What Really Makes Unmatchables Different From The Original Married At First Sight - Exclusive
For 12 seasons, lovelorn singles have turned to Lifetime's "Married at First Sight" in search of their soulmates. The show's premise, however, is something of an oddity in the sub-genre of TV dating shows: the prospective couple meets for the first time as they exchange vows at the altar. Then, as the newlyweds get to know each other, they must ultimately decide whether to stay married or call it quits, guided along the way by relationship experts Dr. Viviana Coles and Pastor Calvin Roberson.
Given the thousands of wannabes who apply for a spot on the show, not everyone makes the cut. Some, in fact, have such challenging personalities that they've been deemed "unmatchable." These are the folks at the center of the new spinoff "Married at First Sight: Unmatchables," in which Roberson and Coles assist these quirky-yet-sincere people on their search for love.
In an exclusive interview with Nicki Swift, Coles and Roberson explain why "Married at First Sight: Unmatchables" is such a departure from the original show.
Unmatchables is 'a far cry' from the original MAFS
Describing how the new spinoff differs from the original "Married At First Sight," Pastor Calvin Roberson offered a succinct explanation. "This is a far cry from 'Married at First Sight,'" he said. "It's comprised of individuals who wanted to be Married at First Sight. A great number of them applied... but they were not ready to be married at any sight. So what we're doing is we're taking them — and they're all just incredible individuals, though. They have so much heart and they're smart and they're intelligent and they're attractive. But they just have some dating challenges that really need to be tweaked."
As Dr. Vivan Coles added, the other big difference is that the participants in "Unmatchables" aren't getting married, and aren't even dating. "It's a blind date that we set up after one week of working with these individuals," she explained. "Both Cal and I get our shot at them to be able to really help them, to prepare them to go on a good date that will hopefully help them to build some confidence in their dating lives. It could spark a little something between the two daters, but we don't know."
Dr. Viviana Coles and Pastor Calvin Roberson offer their commentary
Once Dr. Viviana Coles and Pastor Calvin Roberson have put in their time with each of the people they've been trying to transform from unmatchable to matchable, it's then time for the date — which takes place at a venue outfitted with hidden cameras. That, Coles explained, allows her and Roberson to "watch the dates as they happen and give our commentary, which is so interesting to see. I mean, [have you] ever wanted to be a fly on the wall? We get to be the flies on the wall, and it's super, super exciting."
One of the aspects of preparing the unmatchables for their dates is a physical makeover. "These transformations, they are like you've never seen before," added Coles. "I mean, the more I think about what it is that we were able to do with them, the more I'm living out these fantasies of all the amazing makeovers that I've seen on TV. These are so far beyond that. I can't believe they allowed us to do these things, but they really are letting us use our expertise in a really fun and experiential way."
"Married At First Sight: Unmatchables" (produced by Kinetic Content) airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on Lifetime, immediately after a brand new "Married At First Sight."