MAFS Social Media, Spoilers & Speculation

[StatisticalOutlier]

18 hours ago, Yeah No said:

She may assume that when the camera people go home, she is off the record. 

But @Empress1 gave examples where this very show has used night-camera-in-the-apartment footage in previous episodes. 

Maybe (and possibly apparently) she did assume she was off the record, but it wasn't a reasonable assumption, knowing what everybody knows about reality TV by now.  The only people who can claim "I didn't realize" would be the Loud family, and the original New York City cast of The Real World. 

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Maybe (and possibly apparently) she did assume she was off the record, but it wasn't a reasonable assumption, knowing what everybody knows about reality TV by now.  The only people who can claim "I didn't realize" would be the Loud family, and the original New York City cast of The Real World. 

Yeah, in 2022 "I didn't think they'd film me on this TV show I'm on" really isn't a reasonable assumption. Like, they've shown people in the shower on reality shows. There's no expectation of privacy.

[qtpye]

5 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

But @Empress1 gave examples where this very show has used night-camera-in-the-apartment footage in previous episodes. 

Maybe (and possibly apparently) she did assume she was off the record, but it wasn't a reasonable assumption, knowing what everybody knows about reality TV by now.  The only people who can claim "I didn't realize" would be the Loud family, and the original New York City cast of The Real World. 

 

3 hours ago, Empress1 said:

Yeah, in 2022 "I didn't think they'd film me on this TV show I'm on" really isn't a reasonable assumption. Like, they've shown people in the shower on reality shows. There's no expectation of privacy.

I think what bothers me is that we see her exclaiming that she is very unsatisfied with the intimate parts of their relationships but later tells the experts everything is perfect.

I think some of the posters were correct in that she was protecting Ryan because she desperately wanted to stay married to him.

I never really felt like Ryan was into her as much as she was into him. Actually, I do not know if she was into him or just into the idea of being a wife.

And there is no way that the show would pass off the chance to showcase a wife almost sobbing about how she gets her husband off each night and he does nothing for her.

Edited January 4, 2022 by qtpye

[Ilovepie]

13 hours ago, qtpye said:

I never really felt like Ryan was into her as much as she was into him. Actually, I do not know if she was into him or just into the idea of being a wife.

I do think Ryan is a nice guy. I also think on a superficial level, they were very compatible. But I also think Ryan is a deeply religious guy, and having committed to getting married, wanted to take it seriously, but there were so many red flags about important issues that he was cautious. I also think he didn't want to air dirty laundry on camera. The most telling statement on his instagram post was the fact that he put religion as a non-negotiable on his application and then these idiots matched him with someone who clearly does not feel the same.

As far as their sex life, I don't think we'll ever know the real truth, and frankly I don't care. They were so different on a fundamental level that sex or not, they were never going to work out.

[Empress1]

2 hours ago, Ilovepie said:

The most telling statement on his instagram post was the fact that he put religion as a non-negotiable on his application and then these idiots matched him with someone who clearly does not feel the same.

Yeah, that’s fucked up of the show to do. Clara wasn’t undecided or questioning. If I remember right she had actively turned her back on religion - didn’t she drop out of a Christian college?

[Ilovepie]

59 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

Yeah, that’s fucked up of the show to do. Clara wasn’t undecided or questioning. If I remember right she had actively turned her back on religion - didn’t she drop out of a Christian college?

I think so, but don't remember completely. Ryan's face when they were talking about having kids and he expressed his interest in raising them in the church and she said "I want them to decide for themselves" really spoke volumes. That's when I knew it was not going to work. Still, they had a good camaraderie that I thought, well, maybe. But I'm sorry, if you are that committed to your belief system, you shouldn't be going on this show. If one of the experts is a freaking "Pastor" and even he can't be trusted to match people with compatible religious beliefs, then it's a sign the show doesn't care about that at all.

I wish we could have seen him questioning the experts about this. Like, hey I put on my application that this was non-negotiable for me. WTF? Some "non-negotiables" are questionable, but this isn't one of those things. But they've been doing this since almost the beginning. If you go back to season two, Davina said she absolutely needed to stay in Manhattan for work, and they matched her with a guy who lived in New Jersey and didn't want to move. He was a weirdo, but still......They might have a slightly better chance of success if they actually used this information instead of completely ignoring it. Because honestly, what is the point of even asking if they are going to totally disregard it anyway?

[qtpye]

2 hours ago, Ilovepie said:

I think so, but don't remember completely. Ryan's face when they were talking about having kids and he expressed his interest in raising them in the church and she said "I want them to decide for themselves" really spoke volumes. That's when I knew it was not going to work. Still, they had a good camaraderie that I thought, well, maybe. But I'm sorry, if you are that committed to your belief system, you shouldn't be going on this show. If one of the experts is a freaking "Pastor" and even he can't be trusted to match people with compatible religious beliefs, then it's a sign the show doesn't care about that at all.

