‘Married at First Sight’ Recap: The Honeymoon’s Over for One Season 17 Couple
There’s more trouble in paradise in the latest episode of Married at First Sight. The honeymoon is winding down for the four Denver couples in the Nov. 29 episode of the Lifetime reality show. But for one pair, it looks like the end of the Mexican vacation might also mark the end of their brief marriage.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for the Nov. 29 episode of Married at First Sight Season 17.]
Lauren and Orion have already had multiple serious conflicts
Lauren and Orion have been married for roughly a week, but their relationship has already hit a couple of major speed bumps.
In the Nov. 15 episode of Married at First Sight, a tense conversation about racial and ethnic slurs led to hurt feelings on both sides when Orion, who is Navajo, tried to educate his wife, who is Black, about the origins of an offensive term for Native Americans.
“I don’t even know what redskin means, honestly,” she said as the two lounged in a hot tub. She went on: “Oh, I do. I just looked at your face,” she said with a laugh as she pointed out his sunburned nose.
Lauren’s comment deeply offended Orion, who’s been vocal about how much he values his heritage. She apologized immediately and after some discussion, they seemed to move past the uncomfortable moment.
Unfortunately, the problems weren’t over for Lauren and Orion. The next day, a romantic dinner turned tense when she revealed she’d had sex with someone two months before saying “I do.” Lauren was in the middle of the Married at First Sight casting process when she slept with someone else, but did not know that the experts had found her a spouse. Still, Orion was put off by her confession. He told his wife that sex was now “off the table” for them, at least for the foreseeable future.
Lauren says her marriage to Orion has been a ‘rollercoaster’
The sex-positive Lauren wasn’t thrilled to hear her husband was putting the brakes on intimacy due to her past. Understandably, she felt judged and shamed by her husband. The conversation continued in the Nov. 29 episode as he tried to walk back his comments, saying he didn’t want to rush into having sex. But Lauren was confused and frustrated. Eventually, she got Orion to admit that he felt that sleeping with someone else – even before she was engaged – meant she wasn’t committed to the MAFS process. Eventually, they ended up on a Facetime call with Dr. Pia Holec, who coached them through some strategies they could use to deal with conflict.
By the time Lauren and Orion sat down with the other season 17 couples for a group dinner, both looked exhausted.
“Our honeymoon has been a little bit of a roller coaster,” Lauren confessed.
Lauren and Orion have an emergency call with a ‘Married at First Sight’ expert
The rollercoaster continued for Lauren and Orion after the group dinner. On the last night of the honeymoon, the two had a major blowup that wasn’t captured by the cameras. But Lauren later told fellow Married at First Sight cast member Clare that she’d removed her wedding ring and told Orion that she wanted a divorce.
As the rest of the group prepared to leave the honeymoon resort in Cancun, Orion was again on the phone with a Married at First Sight expert. Orion opened up to Pastor Cal Roberson about his hurt over Lauren’s comments in the hot tub. Even though Lauren had apologized multiple times, he hadn’t been able to let it go. Pastor Cal called in Lauren to hear her side of the story, she broke down in tears as discussed her frustration over Orion’s inability to accept her sincere apology or give her grace.
“I can’t get past what was said,” Orion told Pastor Cal.
Lauren said she felt there was no way to repair her relationship with Orion.
“It doesn’t matter what I do,” she said. “I could write a 50-page essay and give a PowerPoint to the entire U.S. of A about derogatory terms in his nation and it wouldn’t matter to him. Because it’s a him thing … there’s nothing I can do.”
With Lauren and Orion at an impasse, it appears that their marriage is over.
“There is no romance within me anymore,” he says to Dr. Pia in a teaser for the Dec. 6 episode.
“Do you want a divorce?” she asks the couple. Lauren doesn’t reply, but it’s hard to see them continuing in a relationship after this.
New episodes of Married at First Sight Season 17 air Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.
