Messiest Breakups Ever On Married At First Sight
What could possibly go wrong when you get married to a complete stranger? Well, when you look at the track record of the "Married at First Sight" couples — apparently a lot.
The reality TV series has evolved somewhat since its 2014 premiere. Though the relationship coaches and locations have all changed throughout the 15 seasons, the explosive drama has essentially stayed the same. Like the title suggests, the show revolves around singles who have been put through intense questionnaires and interviews and who have been paired up with potential spouses by a panel of matchmakers. The twist? The participants don't meet each other until their legally binding wedding day.
Apparently taking the dating process out of the equation isn't the strongest way to create long-lasting matches. Out of the 42 couples that have gone through the experiment, at the time of publication, only about 25% of them are still together. That means there have been a lot of on- and off-camera breakups, some cringeworthy and others simply shocking. With the 15th season still airing as of this writing, here are some of the messiest breakups from "Married at First Sight" so far.
Jessica Castro and Ryan De Nino's marriage ended with a restraining order
Understandably, the first few seasons of "Married at First Sight" had some kinks that needed to be worked out. This was evident during Season 2, when Jessica Castro and Ryan De Nino's marriage had one of the worst demises in the show's history.
Despite the volatile arguments that took place between them all season long, Castro thought the marriage was worth fighting for and stuck with her husband on Decision Day. That optimism was short-lived, however, after Castro claimed she discovered that De Nino was cheating on her. To make matters worse, De Nino allegedly made threats against her life. "I will break you into f***ing pieces," Castro quoted De Nino as saying in her petition for a restraining order (per Us Weekly). "I will make your whole family disappear — and your f***ing dog-ass sister's boyfriend."
When the season's reunion episode came around, De Nino, presumably unaware that he was live on mic, still had more to say. "When I get back to Brooklyn, she's f***ing dead, this girl," he said (per the New York Post). The threat was taken seriously enough by the network that they provided Castro with security personnel. Thankfully, the New York native eventually got her happy ending. She has since found a new partner and the two welcomed a son together, as seen on her Instagram.
Heather Seidel and Derek Schwartz have one of the shortest marriages in the show's history
By our standards, a marriage lasting 10 days is a messy marriage indeed. That was what happened for Season 4's Heather Seidel and Derek Schwartz, who were barely able to make it back from their honeymoon before calling it quits. Seidel just couldn't get on board with one of Schwartz's hobbies — smoking marijuana.
"I really wanted to fall in love, I wanted to create a life with somebody, but then I see you doing this every single day and I am so turned off. It shouldn't be like this," Seidel told Schwartz on their honeymoon. He didn't seem to love his new wife's passionate stance against his smoking and brought up what he labeled as her drinking problem. "I'm saying that if by you evaluating my smoking while we're on the honeymoon, if you're saying that makes me — because you're seeing me do it for two days — have a problem, then by me seeing you drink alcohol since we've been here would be the same thing by your logic," Schwartz said to People after their divorce.
Seidel and Schwartz are tied with just one other couple for having the shortest marriage in "Married at First Sight" history.
Matt Gwynne allegedly cheated on Amber Bowles multiple times
On the surface, Matt Gwynne and Amber Bowles were adorable. Gwynne, an international former basketball star, towered over his new wife, but their physical attraction seemed like it could create somewhat of a solid foundation for the couple on Season 9.
However, roughly halfway through the eight-week experiment, Gwynne started acting out in ways that only a professional athlete might, including constantly going out overnight without telling Bowles and leaving behind his ring. Clearly, Gwynne didn't care who saw him, because one of Bowles' best friends, Raven, saw him coupled up with another woman at a bar. "They were ... focused on each other, and it didn't look good," Raven told Bowles, before also telling her that Gwynne and the mystery woman left together. "I suspected Matt was cheating pretty early on," Bowles told Reality TV World. Gwynne's behavior was blatant enough that other cast members on the season suspected he was cheating (per Reality TV World).
Gwynne apparently justified his behavior by saying he didn't think Bowles was right for him. He claimed during the reunion special that he knew within 15 minutes of meeting her that they would not last. Even worse for Bowles, she said she had to continue seeing Gwynne post-filming. She mentioned in an interview on the Domenick Nati Show that she thought her ex-husband was dating somebody in her apartment building.
