‘Married at First Sight’: Miles Laments the Lack of Physical Intimacy With Karen
Miles Williams and Karen Landry’s relationship on Lifetime’s Married at First Sight season 11 has been slow-going, to say the least. After getting off on the wrong foot when Karen got a glimpse of Miles on social media before the wedding, the couple often struggled to find their way toward greater intimacy and connection.
On the latest episodes of Married at First Sight, Miles revealed that physical intimacy – including sex, but also any kind of physical affection – was still a major barrier in his marriage. He even admitted that he wasn’t sure what he would do on Decision Day, now just days away.
Miles admitted he had doubts in a heart-to-heart with Karen
On the October 14 episode of Married at First Sight, Karen and Miles headed to a couple’s retreat with their castmates. Both Miles and Karen admitted they’d been struggling to find a way to connect with each other during the COVID-19 crisis. The stress of quarantine only amplified their existing issues, especially when it came to sex, affection, and physical intimacy.
“To be honest with you, there were times when I couldn’t open up,” Karen said of quarantine. “And physical intimacy is honestly something that I’m still struggling with.”
Still, she felt they’d been having more genuine, authentic, and natural conversations in recent weeks. During a heart-to-heart with her husband, Karen admitted that she felt their emotional connection was more “forced” at first. Now, opening up had become easier for her.
Meanwhile, Miles felt without physical intimacy, it was hard to make the right choice as Decision Day approached. He admitted he was trying to be “patient,” but said he still lacked clarity about whether he and Karen were a real match.
The ‘Married at First Sight’ star said Karen never hugged or kissed him first
After his frank conversation with Karen, Miles told the Married at First Sight producers that he was still concerned about their ability to get closer physically.
“From a physical standpoint, we haven’t gotten to where I want to be,” Miles confessed.
And he wasn’t just talking about sex. The 26-year-old teacher revealed that, after three or four months of marriage, his wife still didn’t ever initiate hugs, kisses, or hand-holding. The Married at First Sight star said it was “hard as hell” to be in quarantine with someone who seemed to not want any type of physical connection with him.
Woody expressed disbelief at his friend’s marital predicament
In a conversation with his castmate, Woody Randall, Miles admitted that the almost total lack of physical touch in his marriage had begun to make him feel rejected. He also worried that he wouldn’t be able to come to a final decision before Decision Day.
“The pace that we’ve been going in is what’s comfortable for Karen,” Miles said nervously. “It isn’t going to have us falling in love soon.”
While he felt Karen was “beautiful,” Miles added that he knew he had to respect her wishes when it came to getting affectionate. But he couldn’t help feel unwanted in his relationship when his wife never initiated anything.
“It’s hard to make a decision that you’re gonna be with somebody forever when you don’t know what that’s like,” the Married at First Sight star told Woody.
As for Woody – who was friends with Miles before they both applied the show – he was blunt about his concerns. He worried that the feeling of rejection could wear his friend down over time.
“I could not be Miles,” Woody said straightforwardly. “Something gotta have a timeline.” At the very least, he advised Miles, he thought Karen should be letting him know if they were on the right track to become physically intimate at some point in the future. Woody added that he felt it was a “disservice” to both Karen and Miles for them not to explore intimacy together.
Miles admitted it bothered him that he had to ‘spell out’ what he wanted from Karen
On the October 21 Married at First Sight episode, “Pack Your Bags,” the couples prepared for Decision Day, when they would finally decide whether to get a divorce or stay together. Sadly, Miles didn’t have much more clarity than he had weeks earlier. He and Karen still weren’t connecting on a physical level, which made him wonder if he could truly move forward with the marriage.
Miles sat down with a friend to discuss his ongoing marital issues. He demonstrated the way Karen ate across the room from him, with her back facing him – which left him feeling more rejected than ever. What’s more, it was beginning to wear on him.
“How can I not take that personally?” Miles mused. “Like, you don’t want to sit next to me? What did I do?”
The Married at First Sight star admitted that he felt uncomfortable having to “spell out” his desires for physical affection with his wife. The situation had even left him wondering if Karen would ever have more to give him.
“I had to be like, ‘OK. She has no idea what I need out of a relationship,’” Miles told his friend. “I had to break it down step by step.”
Karen’s husband went on to say that he honestly didn’t know if his wife’s effort would ever be “enough” to make him feel wanted at this point. If he said “no” on Decision Day, Miles revealed, it would be due to their “inability to be intimate both emotionally and physically.”
“We could be compatible in all these ways, but not there, and that could be a dealbreaker,” Miles finally declared in no uncertain terms.
