Married at First Sight star Paige Banks has doubts Chris Williams' ex-fiancee Mercedes Myrick was ever really pregnant and thinks Chris may have used the alleged pregnancy as an out from his arranged marriage.
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Married at First Sight's twelfth season showed footage of Chris discovering at the beginning of his Las Vegas honeymoon with Paige that Mercedes -- whom he had been engaged to just three months before tying the knot with a stranger -- was six weeks pregnant.
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Chris spent the next several weeks apparently agonizing over whether he should continue his marriage to Paige or reconcile with his ex so they could raise the baby together, and his confusion resulted in an on-again, off-again romance with Paige that ultimately ended in divorce.
On the "Decision Day" broadcast that aired in May, Chris tearfully revealed to Paige and the three show experts that Mercedes had suffered a miscarriage.
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On the Married at First Sight: Kick-Off Special for the show's upcoming thirteenth season that aired Wednesday night on Lifetime, Paige was asked whether she thought Mercedes was truly pregnant in Summer 2020, when Paige and Chris' wedding and honeymoon filmed.
"To be very honest, that is such a sensitive topic. I can't confirm, I can't deny. Your guess is just as good as mine at this point," Paige explained.
Since Paige provided a wishy-washy answer that left a lot up to interpretation, the Kick-Off Special's host Kevin Frazier flat out asked, "Do you think Chris used Mercedes as an out?"
"Yeah," Paige admitted. "That I will say, yes."
After all, Chris confessed on his wedding day that he wasn't attracted to his bride, and Chris' opinion on Paige's looks didn't seem to change after the pair slept together on their wedding night.
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"Now she could've really been pregnant and it was just like 'this is my get-away card' [for Chris] for real. 100 percent," Paige reasoned on the Kick-Off Special.
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Many Married at First Sight followers questioned whether Mercedes was really pregnant last year because several photos and videos of Chris and Mercedes vacationing together in Cancun, Mexico circulated on social media in February 2021 and Mercedes did not appear pregnant. Mercedes was also allegedly seen repeatedly drinking alcohol.
Given Married at First Sight's twelfth season began filming in August 2020 when Mercedes was said to only be about six weeks pregnant, it appeared not enough time had elapsed for Mercedes to have carried a pregnancy to full term before the Cancun vacation.
According to online postings, Chris allegedly told inquiring vacationers that Mercedes had tragically suffered a miscarriage.
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Many MAFS fans believed Chris' explanation while others voiced skepticism and suggested Chris and Mercedes may have faked the pregnancy to get Chris out of his unhappy marriage to Paige.
But shortly after Married at First Sight's "Decision Day" episode aired, Mercedes took to her Instagram Stories and bashed anyone claiming she and Chris had faked or lied about her pregnancy.
"Since it's out there and the season is over, my miscarriage was a very personal and tragic matter that I did not want shared on national TV, but ratings right?" Mercedes wrote in May, adding that the miscarriage happened "last year."
"And for anyone who questioned it y'all can all go to hell respectfully," she said.
And back in February, Mercedes alluded to multiple "losses," seemingly referring to her baby and her father. (Chris said on Married at First Sight he had attended the funeral arrangements for Mercedes' father after their Spring 2020 split, which resulted in the pair sleeping together again).
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"The last year has been full of ups and downs, fear and tremendous losses, but a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor," Mercedes shared at the time.
"God said the weapon would form but also that it wouldn't prosper. I'm still standing. And she laughs without fear of the future. Proverbs 31:25."
Chris publicly announced Mercedes' miscarriage to his followers in March 2021, saying the miscarriage had taken place about two months after his wedding to Paige.
Chris posted a photo of Mercedes' hospital bracelet with the date "10/28/2020" on it as well as a lengthy message to fans.
Chris' post read in part, "August 2020 I found out some of the greatest news I had heard ever. I would be a dad. Even though this was the case it was unfortunate given certain circumstances! I just wanted to be the best Dad I could be."
"It was the most confused period I had ever experienced! My family was happy because there was going to be an addition to our family. Well during the latter part of October Mercedes would complain about stomach pains that gradually got worse."
"On 10/28/2020 we rushed her to the hospital. Because I wasn't the husband I couldn't go to the room due to covid, but after a time I managed to get to the back. When I got there I was met with cold silence. I found out that she had a miscarriage!"
Chris added that he has chart documents detailing Mercedes' pregnancy results that came back from the doctor on August, 31, 2020 as well as paperwork regarding the miscarriage on October, 28, 2020.
Regardless, Paige acknowledged to Kevin on the Kick-Off Special how she feels Chris had manipulated her during their marriage.
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"[When] you've been romantic in any type of capacity, sometimes it is kind of hard to discern, like, 'Okay is this real or are you just trying to play with me?'" Paige explained.
"It was a lot, but I mean, if you don't get love, you get a lesson. And I learned my biggest lesson here -- once you see those red flags, run! Run, run!""
Paige revealed the biggest red flags she had learned from dating Chris are a lack of eye contact and intimate body language. As fans probably recall, Chris could barely look Paige in the eye when the couple exchanged vows on their wedding day.
However, Paige shared how she has moved on from Chris and is now in a healthy relationship.
"I am dating someone," Paige revealed with a smile.
"He's a great guy... I am [happy]. I am. I realized that sometimes you've got to take fate into your own hands, especially with your dating life. So yeah, I'm in a great place."
Paige confirmed her new guy is not Styles, the realtor whom Paige had been set up with on a blind date that aired during the Married at First Sight: Where are They Now? special, which filmed in early 2021 and aired last month.
Paige said Styles is "a really nice guy" but they "just took two different paths."
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