Married at First Sight star Derek Sherman has explained a turning point in his marriage to Katie Conrad and what went wrong towards the end of the MAFS couple's honeymoon in Panama.
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During a recent episode of Hot Marriage Cool Parents with Jamie Otis and Doug Hehner podcast, the Married at First Sight alums talked to Derek about the quick demise of his initially-blissful marriage.
"Everything we saw on TV... there was so much promise and potential for you guys.... Going into and then coming home from the honeymoon, had anything changed in that time you guys were away?" Doug asked Derek.
"So, going into the honeymoon, we were doing really well. But near the end of it, I think one of the greatest reasons of why we started to feel a little bit more distance from each other is the fact that it was just us for, like, seven or eight days -- only interacting with ourselves," Derek recalled.
"Sometimes you need a little space to collect yourself, and when you're with someone for that much time and you just met them, that's just not how it usually happens."
Jamie joked the situation is much more intense than speed-dating because new couples are thrown into "the lion's den" of dating and marriage.
"I remember on one of the first days of the honeymoon, you know, she was showering and was like, 'Why don't you join me?' And I was like, 'Oh, okay!' So I ended up joining her for the shower," Derek revealed.
"And then near the end of the honeymoon, she was showering, so I was like, 'Yup, why don't I join her?' And as soon as I got in there, she got out within like 30 or 40 seconds, like, 'Derek, I just need space.' And I was like, 'Oh, well, I'm sorry.'"
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Doug then asked for clarification on whether the couple had consummated their marriage on their wedding night.
"We waited until her birthday on the honeymoon," Derek confirmed.
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In response to Derek's story, Doug acknowledged it's "so important" for Married at First Sight couples to establish boundaries early on when getting to know each other.
Doug shared Jamie, for example, asked him to leave her alone when she was in the bathroom or taking a bath during their honeymoon, sometimes for a solid hour.
"It's so overwhelming," Doug noted of the whole arranged-marriage experience.
"Agreed, and I feel that was something we could have done a little bit better, establishing boundaries from the get-go so we wouldn't have to cross those boundaries and figure them out," Derek admitted.
Jamie said she had observed tension starting to "spark" between Derek and Katie after their honeymoon, when they had to return home to Washington, D.C. and resume their normal daily lives.
"What do you think went wrong from the wedding day, when you were smitten with each other, to now, the real world, and it seems like you're kind of facing some challenges?" Jamie asked.
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"Honestly, I've asked myself that question a couple of times, and I'm still trying to figure out exactly what [happened]. I think it's a combination of different things," Derek explained.
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Derek continued, "And it was the whole fact of going back to the real world, [and] going back to our jobs instead of us just trying to enjoy our time. I think that kind of weighed into it."
From a viewer's perspective, Katie seemed dissatisfied with her marriage to Derek for most of the eight-week experiment, as she often complained about their lack of physical intimacy and Derek's boy-like personality and unrealistic dreams.
After many arguments and a roller-coaster of emotions, the couple opted to stay married and continue working on their relationship on Married at First Sight's tenth-season "Decision Day."
But two weeks later, Katie had an affair with her ex-boyfriend, and she confessed the "physical slip-up" to Derek on their one-month anniversary of "Decision Day" when they had taken a vacation to Nashville, TN.
Derek said a couple of days before the reunion special filmed several months later, he also heard from three different cast members that Katie had allegedly slept with that same ex-boyfriend the day after they returned home from their honeymoon in Panama.
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Derek claimed he had verified the information with a couple of other people as well.
Derek and Katie's marriage had therefore ended long before the reunion special, which aired in late April and featured Katie admitting to having slept with her ex after "Decision Day" but denying she had an affair after the honeymoon.
Not only did Katie cheat on Derek, at least once, but she also went out for drinks with Mindy Shiben's husband on Season 10, Zach Justice, shortly before Married at First Sight premiered in early January.
Katie has therefore received backlash ever since the reunion special aired on Lifetime.
During his interview on the podcast, Derek also explained why he decided to reveal Katie cheated on him with her ex-boyfriend despite initially agreeing not to discuss it on Season 10's reunion special.
In addition, Derek also revealed he feels Katie likely had no intention of remaining married to him despite proclaiming her desire to do so on "Decision Day."
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
