The Truth About Married At First Sight Marriages
For some, the idea of getting married in the first place is a terrifying thought, let alone to a complete stranger. However, if you sign up for the hit reality show "Married at First Sight" that is exactly what you are doing. Referred to as a social experiment, per Women's Health Magazine, the series enlists a team of marriage specialists to put together the perfect romantic matches. Apparently, these experts have this whole matchmaking thing down to a science. You simply sign up for the show and live happily ever after, right?
Right and wrong. The first step is getting selected, which is a hard task to achieve as hundreds of thousands of applicants audition every season and there are strict guidelines to follow (via Screen Rant). Then, there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes that fans of the show are not seeing. While many couples have found successful partnerships, that isn't always the case. It has people wondering if the unions on the show are actually real or staged for television.
The marriages are real!
Since it is so hard for most people to wrap their heads around marrying a total stranger, people often wonder if the show is real. I mean, who would willingly sign up to commit their lives to someone they've never met? As it turns out, several thousand people are actually looking to find love with a stranger (via Showbiz Cheat Sheet).
If you are one of the thousands who gets paired with someone and eventually married on television, is that marriage legit? According to The Daily Express, it depends on where you live. If you are participating in the United Kingdom's version of the show, the union is not legally binding. However, if you are in the United States, you are in a legal marriage from first sight.
If this sounds terrifying to you, you're not alone. The United States version of the show requires the contestants to sign prenuptial agreements to prevent anything disastrous from happening if they choose to divorce at the end of the show (via The Wrap). The show will even cover some of the divorce costs if you separate within a certain time frame.