‘Married at First Sight’ Expert Believes Alyssa Had ‘Good Intentions’
Chris decided to call it quits on his brief marriage to Alyssa during the Feb. 16 episode of Married at First Sight, bringing to an end one of the most disastrous pairings in the show’s history.
The Boston couple’s relationship seemed doomed from the beginning, with Alyssa taking a dislike to her husband almost as soon as she saw him at the altar. So, what went so wrong with the Chris and Alyssa match? In a series of tweets, one of the show’s experts, Dr. Viviana Coles, offered her take on the pair’s contentious marriage.
Chris asked Alyssa for a divorce on the last episode of ‘Married at First Sight’
Chris and Alyssa’s disastrous match dominated much of the first few episodes of Married at First Sight Season 14. An awkward wedding day led into an uncomfortable wedding night as Alyssa declined to share a room with her new husband. Then, the two clashed repeatedly during a tension-filled honeymoon in Puerto Rico. Alyssa made it clear she wasn’t happy with the man the experts had paired her with, describing him as condescending and aggressive. Chris tried to forge a connection with Alyssa, but she wasn’t responsive. However, despite the obvious bad vibes, neither was willing to explicitly say they wanted a divorce.
That all changed when the two returned to Boston, where they were supposed to move in together and start their life as a married couple. Alyssa refused to share an apartment with Chris, and during a sit-down with Pastor Cal, he announced he wanted a divorce.
Dr. Viviana Coles says Alyssa was initially there for the right reasons
The swift implosion of Chris and Alyssa’s relationship left many of the show’s viewers wondering why the experts matched them in the first place. Alyssa in particular came in for criticism, with many fans feeling that she should never have agreed to go on Married at First Sight if she wasn’t willing to give her husband a chance.
Recently, one of the show’s experts, Dr. Viviana Coles, weighed in on the volatile situation. In a series of tweets (which she posted before viewers learned Chris had decided to end the marriage), she shared her take on Alyssa. Contrary to what many fans thought, she believed the season 14 bride did go into the process with “good intentions.”
“Alyssa wants the love of a lifetime just like everyone else who decides to apply to be #MAFS,” she tweeted.
“I THINK, like so many others, she thought, ‘Well if it doesn’t work out with us, at least I can meet amazing women and we will join the ranks of all of the other #mafsbrides who came before us and make the best of it,’” Coles added.
That assessment fits with what viewers saw on the show, where Alyssa tried to negotiate a deal with Chris (and the show’s producers) that would allow her to stay in the apartment on her own and bond with the other couples.
Dr. Viviana Coles calls the Chris and Alyssa situation ‘awful’
Whatever Alyssa’s initial intentions, Coles shared the reaction of many viewers when it came to her behavior on the show. She pointed out that both Alyssa and Chris were “contractually obligated” to allow Married at First Sight to film their relationship while they waited to make a decision about whether to move forward. But like many viewers, what she saw on screen made her uncomfortable.
“The VAST majority of us are appalled by the behaviors/words we have seen towards Chris,” she wrote.
While Alyssa may not have felt a connection to Chris, Coles said her refusal to communicate with or be respectful toward her husband was a problem.
“She is disrespecting the process that has produced many loving families,” she wrote. “I’m hopeful that this awful situation will be addressed accordingly.”
New episodes of Married at First Sight Season 14 air Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.
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