‘Married at First Sight’: Fans Think Chris Is Manipulating Paige
Chris Williams and Paige Banks have quickly become one of the most shocking couples in Married at First Sight history.
Fans of the Lifetime show immediately went on a rollercoaster ride with the newlyweds. In the first few episodes of Married at First Sight Season 12, Chris revealed that he wasn’t attracted to Paige – while having unprotected sex with her on a regular basis during their honeymoon – and that he was possibly in love with his ex, who was six weeks pregnant.
On the Feb. 24 episode of Married at First Sight, Chris and Paige initially decided to get a divorce. But a last-minute confession from Chris sent Paige reeling yet again. Married at First Sight fans recently chimed in on social media to argue that Chris was trying to manipulate Paige’s emotions by giving her mixed signals and stringing her along.
Chris told Pastor Cal he was sure about getting a divorce
Paige and Chris separated just after their eventful honeymoon, with Chris heading to Chicago to meet with his ex. The Married at First Sight star told Paige in no uncertain terms that he realized he was still in love with his ex and wanted a divorce. He even said he’d met with a divorce lawyer during the trip.
Paige seemed resigned to her fate when she sat down later in the episode with Married at First Sight expert Pastor Cal Roberson. But Chris made a surprise appearance to the meeting to let Pastor Cal know he wanted to go through with the divorce.
“It’s tough having somebody else raise your kid,” Chris said at first of the reason for his change of heart. But when Pastor Cal pressed him, Chris admitted that his feelings for his ex played a big role in his decision.
“I feel like this whole process was a thing of, hey, maybe I am still in love with her,” the Married at First Sight star said. “So I think that it’s best to separate, to divorce.”
The ‘Married at First Sight’ star later backtracked
Chris’ decision to get a divorce seemed to devastate Paige, but she accepted his choice.
“It all boils down to, he still has feelings for her,” Paige told Pastor Cal. “I’m clearly not fitting in this equation.”
Pastor Cal surprisingly agreed to Paige and Chris’s decision to separate. He told Lifetime producers that he just didn’t think there was much left to be salvaged in their relationship. While he admitted he would usually “fight tooth and nail” for the marriages on the show, the Married at First Sight expert said he was “just not a big fan of this marriage staying together.”
But after Pastor Cal said his goodbyes, Chris leaned in to give Paige a hug and started to whisper inaudibly in his wife’s ear. Paige told Married at First Sight producers that he claimed he wanted a divorce because he was scared of being too vulnerable with her. His whispered confession seemed to set Paige down a path of confusion yet again.
“Chris is whispering that his fear is falling in love with me,” Paige said. “I thought that this was going to be a clear-cut ‘bye, see you never,’ but I am very, very confused. Are we really, really done?”
Many ‘Married at First Sight’ fans think Chris and Paige are a toxic match
Married at First Sight fans quickly took to YouTube to comment on Chris and Paige’s flailing marriage. Most viewers thought Chris was purposely manipulating Paige in order to keep her on the back burner. Others pointed out that this wasn’t the first time he isolated Paige from the cameras in order to tell her something in secret.
“I don’t understand why Paige doesn’t see that Chris doesn’t want his ex to hear the mess he is saying to her,” one Married at First Sight fan wrote. “That’s why the mics are off, cameras are off, shower running and the whispering in the ear.”
“Cutting off mics, whispering in her ear?” another agreed. “This is not a man, but a boy who likes to play.”
Calling Chris an “attention-seeking egomaniac,” one fan suggested he might enjoy the process of giving women mixed signals and getting attention from multiple partners at a time.
“He gets pleasure from breaking women down!” they wrote. “And he whispered that fake comment because he gets off on women fighting over him and he wants Paige to still desire him.”
Another viewer just wanted Paige to pack her bags and leave. “This girl is obviously broken and she needs time alone to heal,” they commented. “She should learn her value and become self-aware when someone is devaluing her with dishonor.”
Several fans argued that Paige should learn her worth, wise up, and leave right away. But others pointed out that Chris seemed like a master manipulator who knew how to get his way with women.
