‘Married at First Sight’: Fans Divide Into Team Henry/Christina and Team Brett/Olivia
There are controversial, debate-sparking couples on every season of Lifetime’s Married at First Sight. In many cases, most fans tend to fall on the side of one of the two partners.
But on Married at First Sight season 11 in New Orleans, two couples—Brett and Olivia and Christina and Henry—are dividing fans nearly in half.
Fans are torn about Henry and Christina
Henry Rodriguez and Christina seemed like an awkward match from the beginning, as their personalities couldn’t be more different. Christina’s tendency to criticize and judge her husband turns some fans off. But Henry’s lack of visible effort and tendency to give one-word answers are turning some viewers against him instead.
Some Redditors argued in a recent thread that Christina lacked empathy for Henry and appeared to belittle him about everything from his introverted nature to his living space.
Particularly after Christina’s admission on a recent episode that a lack of confidence was a dealbreaker for her in a relationship—shortly after Henry revealed some insecurities he had from childhood about his body image—some Married at First Sight viewers thought she was passive aggressive.
“Clearly it just takes him a minute to warm up to people to be himself,” one Reddit user wrote of Henry. “And if every time he opens up to Christina, she dismisses his feelings, I don’t blame him for not being comfortable with her.”
Another fan argued similarly on Reddit that, when it came to Christina, she was often overly cold and dismissive. “There is a way to handle your reactions to someone, and this woman isn’t thinking about his feelings…well pretty much ever,” they wrote.
But some viewers said they were firmly Team Christina, arguing that Henry was never willing to put himself out there in the marriage. With little to work with, they insisted, it was inevitable that his wife would become frustrated.
“I see too many people clamoring to his defense but this guy has put in zero effort…Has he made any attempt other than the bare minimum?” a Married at First Sight fan wrote on Reddit. “I’ve seen zero affection and zero gestures.”
Another viewer agreed, writing, “Henry doing and saying nothing has been driving me crazy from the beginning.”
Brett and Olivia are also sparking debates and controversy
Meanwhile, Brett Lindsey and Olivia Cornu have similarly led Married at First Sight fans to divide themselves into “Team Brett” and “Team Olivia.” Some viewers argue that Olivia doesn’t seem willing to budge or compromise for her marriage. Others think Brett is simply playing games on the show, while some think his sarcastic jokes often come across as condescending and dismissive.
“From the jump I got serious smarmy, defensive, self-aggrandizing, insecure vibes from him,” one Reddit user wrote of Brett. “If I were Olivia, I also would have completely shut down at this point.”
Several others accused Brett of “acting for the cameras” or trying to play a role to look good on reality TV (despite flirting with someone else at his own bachelor party). Others believed Brett used the excuse of sarcastic humor to deliver insults.
“I’m all about sarcasm, but there’s a point where it crosses over to just obnoxious,” a fan wrote in the same thread. “It’s obvious that Brett uses it as an excuse to just be mean.”
However, some Married at First Sight fans are firmly Team Brett, arguing that Olivia isn’t ready to be flexible or take on the true commitment of marriage. Others have argued that Brett’s wife is overly materialistic and judgmental.
“I actually think Olivia doesn’t really want to be married,” one Redditor mused. “It seems like she’s trying this out to tick off a box, ‘hey at least I tried,’ but she seems so unwilling to actually share her life and compromise with anything.”
Another Married at First Sight viewer agreed, commenting, “She maybe wanted a cat-man who would just slot into a space in the otherwise very satisfactory life she made for herself that isn’t willing to change. Doesn’t work like that.”
Some ‘Married at First Sight’ fans simply think both couples are a bad match
While some viewers have declared themselves Team Brett, Olivia, Henry, or Christina, many others simply think the two couples are perfect examples of mismatched pairs.
One Redditor, like many fans, argued in a recent thread that Henry and Christina weren’t fundamentally bad spouses or bad people; instead, they were just fundamentally incompatible. Christina appears to want a take-charge alpha male, while Henry is quiet, introverted, and reserved.
“This is definitely a bad match, neither one is a bad person they just have totally different personalities,” the fan wrote. “She’s obviously an alpha female who needs an alpha male, someone who would take charge and be in control of her life and his, not the nice sweet quiet guy Henry is.”
As for Brett and Olivia, many viewers have claimed that they, too, are simply incompatible—which can bring out the worst in two people. Olivia isn’t sure she wants children at all and seems to want a life of travel and adventure. Meanwhile, Brett appears to be a thrifty homebody with a strong desire for children in his future.
“I think it’s very obvious that Christina and Henry/Brett and Olivia just aren’t good matches for each other,” a Reddit user wrote in this vein. “Human beings are complicated.”
At the very least, most Married at First Sight fans can certainly agree on how complex human beings, and relationships, can be. It’s what the Lifetime show is all about, after all.
