‘Married at First Sight’: Woody and Amani Randall Reveal That They Met Before Getting Married – and It Seems Like Pure Fate
Woody Randall and Amani Aliyya Randall were the undisputed fan favorites on Lifetime’s Married at First Sight season 11 in New Orleans. The newlyweds had incredible chemistry from day one, and their mutual devotion to each other only seemed to grow as the season continued.
Many Married at First Sight fans believed Woody and Amani were obviously soulmates after seeing their love story unfold. And after hearing how they really met – two weeks before their wedding day – even those who don’t believe in fate and serendipity might just be convinced.
Woody and Amani met two weeks before their wedding day
Amani and Woody started their own YouTube channel soon after their Married at First Sight season wrapped in order to keep up with fans who wanted to follow their story. On Dec. 6, they shared their first Q&A video in order to answer viewers’ most popular questions.
One fan asked the Lifetime stars, “Did you know each other before the show?”
“Define ‘know,’” Woody joked slyly, hinting at the story to come.
Amani clarified that, yes, they did get married as strangers – almost.
“We did not know each other,” the Married at First Sight star explained. “We’d seen each other. We actually met for the first time two weeks before we got married.”
Woody marveled at the sheer serendipity of it all. “Weird,” he mused. “Imagine that. Let that sink in.”
According to Amani, she was officially matched by the Lifetime experts on the Friday two weeks before their wedding day. Meanwhile, Woody was matched on Saturday – meaning he found out that he would indeed be getting married to a stranger hand-picked for him.
Amazingly enough, Woody and Amani met for the first time that very Sunday at brunch. The uncanny coincidence was so incredible that the Married at First Sight stars could barely believe it themselves.
Amani was bartending at a New Orleans hotspot when Woody chatted her up
As for how she unknowingly met her future husband, Amani went on to explain that she was bartending part-time at a New Orleans hotspot, Culture Park. She was serving up drinks at their popular Sunday brunch when Woody sauntered in.
The Married at First Sight star explained that Woody came up to the bar and chatted with her, although they didn’t exchange names that day. They enjoyed a bit of conversation and banter.
Then, Woody showed his protective, nurturing side by asking if Amani needed anything. He mentioned that she looked “a little flustered,” and his future wife told him that she was hungry. She’d ordered lamb chops a while ago, but they hadn’t come yet. Woody took care of it right away, making sure she got her food.
“He went and got my food for me, y’all,” Amani said.
“Pulled up with the chops is what I did,” Woody added.
The couple didn’t hit on each other that night because of their upcoming wedding
Woody admitted that he felt an attraction to Amani right away. He even wondered if he should ask her out or try to flirt with her.
“I thought I might just shoot my shot,” he said.
But the Married at First Sight star ultimately decided that was inappropriate. After all, he was technically engaged – although he didn’t know anything about his future bride at the time. He thought it wasn’t the best idea to ask someone else out when he was just about to get married.
“Then I was like, ‘Man, I’m getting married in a week,’” Woody said.
As for Amani, she was so excited about her upcoming wedding that she wasn’t thinking about any other men. She considered herself engaged, so she wasn’t interested in anyone else.
“I was seeing past him, because I was already looking for my husband,” Amani said. “I was like, ‘He’s nice, but I have a husband on the way.’”
The ‘Married at First Sight’ stars didn’t figure it out until their wedding night
Neither Amani nor Woody immediately recognized each other at the altar two weeks later. Amani explained that she thought her husband looked familiar, but she couldn’t pinpoint where she might have seen him before.
The couple finally figured it out on their wedding night, after their ceremony and reception flew by in a euphoric haze.
“Fast forward to the wedding night,” Woody said giddily. “We’re in the bed, and I went, ‘I gave you your food last week!’”
The Married at First Sight star explained that he thought it was a truly shocking stroke of fate. After all, he had often taken pride in preparing delicious dishes for his wife since that first serendipitous meeting. “That was a trip,” Woody exclaimed. “Imagine that! Two weeks before you meet your wife, you give her your food – like, you feed her.”
“And he’s been feeding me ever since,” Amani concluded sweetly.
There are many reasons to doubt the Married at First Sight process. But if there was ever a couple that proved that soulmates might just be real, Woody and Amani are the perfect candidates.
