Married at First Sight featured four of the five couples' marriages crumbling under the stress of coronavirus lockdown as the experiment dragged on past 10 weeks with Olivia Cornu and Brett Lindsey agreeing to end their marriage, Miles Williams nearly checking out of his relationship, and Christina accusing Henry Rodriguez of cheating on her with a man during Wednesday night's Season 11 broadcast on Lifetime.
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The couples starring on this season are Brett, a 35-year-old with a career in information technology from Gretna, LA, and Olivia, a 30-year-old nurse from Bossier City, LA; Christina, a 30-year-old flight attendant from Houma, LA, and Henry, a 35-year-old clinical recruiter from Arabi, LA; and Karen Landry, a 30-year-old consultant from New Orleans, LA, and Miles, a 26-year-old who works with youth from Spartanburg, SC.
The other couples are Amani, a 29-year-old non-profit worker who was raised in Chicago, IL, and Woody Randall, a 30-year-old teacher and coach from New Orleans, as well as Amelia Fatsi, a 27-year-old medical resident from Richmond, VA, and Bennett Kirschner, a 28-year-old artistic director from Montvale, NJ.
Married at First Sight, Episode 13
The Married at First Sight broadcast began on Day 32 of marriage in New Orleans amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Louisiana governor had just issued a stay-at-home order due to COVID-19, and Woody vented he couldn't go swimming or go to parties.
Henry called New Orleans "a ghost town" because no one was out and about, and Miles was told he wasn't even allowed in his school anymore.
An on-screen graphic then appeared and read, "For the first time in 11 seasons of Married at First Sight, production has been shut down... With production gone for the foreseeable future, our couples are documenting their lives together all on their own."
Amelia was shown bicycling down an empty street and Brett revealed a co-worker had just been tested positive for coronavirus, which was a lot to take in.
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Pastor Cal said in a voiceover that he couldn't predict at the moment how long "Decision Day" was going to be delayed.
"Being confined to your home day in and day out can be trying for any couple, but for our couples who met and married as strangers, this will require a different level of adjustment -- one no Married at First Sight couple has ever had to face," Pastor Cal said.
"But our hope is they will use this time to grow closer in their marriages, even as this pandemic keeps all of us apart."
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On Day 33 of marriage, Amelia cut her hair while Bennett went out for a walk and the couple contemplated getting a rat so Amelia could see how Bennett "takes care of the little ones."
Amelia said she and Bennett bonded and learned more about each other, including the fact Bennett only uses one square of toilet paper to wipe himself after going to the bathroom.
"I am falling more in love with Amelia with each passing day," Bennett told the cameras.
"We're just cooped up in this little box together, and it's so nice still. We are falling more in love every day," Amelia echoed her husband.
Bennett feared the collapse of the American economy and potential adversities that could come with it.
While Bennett and Amelia did face masks together, Amelia learned she had matched and would be doing her residency in Virginia.
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Woody was then shown waking up to a nice breakfast and gifts from his wife, who revealed she was ready to tell Woody that she was in love with him. Amani was going to surprise Woody with gifts that would appeal to all five of his senses.
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Two weeks later, Amani and Woody had an argument in which Amani said, "First of all, you didn't f-cking say that. If you really feel like you ain't did nothing wrong in this marriage."
Amani said she jokingly asked Woody to look in his direct messages on Instagram to see "the hoes" that might have contacted him and Woody allegedly got defensive and upset.
"What are you doing invading my private space?" Woody complained to a camera. "Are you tripping?"
Amani then said, "I'm over you too," and walked out of the house.
On Day 47 -- the 14th day of lockdown -- Christina made Henry a big pot of gumbo and was trying to keep herself busy and catch up with friends on Zoom. Henry remained busy at work and came home to a seven-layer dip and rice crispy treats.
Christina admitted she was so bored in quarantine yet she and Henry continued to get to know each other better.
On Henry's 35th birthday, a friend delivered a cake to Henry's apartment and his phone was blowing up from friends, family and colleagues.
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"But, um, Christina, she actually forgot. I don't really blame her. We're still learning about one another. But I do kind of feel like if I did that, if I did that... the reaction maybe would've been a little different," Henry acknowledged.
Christina apparently left Henry to go for "a walk," but he said it was "a very long walk" because it lasted until 3AM. Christina read Henry's text but didn't respond and then posted a video on Instagram with some of her friends.