Katie Conrad just couldn't let her ex stay in the past
Season 10's Katie Conrad almost didn't follow through with the experiment when her ex-boyfriend made it known that he wanted her back. But when Conrad met Derek Sherman, those second thoughts were momentarily quieted as she seemed smitten with her new lover. Unfortunately, their puppy love was no match for Conrad's feelings for her ex, who she continuously brought up throughout the season. "Katie's feelings for her 'ex' still played a major role in our marriage," Sherman told In Touch Weekly. "[It was] to the point where I felt like ... I was constantly being compared to him."
According to Sherman, a new marriage wasn't enough to keep Conrad from her former lover. After initially opting to stay together during Decision Day, the former pair were divorcing by the reunion special. "Thankfully, Katie made it really easy not to be able to fall in love with her. ... I got hurt," Sherman said during the reunion. "My greatest fear throughout all of this is that she would have an affair with her ex. Then I find out just several days ago that literally the day after the honeymoon, she slept with him." Conrad disagreed with his timeline but did admit to sleeping with her ex and having a "physical slip up" after Decision Day.
Conrad has since remarried and is starting a family.
Zach Justice began an emotional relationship with his wife Mindy Shiben's close friend
In his Season 10 wedding vows, Zach Justice promised to make his new wife, Mindy Shiben, feel like "the most beautiful and attractive woman in the world." Those words were quickly cast to the side when Justice admitted to Shiben on their honeymoon that he was not attracted to her. "As much as we've hung out, and we — as much time as we've had in Panama, it feels like it would be easier in building attraction when we're back in D.C.," he said during what should've been a romantic final honeymoon dinner. "It's hard for me to come out and say ..." "That you haven't felt attraction," Shiben said, to which Justice agreed.
That exchange set the stage for the rest of the season, where Justice refused to move in with Shiben post-honeymoon. And if that wasn't bad enough, Shiban discovered that Justice started an emotional relationship with one of her close friends that Justice met on their wedding day. Needless to say, Shiben asked for a divorce, letting Justice know that "I do think you have it in you to be a good husband, but you have not been a good husband to me."
Justice went the extra mile to prove that statement right when he went on a date with Season 10 bride Katie Conrad post-filming, a secret revealed on the reunion special.
Taylor Dunklin and Brandon Reid both have protective orders against one other
Season 10 was plagued with bad luck and disastrous marriages, and Taylor Dunklin and Brandon Reid were no exception. The sparks were flying on their wedding day and a few days after that, but Brandon's disdain for constant filming began to strain their marriage. Add in drama surrounding questionable posts on Dunklin's social media accounts — among other issues — and the couple met their end on Decision Day.
No matter how testy their relationship was on-screen, the drama that ensued off-screen was so intense that it had to be resolved in a court of law. Dunklin appeared on the reunion episode by herself and with good reason — the two have protective orders against each other. They were both arrested after a heated argument took place between them at a bar, prompted by Dunklin arriving there with a new man. Dunklin allegedly shoved Reid, and Reid allegedly followed and taunted his ex-wife.
The Baltimore Sun reported that Reid filed for an annulment, which a judge later granted.
Christina Crochet questioned Henry Rodriguez's sexuality on national television
Christina Crochet and Henry Rodriguez were arguably the most mismatched couple of Season 11. Their lack of connection or attraction on Rodriguez's behalf left no question that a divorce was impending, especially when Rodriguez told a cast member that he had "zero percent chance of hope" of their marriage lasting long-term. However, the most shocking part of the season was when Crochet questioned Rodriguez's sexuality, which made for one uncomfortable viewing experience.
Crochet claimed that she received a text from an unsaved number that informed her Rodriguez was having an affair with one of his male friends. Crochet said she never showed her former husband the text and insisted she deleted it. However, on the reunion special, Rodriguez said she "blackmailed" him and suggested that he have her back at the reunion unless he wanted that information leaked. "So then she holds her phone up and says, 'Well I think it's in your best interests [to have my back] because I have some really strong evidence on my phone,'" Rodriguez told host Kevin Frazier. He also couldn't help but remind viewers that Crochet had an affair with a married man before going on the show.
The pettiness wasn't one sided throughout the season, though, as Rodriguez accused Crochet of being dishonest about her living situation. She claimed to live in New Orleans, but in actuality her belongings were split between a storage unit and her car — yikes.
