The future of "Married At First Sight" might be in peril as reports are now surfacing that the reality TV series will be canned sooner rather than later. Following the success of the show's first season, the creators and producers behind the series felt that they hit a gold mine - that is until three of the six couples from "Married At First Sight" Season 2 admitted to filing for divorce weeks following their weddings.
The status of the couples was revealed in a Season 2 episode, titled "Six Months Later." In the said episode, Davina Kullar and Sean Varricchio were revealed to have filed for separation mere weeks after their wedding day. Jaclyn Methuen and Ryan Ranellone eventually followed suit. The messiest separation, however, is the one between Jessica Castro and Ryan De Nino. Recent reports disclosed that Castro even went as far as filing a restraining order against her former husband in an effort to protect herself and her family as the latter threatened to kill them, according to Realty Today.
Prior to these revelations, the creators of the show were actually contemplating on adding same-sex couples - no doubt a nod to the recent Supreme Court ruling on the legality of such unions - for its third season. However, it appears that these plans may no longer come into fruition.
One of the signs pointed out by Movie News Guide with regard the rumored cancellation of the show's third season is the absence of the casting call announcement in its official website. While this may have a number of other implications, the undeniable fact remains that the second season's couples' failure to uphold the concept put forth by "Married At First Sight" is a difficult obstacle to hurdle.
In an interview with the show's executive producer, Chris Coelen, the rudiments of the show, dubbed as a "social experiment," were revealed. While critics ponder the veracity of the criteria used to match the couples in "Married At First Sight," Coelen insists that the science behind the decisions guarantees successful marriages in the long run based on "high degree of research." He reveals that six months are allotted for an "advanced casting team" to determine the individuals who could potentially become spouses.
Coelen shares that the "research" includes visiting bars, mixers, singles events and church in a certain area. Apart from these places, the "advance casting team" also check out the profiles in OkCupid, Match.com, Tinder, Hinge and Facebook. Interviews with family members and friends of the chosen candidates are conducted as well. Coelen then personally facilitates the "workshops" conducted to prepare the selected participants. Apart from the individuals chosen by the team, the pool of candidates also include qualified participants who "have seen the show and applied specifically and want to be considered as a candidate," according to PEOPLE Magazine.
The increasing popularity of the show, combined with presumably an overwhelming curiosity on its outcome, was reflected in the number of application. The first season of "Marriage At First Sight" welcomed less than a thousand applicants. Come Season 2, however, the number grew to 7,000, and by the third season, the cast and crew of "Marriage At First Sight" are faced with more 20,000 individuals seeking a happily ever after via science and sociology, according to Coelen. With these numbers in mind, the cancellation of the show seems a bit unlikely.
At the moment, only the future of "Marriage At First Sight" in the United States appears to be in question. The show's counterpart in Australia has been renewed for a second season, according to Master Herald. As for the Denmark version of "Marriage At First Sight," no word has been released as of now.
