Is the Denver season of Married at First Sight cursed? The Lifetime reality series has had its share of chaotic seasons filled with bad matches and tearful breakups. But season 17 is proving to be a bust on a whole new level. The show – which has already featured one runaway bride and one painful split – kicked off 2024 with a downer of an episode that saw yet another pair go their separate ways. However, there’s still hope for a happily ever after for one cast member, as the MAFS experts offer jilted groom Michael a second chance to walk down the aisle. But will he be willing to take another chance on love?
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for the Jan. 3 episode of Married at First Sight Season 17.]
The ‘Married at First Sight’ experts offer Michael a do-over
Considering that Married at First Sight follows complete strangers who agree to get hitched sight unseen, it’s stunning that the show’s made it through 16 seasons with no one backing out at the altar. But the inevitable finally happened when unlucky Denver cast member Michael’s bride refused to go through with the ceremony.
The shocking twist left Michael devastated and wondering if marriage was in the cards for him at all. It also left quite an impression on the show’s trio of experts, who sat down with him in the show’s Jan. 3 episode and apologized for the wedding day meltdown.
“Let me speak for all of us when we say that we are appalled that this happened and feel so bad for you,” Dr. Pepper Schwartz said.
Michael’s first bride wasn’t interested in saying “I do.” But the experts still believe he’s great husband material. They want to find him a new match.
Surprisingly, Michael is all-in on the idea of a Married at First Sight do-over. But when he sits down with his friends to see what they think, they express reservations about the integrity of the Married at First Sight process. Then, Dr. Pepper shows up with some big news. They’ve found another match for Michael, and if he’s up for it, he can get married in two weeks. He agrees to give the process another try.
“I was excited the first time around, but being in this unique position of getting a second go at it, hearing Dr. Pepper’s thoughts behind it and her resolve only bolsters that excitement,” he says.
Cameron and Clare reach a breaking point
Michael’s optimistic about his second Married at First Sight match. That’s good news, considering that another Denver couple’s relationship is on life support. Cameron and Clare have struggled to get on the same page since day 1. Now, they’ve reached a breaking point.
Cameron meets up with Orion, who earlier made the choice to divorce Lauren after multiple charged conversations about racial slurs and her sexual history. Getting relationship advice from someone who decided to call it quits on his relationship after less than two weeks of marriage might not be a conventional choice. But Cameron “very much appreciate[s] hearing Orion’s perspective.”
“Right now, I’m essentially on the brink of walking away from my marriage,” he admits.
Later, Cameron takes a break from his marriage to go biking with a friend, and he looks more relaxed than he has in weeks. In fact, he’s enjoying his time away from Clare so much that he decides not to come home, leaving her alone in their apartment to contemplate their future. They meet up again at a one-month anniversary dinner with the other couples, and the vibe is definitely off. Fellow cast member Emily asks them to both say what they want from the marriage. Cameron ups the ante and suggests they declare whether they want to keep trying or get a divorce.
Both want out of the relationship. Clare apologizes for not being clear about her emotions and inadvertently hurting Cameron in the process, while he compares the situation to his decision to put down a beloved dog, adding that he wouldn’t take back the time he spent with her.
Cameron and Clare seem at peace with their decision to separate. (Cameron practically skips out of the apartment after his final goodbye to Clare.) But a teaser for the upcoming episode shows each dealing with the fallout from their brief marriage. Clare opens up about her guilt during a tearful phone call with MAFS expert Dr. Pia Holec. Meanwhile, Cameron reveals he’s developed a heart condition, which he thinks might have been triggered by the stress of his separation from Clare.
Becca and Austin clash over religion, Emily runs out of patience with Brennan
The two other remaining Married at First Sight Season 17 couples aren’t faring that much better than Clare and Cameron. Becca and Austin’s different religious backgrounds and ideas about the afterlife are proving to be a major issue. She was raised Jewish and describes herself as agnostic. He’s a Christian who attends a church that says that those who don’t accept Jesus are going to hell.
“To think that he believes that after this we do go somewhere and we would go to different places … it really hurts,” a tearful Becca says on a video call with Pastor Cal Roberson.
Eventually, Becca and Austin manage to talk through some of their religious differences. But it’s possible their divide on this issue is one that will doom their chances at a lasting relationship.
Meanwhile, Emily’s getting increasingly frustrated with Brennan’s inability to express emotion and unwillingness to talk seriously about their marriage. After Cameron and Clare’s surprise divorce announcement at the couples’ dinner, she walks out of the restaurant.
“Nothing’s changed … Everyone’s opening their hearts, and he just says the same f*cking thing,” she says in a confessional. “That’s annoying. It’s really just frustrating.”
New episodes of Married at First Sight Season 17 air Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.
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