Decision day drama. The couples of Married at First Sight season 14 had to decide if they wanted to stay together or get divorced in the Wednesday, May 11, finale — and it was an easier decision for some than others.
One pair made their final choice long before Decision Day on the Lifetime reality show. Chris Collette and Alyssa Ellman only made it through about two of Married at First Sight‘s eight-week filming period before they decided to divorce. Alyssa, 30, made it clear that Chris, 35, wasn’t her typical type, so there wasn’t attraction right away. She started coming up with reasons they couldn’t spend time together, even refusing to live together.
“Alyssa, from the wedding night, has no interest in being married to me,” Chris told MAFS expert Pastor Cal Roberson after a whopping 12 days of holy matrimony. “She says that we’re not compatible. She’s used the phrase robbed … This is my Decision Day. I want a divorce.”
The other couples waited until the Married at First Sight season 14 finale to make their final decisions.
Jasmina Outar and Michael Morency are both “highly compassionate people,” according to MAFS expert Dr. Pepper Schwartz, and that’s part of the reason she, Cal and relationship therapist Dr. Viviana Coles arranged the match.
“They both cherish their large families and their shared morals,” Dr. Pepper continued. “If the only thing holding them back is intimacy, are they committed to married life? Or are they just friends? I would hope Jasmina and Michael could be truly vulnerable with one another, truly trust one another and become physically intimate with one another. I think that would be the trifecta that would bring them together.”
Michael, 28, knows he adores his wife, 29, but he remembers the rocky start of their marriage. He felt “hopeless” at a certain point, but they really connected after letting his walls down. Still, he reveals in his confessional that he knows her stubborn side can get the better of her, and that leaves him feeling less than confident about the future.
Meanwhile, Jasmina thinks Michael has really shown up for her in a big way recently, but she worries about his “lack of accountability” and their communication issues. She still doesn’t feel very romantically connected to her husband.
Jasmine recalls their first month together where they barely spoke and remembers at least two times where she was “ready for a divorce.” She worries that they won’t ever develop that romance.
Her husband has the same fears amid their lack of physical intimacy. Aside from not consummating their marriage, Jasmina barely shows any physical affection. “Am I working on a friendship? Or am I working on a marriage with my wife?” Michael asks.
The pair sit down in front of the experts and say they’re growing more comfortable with each other at a very slow pace. “I feel like I don’t know you enough so you know I want to get to know you more and stay married,” Jasmina reveals.
Michael tells his wife that he has fears about staying married. “My biggest worry is if we continue and what if we never get there? It terrifies me,” he says.
He’s willing to face those fears though. “But I’m not ready to walk away from this marriage. I feel like if we remove all the cameras, remove all the extraneous that this situation puts us in … this would probably be further along. … Yes, I want to stay married to you.”
Next up was Olajuwon Dickerson and Katina Goode, who have had some serious trouble amid Olajuwon’s desire for a very old school marriage.
“Katina and Olajuwon were both ready to throw in the towel on their single, partying lifestyle,” Dr. Pepper reminds viewers. “They’re a great match because they both have fun-loving personalities but are ready to settle down — for themselves and their future children. But Olajuwon has been very critical of Katina sometimes, and Katina has been very slow to be vulnerable and open up. But growing trust and vulnerability has brought them back together, so I am hoping that they will continue along that path and become the great couple we always thought they could be.”
Katina, 29, knows that her husband is attentive and thoughtful, but the reformed womanizer, 29, doesn’t think she can finish school and be a wife. She doesn’t like that Olajuwon questions her goals, and she worries they’re in different places in life, which could be the ultimate dealbreaker.
Olajuwon loves their easy chemistry and shared sense of humor — but that might not be enough. “I want a traditional wife, someone who enjoys cooking and cleaning,” Olajuwon says in his confessional. He claims is wife is “getting better,” but “not fully there yet.”
He worries about all of her goals and balancing responsibilities. “Katina wants to travel, become a mom and finish school, but if she’s doing all those things, how can I be sure that she is going to make me happy every single day?” Olajuwon explains while looking back at their relationship. “I really care for Katina, but if we can’t get on the same page, we’re going to have to end this chapter.”
They sit down with the experts and talk about their strong chemistry — but the experts question why they never consummated the relationship. Olajuwon said he needed to build their emotional connection before getting physical so he could focus on building the foundation of their marriage. They make it clear that the desire to have sex is definitely there.
