experiment, the couples have eight weeks to decide whether or not they’d like to stay married.
Over the course of the eight weeks, the couples go on a honey moon, move in together, and meet each other’s family and friends. During this time, the couples also receive check-ins from the ‘experts’ where they learn ways to deal with conflict and other situations that arise in their marriage. The couples also lean on each other as a support system. In several seasons, all of the couples were moved into the same apartment building to make interactions easier.
As you can probably imagine, many of the people on the show often find their relationships off to a rocky start. While this scenario sounds incredibly bizarre, it all makes for great TV. With each new season, it appears that MAFS is getting more and more popular, and there’s certainly no shortage of people willing to sign up. The show has just entered its 13th season and we believe there will be plenty more where that came from. Let’s discuss why the show Married at First Sight has the potential to last forever.
How Are People Chosen For Married At First Sight?
Each season of MAFS takes place in a different city. Due to the nature of the show, you actually need to live in the city where the show is taking place. The application process actually appears to be pretty straight forward. There is an online questionnaire for people to fill out that asks a series of questions. Some of the questions are basic such as name, date of birth, and citizenship status. Others, however, are designed to dig a little deeper. For example, a casting form for MAFS asks “What was your childhood like? Are your parents still together? How has their relationship impacted the way you view love?”
Many of the questions are designed to help the experts get an understanding of the applicant and the kind of person they’re looking for. This is interesting because if you’ve ever seen the show, it seems like many the matches may not exactly be the best fit. Applicants are also asked to submit a photo. There’s no information on what happens after you submit the application, but it’s very likely that the casting team only reaches out to the people they want to move forward with.
Why Married At First Sight Could Last Forever
All of the MAFS fans out there know just how addicting the show is. It’s one of those shows that you fall in love with without even knowing why you love it so much. The entire premise of the show lends itself well to drama which is one of the key ingredients for a successful reality TV show. Additionally, since there are thousands of cities all over the country, there’s no shortage of locations to film. There are also plenty of cities that are so big, the show could easily film there twice.
As mentioned earlier, there are also plenty of people who are willing to sign up. For some people, finding love in more traditional ways simply hasn’t worked and they’re willing to do whatever it takes to find a perfect match. The supply of eager participants combined with the demand from viewers makes a pretty sweet recipe for MAFS.
Married At First Sight Success Rate
It’s no secret that a lot of reality dating shows have very low success rates once filming ends. Unfortunately, MAFS is no exception. Although a decent amount of couples decide to stay together on Decision Day, many of them end up going their separate ways once filming stops. At the moment, the show has a success rate of a little more than 30%.
If there’s anything that could hurt the longevity of the show, it’s the fact that the couples themselves don’t usually have longevity. If people continue to see that the experiment doesn’t work, they’ll likely decide that there’s no point in signing up to marry a stranger.
