Married at First Sight’s Anthony D’Amico is a self-proclaimed jokester, but one thing he takes seriously is his relationship with wife Ashley Petta.
D’Amico, 33, and Petta, 30, were matched scientifically by the Married at First Sight experts, and fans of the Lifetime series were ecstatic when the strangers hit it off on their wedding day. Here, D’Amico opens up to The Knot about his growing feelings for his bride and how self-awareness has played an integral part in his marriage.
The Chicago-based marketing professional refers back to his initial attraction to Petta. “I believe that you first love with your eyes before you love with your heart, so I would say it was ‘love’ at first sight,” he recalls of the wedding day. “All I knew was that she was beautiful.” He muses, “I felt like we could overcome any challenges that came our way.”
Looking back, D’Amico remembers being taken aback by Petta’s loving nature. “I was surprised [by] how open we were with each other,” he admits. “I knew that if I liked who walked down the aisle I would be comfortable, but that didn’t mean she would be.”
When asked what he loves most about his bride, D’Amico finds it difficult to choose just one quality. “I have a lot of favorites but if I had to pick, I’d say my favorite thing about Ashley is her laugh and sense of humor,” he says. “She has the best bust-out laugh ever.”
Married at First Sight Season 5 premiere. Anthony D’Amico and Ashley Petta. (Credit: A&E Networks)
D’Amico tends to use humor in tense situations, and that encompasses tense conversations with his wife. “Anytime you are learning about someone, you have no idea how serious a topic is to them,” he acknowledges. “I feel like my initial reaction when this happens is to toss a joke out there to see what response I get. Then, I determine how to handle the situation from the feedback I get.”
Marriage has taught D’Amico to reevaluate his humor first approach. “It may not be the best idea to joke around as much as I do,” he admits. “I’m a happy-go-lucky guy so it’s not the easiest thing for me to change, but I realize that it’s not appropriate in some situations.”
The newlywed says there are no real frustrations when it comes to living with Petta. “I’ve lived with women before so any pet peeves at this point have turned to understanding,” he says. “The only thing Ashley did that I guess you could say was a pet peeve of mine was occasionally leaving her curling iron on after she left the bathroom.”
Viewers can expect a full-blown argument between the lovebirds on an upcoming episode. “Stay tuned… Nice guy Anthony does have a blow up,” D’Amico tells The Knot.
A mix of similarities and differences between the newlyweds has been a positive experience, according to the newlywed. “I like to go on adventures and try new things,” he tells us. “Ashley and I have some similarities in that aspect, but it’s nice to compromise and do different things and try new things that we both haven’t done before.”
The dynamic between the couple stayed largely the same when they returned to Chicago after their honeymoon. “The only thing that we had to pay attention to was our schedules,” D’Amico reflects. “I work Monday through Friday and [Ashley’s] schedule varies sometimes depending on how busy the bar is.”
The newlywed acknowledges that keeping mum about the experiment’s outcome has been difficult. “I think the whole cast really wants to share but all we can say at the moment is, ‘Tune in to find out.” He adds: “That becomes more difficult when you are talking with close friends and outside family who may not have been at the wedding. Everyone wants to know!”
While D’Amico finds it strange watching himself on television, he’s thankful to come across as genuine on-screen. “I’ve been getting so many texts from friends and family saying, ‘You are exactly who you are in real life on TV.’ That’s important to hear. Being on TV for the first time, I had no idea how I would come off to people.”
D’Amico has learned one very important lesson from being married at first sight. He concludes, “Being open is always better than being closed.”
Married at First Sight airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on Lifetime.