Henry said she clearly didn't go on a walk and she could have just texted him to let him know she'd be home late. Henry noted he and Christina lacked good communication, and he clearly wasn't happy.
Meanwhile, Karen, an associate program manager at a hospital, continued going to work so Miles tried to take care of more responsibilities at home.
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Karen worried Miles was feeling depressed given he has clinical depression, and she admitted she was feeling "exhausted" physically, emotionally and mentally.
"I can't necessarily give Miles or the relationship the attention I would like to and it just makes things between us even more tense," Karen noted.
Miles told the cameras he didn't "feel wanted by Karen" even though he understood she was stressed with work and quarantine.
"She cannot say or has said, 'I want to be with you,' and if you can't say that, then in my mind, this isn't what you want," Miles explained.
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On Day 65 of marriage -- the 32nd day of lockdown -- Olivia was going to the hospital every day and Brett was cooking and cleaning their apartment. Brett said he had to make quesadillas because they couldn't find meat anywhere to buy.
The couple said they had a lot of free time and watched movies together, but Brett discovered a pet peeve about Olivia -- the fact she used her phone when he was trying to watch a movie he likes with her.
Brett said he found that annoying and it had been a month since he and Olivia talked to Viviana about trying to introduce more physical intimacy into their relationship.
Brett later complained Olivia stopped coming over his house when she initially said she would slowly move her belongings over to his place. Olivia also believed her marriage had become "stagnant."
"I can't say that I know more about him now than I did three full weeks ago," Olivia said. "I'm trying to stay positive but it's just a weird time here."
Later on, Olivia went to visit her mother and Brett said that was a bad idea because everyone should be staying home. "Decision Day" was supposed to be that week but filming had been postponed due to COVID-19.
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When Olivia returned home, Brett had apparently moved out with all of his stuff, and Olivia said he took all the food and what was in the cabinets with him.
"I chose to go check on my family. I didn't leave on bad terms. I said, 'Hey, you can come with me,' and he said, 'No, somebody has to take care of the cats.' So, I'm just sitting here in an empty apartment now," Olivia told the camera.
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On Day 73 of marriage, which was each couple's 40th day of lockdown, Pastor Cal said some of the couples were beginning to struggle and Married at First Sight's experts couldn't help them as much as they normally would be able to due to the spread of coronavirus and quarantine regulations.
Olivia videochatted with Pepper and said there had been "no growth" in her marriage since production got put on hold. Olivia said she and Brett had no communication and argued the same points all the time because they never reached a resolution.
Olivia accused Brett of being afraid of coronavirus while she had to "live it" every day. She said, however, Brett never expressed his feelings on not wanting her to leave their apartment and break the seal.
"He just told me it was a bad idea and I shouldn't drive when the country is in a pandemic," Olivia shared with Pepper.
"He doesn't communicate... It's like pulling teeth sometimes and then it just gets frustrating because he tries to deflect and point fingers and somehow circle it back to where it's always my fault or production's fault. He doesn't take any responsibility."
Olivia said she wasn't giving up on her marriage until she came home to an empty apartment one day.
Olivia called Brett on the phone and he told his wife he didn't see the point in going through the trouble of trying to make things work when they both knew they have "fundamental problems" and simply "want different things out of life."
Olivia cried during the phone call and said Brett never should have moved out just because they were having issues. Brett claimed he had told Olivia his plans, but she disagreed.
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When asked why she thought Brett had checked out, Olivia admitted there were moments when she found herself attracted to Brett and other moments when he got on her nerves.
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"There would be little tidbits of 'oh, I like him in this moment.' And now I just feel like those have been gone for a long time," Olivia explained.
"Maybe he felt like I was just tolerating him because we were living side by side, but there was also no effort coming from the other side either. But I think we're to the point where there's just no getting over the hump."
Pepper asked, "Just to be clear, are you saying you're giving up on the marriage completely?"
"Um, I don't know! I don't know," Olivia replied.
Olivia said her first instinct is not to give up because nobody likes failure and maybe if she really got to know Brett, things would be different. But Olivia said she couldn't read her husband's mind.
Pepper encouraged Olivia to sit down and have an honest conversation with Brett, and Olivia noted, "Yeah, what do we have to lose at this point?"