I wish we could have seen him questioning the experts about this. Like, hey I put on my application that this was non-negotiable for me. WTF? Some "non-negotiables" are questionable, but this isn't one of those things. But they've been doing this since almost the beginning. If you go back to season two, Davina said she absolutely needed to stay in Manhattan for work, and they matched her with a guy who lived in New Jersey and didn't want to move. He was a weirdo, but still......They might have a slightly better chance of success if they actually used this information instead of completely ignoring it. Because honestly, what is the point of even asking if they are going to totally disregard it anyway?

Not to mention that they matched a woman who was deathly afraid of dogs with a man who had 3 dogs.

 

[pdlinda]

3 hours ago, Ilovepie said:

But they've been doing this since almost the beginning.

To me they work with what they have cast-wise.  

[ECM1231]

7 hours ago, Ilovepie said:

The most telling statement on his instagram post was the fact that he put religion as a non-negotiable on his application and then these idiots matched him with someone who clearly does not feel the same.

 

I gathered he was religious, as his parents are both pastors, but this is unconscionable on the part of the producers. Just wow!

I'd have opted to try to get the marriage annulled, if I were him, but that might have proved difficult since they consummated the marriage. 

[Elizzikra]

7 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

I gathered he was religious, as his parents are both pastors, but this is unconscionable on the part of the producers. Just wow!

I'd have opted to try to get the marriage annulled, if I were him, but that might have proved difficult since they consummated the marriage. 

Eh - I know Catholics who married in the church and definitely consummated the marriage on multiple occasions because they had children; they still managed to get their marriages annulled. Given enough time, money and patience, all things are possible I suppose.

[Ilovepie]

16 hours ago, pdlinda said:

To me they work with what they have cast-wise.  

Which is why some "non-negotiables" should be given a side eye. But I don't think they even try, and if religion was a non-negotiable for him, then maybe he's the one that shouldn't have been cast since that is not something most people would compromise on. This isn't a passing well, I'm a Christian, but I'm open like Dallas Dave. Ryan's parents are pastors! I think since Clara is more flexible, they could have found someone else that would be more suitable for her. Ryan should have gone in the reject pile unless they found someone (not Clara) who felt the same. Not because he's a bad guy, but because they couldn't find a match. They have to start looking deeper than superficial things, or even, stupid things like, "Family is very important to them both!" because, well, duh, that's true of most people.

[pdlinda]

16 minutes ago, Ilovepie said:

Which is why some "non-negotiables" should be given a side eye. But I don't think they even try, and if religion was a non-negotiable for him, then maybe he's the one that shouldn't have been cast since that is not something most people would compromise on.

My belief is that they have a selection of viable candidates (ready, willing and able to be available for the filming) that is not very large.  Therefore, they "mix and match" what they have (like a Rubik cube) to pair those they think will make the best match from a "drama" perspective.

My sense is that the goal of the show is no longer "marriage" in the traditional sense.  It's just creating a high-drama package of disparate people to draw in an audience.

[Retired at last]

1 hour ago, pdlinda said:

Therefore, they "mix and match" what they have (like a Rubik cube) to pair those they think will make the best match from a "drama" perspective.

That's what I think. I think the producers select the people who can bring the most drama and then maybe they let the "experts" match them up, but I can't believe the experts do any selecting. Just my thoughts.

I wonder if Dr. Viv will have a new costume this season? She has done Pocahontas, so maybe she will be Belle or Ariel this time?

[Ilovepie]

1 hour ago, pdlinda said:

My sense is that the goal of the show is no longer "marriage" in the traditional sense.  It's just creating a high-drama package of disparate people to draw in an audience.

I agree 100% which is why my interest in the show is waning. The crazier they cast, the less I care to watch.

[StatisticalOutlier]

17 hours ago, ECM1231 said:

I'd have opted to try to get the marriage annulled, if I were him, but that might have proved difficult since they consummated the marriage. 

Marriage, divorce, and annulment laws are state specific, and can vary among states.  I've looked at the annulment laws of several states over the last couple of years (including Texas, where Ryan lives) because of this stupid show, and have yet to find one that allows an annulment based solely on the marriage never having been consummated.  I think this is a misconception along the lines of living together for X number of years automatically makes you common-law married--that's not the law in any state.

Grounds for annulment are based on things like mental capacity, duress, fraud.  In several states I've looked into, one of the grounds is permanent impotence, but the statutes require the physical inability to have sex, and not just the choice not to have sex.

I've seen plenty of websites that say non-consummation is grounds for annulment, and while that's technically true, it's not the whole story.  Every time I looked at the underlying statute in that state, the statute said the non-consummation has to be because of physical impotence.  That means you can file for an annulment based on non-consummation, but in order to satisfy the statute and actually get the annulment, you'll have to prove that the non-consummation is because of physical inability, and sometimes permanent physical inability.   

