Conning contestants, bankrolling splits and snubbing same-sex stars?! From prenups and paychecks to shocker hookups, here's the scoop on the most successful match show on TV!
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00Conning contestants, bankrolling splits, and snubbing same-sex stars? From pre-nups and
00:06paychecks to shocker hookups, here's the scoop on the most successful match show on TV.
00:12This is insane.
00:14While anyone can apply to star on Married at First Sight, many of the reality show's
00:18contestants are discovered in real life. When a new season is announced, the casting department
00:23spends six months searching for potential soulmates for the show. CEO Chris Colen explained
00:28to People,
00:29We also go to bars, mixers, single events, and church groups. We also go on every dating
00:34site you could possibly think of, okcupidmatch.com, Tinder, Hinge. We also go on Facebook, talk
00:40to family and friends to try and make the pool as big as possible."
00:44In other words, if you're constantly asked why you're still single, there's a chance
00:54your family and friends could secretly be submitting you to Married at First Sight.
00:59A same-sex couple has yet to be featured on the American version of the show, and, as
01:03it turns out, it has nothing to do with religion or politics. Season 1 success Jamie Otis told
01:09Fox News,
01:10It just comes down to the logistics of casting, from what I've been told."
01:14According to Chris Colen, the casting process is to blame for the lack of diverse couples.
01:18Due to the large number of applicants, men and women are separated by gender before being
01:23chosen. He explained to The Wrap,
01:25Because we have to put all the women and all the men in the same room in workshops during
01:29the casting process, there is a chance they could see each other before meeting at the
01:33altar.
01:34Cheers to us! Cheers to us, babe!
01:38Other global versions of the series have already showcased same-sex couples. The first successful
01:42pair appeared in the Australian version of the show in 2020, and another tied the knot
01:46in 2022 in the UK. As far as making it happen in the U.S., Colen says,
01:52If we could figure out logistically how to do it, we'd love to do it.
01:56Everyone deserves a chance at finding their soulmate, except if they're doing it on reality
02:00TV. And it turns out, there are a few reasons your application could be immediately disqualified.
02:05For starters, there are age requirements. You have to be 25 or older to apply. You must
02:10also already live in the designated area for that season of the show. And casting isn't
02:15typically fond of kids or previous marriages, according to Women's Health.
02:19She may be a stalker and may have committed credit card fraud.
02:23Another red flag is a career in reality TV. Casting wants hopefuls to sign up for the
02:28right reasons, and fame isn't one of them. Show expert Sabina Reid told an Australian
02:34news outlet,
02:35If their profile said they had applied for Big Brother or MasterChef, we put them to
02:39the side.
02:40But in the States, there have been exceptions. Season 1's Jamie Otis had previously appeared
02:45on both The Bachelor and BachelorPad. In this case, it was clear to casting that she was
02:49truly searching for something special, and she finally found it with her husband, Doug.
02:55It takes a lot of courage to get vulnerable on national TV. But when the American series
02:59was on the hunt for Season 1 applicants back in 2014, production didn't want to scare anyone
03:05off. So, they held back one tiny little detail. As Chris Colen told Reality Blurred,
03:10We pretty much told them everything except for the fact that they would meet their husband
03:14or wife at the altar and see them for the very first time there.
03:18Later in the process, when the truth was revealed, Colen recalled,
03:22Some people got angry. Some people laughed. Some people were just dumbfounded.
03:26I would rather be single for the rest of my life than get married to someone who I've
03:31never met before.
03:32But it was all in the name of weeding out anyone who wasn't really there to fall in
03:36love. Colen added,
03:38We thought we would attract people who were wannabes, people who wanted to be on television,
03:43people who want to be famous, people who want a career, not people who really want to find
03:48love.
03:49Most American couples spend an average of 16 months enjoying their engagement before
03:53their big day, according to The Knot. But on Married at First Sight, nobody gets that
03:57kind of luxurious time frame. Season 4's Sonya told Cosmo,
04:02I only had about two weeks to plan my wedding.
04:04You're so tall. How's the weather up there? Can you touch the ceiling or something?
04:10Clark, who appeared on the UK series in Season 2, claimed couples get just six choices when
04:16it comes to the food, theme, and music. And then there's the guest list. He shared with
04:20the outlet,
04:21I was only allowed to invite 20 people. It definitely caused some friction with some
04:25of the family members.
04:26On the wedding day, every single guest is required to sign an NDA, no matter how excited
04:31they are to share the news. Sonya added,
04:33No one can post on Facebook the next day. My daughter got married.
04:38Decision day on this show is a big deal, and a divorce can sometimes turn into a sticky
04:42situation. In order to safeguard contestants, production requires that a prenup be signed
04:47by anyone involved. Chris Colen told The Wrap,
04:50We want to give them some protection walking in. If, for some reason, it does not work
04:54out, at least you are protected with this basic form.