The sparks aren’t the problem for these two. They have had issues when discussing their future, especially with Katina’s goals. Olajuwon says Katina’s subpar cooking skills are “a big sacrifice” for him, and he admits that he’s “more traditional” than he realized at the beginning of Married at First Sight.
His vintage views on marriage didn’t put off Katina. “I feel a bond with you, and even though you feel like our timelines aren’t matching up, I feel like, for me, it’s not a dealbreaker,” Jasmina reveals. “So my decision is I want to stay married to you because I feel like our marriage needs more time than just he eight weeks.”
Olajuwon reveals his decision. “When I came into this marriage, I asked for a woman who’s more established in life. And those are the reasons why I would say no today,” he said. “But I will say this: I love our chemistry. I love who you are as a person. I love to be around you — and your effort is what made me overlook all those things.”
He wants to stay married too. The Bostonian says he respects Katina so much for trying to live up to his standards for a wife, and he believes his late father chose her as his wife.
“My dad used to always tell me, ‘You don’t always need to know what’s next for you. Sometimes you need to live in the moment and enjoy the people around you,’” he recalled. “I said this before I got married: I think my dad made me go through this process and he has chosen the woman for me.”
Noi Phommasak and Steve Moy are “fellow romantics,” Dr. Viviana says. “They both come from close knit families with a strong desire to have children. They have the foundation for a long-lasting marriage, but only if they can work through their financial issues and both feel secure with trusting each other.”
Steven, 38, is in love with Noi, 33, and is proud to be her husband, but they have issues. He worries that he doesn’t live up to her standards, especially since she seems to constantly be on his case about finding a job. She wants him to handle all of the cooking and cleaning since he isn’t the breadwinner.
Noi loves Steven’s humorous side and loves how positive he is. However, after a childhood where she lacked financial stability, she worries about his ability to contribute to their household. Plus, Noi isn’t sure Steve will ever trust her.
As they head into Decision Day, Noi wishes they had more time to work through their issues. She immediately gets teary-eyed as she discusses how safe she feels with her husband and reveals she could never be so vulnerable in past relationships. “I don’t ever feel like he’s judging me or thinking any less of me, and it makes me emotional because I just haven’t felt that in a long time,” she says.
They still have big hurdles to work through. Noi mentions their conflict about housework. She feels like he keeps track of each thing he does and looks for balance while she believes 50/50 division of cooking and cleaning is impossible — especially since he still doesn’t have a job.
Steve loves how comfortable they are with each other as well, and those problems aren’t dealbreakers. “I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather do this with, build a family with,” he says.
He and his wife are still together after Decision Day, with Noi saying, “I would love to stay married with you. In a very short amount of time, you have taught me what it means to be vulnerable.”
Mark Maher and Lindsey Georgoulis are “both high-energy, outgoing personalities who also have a deep, caring side,” Dr. Pepper says. “They both strive for a future and family together — but explosive fights and difficult communication has been their downfall.”
Mark loves how Lindsey puts him first and cares for him. He isn’t so fond of her blunt personality and lack of filter. Mark knows they’ve argued a lot over the last eight weeks, but he isn’t so sure that they’ve come to the same conclusion on Decision Day.
Lindsey, meanwhile, loves how much they laugh together and knows he’ll be a good dad one day. However, she doesn’t feel like he shows his appreciation for her and is a little too addicted to social media.
Lindsey tells the experts she imagined traveling the world with her husband and baby, and that’s not for everyone — including Mark. She knows he’d rather chill at home in the suburbs, but her real issue is that he can’t think about the future. “Sometimes he’s just looking at his phone instead of the path in front of him,” she explains.
She hates his social media use and considers his posts immature. She also says that he has posted negative comments about her on the internet. Lindsey is insecure about trust and loyalty, and his internet use doesn’t help.
Mark knows that he has grown a lot through the eight weeks, and he wants to see where their marriage goes. He says he wants to stay together.
“You are genuinely good and kind,” Lindsey replies, before pulling a button out of her pocket that was green with a big “YES” on it. They’re staying together.
Four pairs of newlyweds walked away on Decision Day still together, but will the couples stay married? The Married at First Sight season 14 reunion is sure to reveal some surprises when it airs Wednesday, May 18, at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.
Scroll down to see a rundown of everyone’s finale relationship status — and find out who scored a new diamond ring:
