‘Married at First Sight’ Expert Weighs In On Whether The Show Will Ever Feature Same-Sex Couples
TL; DR:
- Lifetime’s Married at First Sight has been on the air for 14 seasons, but has yet to feature a same-sex couple.
- Dr. Viviana Coles recently said that the idea of including LGBTQ couples on the show is “on the radar.”
- She also weighed in on the differences between the American and Australian versions of Married at First Sight.
The Married at First Sight experts have matched dozens of couples over the show’s 14 seasons. So far, each match has stuck to a familiar formula: One man and one woman. But one of the show’s experts recently hinted that the reality series could break that pattern and that fans might eventually see a same-sex couple on the show.
Why ‘Married at First Sight’ only matches heterosexual couples
Viewers have long wondered why Married at First Sight excludes same-sex couples from the process. In the past, those involved with the show – which is produced by Kinetic Content – have said adding LGBTQ couples to the mix would just be too complicated.
“It’s a casting thing,” Kinetic Content CEO Chris Coelen told The Wrap in 2015. “We’d love to but it’s very difficult.”
“Because we have to put all the women and all the men in the same room (by gender) in workshops [during the casting process], there is a chance they could see each other [before meeting at the altar],” he added. “If we could figure out logistically how do it, we’d love to do it.”
One of the MAFS experts, Dr. Viviana Coles, echoed that reasoning during a recent Instagram Live. A fan asked her about whether same-sex couples might be included in future seasons, she mentioned that logistical issues and added costs were the reason the show hadn’t yet moved in that direction.
Dr. Viviana Coles hints a future season of ‘Married at First Sight’ could feature a same-sex couple
While the American version of MAFS hasn’t yet featured a same-sex marriage, producers haven’t ruled out the possibility, Coles said. (Same-sex couples have been featured on international versions of the show.)
There are “absolutely” conversations going on behind the scenes about having same-sex couples on Married at First Sight.
“That’s something that’s been on the radar … since my first season, which was season 9,” she said. She went on to hint that future seasons of Married at First Sight might be more diverse in the types of couples that are featured.
“I don’t do spoilers but I will tell you that I feel like they’re taking it very, very seriously now as far as trying to make sure we see all sorts of love on the screen and all sorts of depictions of love and of relationships,” she said. “And who knows when exactly that will happen but it’s definitely something that we’re on.”
The ‘Married at First Sight’ expert also weighed in on the differences between the American and Australian versions of the show
Coles also answered a question about the difference between the American and Australian versions of Married at First Sight. The Aussie take on the show also airs on Lifetime, but it’s noticeably different in format and down from its U.S. counterpart.
“It’s a completely different show. It’s run by a completely different company,” the relationship expert said. There are multiple versions of Married at First Sight that air in different countries around the world, she explained. While the basic premise is the same, each has its own approach to the experiment. “Everyone has kind of done their own spin or own take on it,” Coles said.
The U.S. version is “very unscripted, real” she explained. She added she’d never actually seen Married at First Sight: Australia. But based on what she knew about the show, it was a completely different animal.
“It’s very scripted,” she said. “Which is fine. If you know it is, it’s fine.” The cast live in more of a bubble during filming, and the experts are seen more on camera than in the U.S. version, she added.
Married at First Sight is also hugely popular in Australia, which affects the kind of people who end up getting cast, Coles pointed out. The U.S. version seems to attract people who are genuinely interested in finding love. In Australia, people audition for the show because “they know it will make them an instant celebrity,” Coles said.
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