Married at First Sight featured two couples -- Kristine Killingsworth and Keith Dewar, as well as Jasmine McGriff and Will Guess -- butting heads over gender-role expectations during Tuesday night's Season 8 broadcast on Lifetime.
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The four Married at First Sight couples this season are Keith, 29, and Kristine, 28; Will, 37, and Jasmine, 29; Luke Cuccurullo, 30, and Kate Sisk, 27; and AJ Vollmoeller, 37, and Stephanie Sersen, 35.
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The couples were matched by Married at First Sight experts Pastor Calvin Roberson, Dr. Jessica Griffin, and Dr. Pepper Schwartz based on compatibility, personality, life goals, hobbies, religion, views of marriage and gender roles, and much more.
Over the course of the season, which filmed for seven weeks, each couple will be shown navigating the joys and struggles of daily life together after agreeing to an arranged marriage.
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The Married at First Sight broadcast began on Day 23 of marriage, with Dr. Jessica asking the spouses to give each other a tour of their lives before they got married.
This could mean reliving a traumatic or tragic incident, bringing a spouse to a memorable or significant place from the past, or introducing a spouse to a friend or family member who is tied to a person's younger years.
Stephanie revealed to AJ she was laid off from her first job after college because of the market crashing. Stephanie said she's very ambitious, and so having her job taken away from her -- for a reason that was out of her control -- was extremely difficult for her.
Stephanie appreciated how AJ listened to her and was receptive to her feelings. She said she'd feel "empty" without her husband in her life.
AJ then shared a story in which he had crashed his motorcycle into the back bumper of a stopped vehicle. AJ was thrown from his bike but remembered standing up and being shocked he was still alive.
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AJ got choked up thinking about the moment when he almost lost his life. But not only did he survive the impact, he didn't feel any pain and basically walked away from the accident uninjured.
"When you look at a motorcycle accident of that magnitude, you expect mangled bodies everywhere," AJ said in a confessional.
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AJ told Stephanie he's "truly happy" to be alive and now he loves taking risks and going on adventures. AJ wants to make the most of his "one shot at life."
"The near death experience changed my life. It reshaped the person I am," he told his wife.
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Meanwhile, Keith revealed to Kristine his father made mistakes in his past that disconnected them. Keith never knew why his mother and father weren't together when he was a child, but he acknowledged his dad was "pretty crazy" back then, drinking or smoking too much.
Keith said he doesn't want to become his father, but Kristine wanted to meet him because he had been a significant part of his life. Kristine loved getting to know more about Keith's past.
Kristine then shared she was engaged before. Her ex made a lot more money, so he took care of her, but Kristine called him "controlling" and said the man expected her to cook, clean and have his kids right away.
"It was the attitude of I'm paying all the bills, so you will do what I want. It was his way or the highway," Kristine told her husband. "I'm a little too strong willed for that type of personality."
However, as Kristine was talking about her former relationship, she realized her marriage isn't all that different. She claimed to do all the cooking and the majority of cleaning.
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Kristine then acknowledged to her husband their arrangement wasn't working out, as she didn't want to replace Keith's grandmother, cooking three meals a day for him and whatnot.
"It's just such a throwback mindset, almost sexist, and it bothers me. I feel like he wants me to be this 1950s housewife, and it's just frustrating because it's 2018. I have so much more going for myself and this is all you're focusing on," Kristine cried to the cameras.
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Kristine said they both came from traditional backgrounds but her father and brother still helped out and cooked on occasion.
"I want a partner or teamwork where if I can't do something, you pick up the slack... but it doesn't feel that way. It just feels like I'm doing everything and you're complaining about anything else that's not done," Kristine explained in a confessional.
Kristine told Keith it wasn't fair to expect her to be the breadwinner as well as a housewife. She was tired of taking on so much responsibility, and then Keith confessed, "You've been doing everything."
"I don't like a guy feeling like he has the say just because he's walking around with a d-ck," Kristine vented.
"I don't get it. Seriously, I don't think you appreciate what's going on here, and I think he's still growing and he needs help with that growth. And that's not something I want to deal with; I want an adult. I don't know how to move forward from here."
On Day 25 of marriage, spouses showed each other their childhood homes.
Will revealed he wasn't rich but his upbringing built character and he learned to earn whatever he wants in life. It was an eye-opening experience for Jasmine because she grew up quite differently.
Jasmine grew up around "family, safety and love," whereas Will's safe haven was a playground and his childhood friends. Jasmine could sense Will came from a sense of poverty, but Will was proud to have been a part of such a tight-knit community.
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Meanwhile, Luke brought Kate to the bay where he grew up as a child, and the pair got ice cream.
Their marriage had many ups and downs so far, but according to Kate, things were finally going well. It was starting to feel like the marriage she always wanted.
Luke wanted Kate to feel like she's a part of his life because he was committed to the process and wanted their relationship to work. Kate hoped they could move past the issues that plagued their marriage at first.
"This is the first time in my marriage that I actually feel like Luke's wife," Kate told the cameras.
Afterward, Keith and Kristine sat down with Dr. Jessica to discuss their problems in marriage. Keith said his love language is through his stomach, but Kristine was so fed up he never wanted to cook.
Keith grew up with all women in his life and acknowledged he didn't have a father figure to show him how to be a man. For example, Keith shared a story about how his father passed out drunk in the car when Keith was only 13 years old and he had to drive them home.
Dr. Jessica said Keith had to grow up too fast and so, being a caregiver so early in life, now affects the way he acts in relationships. His mother and grandmother comforted him through food, which made him feel like he was in a safe place.
In that moment, Kristine felt a lot more empathy for Keith. Kristine stepped back and looked at the overall picture, realizing she needed to be more patient because Keith feels love through being fed.
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Later on, Jasmine welcomed Will into her aunt's home for some good food and family bonding. The topic of money and finances, however, came up again, with Jasmine revealing Will didn't want to pay the majority of bills.
"Jasmine and I have the fundamental differences, and I'm still trying to find how it can work -- or if it can work -- with those fundamental differences," Will said in a confessional.
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Jasmine's aunt told the couple to communicate, work together and listen to each other.
On Day 27 of marriage, Stephanie and AJ paid Stephanie's parents a visit. They are a married couple Stephanie aspires to be like.
Stephanie just hoped AJ was going to fit in with her family because there were ex-boyfriends Stephanie's parents didn't like.
The gathering ultimately stirred up a lot of laughter and conversation, and AJ felt comfortable, welcomed and accepted into Stephanie's family.
The following day, Keith planned to introduce Kristine to his father at a restaurant, but he was extremely late -- and then he never showed.
It upset Kristine to see her husband disappointed and let down, but she intended to help him through this. Keith was so glad Kristine had his back.
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On Day 29 of marriage, Luke brought Kate over to his parents' home, and it "meant a lot" to him to have Kate by his side. Kate thought they were matched because they share the same values, and Luke was also starting to see why they were paired up.
If things continued in this happy, progressive direction, Kate could envision herself falling in love with Luke and living happily ever after.
Kate then sat down with Luke's mom, who asked what Kate would want from this experiment at a minimum if things did not work out in the long run.
Kate told Luke's mother -- who called the show a "mockery" of marriage -- she hoped at the very least they could remain friends with Luke if they decided to get a divorce.
The pointed questions coming from Luke's mom made Kate feel like no one had faith her marriage will work out. If no one believed in what they could have, Kate didn't even know why she was wasting her time.
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