‘Married at First Sight’: Kirsten’s Picky Attitude May Doom Her Marriage to Shaq

Kirsten and Shaquille have tied the knot. But will it be a case of lasting love for the Married at First Sight couple? Unfortunately, there are already some big warning signs that things might not work out for this pair. 

Shaq and Kirsten say ‘I do’ on ‘Married at First Sight’ 

Shaq, 31, and Kirsten, 32, were the first of five Married at First Sight couples to say “I do” in the Nashville season of the Lifetime reality show. Though the two had never met prior to seeing each other at the altar, the groom seemed prepared to fall in love at first sight. 

“God know what he was doing when he made you,” Shaq told his bride moments after first setting eyes on her. 

“My wife is my type,” he added in a confessional, describing her as “the sweetest person.” 

Was Kirsten equally impressed with the man experts picked to be her husband? Not exactly. 

“He’s bald and he’s younger than me, so that’s two strikes,” Kirsten told a producer. “But he has pretty teeth and his personality is definitely outweighing his exterior look.” 

Kirsten also refused to kiss her husband at the altar, instead offering him her cheek. 

“I wasn’t expecting a man that was bald,” she explained to host Keshia Knight Pulliam when discussing her wedding during an appearance on Married at First Sight Afterparty. “I asked for someone who had a low haircut, low beard. And I was like, ‘OK, we’ll see where this goes.’” 

She was also put off when Shaq didn’t ask for permission to kiss her after they said their vows. “He should have asked me,” she said.

The ‘MAFS’ bride has a very specific list of things she wants in a husband 

Kirsten wasn’t blown away by her husband’s appearance. But that wasn’t a huge shocker given all the qualities she’s said she wants in a man. 

“I want someone just as educated as I am, just as good looking as I am. Physically fit, tall handsome, hard-working, well-dressed, nice teeth, faith-based,” she explained in the Jan. 4 episode of Married at First Sight.

Kirsten also made it clear that she wasn’t interested in a bald man. She also told MAFS expert Dr. Pepper Schwartz that she had some specific expectations when it came to her husband’s “equipment,” and that she’d be disappointed if he didn’t measure up (literally). 

The Married at First Sight bride knows that she can be hard to please. 

“I’ve been picky all my life,” she admitted. “I’ve been picky about my food. Picky about my hair. Picky about the clothes my mom used to buy me … not only do I pick over my food and my clothes, I definitely pick over men too.” 

Will Kirsten let her initial disappointment with Shaq doom her marriage? 

So far, Kirsten isn’t feeling much of a vibe with Shaq. 

“The attraction wasn’t there,” she confessed on Afterparty. But she said she was still willing to give the marriage a chance. But she’s on the lookout for further strikes against her husband. 

“I guess the dealbreaker would be if he had a bad attitude,” she said. And she reiterated that if they ever consummated the marriage, she had certain expectations when it came to her husband’s size. “There’s some things you just can’t make longer, so…,” she said.  

Kirsten’s fellow Married at First Sight cast members Nicole and Gina were also guests on Afterparty. They both felt that Kirsten would have started her marriage off on a better foot if she’d kissed Shaq at the altar.

Some of the show’s viewers agreed that if Kirsten didn’t adjust her expectations, she was setting herself up for a failed marriage. 

“This is such an injustice to Shaquille,” one person commented on Instagram. “I’m sure he’s not perfect. But seems like a nice guy. Who doesn’t even have a chance with this girl.”

Another thought Kirsten had already made her choice. 

“She going to spend the season gaslighting this man & pretending she wants it to work, though we can see she has decided she doesn’t like him,” one person wrote. 

Will Kirsten get over her negative first impression of Shaq? Find out when new episodes of Married at First Sight air Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.   

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