Married At First Sight: Slightly Accelerated Arranged Marriage

It’s your wedding day. You have never met the person you’re marrying. They have been hand-picked by a team of ‘relationship experts’ who have matched you together via a series of compatibility tests – taking into account your preferences, values and desires. Sounds radical.

However, this was the case for a group of 6 contestants who chose to participate in FYI channel’s reality show, Married at First Sight.  Currently airing its second cycle, Married At First Sight is a outrageous social experiment with some important cultural takeaways.

Portraying a slightly accelerated version of an arranged marriage, the show often played up the ridiculousness of marrying someone you haven’t dated. Many of the challenges faced by the couples are attributed to them not knowing each other before marriage, however, they are shown solving these issues almost immediately.

To the surprise of audiences, two out of the three couples stayed together --- making the experiment a “success”. While this certainly won’t radically ease the stigma over arranged marriages prevalent in the West, the show does offer viewers a better understanding how arranged marriages could possibly work.

The couples, who both met and wed each other on the same day, were followed by cameras as they honeymooned, moved in together, encountered each other’s friends and family, and tackled all the challenges married life brings. At the end of the first season, which lasted about three weeks, they chose either to divorce or stay together.

Following up on its first season, Married at First Sight: The First Year, follows the two couples who chose to remain together. Simultaneously, another cycle of experimenters have signed on to tie the knot at first sight, and new episodes have started airing on FYI.