Pastor Cal then videochatted with Brett after about six weeks of quarantine. Brett said one of Olivia's cats scratched out his beloved cat and so he told Olivia that he wanted to move his cat back to his home.
Brett said there was miscommunication because he told Olivia this and she claimed she had no idea Brett was moving out. Brett thought he was just "following through with the plan" and so he said he didn't understand why there was contention between them.
Brett admitted Olivia's reaction to the situation made him "very wary of what the future holds."
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"There's a lot of compromise it's going to take for this to work -- a lot more than I think either of us was really comfortable with," Brett explained.
Pastor Cal said "welcome to marriage," but Brett argued that he was compromising on everything and there wasn't much compromise coming from the other side.
Brett told Pastor Cal he had a desire to be intimate with Olivia "early on" but those feelings just faded or "fell out." After five weeks, Brett said he and Olivia friendzoned each other and it just kind of happened.
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"Is there a conceivable scenario where you would say 'yes' on 'Decision Day?'" Pastor Cal asked Brett.
"Um, I'm committed to that we aren't the best options for each other," Brett replied.
"What you're saying is major," Pastor Cal noted.
"Yeah," Brett obliged.
Pastor Cal didn't want Brett to feel regret because he hadn't exhausted every possible option, but Brett seemed checked out of his marriage.
After speaking with the experts, Olivia and Brett reunited for a serious conversation. Olivia set out for answers on Brett's intentions, and she feared Brett wouldn't take any blame or fault for the failure of their marriage.
Brett told the cameras he was 100 percent sure of his feelings and that's all that mattered.
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Olivia explained she just wanted to do and finish more things before starting a family, such as traveling and experiencing life.
Olivia asked Brett if anything could be done to avoid divorce as the outcome of their marriage since she didn't want to just give up on him, but Brett replied, "No, I'm [good]. No thanks."
"Alright," Olivia responded, before Brett looked at his watch.
With that being said, Brett and Olivia came to an agreement that their marriage had officially come to an end and their relationship was over.
"I am disappointed. I went into this as someone who really thought I was taking a huge risk and a chance on love, and I think the person at the end of the aisle didn't have those same expectations," Olivia vented.
On Day 73 of marriage, Karen videochatted with Pepper. Karen said there were "good parts" to her relationship and she and Miles tried to do little, sweet things for each other.
Pepper told Karen that she had said some things in the past that would not encourage Miles to open up, such as how Miles has feminine traits.
"If I were a guy, that would freeze me up," Pepper said.
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Karen said she felt like she needed to be honest and was trying to feel Miles out on whether he could be the masculine partner she wants in life. Karen explained she doesn't need another girlfriend and Miles called her "sis" once, for instance, just like her friends have.
Karen tried to articulate her feelings so Miles could understand where she was coming from. Karen wasn't sure how she and Miles could give each other what they needed going forward, but she said she was willing to address and meet his needs.
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Karen said she had begged Miles not to suppress his feelings while trying to be "Mr. Nice Guy" because she didn't want him to develop resentment towards her.
"I feel like [that] has happened. Last night, he said I wasn't trying in this relationship, and he even told me, like, 'If Decision Day was today, I would choose not to be married because I don't feel like you're putting in effort,'" Karen recalled in tears.
Miles' conversation with Pastor Cal was then shown and Miles acknowledged marriage during quarantine had been "so tough" and he didn't really have fun or let loose with Karen. In fact, Miles felt like he didn't know Karen well at all.
Miles apparently told Karen that he didn't feel cared about and it seemed like she didn't want to stick around. Miles wanted Karen to be excited upon seeing him after work.
Miles wanted his wife to want to cuddle him and kiss him, but he said that level of affection and intimacy was "the hardest thing for her to do."
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Miles confirmed there was absolutely no intimacy in his marriage, not even hand-holding or kissing that Karen initiated.
"So she's not caring for you the way you want to be cared for?" Pastor Cal asked.
"Yes," Miles replied. "And honestly, I don't know if she has the capacity to."
Footage then showed a previous conversation in which Karen had explained to Miles that if she didn't melt or fall into his arms, he would shut down. Miles said that wasn't the case and her allegation wasn't fair.
"I want to feel like I'm in a relationship, and right now I feel like, 'Why am I here?'" Miles confessed to his wife.
