Get ready for weddings in the Windy City. The season 5 cast of Married at First Sight was revealed on Thursday, March 30, and the latest participants, like their predecessors, are looking to find healthy, long-term marriages–with strangers.
The three experts from season 4, sociologist Dr. Pepper Schwartz, Pastor Calvin Roberson and relationship expert Rachel DeAlto, will return to the new season, now airing on Lifetime. The trio will once again create matches based on compatibility standards, and counsel the couples through the experiment. At the end of the six-week stint, the couples will decide if they’d like to move forward with their marriages.
Meet the new cast below!
Ashley Petta, 30
Petta, a restaurant manager who lives in Chicago, has been single for two years after ending a five-year relationship. The reason for the split was her ex-boyfriend’s refusal to commit and move forward with the relationship. The young professional says she’d like to meet someone who is ready to start a family, and preferably a person who is charismatic, ambitious and confident. Her parents have been married for over 30 years and she believes showing respect to each other is the groundwork for a longterm, committed relationship.
(Photo courtesy of Kinetic Content)
Anthony D’Amico, 33
D’Amico is a sales a marketing professional who grew up in Detroit and now lives in Chicago. The participant says he’s ready to find love and build a future with that special person. However, he was exposed to his parents’ whirlwind relationship from a young age—experiencing three different splits and two reconciliations between his mom and dad. In turn, he’s looking for a woman who is optimistic, outgoing, smart, generous and funny.
(Photo courtesy of Kinetic Content)
Nate Duhon, 26
Duhon is a business manager born and raised in Michigan. The Chicago resident says he has an innate respect for women because of his mother’s all-important role in his life. Duhon is athletic—he’s played basketball since childhood—and says religion is important to him. He’d like to be paired with someone who is smart, hard-working, and wants to have a family together. He’s also asked the experts to find a partner for him who is willing to go to church with him.
(Photo courtesy of Kinetic Content)
Sheila Downs, 31
Things are looking up for Sheila Downs. The local school district director of operations is a Christian looking to marry a man who shares the same faith. Downs says she is seeking a partner who will become her best friend, and sharpen her to be a better person. She requested that the experts pair her with someone who is focused on his career and family.
(Photo courtesy of Kinetic Content)
Cody Knapek, 26
Knapek is an entrepreneur who lives in the suburbs of the city. Exposed to the demise of his parents’ marriage at age 16, Knapek says he tends to focus his full effort into relationships. He is looking to be paired with a woman who laughs and expresses empathy. Like D’Amico, Knapek would also like to be paired with an optimistic participant.
(Photo courtesy of Kinetic Content)
Danielle Degroot, 30
Degroot is a registered dietitian who, like Knapek, lives in the Chicago suburbs. Degroot has her master’s in nutrition, and would like to be paired with someone who is equally intelligent, shows a love for sports, and generally has a good sense of humor. She sought to appear on MAFS after giving up on dating apps and the general Chicago dating scene.
(Photo courtesy of Kinetic Content)
Tune in to the matchmaking special of Married at First Sight on Thursday, April 20, at 8 p.m. ET, followed by the season 5 premiere of the show at 9 p.m. ET, on Lifetime.
