Married at first sight: Sure
Listen to this articleA couple of weeks ago I suddenly found myself with a free chunk of time where I was home alone and with nothing to do. I wanted to just veg out as much as possible, so I turned on the TV to see if there was anything on worth watching. I was just about to settle in to watch The Matrix for the 200th time when I saw a show on A&E called Married at First Sight. And of course I started watching it and after one episode I was hooked.
The show follows six people – three men, three women – who are single and ready to not only mingle but dedicate themselves to another human being without even knowing their name. The six people were matched with each other after being screened and interviewed by four experts – a psychologist, a sexologist, sociologist and spiritual advisor.
Over the course of the season, cameras follow the couples through the wedding night, honeymoon, moving in together and everyday life until one day when they decide whether they are going to stay together or get a divorce.
The concept of this show is fascinating to me. I remember having a few moments when I was single when I thought maybe arranged marriage wasn’t so bad. We aren’t talking about old-fashioned arranged marriage for wealth and status where a 16-year-old girl is given to a 78-year-old for ten goats.
We are talking about getting matched up with your spouse according to your views on religion, morality, family, marriage, children, etc. – basically like E-Harmony on steroids.
I found myself kind of admiring these people despite my disdain for reality show personalities. Part of it was the way the show is filmed – more like a documentary than a reality show. Maybe it was the fact that I think putting all your faith about love into four people you only met a few weeks ago is pretty courageous. At first I didn’t take it very seriously, but as the show went on, I realized these people were really serious about this experiment. They kept going even though one couple fought like cats and dogs, another couple wasn’t experiencing sexual attraction, and the husband in the third couple refused to open up emotionally.
Would I ever think about getting married at first sight?
Luckily I found my Prince Awesome already, but it’s definitely something to think about. It really forces you to take the relationship more seriously than you normally might because the consequence is serious – divorce. At the same time, I wouldn’t trade the two years I’ve put into my relationship, because it means I really am marrying my best friend – instead of a complete stranger.
What do you think – would YOU get married at first sight?
Emily Campbell is a perpetually single, 20-something girl-around-town who loves Shakespeare, old movies, Natty Boh, and of course, long walks on the beach. A sales manager by day and freelance writer by night, she was recently forced into a life of involuntary celibacy when her last relationship fizzled out over a text message. She’s tired of settling for second – or tenth – best, and she’s ready to find Mr. Right. Or, Mr. Nearly Right. No one’s perfect…which she has learned the hard (but hilarious) way.