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Miles recalled how Karen wasn't sure whether her husband was masculine enough for her, and Miles said the comment really pissed him off at first.
"I'm still pissed off. I think she wants but isn't ready for a progressive dude like myself," Miles reasoned.
Miles said he and Karen might've had a breakthrough moment in that conversation because he had been direct, blunt and raw.
Miles was losing patience with his wife, but Pastor Cal said he believed Karen has the capacity to open herself up, overcome fear and take herself out of the traditional gender-roles mindset she had been put into as a result of her upbringing.
"Once that happens, it's going to blow the roof off of both of your worlds," Pastor Cal noted. "Do you feel at this point you are committed to seeing your marriage through to 'Decision Day?'"
"I don't know," Miles admitted.
Karen later sat down with Miles to touch base after their conversations with the experts. Karen said she understood why the experts had matched them and she wanted to work on their relationship -- as long as Miles would be willing to fix things as well.
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Karen told Miles that she wanted to see more of his raw, genuine self, and then Miles asked Karen what her capacity was to make him feel wanted in their relationship.
Karen said she'd be able to give Miles "naturally" what he needs, including more physical touch, hand-holding and kissing. Miles wanted to get back to enjoying time with Karen and just having fun and cracking jokes.
I want to feel like we're progressing and getting better each day," Miles said. "That's what we need and what I think each of us deserves."
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Amelia had been volunteering at a homeless shelter and she said she loved how Bennett gave her lots of attention when she got home by putting down everything and focusing on her.
Amelia revealed she'd love to have a baby in a year, but Bennett said he's like to wait five years.
On Amelia moving to Richmond, VA, Amelia admitted, "We're not quite as in tune with that, but we've talked about it. I have to go because I'm starting a job, but this is such a huge ask of him to come with me and restart his life."
Amelia admitted it might be tricky to find a resolution or compromise before it becomes a problem. Pepper reminded Amelia that Bennett was her husband and she needed to talk openly and freely with him about what's important to her.
Bennett then talked to Pastor Cal on videochat and said he and Amelia were taking care of each other but they disagreed over whether and when to have children.
Bennett said he needed to carve out a better, more financially-stable career or path for them if kids are to enter the picture sooner rather than later.
Pastor Cal asked Bennett if he'd be willing to consider a move to Virginia for Amelia's residency, and he explained, "It's such an exceptional moment. It's such a weird time, especially with the work I do being here. So, I'm kind of flying by the seat of my pants."
Amelia told Bennett that she wanted him to feel really excited about having a baby and so she'd be willing to wait "until it feels good for the both of us."
Suddenly, Bennett said, "There's something I haven't told you. I think I'm going to split time between Virginia and here [in New Orleans]."
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Amelia said that was fine but she wished he had told him that sooner. Amelia was thrilled about the sacrifice Bennett was willing to make for her, and he said he looked forward to building a new home with her in Virginia.
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Christina said she was always trying to figure Henry out. For example, Christina mentioned how Henry went to the grocery store two times a day during quarantine, seemingly to just get out of the house.
Christina said when Henry's at the grocery store, he could pick up flowers for her or something she'd like to eat but he's not thoughtful like that.
"He doesn't want this," Christina noted, adding, "[But] I definitely think there's room for both of us to work on things, but I would have to know what he wants me to work on."
Christina admitted the only thing that kept her going was Henry seemed to care when she became vulnerable with him.
Pepper suggested Christina should try holding Henry's hand because it could reignite a spark, and she confirmed, "I do want to be married and I would love to work things out with the person that I'm with."
Pepper said if Christina couldn't turn things around, she would at least know she had done everything possible.
Meanwhile, Henry touched base with Pastor Cal and explained his differences from Christina were "pretty glaring" in that they didn't have much in common and didn't even like to watch the same things on TV.
Henry said he and Christina just sit in the living room and sometimes it takes over an hour just to start a conversation. Henry admitted their challenges were just piling on top of each other and he had "noticed a pattern of dishonesty."
"I noticed it kind of early on and I let it slide by, but I think it prevented me from opening up to her really early on or just talking to her. And honestly, it's concerning," Henry shared.
Henry pointed out Christina had lied about her living situation and initially told him that she had a place in the central business district. However, before Married at First Sight, she was living in an Air BnB and then wasn't living anywhere during the experiment.