Brett Lindsey dipped out on Olivia Cornu without a word
Marrying a complete stranger comes with its own unique set of stresses and when you add in a worldwide pandemic, an already-fragile marriage can quickly sour, which is what happened to Season 11 couple Olivia Cornu and Brett Lindsey. "We weren't talking about anything other than COVID," Cornu told the New York Post while reflecting on their time together. Once stay-at-home orders were enacted in New Orleans, Cornu said she felt they weren't doing well in their relationship (per People). "I feel like we're kind of in a stagnant place right now," she said while filming.
The weight of COVID-19 drove them apart so much that Lindsey packed up and moved out of their apartment while Cornu was away visiting family, something Lindsey was not comfortable with her doing. "I still think it's such a bad idea to be traveling any kind of long distances," he said while self-filming, adding that "Decision Day was supposed to be this week, but [coronavirus] delayed everything. It could be months before we finish, I don't know. But I can't keep putting my life on hold anymore, so I'm moving back into my house."
Cornu came back to an empty apartment, with Lindsey going the extra petty mile to bring all the household food with him.
Zack Freeman divorced Michaela Clark and dated another bride on the same season
When Season 13's Zack Freeman pulled out a handwritten letter on Decision Day recounting him and Michaela Clark's journey over the eight weeks, fans quickly assumed it was leading up to an overwhelming yes to staying married. "I actually see today as the beginning of us, the beginning of something new and something better," he said. Spoiler alert: The fans couldn't have been more wrong. In actuality, Freeman asked for a divorce, but wanted to still be in a relationship to find out how they would develop together after the process.
Clark appeared on the reunion special and claimed that she spent time with Freeman after filming, specifically on an intimate level. After he allegedly broke things off after celebrating a month anniversary in a hotel with him, he moved on with another cast member from the same season, Bao Huong Hoang. Hoang divorced her partner on Decision Day and had a whirlwind romance with Freeman, until allegations that he cheated arose, documented in an interview with his reported mistress, Elena Guevara, on Little Black Book 91.
One man with three scorned women? Seems like he wasn't ready for commitment when he joined the cast of "Married at First Sight."
Chris Collette and Alyssa Ellman are tied for shortest marriage in show history
When Alyssa Ellman wanted a cowboy to be at the altar, fans knew her marriage to realtor Chris Collette most likely wouldn't work out. Ellman quickly communicated to her husband (after avoiding him their entire wedding reception) that they were "not compatible" and said she felt robbed of her experience on "Married at First Sight."
No Puerto Rican honeymoon could solve their issues, as Ellman refused to sit next to Collette on the flight, much less sleep in the same room as him. "I do not want to talk to him," Ellman told production after yet another disagreement. "I hate him. He's a f***ing asshole ... he's rude, and he's doing me dirty. ... I'm a good person and if I don't come off that way on the show, I'm going to be f***ing pissed," she said.
Viewers, fellow cast mates, and Collette himself suspected Ellman's behavior was rooted in the fact that she was not attracted to him, and Ellman eventually admitted he was not her type. Just days after wrapping up their honeymoon, Collette said he wanted a divorce on their early Decision Day. They're tied with Season 4's Heather Seidel and Derek Schwartz for shortest marriage ever, at just 10 days long. However, as of this writing, Collette and Ellman have both moved on with previous "Married at First Sight" participants. Collette's dating Season 11's Olivia Cornu and Ellman's dating Season 13's Ryan Ignasiak.
Mark Maher called his ex-wife Lindsey Georgoulis the biggest bully
If there's one thing for certain, it's that Season 14 couple, Lindsey Georgoulis and Mark Maher, were never boring. That doesn't mean they weren't toxic, though. Their highs were high and their lows were below low. Who could forget that infamous bathroom scene where Georgoulis said some of the most cutthroat things of the season?
"I mean, real talk. He makes 60 grand a year selling gym memberships. All right little boy, let me teach you how to be a big badass b***h," she told producers during the meltdown. "I hate my husband. I'm sick of dealing with his bulls***. He's a pathetic f***ing loser." Unsurprisingly, Maher said their arguments led to them divorcing after saying "yes" to staying together on Decision Day. "I've been bullied a lot as a kid, and this was probably some of the worst bullying to my face I've ever dealt with," Maher said during a post-filming sit down with host Kevin Frazier. He admitted that he was even scared of Lindsey, who allegedly spit on him during a heated argument.
After their divorce, Georgoulis moved to California, where she said she hoped to meet a man with more intellect. Spoiler alert: She found a new beau, who just happened to be one of her ex-boyfriends.