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It’s apparently over for one Married at First Sight Chicago couple. The Lifetime reality show has returned from a three-week hiatus with a dramatic episode that saw the Windy City pair’s marriage go down in flames on their one-month anniversary. 

[Warning: This article contains spoilers for the Jan. 7 episode of Lifetime’s Married at First Sight.] 

Ikechi walks out on his marriage to Emem 

Emem and Ikechi’s marriage has been limping along since they returned home from their honeymoon. Emem’s efforts to bond with her husband have gone nowhere, and all of her overtures just seem to make an already tense situation even worse. During a combative sit-down with her family Ikechi called his wife “aggressive”; he later claimed her efforts to introduce intimacy into their marriage crossed a line.  

When we last saw the nurse practitioner and college counselor, they could barely communicate. During an uncomfortable therapy session, MAFS expert Dr. Pia Holec extracted a promise from both of them that they’d try a hard reset in an effort to get their relationship back on track. But in the latest episode of Married at First Sight Season 18, nothing seems to have changed. 

Emem arranged a romantic picnic for their one-month anniversary, but Ikechi clearly wasn’t excited to be there. He perked up a bit when they did an art activity, especially as he gave her guidance on how to paint. But things spiraled when they returned to their apartment. Emem initiated a discussion about their marriage vows, and Ikechi exploded, accusing her of “hitting the bear.” 

“When I read your vows, these vows don’t say that you will be an *sshole,” he said. “I don’t get that part.”   

Ikechi stirs up trouble at the ‘Married at First Sight’ couples’ dinner 

After their anniversary fight, Ikechi stormed out of the apartment. He ignored Emem’s texts and calls and wouldn’t confirm whether he planned to attend the one-month anniversary dinner with the rest of the MAFS Chicago couples. 

A solo Emem got dolled up for a night-out and joined the other cast members in the party bus, where she unloaded about the situation with her husband.

“He called me an *sshole on our one-month anniversary .. and walked out, stormed out,” she said, prompting gasps from the other cast members. She also implied Ikechi was a clout-chaser who wanted to be on the show for fame, noting that he’d previously auditioned in another city. 

At this point, it looked like Ikechi would be a no-show for the dinner. So, when he strolled in mid-meal, everyone was stunned – and immediately braced for a fight. (We wonder what exactly the producers said to convince Ikechi to show up, since he obviously did not want to be there.)

Emem already had the rest of the cast on her side, and they quickly began quizzing Ikechi about his marriage. We’ve already seen Ikecki bristle when his wife asks him questions, and he did the same when his fellow MAFS cast members pressed him to open up. 

“I don’t really want to talk about married life with y’all,” he said. “I’m here to celebrate you guys.”

“My wife makes me feel like sh*t,” he added. “In so many ways.” But when Allen and other cast members urged him to share what’s bothering him, he pulled back, claiming he wasn’t “comfortable.” David attempted to play peacemaker, but the mood at the table was frosty, to say the least. When Juan urged everyone to focus on the positive, Emem, who’d been simmering with anger and frustration, let loose.  

“When my husband calls me an *sshole on our one-month anniversary, I don’t have much to give,” she replied. Her focus then turned to Ikechi. “You show up today in this joker *ss suit,” she said. “I’m done. You’re wild. You’re wild for this.”

The other women escorted Emem to the bathroom to cool down, Meanwhile, Ikechi seemed pleased that he’d provoked an emotional reaction in his wife.

“See what I mean?” he told the MAFS husbands, who remained at the table. As soon as Emem returned, he made his exit, leaving the rest of the cast to comfort his wife.

“I didn’t appreciate how he talks to you,” David said. “That’s not OK.” 

“Everyone knows he’s supposed to be this woke Black man. [But] he’s calling a Black woman aggressive? That’s literally rule number one,” Camille later said to Emem. 

On his way out of the restaurant, Ikechi told a MAFS producer that he couldn’t continue because he doesn’t “have the capacity to be with immaturity.”

He also reiterated that he saw his wife as predatory and sexually aggressive, even though she has said he initiated sexual contact during the honeymoon. “From day one, she’s been jumping on me,” he claimed. “I’m OK with walking away. There’s a divorce on a table.” 

Emem and Ikechi’s divorce is inevitable  

So, is this it for Emem and Ikechi? He’s moved out of their shared apartment, and it’s nearly impossible to imagine their relationship coming back from this fight. But neither is leaving the show. Tteasers for the upcoming episodes show Ikechi sitting down Pastor Cal Roberson, where he again calls Emem an *sshole.”

Later, Emem and Ikechi have another conversation about their relationship. But it sounds more like a post-mortem than an attempt at reconciliation. 

“I’m not trying to tiptoe in the zone,” she says. 

“You didn’t tiptoe,” he replies. “You jumped in there like a pool.” 

In their final appearance in the teaser, Ikechi confronts Emem in public, telling her to “sign the document.”

“No,” she replies. “No, thank you.” 

New episodes of Married at First Sight Season 18 air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Lifetime. 

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