"I noticed red flags when we were supposed to go to each other's places to get things to move here. There were just all these stories that weren't adding up," Henry said.
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When the pair moved into an apartment together, Christina had told Henry some of her stuff was in storage and some of it was in California so she was just keeping a bunch of things in her car.
Henry found that to be "a weird thing to lie about," and then he brought up how Christina "went out for a walk" one day but was dressed nicely and had her makeup done.
"She texted me at quarter to midnight saying she was helping a friend rearrange her apartment, and I'm pretty sure she didn't come home that night. I stayed up until 1AM," Henry explained.
Pastor Cal acknowledged these were "some real challenges," but Henry admitted he never confronted Christina about these issues. Henry confessed he's not the best at communication and tends to keep to himself.
Pastor Cal advised Henry to get out of his comfort zone, dig deep, and do what's necessary to fight for his marriage or else it wouldn't work. When asked if he could do that, Henry simply replied, "I don't know."
When the pair reunited, Henry flat out told Christina she had lied to him about living in "the CBD," but Christina insisted she was living there at the time.
Henry argued that Christina often told him things she thought he wanted to hear, and Christina started to cry, saying it seemed like Henry just didn't want to get to know her.
Christina accused Henry of drawing conclusions without confronting her about his concerns, and she cried about how they were essentially "speaking two different languages" and not communicating.
"It makes me feel like you are just so checked out and straight up don't want me," Christina said.
Henry told Christina it was "okay" and he tried to calm her down, but Christina could tell Henry wasn't going to change his mind about her.
"I was willing to get way out of my comfort zone and try things, really! But I just feel like an idiot if I did that," Christina said.
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"At this point, no thank you," Christina told Henry before leaving the room. "I am mentally exhausted."
On Day 75 of marriage -- the 42 day of lockdown -- Amani and Woody were definitely in a better place, and Woody said he still loved his wife and was still committed.
The episode ended with Amani videochatting with Pepper and Woody talking to Pastor Cal.
Amani shared how she and Woody just vibed and their personalities mesh. She said they're both in love and were just working on staying in love.
Amani recalled how she and Woody had a couple of arguments, including one over his Instagram DMS, but she said they were able to solve that disagreement quickly.
"It went from me joking to an intense fight. But the overarching issue is that he took what I said the wrong way," Amani explained.
Communication allowed Amani and Woody to get past that misunderstanding, but Amani said she also wanted to wait longer to have children and Woody would be fine with welcoming a baby immediately.
Amani said she wanted to enjoy marriage and continue it forever.
As for Woody, he told Pastor Cal his issue with the DM conversation was it felt like an invasion of his privacy but once he heard her out, it was okay.
In terms of the future, Woody worried he and his wife were going to be at odds over getting a dog, having kids and buying a house.
"Me having a kid, if it comes this year or next year -- I don't plan on going anywhere," Woody revealed, adding however, that he and Amani were practicing safe sex.
"But if I didn't really truly love my wife, I wouldn't be talking about a kid... I don't see her not being in my life."
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Amani and Woody later discussed their issues and agreed to wait on both a baby and a puppy. The couple was proud of how they compromised and found a solution, and Woody believed he had found his "queen" in Amani.
On Day 76 of marriage, the 43rd day of lockdown, Henry said Christina hadn't spent much time in their apartment. However, she reached out to him to have a conversation.
Christina told Henry there was a specific reason why their relationship wasn't working out.
"She told me a 'reliable source' texted her, a male, that he and I were allegedly sleeping together and that I was gay," Henry told the cameras.
"I told her that was absolutely not the case. I asked to see the text. I haven't seen it yet. I don't know if she's making it up. I don't know if she really received a text. I have no idea."
Christina padded the accusation by mentioning how Henry left all the time and was rarely home, and Henry apparently admitted to his wife he "took the long road back" home after shopping at the grocery store, for example, because the dynamic was just awkward between them.
"But that doesn't mean I'm having any type of relationship with somebody else," Henry said.
"I sure as hell would not marry somebody -- a female -- that I don't know on television if I were gay. That's not how I would handle that situation. It makes no sense to me. But I'll find out more about that later and see whether she's completely making it up or to see if she really did get a text."
Henry set out to get to the bottom of things.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
