Married At First Sight- is this for real?

[BitOfFun]

This can't be real, surely? Who would be insane enough? I've never seen the show, but do they explain if it's actually an official marriage? I would have thought that the whole concept goes against the solemn nature of the legal contract.

Yes I wondered about the cat!!!

And yes I'm in public sector work and I wouldn't look for that in a partner. Crap wages and long hours. No thanks.

It seemed REALLY flimsy. Everything about them seemed mis matched.

Surely one of the questions in the application would be around what you like doing in the evenings/socially... Steph clearly likes to party and Jonathan likes quiet nights in. Surely that would have been a major red flag in the matching process? For me that would be a deal breaker and probably one of the most important questions for compatibility.

I agree about the weird matching criteria.

They obviously haven’t heard of the phrase opposites attract, sometimes we are looking for someone who has the qualities we’re missing in ourselves, but we also need someone on the same page about major things. It seems they have mixed those two things up and ended up with people fundamentally misaligned on the important things, but similar in regard to things that don’t matter! Why else would they have matched a smoker and a non-smoker last time?! Madness. I could do a better job of matching people based on a 10 minute conversation!

I’ve also been watching Are You The One on MTV, which is a similar idea, in that people are matched with their perfect match ‘on paper’ and then put into a house with 10 other perfectly matched couples. They then have to figure out who is their ideal partner by going on dates and getting to know all the housemates. If they all guess right they win £1 million. It’s like Love Island meets Married at First Sight with prize money - genius!

Steph clearly likes to party and Jonathan likes quiet nights in. Surely that would have been a major red flag in the matching process?. The thing is, Steph is probably looking for someone with whom she wants to stay home and cuddle up, but as that isn’t Jonathan she’s just carrying on as if she’s single. If the right guy came along she’d probably drop her mates like a hot potato

RagingWhoreBag I love Are You The One! I think one couple from the first series actually stayed together and had a baby!

Good point about Steph would possibly be happy staying in if it was the right person.

Steph was SO rude when she was in the kitchen and Jonathan's friends were round and she made that comment about it being boring. Regardless of how you feel there is just no excuse for such appealing bad manners. You save those sort of conversations for when your guests have gone.

Verity does talk slowly but she’s from Norfolk and they do talk slowly there! This ‘science’ matching is complete bollocks, after so many failures they need to knock it on the head. I remember last year they had an expert on that had used dna to match the couples, the theory being that the closer the dna match the better, that must be crap or we would all being shagging our cousins

How many people actually applied this year? I get the impression that there was a very limited selection of people.

I'd be interested in hearing Dr Pepper Shwartz's take on the difference between the American and British shows and the contestants.

@Minglemangle I did wonder if she was from Norfolk or Suffolk. Slowest talkers in the world there. Conversations take ages.

I did t notice Verity speaking slowly because I am so distracted with her long eye blinking and the way she shakes her shoulders when she utters the mere hint of a giggle. Dear God, its so annoying,I'd have to bin her for that alone!

I don't think her husband,forgotten his name, is 'respecting' her by waiting to consumate the marriage,more like he can get an annulment if need be, is that quicker than a normal divorce?

Yes I thought the same Dame about the annulment?

I love the game-like aspect of Are You The One. And how there’s always one pair who really want to shag each other fall in love with a non-match at the start and refuse to accept it’s a trial and error game. That’s always quite amusing.

I think verity is really quite attractive until she starts talking and, particularly, laughing. It’s like those people with nice online dating photos who are a terrible disappointment when you actually meet them.

I agree that the whole trust in Science is fundamentally flawed. Apart from anything, science is a way of asking questions about the world and seeking answers; it’s not even meant to do what the programme makers claim.

I think it was 7000 approx applied, although that might be the figure from an earlier series? It's honestly quite a small field.

Steph is really annoying me. I know she's been hurt and must find it hard to trust, but she's acting like a surly teen, determined to pick a fight. Jonathan is a bit gentle for her, but I think she's been quite hard work, too. She seems determined to absolutely crush him, whereas I think he's trying a little too hard to be liked. They are so ill suited, hobbies & temperament wise. I agree that they're a bad match.

Jack's a funny one. He still seems such a lad, and I think Verity needs someone to reassure her more. She strikes me as someone who has picked up a lot of damage to her self esteem from OLD. She definitely wants to be physically near him a lot. Jonathan would make her feel a million dollars! They've been a lot more sensible about geographical distance this year, though, or Jonathan and Verity would have been a match, I think.

Jack's dad really thinks he's someone, doesn't he? Ridiculous self image topped with the mistaken belief that Verity is unattractive/unworthy. He thinks she might be hard to get rid of, once she knows they have money, I reckon. No tailoring in the world could hide the fact he's an arrogant spiv.

Re Verity’s facial tics, I know a few people like that, they have difficulty making eye contact, look up, close or roll eyes upwards. It’s a sign of nervousness & lack of confidence. I have done some TV training work, where you need a steady, unblinking gaze to camera. Can be done. It is not natural for me, but I am now much better at eye contact, steady gaze, less blinking. Too bad the matching team did not work with her on this.

I actually think that verity looks better in the bits where she’s being interviewed on her own as she doesn’t tend to gurn in them.

Why do some people speak really slowly? Is it that their brains don't come up with the words quickly enough, or that their mouths move slowly?

Poor Jonathan, he couldn't do right for doing wrong. Although if he'd made that prissy remark to me about parking eight inches over I'd have wrapped his pool cue round his neck.

Poor Jonathan, he couldn't do right for doing wrong. Although if he'd made that prissy remark to me about parking eight inches over I'd have wrapped his pool cue round his neck.

^
This. With bells on.

It was completely the wrong thing to say to her and you could feel her eyes rolling into the back of her head.

The whole episode was hard to watch. I agree with others that there is something a little effeminate/camp about Jonathan though, but I don't think he's gay. Watching him caper about because of wasps was so embarrassing - I'd have walked off at that point.

Steph has completely checked out but there's no need for her to be quite so rude - not sure she really ever checked in though . Can't wait until next week.

Missed the remark about her parking. TBF, I'd be freaking out over the wasps too!

Can't bear how jack and his family keep describing Verity as different to his exes cos he normally goes for looks, as if verity is unattractive. She isn't unattractive and they think Jack is something he isn't.

Only 700 applied.

Yes, I think Jack is going to ask for an annulment and say "sorry, there was just something missing. Let's be friends." Next week.

Also, I'd kill any man who called me "my dear".

Its patronising and very platonic

I think Stephanie is cold towards Jonathan because he can't take a hint whatsoever and she doesn't want to encourage him.

They should get the people who match the dates on First dates to do the matching for them.

But the cynic in me thinks it's better TV if they don't get on.