‘Married at First Sight’: Paige and Chris Fight Over His Ex and Their Future
Chris Williams, a 27-year-old franchise owner, and Paige Banks, a 25-year-old corporate staff accountant, faced major drama almost immediately after they tied the knot on Lifetime’s Married at First Sight season 12. Not only did Chris admit he wasn’t attracted to Paige after having sex with her twice on their wedding night, but he also revealed just a few days later that his ex was six weeks pregnant with his child.
On the Feb. 17 episode of Married at First Sight, “Defending Your Wife,” the scandals just seemed to keep on coming for Chris and Paige. The couple argued about money and joint accounts, and Chris confessed that he was still in love with his ex.
Chris and Paige disagreed about money management in marriage
During their honeymoon in Las Vegas, Paige and Chris clashed about their future together in terms of money management and mutual responsibility.
First, Chris admitted that he wasn’t too happy about having to help take care of Paige’s dog. But Paige pushed back, arguing that cooperating to get the work done was what marriage was all about.
“I’m telling you I’m OK with being a bonus parent, but he’s telling me, ‘We can coexist with Bentley, but I’m not gonna be going out of my way?’” Paige told Lifetime producers incredulously.
Things only got worse when Chris admitted he didn’t believe in joint accounts. In fact, he wanted to make sure that their money was entirely separate. Pointing out that Paige only made “a quarter” of what he did, the Married at First Sight star asserted that he expected his wife to pull her own weight financially.
Meanwhile, Paige took this as a sign that Chris wasn’t very committed to the marriage. She lamented that he seemed more focused on keeping his own money than on building a relationship with someone.
“I wanted love,” Paige told Married at First Sight producers of her decision to go on the show. “I wanted to build and grow with someone, and money doesn’t buy happiness. Sometimes I think he’s one-minded, and it can come off a little selfish.”
Chris publicly apologized to Paige for how he’d treated her
Despite their differences, Chris told Paige she had “cracked open a door emotionally” in him. Now, the Married at First Sight star felt “spiritually attracted” to his wife.
Chris also decided to publicly apologize to Paige at a dinner with the other couples.
“I did not plan for anybody to be pregnant, and it was a big adjustment, and I freaked out,” he admitted. “You’ve been a woman of God, and I’ve not been a man of God at all.”
After Chris and Paige shared some time in prayer and heart-to-hearts, he told her he began to see her in a different light. For her part, Paige was impressed with Chris’ words, calling them “bold” and “real.” She praised his willingness to be accountable and raw with her.
The ‘Married at First Sight’ star dropped yet another bombshell about his ex
Later, however, any progress Chris and Paige had made seemed to fall apart at the seams yet again. Chris told his wife that he wasn’t thrilled about raising a child with his ex in a separate home – and admitted he’d even brought up of the possibility of getting back together in private conversations with her.
What’s more, Chris dropped a bombshell about his ongoing feelings for his ex.
“I still love her,” the Married at First Sight star told Paige, whose jaw dropped in dismay. “But loving somebody doesn’t mean that you should be with them…But I know that I don’t want another man raising my kid.”
Naturally, this response didn’t exactly please Paige – especially after Chris had told her in no uncertain terms that his vows to her came before everything else.
“That’s literally like spitting in my face,” Paige said of Chris’ declaration of love for his former significant other. “I can’t be with someone who is telling the mother of their child that they would want to be with them while they’re married…You literally took an innocent person and dragged them in your mess.”
Still, Paige agreed to continue to try to make things work with Chris for the time being. She told Lifetime producers that her wedding vows, as well as her faith, made her want to put as much effort as she could into her marriage.