04:57You need money.
04:59Fans have also watched couples discuss combining their finances shortly after tying the knot,
05:04and as Colen noted, once they are into the marriage, everything is completely up to them.
05:10It turns out that starring on Married at First Sight doesn't just get you a spouse, it also
05:14earns you a paycheck. Even if it's a small one. A really small one.
05:18One executive producer for the American series told Reality Blurred,
05:22We did not want people who were motivated by the wrong things.
05:25With the filming lasting up to 12 hours each day, couples needed compensation and, as a
05:30sauce dish to women's health, it's essentially a per diem since we often film 50 to 60 hours
05:37a week with them.
05:38Couples on the Australian series allegedly earn about $100 per day. Season 9's Nasa told
05:43Now to Love,
05:44That's it. But on top of that, you have to pay expenses, your living expenses with the
05:49woman that you marry.
05:50I'm sorry, I'm way over this stuff.
05:54Couples on the UK version are paid the exact same paycheck they would otherwise receive
05:58if they weren't busy filming the show. Bob, who starred on the series in 2021, told Grazia,
06:04It's like what we'd get if we're doing our normal jobs. We sent over our pay slips before
06:08the show.
06:10In order to keep show details private until they air, contestants have to go dark on social
06:14media. UK Season 2 star Clarke told Cosmo,
06:17All your social media is hidden. There's no way you can find anyone.
06:21That's pretty weird.
06:22A source from the show even told Daily Mail Australia that production in Australia has
06:26banned couples from using their cell phones throughout filming, forcing them to focus
06:31on their new relationships instead. Even so, anyone who has appeared on the show is discouraged
06:36from pursuing a career in media for an entire year.
06:39In fact, all participants are required to sign a contract stating that they won't apply
06:43for any other reality series. The source noted,
06:46To try and keep some integrity around the show, this prevention is enforced to try and
06:50encourage the contestants to return to their day jobs once the show is done.
06:54Production does not want any of the participants to become celebrities, and they especially
06:58don't want them appearing on any rival networks or reality shows. It's the experts' job to
07:04match up applicants to create the most compatible couples, but everything changed on Season 6
07:09when one of the experts fell in love with a contestant instead.
07:12And my advice to them at this point is to stop faking it for the cameras.
07:18Shortly after John divorced wife Molly on decision day, fans spotted photos of him online
07:22with show expert Dr. Jessica Griffin. After news broke that the two were officially linked,
07:27Dr. Griffin walked away from her role on the series. Then, in October 2022, she and John
07:32tied the knot, and fellow series expert Dr. Calvin Robertson even officiated the ceremony.
07:38Dr. Griffin posted to Instagram,
07:41I love love stories. They are always other people's love stories, but never my own. Now,
07:46our love story is one for the books.
07:49In both the American and UK versions of the series, couples enter into legal marriages.
07:53The stakes are high if they decide to divorce, and that can affect their emotions as well
07:58as their bank accounts.
07:59How do you feel you ended up single tomorrow?
08:02I would be sad. I didn't sign up for this to get a divorce.
08:05But production tries to help out where they can, while the American series doesn't necessarily
08:10set aside funds for divorces. Chris Colen told The Wrap,
08:13We will contribute within a certain period of time if they get divorced. We will help
08:17them cover the cost of an attorney if they choose to do that.
08:20According to UK star Clarke, the British version does set aside money for divorces before the
08:25season even begins. Couples have to let producers know if they want out. Still, Clarke told
08:30Cosmo,
08:31You have to legally be married for a year before you can apply for a divorce. So I had
08:35to wait.
08:36In 2017, he and his wife Melissa legally split.
08:40Over the course of a whopping 15 seasons, 59 couples have been matched up after expert
08:46analysis on Married at First Sight in the U.S. And of those couples, 42 of them have
08:51gotten divorced as of 2022, leaving the success rate of finding true love at a solid 29 percent.
08:58While that might not sound so great when you compare it to other matchmaking series, Married
09:03at First Sight has become one of the most successful at creating lasting relationships.
09:08Both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette combine to have a success rate of only 21.4 percent,
09:13according to Yahoo. And newer entrant Love is Blind has a success rate of less than 7
09:19percent, according to Distractify.
09:21Married at First Sight experts spend countless hours creating pairings that they believe
09:25are the most compatible, which could explain its high rate of lasting relationships. As
09:29Chris Colen told People,
09:31The experts always say there is no exact science and no guarantees, but it is based on a high
09:36degree of research.
09:37Uh, it's the best day of my life.
09:40In case you're wondering, Colen isn't just the corporate mastermind behind the brand.
09:44He's also living proof that the process works. As he told The Wrap, he met his own wife on
09:49a blind date, and they've been happily married ever since.