‘Arranged’: Christian and Maria Return for a Long-Awaited Marriage Update, Reveal the Truth Behind the Slap

Christian and Maria Miller tied the knot in 2014 and appeared on FYI reality TV show Arranged for two seasons (2015–16). Both just 18 at the time of their arranged marriage, the Romani teens from Queens, New York, are still happily married from what we were able to sleuth online. In 2021, the former Arranged stars shared an update about their life on their YouTube channel.

‘Arranged’ update: Maria and Christian have had two kids since filming

Since their arranged marriage on Arranged, Christian and Maria (who refer to themselves as “Roma Gypsies“) have had two children. They welcomed a daughter, Allison, in 2016 and a son, Michael, in 2017.

Many Arranged fans remember Christian’s involved parents, Michael and Nina Miller, from the show. While Christian and Maria are still close with his parents, they moved out from under their roof and into their own apartment. The couple especially wanted their own space because Christian’s two brothers are also married.

As for their jobs, Christian owns a roofing company that has been the Millers’ “main source of income” for four years. Maria, like the other Roma women in the family, sold flowers at local restaurants until the pandemic began.

Christian and Maria said they didn’t feel they were portrayed accurately on the show

When asked in their YouTube Q&A whether they regretted appearing on Arranged, Maria and Christian said they didn’t regret being on the show because it was a fun and worthwhile experience. However, Maria admitted it was “stressful” to have the cameras around at the start of their arranged marriage.

“We didn’t have that time to ourselves; it was basically just to start recording,” Maria explained. She added that young couples are already under stress at the beginning of marriage. Having cameras recording their every move exacerbated that. Also, Maria confessed she and Christian weren’t ready for all the challenges of marriage at just 18 years old.

Christian was criticized widely for his treatment of Maria on the show. However, he didn’t regret signing up either. Notably, he did regret the way he appeared on Arranged at the time.

“The person that they portrayed me to be wasn’t a great person, so I kind of regret that as well, looking back on it,” Christian said. “I don’t think that it was the best thing in the world for me.”

In response to another fan’s question, Christian said he didn’t think that FYI Network captured their marriage entirely accurately.

“We were different people on TV than what we are in person,” he said. “I don’t know if it was just because we were younger and we had a big camera in our face, or if it was because of getting used to marriage at the same time.” Whatever it was, he explained, it put them in a “weird predicament” and caused them both to act differently.

The ‘Arranged’ couple revealed that some aspects of the show were scripted

Christian and Maria also admitted that certain scenes in Arranged were scripted. “The show was scripted to the point of any other reality TV show — meaning they take your actual life and spice it up a little bit,” Christian told fans.

Maria agreed, saying that daily life is somewhat “boring,” and they had to make it more interesting for viewers.

One of Maria and Christian’s famous scenes on FYI’s Arranged was a fight culminating in Maria slapping her husband. The couple revealed that that scene was entirely scripted and planned by production.

“The part with the slap was scripted,” Christian revealed, adding that fans could tell because Maria was even smirking just before the slap. He clarified that the cause of their argument was real, but the slap was planned and agreed on.

“The directors came and said, ‘OK, you guys are upset. Would you be OK with Maria slapping you?’” Christian said. “And I was like, ‘OK, whatever, go for it.’ And Maria went for it.”

Maria backed up Christian’s story, saying the slap was just an “idea” from production during a disagreement between the couple.

Since Christian and Maria’s 2021 YouTube update, they’ve uploaded a few more videos. The most recent one is from April 21, 2021. In it, they prank their daughter, Ally, on her fifth birthday.