‘Married at First Sight’: Mackinley’s Mom Offered Him $50,000 Not to Do the Show
It’s not unusual for the families of Married at First Sight participants to have reservations about their loved one’s decision to wed a total stranger. But few go to the lengths that the mom of season 16 cast member Mackinley went to in an attempt to convince her son not to do the show.
Mackinley’s mom really didn’t want him to do ‘Married at First Sight’
Mackinley, 33, was blindsided when his ex-girlfriend dumped him by announcing she was engaged to another man. He moved to Nashville for a fresh start. Then, he decided to sign up for Married at First Sight in the hope that the experts could find the perfect woman for him. They matched him with “old soul” Domynique. She is just 25 years old, but she says she’s ready to settle down and be a wife.
Mackinley is confident in his decision to get married at first sight, but his mom isn’t so sure. During an appearance on Married at First Sight Afterparty on Jan. 18, he revealed that she was willing to pay up to keep her son off of TV.
“My mom may have offered me, like, 50 grand the day before not to do the show,’ he told host Keshia Knight Pulliam, adding that he considered the offer “for a second.”
“It comes from a place of love,” he explained. “She didn’t want me to get embarrassed or go through a bad experience. It had nothing to do with Dom. She didn’t know Dom at that point.”
‘MAFS’ Boston alum Lindsey weighs in: ‘Should have took the money’
Mackinley didn’t take his mom’s offer of $50,000 not to do Married at First Sight too seriously. But some viewers think he should have.
“Should have took the money my man,” season 14 alum Lindsey commented on Instagram. She may have been referring to possible spoilers that suggest Mackinley and Domynique call it quits before Decision Day. Or she might have been nodding to her own less-than-stellar experience on the show.
A few other commenters thought that Mackinley would have been better off taking the money.
“Should have took the $$$ you got a DUD,” one wrote.
Others thought that Mackinley’s mom’s attempt to thwart her son’s wedding was a major red flag.
“Seriously though money offered before a wedding kinda is manipulation and not really love though,” one person commented.
Do ‘Married at First Sight’ cast members pay a penalty if they quit the show?
Mackinley didn’t share any other details on his mom’s efforts to pay him to not do the show. But her offer may have been tied to a rumored penalty that cast members have to pay if they quit the show early.
Kate Sisk endured a disastrous marriage to Luke Cuccurullo during Married at First Sight Season 8. She has claimed that she would have had to pay a $100,000 penalty if she dropped out of filming (via SoapDirt). And a recent lawsuit filed by a Love Is Blind contestant alleges that participants in that show – which is also produced by Kinetic Content – must pay $50,000 in “liquidated damages” if they walk away before filming is complete, NBC News reported.
However, others have said that MAFS cast members who end up in a trainwreck marriage have been given the opportunity to exit the show. Paige Banks, who was in a deeply dysfunctional marriage to Chris Williams in season 12, was given that chance, according to Pastor Cal Roberson.
“We can’t tell [participants] to leave. Paige was given the option and opportunity to do so,” he said during an appearance on The Frank Ski Show With Nina Brown (via YouTube). Paige ultimately chose to remain married to Chris and continue filming the show.
Will Domynique and Mackinley’s marriage last? Find out when new episodes of Married at First Sight Season 16 air Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.
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