‘Married at First Sight’: Jessica Opens Up to Katie About Her First Big Fight With Austin
Jessica Studer and Austin Hurd have had a much less dramatic relationship than their castmates on Lifetime’s Married at First Sight Season 10. Unlike the other four couples this season, they haven’t had explosive fights or major trust issues.
Still, that doesn’t mean they have no conflict at all. On the Apr. 1 episode of Married at First Sight, “Fight or Flight,” Jessica opened up to her castmate, Katie Conrad (Derek Sherman’s wife), about her first major argument with Austin.
Jessica told Katie she felt Austin wasn’t completely honest about his work schedule
On the latest episode, the four remaining Married at First Sight couples—sans Zach Justice and Mindy Shiben, who had already decided to get a divorce—headed out on a final retreat, about a week before Decision Day.
Jessica and Katie settled down outside the vacation home for a glass of wine and some girl talk about their relationships. “Austin and I got in a fight,” Jessica admitted, after Katie spilled the beans about her problems with Derek.
The nursing manager said her husband hadn’t been completely forthcoming with her about just how often he would be traveling for work in his new career as a network engineer. “He says he travels for work, but he never elaborated on it,” Jessica revealed. “And it turns out that it’s like, Monday through Thursday, four-day trips, sometimes 10-day trips, the entire month. And so, October will be—like, he’s gone more than half the month.”
The Married at First Sight star complained that Austin hadn’t told her all the relevant details when they first communicated about his travels. “He’s like, ‘I told you I traveled for work,’” Jessica told Katie. “And I’m like, ‘You never gave specifics on that.’”
The patient care manager wondered how Austin’s absence could affect their marriage
Austin and Jessica got into a spat over text that escalated before they met up in person and worked things out. For her part, Jessica was worried about how Austin’s frequent absences could affect their future and their ability to build a bond before Decision Day at the eight-week mark.
“It turns out he’s gonna be traveling a lot, and I was kind of like, how did you really think that was going to work, to get to know somebody and just leave them?” Jessica wondered aloud.
Katie agreed that that complicated things, especially in the unusual circumstances of their arranged marriage social experiment. “Yeah, you guys are gonna be like, fresh in your marriage,” she said.
“Yeah,” Jessica agreed worriedly. The Married at First Sight star added, “Looking at the calendar, he would be gone more than half the month.”
Katie assured Jessica that absence could make the heart grow fonder
Still, Katie wondered if Jessica and Austin’s distance from one another could strengthen their relationship in a unique way. “Maybe it’ll be good for you guys, though,” the mental health professional ventured. “I mean, we’ve spent so much time with our husbands. So maybe it’ll give you time to miss him, and you guys will strengthen your relationship in a different way.”
Her Married at First Sight castmate wasn’t so sure, especially because it was hard for her to feel comfortable with people again after long periods of time apart.
“I mean, that’s a good point,” Jessica began. She continued, “But the other thing is, sometimes I’m a person that’s like, it’s hard for me to open up to somebody and then see them again after going two or three weeks without seeing each other.” The 33-year-old worried that the long absence could lead to “awkwardness” and discomfort between them when they reunited.
