Married at First Sight expert Dr. Viviana Coles has urged viewers to "chill out" and not have such "strong" reactions to the Season 12 cast's "shocking" behavior.
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Married at First Sight fans are as passionate as ever, mainly when it comes to expressing their rage over the experts matching Chris Williams with Paige Banks for matrimony given Chris had been engaged three months earlier and made disrespectful comments such as wanting a "submissive" wife who's "a freak" in the bedroom.
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Given viewers have been so vocal about the disappointing match -- one of many in Married at First Sight's 12-season history -- Viviana took to her Instagram Stories recently to address all the backlash.
"Do we three have the final determination of who's on the show? Yes. Emphatic 'yes!'" Viviana began in a series of Instagram Story videos that were later reposted by the @mafsfan Instagram account.
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The "three" is referring to Married at First Sight experts Pastor Calvin Roberson, Dr. Pepper Schwartz and herself.
"Don't stress so much about it," Viviana continued, brushing off viewers' concern with a big smile.
"I mean, like, yes, they are real people. Yes, some of these things that you're seeing are shocking, for sure, believe me, I'm there too. But you know, stop freaking out."
Viviana appeared bothered by all the hype surrounding the show and its cast members.
"I can't imagine that every fanbase has, I don't know, I don't know, this strong of a reaction to every episode of every reality TV show," Viviana said.
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"Let's chill out a little bit. Take a deep breath. Take a deep breath. Go along for the ride. Watch what happens with all of these couples and relationships. That's what it's all about!"
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Pastor Cal also addressed all the scrutiny surrounding Chris and Paige's union on his own Instagram page late last month.
One Instagram user wrote at the time, "Paige deserved better. Seems like her happiness was compromised for ratings. So sad."
But Pastor Cal insisted Chris and Paige were not matched to boost ratings.
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"Thank you for caring for Paige," Pastor Cal responded. "We do also, and she knows it, since we're in communication with her. Rating are never more important than our couples."
Another person asked, "So how Chris get cast?!?"
"We do our absolute best to match couples with integrity," Pastor Cal explained, "but we can't predict how they will act when the cameras roll. We're surprised also."
Pastor Cal therefore suggested the experts had no idea Chris would behave unfavorably in a marriage.
An additional follower complained, "Why couldn't there be better representation of a black man for Paige? I'm truly disappointed at the matchmaking. You have to represent better than this for us Pastor Cal. I feel so bad for her."
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Pastor Cal responded, "People surprise us. But there's always a chance for redemption."
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Married at First Sight experts have been accused of not doing simple background checks and setting Paige up to fail and be humiliated on television for entertainment and drama.
Pastor Cal, however, was shown expressing some hesitation about the pairing when the experts were deciding to match the couple on Season 12's Married at First Sight: Matchmaking Special.
"The one thing that scares me though is he is so particular and so darn persnickety about everything, from his hair to his clothing, everything has to be perfect," Pastor Cal told Pepper and Viviana.
"And I don't know if she's going to fit into his perfect image of what a wife looks like."
But the Married at First Sight experts apparently had many reasons for matching Chris with the sweet and sincere Paige, such as their "serious spiritual foundation," according to Pastor Cal, and Chris wanting an ambitious woman who knows how to work a room.
The experts also thought Paige and Chris would be compatible in the bedroom and both want children in the near future.
In recent episodes of Married at First Sight's twelfth season, Chris asked Paige rapid-fire questions about sex and brought up his ex-fiancee multiple times.
Chris also admitted he wasn't attracted to his bride although she has an impressive "fat azz." Despite his lack of attraction to Paige, the couple slept together on their wedding night and then again in the morning.
Chris claimed he had "a panic attack" after the sexual encounters, and Paige was left feeling shocked, confused and devastated heading into her Las Vegas honeymoon.
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