Married at First Sight star Kirsten Grimes has claimed the Couples' Retreat didn't help her relationship with husband Shaquille Dillon at all and so she was left feeling uneasy about the future.
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On the last two episodes of Married at First Sight's sixteenth season, the cast gathered in Gatlinburg, TN, for the Couples' Retreat, which was designed for the cast to seek support, guidance and comfort from their co-stars, who were going through the exact same extreme marriage experiment.
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While several couples bonded and grew closer during the getaway, which was filled with partying and activities, Kirsten apparently saw the weekend as a setback in her relationship with Shaquille.
"I don't feel like the retreat has helped our marriage at all," Kirsten lamented to Married at First Sight: Afterparty host Keshia Knight Pulliam during the talk show's April 26 episode.
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"Having the retreat is great and I love being around the other couples, but we still have to focus on us."
Kirsten and Shaquille have a mutual attraction on the show and they've already consummated their marriage, but they continue to struggle with how to get on the same page in terms of their motivations and expectations of each other.
Shaquille, for instance, didn't feel supported by his wife in his career and passion for work, and Kirsten felt her husband didn't pay enough attention to her or dive deeper into their relationship.
Kirsten also questioned Shaquille's masculinity and whether he'd be able to be a strong and "assertive" provider, just like her beloved father was for her family.
"We don't feel it in our hearts at this moment that everything is working out," Kirsten admitted on Afterparty.
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"The only thing I really want to know is if he really likes me and if he can see himself loving me and being married forever."
Kirsten admitted she wasn't seeing much change in her marriage with just about a week to go until Decision Day.
"Shaquille and I are still having communication issues at the retreat, which is extremely frustrating," Kirsten explained.
"It's just a roller coaster right now, and I'm like, 'Why do we have to keep going through this?'"
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Kirsten said she and Shaquille sometimes made "so much progress" -- but they'd take "two steps forward" only to "take 10 steps back."
"Every little time we're not on the same page, it causes a lot of confusion in our marriage and we both get frustrated. And it's like we have to start all over again," Kirsten complained.
"It makes everything difficult, and that's what makes me doubtful and hesitant."
However, Kirsten said a healthy and happy marriage is something she desires "more than anything" in her life.
"[I want] to have a husband and build that foundation and to start a family, so that's what is keeping me hopeful," Kirsten shared. "I know I want to be in this."
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Shaquille previously voiced to Married at First Sight producers how he didn't feel happy in his marriage.
And Kirsten admitted to her co-star Nicole Lilienthal on the latest episode how she wasn't sure if she was going to stay married to Shaquille.
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Meanwhile, Shaquille complained that, among the small issues in his marriage, he was staying up late to talk to and get to know Kirsten -- in order to please her -- when he had to work at 6AM the next day.
Shaquille also questioned if Kirsten truly wanted to join him at work events or if she was just putting on a good face for him and trying to act supportive.
Kirsten and Shaquille both seemed unsure of whether their marriage could last forever.
In addition to Kirsten and Shaquille, Married at First Sight's sixteenth season, which currently airs Wednesday nights on Lifetime, also stars Nicole and Chris Thielk, Airris Williams and Jasmine Secrest, and Gina Micheletti and Clint Webb.
Domynique Kloss and Mackinley Gilbert decided to get a divorce on Day 12 of the experiment and have not been featured in recent episodes.
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