Married at First Sight featured Michael blindsiding Chloe by admitting he wasn’t sure if he was truly ready to be married, Clare reaching her “final straw” with Cameron, and Becca missing Austin “really badly” during the Season 17 episode that aired Wednesday night on Lifetime.
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Married at First Sight’s seventeenth season was filmed in Denver, CO, and the show stars Emily and Brennan, Clare and Cameron, Austin and Becca, Lauren and Orion, and Michael and Chloe.
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The couples were matched by Married at First Sight experts Dr. Pia, Pastor Calvin Roberson, and Dr. Pepper Schwartz.
Orion and Lauren chose to divorce early in the process, but they continued to appear on the season every now and then.
Married at First Sight featured strangers meeting at the wedding altar, enjoying a honeymoon, and spending about two months moving in together and navigating the joys and struggles of daily life together.
On “Decision Day,” each couple decided whether to remain married or end their marriage and get divorced.
All of the couples chose to divorce on Decision Day except for Becca and Austin, however, they appeared to split the very next day after a big argument.
The Married at First Sight broadcast began 14 days after Decision Day, with Emily and Chloe taking a walk together.
Emily had just moved out of her shared apartment with Brennan following their decision to divorce, but Chloe revealed that she and Michael were “full blown married” after one month of marriage.
Chloe hinted she and Michael had sex and she was “strongly in like” with her husband and cared about him immensely.
However, Chloe admitted to Emily that Dr. Pia had accused the couple of being “inauthentic.” Chloe also said she and Michael didn’t align on a few things, such as their living situation for after the show and the fact Michael’s mother still didn’t know about their marriage.
Emily acknowledged that Dr. Pia could be “intense” but the expert was probably just pushing them to a place where they could be totally honest with each other and hopefully fall in love. Emily thought tDr. Pia meant well and wanted what was best for each couple.
“There are battles to pick and there are battles not to pick. There are things to navigate as you to,” Chloe shared.
Meanwhile, Clare revealed that she had contacted Cameron on his birthday and heard nothing back. She seemed upset they hadn’t spoken since the cast’s post-Decision Day gathering.
“Now is the final straw. I cannot continue to give any energy to this because clearly he doesn’t care about me. I need to come to the realization that our relationship is over in all forms and in all ways. It is just done,” Clare lamented to the cameras.
Clare said she felt “aggravated” because she had been expecting at least a small apology from Cameron, and so she concluded that Cameron was absolutely not meant to be her husband and they’re not right for each other.
Clare was therefore beginning to focus on herself and begin healing from the pair’s divorce. For example, Clare was eating healthy and going to the gym again.
For Becca’s part, she confessed that she was “missing Austin really badly” after dumping him. Becca said she had some days when she was angry and others when she was in denial.
Becca said she was going through every stage of a breakup and the grief associated with it, such as feeling sometimes and then suddenly feeling as if she had been hit by a train.
Becca called her mom on the phone to chat, and her mom admitted she was so “confused” over the news her daughter and Austin had split.
“I wonder if I am making the right decision,” Becca told her mom.
Becca said even though Austin had lied to her, he’s not a bad person and everyone makes mistakes, including herself.
“I’m having second thoughts and feeling like I gave up too quick or maybe he could’ve changed or evolved,” Becca noted.
Becca’s mom explained how trust is a huge aspect of a marriage and if someone promises to work on something and then doesn’t, the relationship begins to break down.
Becca said Austin’s efforts were not enough for her, which made her question if her standards were too high or if she’s too critical of a partner.
“How much of this is on me?” Becca wondered. “Can I seriously find a guy who is honest and emotionally intelligent and all the things I don’t feel like Austin is?”
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Becca’s mom advised her to find a man with whom she could be on equal footing and trust. She also recalled how Becca and Austin struggled with intimacy and to get on the same page about religion. Becca’s mom thought she deserved so much more out of a partner.
Becca said she clearly just wasn’t the right partner for Austin and he’d probably be able to find someone “way better.” Becca cried about how she just wanted to be happy and needed to reflect on her part in the failure and not repeat the same mistakes in the future.
“I just wish [my person] were Austin,” Becca cried.
Lauren was then shown getting a pedicure with her friend Jade while Orion was helping Brennan to install an exterior security light at his place 15 days after Decision Day.
Lauren called life “interesting” because Orion had invited her out and they played archery and dodgeball together. Lauren said she sent Orion a text the next day to establish “a hard boundary” with him. She apparently wasn’t after a renewed friendship with him.
Orion told Brennan that Lauren had rejected him after previously offering friendship. Orion suggested Lauren had done a 180 on him.
