‘Married at First Sight’ Season 17 Teases a Reconciliation for Lauren and Orion, New Bride for Michael
We’re at the halfway point of Married at First Sight Season 17, and the biggest drama may be yet to come. The Denver couples have had a rocky road so far. One pair has already opted for divorce. Others are facing huge roadblocks when it comes to physical attraction, religious values, and other key issues. Will any of them get to “yes” on Decision Day? A teaser for the remaining episodes of the Lifetime reality series makes us wonder if this will be a season where no one stays married at the end of the eight weeks.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for the Dec. 20 episode of Married at First Sight Season 17.]
Will Lauren and Orion give their relationship another chance?
Lauren and Orion’s once-promising marriage came to an abrupt and painful end when he asked her for a divorce shortly after they returned home from their honeymoon. Now, Lauren has had some time to process her experience. And the more she thinks about what happened, the more upset she gets.
In the Dec. 17 episode of Married at First Sight, Lauren and Orion saw each other for the first time since their relationship-ending conversation with Dr. Pia Holec. They broke the news of their divorce at a potluck with the other couples. Things quickly turned tense and emotional. Lauren admitted she’d made a mistake when she made an insensitive, joking comment about a racial slur used against Native Americans. (Orion is Navajo.) But she called out her former husband for not giving their marriage a chance, calling her a failure, and “slut-shaming” her for sleeping with someone two months before their wedding – well before she’d been informed she’d been chosen for the show. But it was his constant changing of the narrative and denial that he’d said certain things that bothered her the most.
“You’re such a gaslighter,” she told him. “I have been accountable for my actions the entire time. And it you’re not going to hold yourself accountable, I will.”
While Lauren stayed strong during her conversation with Orion, she later revealed how painful the experience had been. “I’m very excited just to continue on with life and know that I tried my best,” she said before breaking down in tears as a MAFS producer stepped in to comfort her.
But is it really over for Lauren and Orion? A teaser for the rest of Married at First Sight’s Denver season shows Orion asking Lauren if she’d be willing to give their relationship another chance.
“I would really like to try to build a bridge back to you,” Orion tells Lauren. “Because I am missing our connection.”
Orion might be having second thoughts about cutting Lauren out of his life. But will Lauren be willing to rekindle things with her expert-picked partner? Even before their divorce, she complained about Orion’s flip-flopping emotions and said she felt like she was on a relationship rollercoaster. Shockingly, it sounds like she’s considering getting back on that ride.
“My emotions to you are open to being open,” she tells Orion.
Michael might be getting a new bride
The second half of MAFS Season 17 will also see the return of jilted groom Michael, whose bride rejected him at the altar on their wedding day. Now, the experts may have found him another match. They want him to consider giving the process another chance.
“Are you willing to get married at first sight again?” Dr. Pepper Schwartz asks Michael in the teaser.
Michael’s reply isn’t shown, but his friend is understandably wary on his behalf. He called the disastrous wedding day “the biggest failure” of his personal life and she doesn’t want him to go through that disappointment a second time.
Meanwhile, the other Married at First Sight cast members are facing their own challenges. Cameron is questioning his marriage to Claire. He feels she’s toying with his emotions, which he tells Orion is “unsustainable for me.” Brennan continues to ice Emily out emotionally, leaving her frustrated and confused. But things might turn around when she has a serious snowmobiling accident. Finally, Becca wonders whether she and Austin are “on the same train,” then tearfully opens up to Pastor Cal Roberson about feeling rejected in her marriage.
“I can’t do it,” a frustrated Austin says as Becca cries next to him.
A new episode of ‘Married at First Sight’ won’t air on Dec. 27
While there are plenty of twists to come in Married at First Sight Season 17, we’ll have to wait a bit to see what’s next for the Denver couples. A new episode won’t air on Wednesday, Dec. 27. Instead, fans can tune in to Married at First Sight: The Journey So Far. The special features Kevin Frazier and a panel of MAFS devotees analyzing the season so far and unpacking some sneak peeks from upcoming episodes. It airs at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.
New episodes of Married at First Sight Season 17 air Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.
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