Although the Married at First Sight participants began the process ready to “settle down,” all three of their marriages are proving to be anything but settled.
On the January 19 episode, entitled “Breaking Down Barriers,” one husband gets kicked out of the house, while another is faced with a devastating reality. If you haven’t had your fill of the Married at First Sight drama, read on. We’ll breakdown the highlights (and lowlights)…
David Norton & Ashley Doherty: After his kiss gone bad on last week’s episode, David goes out with the guys. They press him to find out when he first scored a kiss from his wife, and they’re shocked that it hasn’t yet happened. “That’s terrible,” one of David’s friends says, and the newlywed doesn’t disagree. “I thought I would have kissed my wife by now,” he tells viewers, admitting he doesn’t know what to do.
“It seems like she’s… kinda on her own plan,” David’s friend Eric says on-camera, “and it seems like she kinda put up a wall… so I think that’s something that’s gonna have to change, or it’s not gonna be pretty.” Marc goes onto tell David that he thinks he’s “giving it 110% and I feel like she’s giving it 5%.” But his friends continue to be supportive, because David is sure the marriage can work.
Later, David is on a business trip, so Ashley uses FaceTime to keep in touch. “That’s what normal married couples do,” she tells viewers, and David is missing his wife. “I’ve seen her every single day,” he acknowledges, “so I’m not really looking forward to a day without her.” He goes onto say he hopes “she feels the same way,” although his wife doesn’t indicate that she’s missing him.
When he gets home from his trip, David thanks Ashley for doing so many chores around the house, and he gives her a hug. He lightens the mood by picking her up and throwing her onto the bed, but her dog, Belle, is instantly in guard dog mode. “She’s just blowin’ up my game left and right,” David laughs, and Ashley shuts the pup out of the room.
Later in the episode, the newlyweds have a barbecue. Ashley gets to know a few of David’s friends. They all get along, and she gives them hugs, and David admits that he’s glad she’s “embracing” them. “I hope that this pushes us in the right direction,” he tells viewers, but he’s soon to be in for a shock.
Dr. Joseph, the Married at First Sight psychologist, visits the couple, and Ashley acknowledges she’s having a difficult time moving beyond friendship with David. The doctor reminds her that her pattern is putting too much of an emphasis on looks, and that she had agreed to try something new. Ashley gets teary, stating she doesn’t want to hurt her husband, but that’s what she manages to do.
“This is really uncomfortable to talk about,” Ashley says once her husband joins the conversation. “Going into this, I was open to being in a different type of relationship than what I was typically used to.” David looks crushed when he realizes his wife has no attraction to him, but he rubs her back when he sees that she’s upset. “I’m not physically the type of person that Ashley dates,” he tells viewers, “but it still hurts.”
Ashley is feeling a “sense of panic and stuck,” and David is feeling “lost.” “I just don’t know where we go from here,” he tells viewers. And sadly, we don’t know either.
Neil Bowlus & Sam Role: The newlyweds have decided to move to Sam’s home, because her recent promotion at work resulted in a longer commute. Neil isn’t thrilled, but he’s understanding, as he is “very happy to be living with [his] wife regardless of where that may be.”
On their first morning at her place, Sam tells Neil she doesn’t have a spare key for him; she doesn’t offer to get one made, telling him they’ll have to coordinate schedules. Neil has no closet space, and the bed is small in Sam’s tiny apartment. The newlyweds also have her roommate to contend with, which makes a normally agreeable Neil very uncomfortable.
Sam leaves her husband in the kitchen that morning telling him to “Betty Crocker it up.” She disappears with her roommate upstairs, leaving Neil thoroughly confused. “It’s not how a marriage, in my eyes, should be,” he tells viewers, later deciding to have a heart-to-heart with his wife. He tells her he wants to find their own place, but Sam is angry he didn’t tell her sooner. “I completely understand where he’s coming from,” Sam admits. “I just don’t like the fact that I’m gonna have to move. It’s just exhausting.” She accuses her husband of acting “fake,” which he responds to by saying, “I learn from the best.”
Sam is instantly mad, asking her husband to leave. When he doesn’t comply, she storms out of the room, yelling, “Leave me alone. I don’t wanna talk to you. Get out, Neil,” so he goes outside. He explains to viewers that it was a “joking jab, because Sam does that all the time.” He later apologizes to his wife, who admits to responding “poorly.”
They decide to live separately until they find their own place, and later Dr. Joseph brings up a good point. “I’m wondering if… and to what extent… Sam’s stress level is impacting her perception of Neil,” he admits, “as well as her reactions to Neil.”
Neil plans a surprise for his wife’s birthday; they go to a murder mystery dinner. Sam gets a part in the play, and appears to love being the star of the show. “I feel like Neil and I are getting closer,” she tells viewers, admitting her husband is beginning to figure her out. “This is how I envisioned the marriage to be,” Neil acknowledges, but we fear this marriage is in trouble.
Tres Russell & Vanessa Nelson: They’re hanging out on the couch, but Vanessa is not in a talking mood. Tres wants his wife to open up to him, but she is quiet as she looks at her phone. “I realize it takes a long time for her to open up to people,” he says of his wife. “I just feel like, if you let me know the issue, I could help fix it.” But Vanessa admits to Married at First Sight viewers that she needs to “sort through it” on her own.
When the psychologist meets with the new bride, she admits to being afraid she’ll wind up putting in “all the effort.” She has a fear of abandonment after her father left when she was a teenager. “I don’t know how we’re going to work if we can’t talk about little stuff,” Tres admits to the doctor, and then the couple meet with him together. Dr. Joseph explains that their pasts could connect them, as Tres’ mother left when he was a young child.
The newlyweds take a road trip to visit Vanessa’s mom, who explains in a one-on-one chat with Tres that her daughter shuts down when she’s upset. Tres is glad to have some insight, and he’s determined to make the marriage work.
Later in bed, the couple begin to talk, and they look as if they’re falling in love. Wouldn’t it be amazing to hear those first “I love yous” on the show? We’re crossing our fingers for that moment!
Sneak Peek: On the January 26 Married at First Sight episode, Tres and Vanessa enjoy a date night including painting and plenty of wine. Sam breaks down in tears with Neil. And David calls Ashley out for not giving their marriage 100%.