Lauren explained to Jade how she didn’t want Orion in her life — even as a friend — but she’d be there if he ever wanted to vent to her. Orion was disappointed that he didn’t get the opportunity to smooth things over with Lauren.
“Even though chemistry isn’t everything, I thought it we got along really well. It’s just been really disappointing and frustrating how this friendship never came to be, even though there was so much positive talk about it,” Orion explained.
Lauren said she just didn’t want to do “the same old song and dance” with Orion, and she claimed that he responded to her text with a very brief but polite “thank you” message.
Lauren therefore complained about how Orion allegedly never followed through on things he said he wanted to do, such as being a better communicator.
“There is no consistency. There is no effort,” Lauren vented, adding how Orion “didn’t stick to his word” and “do the work” she needed him to do.
Lauren told Jade that she had enough good friends in her life. She had also gone on two “solid” dates. With one man, she had felt very validated and safe. Lauren explained how she got into a car accident and the man remained by her side through the aftermath of it.
“I don’t think I’m going to be a wife any time soon or get in another relationship, but… stability is what I need in a partner,” Lauren shared. “I’m so excited. I feel like I’ve got my groove back and my personality back… This process wasn’t fun and I’m ready for fun. I am a fun person!”
Lauren joked about how she got married at first sight but divorced at first fight.
Meanwhile, Brennan told Orion that he was going to take time for himself and not rush into anything new.
Afterward, Michael gave Austin a boxing lesson. Austin told his friend that he’d been hibernating after his split from Emily and work “took a hit.”
Austin admitted he was “going through it emotionally” but he was healing with every passing day. Austin said he and Becca had no communication and he didn’t know what she wanted from him.
“I don’t know where her head is at… I still think she’s a great girl. It was really hard and I want to make amends and make everything better. But if we had met on different terms, I think we could’ve worked in our issues. Something that could’ve been so good ended up [the opposite],” Austin explained to Michael.
When asked how he and Chloe were doing, Michael said he felt nervous and needed to discover if their emotional bond could continue to grow at a considerable rate. Michael admitted he had “doubts,” especially after talking about the future with Chloe and what they both wanted.
Michael suggested he could be a “no” on Decision Day and he had some thinking to do.
Emily was then shown FaceTiming with her co-worker Jinah. The girls were going to be traveling to Maui and then Vietnam for an adventure.
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Emily shared how her divorce was stressful, mainly because Brennan had called her a negative person days before they broke up, which she found “mind boggling.” Emily called Brennan “a lost cause” but explained how the split still made her sad.
Jinah said Brennan “wasn’t enough” for Emily because he only seemed to accept a percentage of who she is. Emily thanked her friend and revealed how she was about to begin therapy. Emily said she felt a whole new level of self-worth and appreciation, and she was just looking forward to relaxing and having fun.
Seven days before Michael and Chloe’s Decision Day, Chloe talked to Michael about how she was feeling while he cooked her dinner. Chloe explained how she thought it was “unfair” of Michael to be keeping their marriage a secret from his mother.
Chloe thought Michael was doing his mom a disservice, but Michael shut Chloe down and asked her to focus on them. Michael explained that if they worked out past Decision Day, then he’d tell her mom about Chloe and introduce them.
Chloe also said they may have been avoiding conflict and she didn’t like being called fake and inauthentic. Chloe said her feelings were hurt and Dr. Pia made her question if her marriage was truly authentic and if Michael was dedicated to her.
“My head is spinning,” Chloe acknowledged.
Chloe asked Michael how he’d feel about moving in together after Decision Day, but Michael pointed out how they made not be able to find an apartment that could accommodate all of their animals. They also both still had leases on their former apartments.
Michael said they had five animals and weren’t ready to buy a house right away.
Chloe asked them to see what’s out there and try to find a place, and Michael said he’d be open to that but didn’t want to compromise anything they both wanted out of a property.
Clare was then shown walking her dogs with a friend 16 days after Decision Day. Clare shared how she wasn’t ready to date again and she just needed time to be by herself.
Clare said she liked how Cameron was goofy and smart but she needed a man who could understand her emotionally. Clare said she still respected Cameron as a human being and wanted happiness for him. Cameron also finally responded “thanks” to her happy-birthday text.
“A bad experience does not make a bad human being. There were mistakes made on both ends… and I am ready to move on,” Clare said.
That night, Brennan and Michael went to a restaurant together. Michael shared how all the big things with Chloe lined up but he had issues in mind. Michael said continuing to date Chloe would be an easy decision but choosing to stay married was a much bigger deal.
