‘Married at First Sight’: Katina May Accept Olajuwon’s Behavior Due to Her History of Abusive Relationships
Married at First Sight viewers are on the edge of their seats as they wait for the outcome of Decision Day. For many viewers, they hope that Katina and Olajuwon choose to go their separate ways. Katina has become a fan favorite for her patience with her oftentimes critical husband. Olajuwon is not happy with Katina in the areas of cooking and cleaning, and has had several blow ups over it. While fans see Olajuwon’s behavior as a red flag, Katina may not due to her history of verbally abusive relationships.
Olajuwon has been critical of Katina’s domestic skills
Fans have watched Olajuwon critique Katina’s cooking nearly every episode since they moved in together. Despite Katina telling him on wedding day that cooking is not her best asset, he insisted they could work on it together. Olajuwon also did not tell the experts that his wife not cooking daily was a deal breaker for him.
In episode 10, Oljuwon arranged a cooking class for the two of them and used the time to criticize Katina again over her cooking skills. He related her not cooking for him to her not being viable as a wife. “I need to see where you are as a woman,” he told Katina. “If you don’t want to cook, what are you going to do? Are you going to clean?! I can’t settle with somebody if I think they don’t have a base of being an adult because they don’t have enough life experience, and that’s the disconnect that I’m having with you,” he added in a confessional. “That’s how I truly feel.”
Dr. Viviana told Olajuwon that he is setting himself up for failure. “It almost sounds like you have this idea of what marriage looks like. You have this idea of what a husband looks like, what a wife looks like,” she told him. “And unless she looks 100 percent like that off the bat, you’re gonna talk down to her. You’re gonna say she’s not grown. You’re gonna say she’s lazy. That’s what it’s coming across as.”
Katina previously opened up to Olajuwon about being in verbally abusive relationships
Despite Olajuwon’s complaints, Katina has continued to put her best foot forward and try to appease him. Olajuwon’s love language is acts of service, and he doesn’t feel appreciated if Katina doesn’t do certain things he finds important, such as cooking and cleaning. She’s tried her best to show him otherwise by arranging special dates, such as having an at-home movie night equipped with Olajuwon’s favorite snacks, which he was happy about. But nothing seems to keep Olajuwon happy for long.
In several episodes, Katina has been open about her past relationships. She told Olajuwon that her last two relationships came with lots of verbal abuse. When Olajuwon asked her why she doesn’t show emotion in the form of tears, she explained that she promised herself that she’d never cry over a man who talks down to her. In return, Olajuwon said that she’s “sheltered” herself.
In an interview with BOSSIP, Katina explained that before the show, she went on a hiatus from dating to heal herself after her last verbally abusive relationship. “I took a lot of time out for myself at one point and I even stopped dating,” she revealed. “[Some of the things I did] included reflecting on my past traumas, praying that God would heal me and prepare me for the man he had for me. I even signed up for therapy which I found to be helpful and I found peace within myself, all of these things prepared me for married at first sight when I didn’t even know it. The journey that I am going through in this process probably would have been harder for me had I not done those things.”
Fans say Katina is being verbally abused and points to her previous relationships
After watching Olajuwon’s treatment of Katina, many fans believe that she doesn’t view his behavior as an issue due to her extensive history of being verbally abused and gaslighted in romantic partnerships. Every week, social media users reference such in their reactions to what they see.
“RUN KATINA!! She said she trained herself not to cry after an abusive ex and Olajuwon’s calling her sheltered…what??” one questioned on Twitter.
“Olajuwon thinks because Katina works from home she’s doing nothing and should have his full course meal ready when he comes home,” another chimed in. “He literally heard her say she was in an abusive relationship previously, noted it, and ramped up the verbal abuse.”
Even Dr. Vivianna and Pastor Cal have pointed out that Olajuwon’s delivery needs work. They view his tone and the words he chooses to use toward his wife as degrading at times. Katina has been questioned by the experts on whether or not she feels respected or heard in her marriage.
