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Many people feel some butterflies before they walk down the aisle on their wedding day. And if you’re marrying a complete stranger? Well, then the anxiety only skyrockets. 

On Lifetime’s Married at First Sight, viewers have seen plenty of nervous brides and grooms (including one who backed out of the experience entirely at the last minute). Madison and Allen, who will say “I do” in the show’s Oct. 22 episode, definitely had some fears heading into the big day. But for both, the hope that they’d find their forever person waiting for them at the altar helped mitigate whatever worries they had. 

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Married at First Sight’s trio of matchmaking experts – Pastor Cal Roberson, Dr. Pepper Schwartz, and Dr. Pia Holec – were convinced that Chicago singles Madison and Allen were perfect for each other, in part because they were both seeking stability after some challenging experiences growing up. 

Madison, 29, had faith in the “intensive” MAFS process, she told Showbiz Cheat Sheet in an email.

“With the countless interviews and questionnaires, it really seemed like the experts looked at everything about each individual to try to find someone who would make a good life partner,” she said. 

Still, Madison admitted suffering from some nerves as her wedding approached. 

“My biggest fear heading into my wedding day was that I was going to be matched with someone who I wasn’t going to get along with and that wasn’t going to be my person,” she said. “I knew it was a risk but I was really looking forward to finding my person through this and finding someone that could be my life partner.”

Allen worried about physical chemistry 

For Allen, 35, physical chemistry was a concern. Numerous looks-perfect-on-paper MAFS matches have been derailed because one or both partners just aren’t feeling the vibe with their spouse. 

“The only thing I was fearful of was the attraction level,” he said of his Married at First Sight experience. “If I’m not attracted to my partner it would be 100 [times] more difficult to put in an honest effort.”

But like Madison, Allen was putting his faith in the wisdom of the experts. Heading into his wedding day, he was hopeful he and his wife had “natural chemistry” they could build upon to “find the reasons we were matched and work towards developing something real and true.”

Allen didn’t think he’d get cast on ‘Married at First Sight’ 

Whatever anxieties Madison and Allen felt about marrying someone they’d never met were tempered by a feeling that it was time to try something new when it came to finding a partner. 

Madison – who described herself as a “hopeless romantic” – said openness to new experiences meant that MAFS was “right up my alley.” Meanwhile, Allen had tried everything from apps to group activities to meeting people at local bars in an effort to find the one. He had watched past seasons of Married at First Sight, so when a friend’s wife sent him a link to apply for the Chicago season, he seized the opportunity, though he didn’t think he’d actually get cast. But as Allen moved through the screening process, his attitude changed. 

“When I started to progress and seriously consider participating, I figured, ‘Well, it’s just another resource to find someone and at least the person I’m matched with will have the same motivations and intent,’” he said. “Plus at that point the success rate was about 20 percent, so I figured what the hell.”

Married at First Sight Season 18 airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime. 

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