Michael said he was happy with Chloe and really liked her but he wasn’t sure he was in the right emotional place to continue his marriage.
Brennan advised Michael to just continue dating Chloe and essentially put less pressure on himself. Brennan said he was trying to protect Emily because she had never been in a relationship before and, given he was so unhappy, he didn’t want her to think that’s what a normal or good relationship is like.
“We’re so happy that there is one couple that is strong and reminds us of why we decided to do this in the first place,” Brennan told Michael, before warning him that if he looked for the bad with Chloe, he’d find it.
The next day, Chloe brought Michael to a property to look at. They were considering renting a house, and Chloe wanted to see if they’d want the same things out of a property.
Chloe apparently has more rustic taste while Michael prefers modern decor. There was a big closet, but Michael wasn’t sure it’d be big enough for the both of them. There was also a big backyard. The house was $4,800 per month, which would be $500 more a month than what they were paying before.
Chloe joked that Michael could go on a shopping hiatus, but Michael thought logistics were going to prevent them from moving in together right away. Michael also thought they could find a less expensive place with an equal amount of space. He was open to living apart for maybe six to eight months in order to find the perfect place.
“I think that sounds a little unreasonable. If it takes us that length of time, that’d be a little bit of a bummer,” Chloe told Michael.
“We have Decision Day coming. I know how I feel, and I want you to feel equally secure and safe in saying it. So, I want to make it very clear that if we are going to stay married and live together, we really need to think what that future is going to look like.”
A whopping 17 days after Decision Day, the girls went out to a drag show while the men also got together for a workshop activity.
Lauren said she had received closure and was far removed from her two-week marriage. She was convinced that Orion was not ready for marriage, but Orion said he was still trying to talk to Lauren as much as he could.
Austin hoped he and Becca could talk again and get to a better place, but Becca shared with the girls how she could not tolerate dishonesty in a relationship. Becca was also disappointed that Austin never tried to deeply apologize to her. Emily was also still not speaking to Brennan.
Meanwhile, Brennan admitted he had asked Emily to delete a Diary Cam because she was trashing him in it. Brennan also said Clare had told Emily that Cameron had said he wanted to do a double date with him.
“But Cameron is the one who told Clare what went down. Clare interpreted it as, ‘Brennan said those things.’ If you want to call me a bad guy with all those accusations after everything I’ve done and being there for her, if those are your takeaways, then I have no words — no words,” Brennan explained.
Brennan felt the women had ganged up on the guys after Decision Day with “unfair, unjust and untrue” allegations. He said the men couldn’t even reason with them, and Austin agreed it was an emotionally-heightened evening.
Chloe then asked the women for some help. She explained how Michael wanted to live apart in their marriage, and the girls were very surprised to hear that considering Michael had entered the process so serious and committed.
“I do feel legitimately torn. Thinking about the future has me, you know, acknowledging doubts that I have and concerns that I have,” Michael confessed to the guys.
“I don’t know I’m ready for the next journey — us living together and fostering children. There are a whole host of things I need to consider about staying married.”
Chloe said she’d be willing to give Michael what he needed but not at the expense of her dignity, character and own personal needs.
“We need to have a conversation about whether there is a future for us,” Chloe said.
Chloe and Michael were both hoping for clarity, and Michael hoped to be optimistic and excited come Decision Day.
“That’s what I’ve been wrestling with,” Michael announced to the guys.
Brennan advised Michael to be honest with Chloe, and then Becca asked Chloe how she’d feel if Michael said “no” to her on Decision Day.
“I don’t know,” Chloe responded, wiping a tear from her eye.
The episode ended with Michael waking up Chloe in bed after their night out with friends.
Michael opened up about how he was prepared to share his feelings with Chloe. He said everything had been great with her and living with her was easy, fun and great. He explained how he just wasn’t sure if he wanted to continue to be married on an emotional level.
Michael said sharing everything with Chloe and thinking about the future was “draining” for him. Chloe asked if he was actually ready to be married, and Michael replied, “That’s what I’m trying to navigate, and now that I’m starting to evaluate, I’m really questioning this marriage.”
Chloe slowly nodded her head and noted how she needed to process that. Chloe felt that pushing Michael to live with her right away planted those seeds of doubt in Michael’s head.
Michael wasn’t sure that was the case, but he intended to look introspectively in order to find those answers. Chloe got a little emotional and said she was never expecting to hear that.
Chloe said she wouldn’t allow them to give up too quickly, and so she asked Michael to wait to make his choice until Decision Day.
“You have my commitment there,” Michael agreed.
“I think we have a lot to think about,” Chloe said.
“I agree,” Michael replied.
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About The Author:
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.