And that makes sense because the whole idea behind annulment is that you agreed to something you wouldn't have agreed to if you'd known all the facts.  In fact, the Texas statute says a marriage becomes ineligible for annulment based on impotency if the party continues to cohabit with the impotent person after learning of the impotency. 

But here's where it gets really interesting:  It's a judge who decides whether to grant an annulment, and there's actually nothing stopping him from deciding whatever he wants regardless of the statute.  He could be in a state where permanent impotence is required in the case of non-consummation, but grant the annulment based solely on the wife refusing to have sex with her husband because she just doesn't want to (no showing of impotence), or despite uncontroverted evidence that the husband is having sex with other women and is therefore not impotent.  The decision would be reviewed only if there is an appeal, and if both parties are happy with the decision to grant the annulment, there won't be an appeal.  The annulment will stand, even though it didn't satisfy the requirements of the statute, but only because it didn't get appealed and not because it was the correct application of the statute to the facts presented.

17 hours ago, Elizzikra said:

Eh - I know Catholics who married in the church and definitely consummated the marriage on multiple occasions because they had children; they still managed to get their marriages annulled.

Annulment in the Catholic church is different froam civil annulment because it addresses only the sacrament of marriage, and not the legality of a marriage.  The usual situation is divorced people request an annulment from the church, and if it is granted, it means they can remarry in the church, but they're still divorced in the eyes of the law. 

[pdlinda]

2 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

But here's where it gets really interesting:  It's a judge who decides whether to grant an annulment, and there's actually nothing stopping him from deciding whatever he wants regardless of the statute. 

Your excellent, concise and informative discussion of the issue of annulment serving as a possible "escape valve" for prospective candidates to consider if the match doesn't work out (rather than a divorce) would, in my opinion, further limit the # of candidates for the show. 

What you're describing (especially the part about the Court's discretion regarding granting or denying the application) would probably be VERY COSTLY and time consuming.

Even a divorce, should the couple choose to stay married on decision day but wish to divorce at a later date, involves costs ,TIME and effort to make sure all the paperwork is filled out and processed properly (probably would involve retaining an attorney).  My understanding is that if the couple parts ways on DD, the show picks up the tab and retains, or has on staff, an attorney.

This, in addition to the loss of privacy, emotional distress and, possibly loss of reputation by appearing on the show doesn't auger well for many people deciding whether they want to participate, especially after the last 2 seasons! 

 

[StatisticalOutlier]

27 minutes ago, pdlinda said:

Even a divorce, should the couple choose to stay married on decision day but wish to divorce at a later date, involves costs ,TIME and effort to make sure all the paperwork is filled out and processed properly (probably would involve retaining an attorney). 

I have a friend who years ago did her own divorce in Texas (probably the early 1980s).  She got a book called "Do Your Own Divorce" or something and followed the instructions, and at the end of the hearing, the judge said something like, "Congratulations, little lady, you're divorced!"

Frankly, I don't know why anybody on this show would fight to get an annulment instead of just filing for divorce.  It just doesn't fit, to me, that someone who has very strong feelings about marriage, and the unacceptability of divorce, would sign up for this show in the first place.  

Quote

What you're describing (especially the part about the Court's discretion regarding granting or denying the application)

To clarify--the judge isn't exercising any discretion.  The statute sets out the grounds for an annulment.  The judge isn't granted the discretion to ignore them, but he can make a mistake in determining whether the facts support those grounds. 

A decision based on such a mistake stands unless it's challenged on appeal, and in the case of a MAFS marriage, the other spouse is unlikely to want to appeal an annulment.

Edited January 5, 2022 by StatisticalOutlier

[Retired at last]

It seems to me that fraud would be the most used reason for annulment. Since they don't know anything about who they married, I am sure there is misrepresentation by either the experts or the people themselves.  If people are under the impression that their assigned match was matched according to specifications, and then they find that they really aren't what "they asked for," it seems like you could make a case for that.

Reminds me of a cartoon my manager had hanging in his office. It was a man talking to a vendor or employee and he says, "Yes, that's exactly what I wanted and I don't like it!"

[Elizzikra]

Quote

She has done Pocahontas, so maybe she will be Belle or Ariel this time?

Little Mermaid?

Quote

It seems to me that fraud would be the most used reason for annulment. Since they don't know anything about who they married, I am sure there is misrepresentation by either the experts or the people themselves.  If people are under the impression that their assigned match was matched according to specifications, and then they find that they really aren't what "they asked for," it seems like you could make a case for that.

I thought I remembered another cast member seeking an annulment at some point? Paige, maybe, who was matched with that godawful Chris - who was expecting a child with another woman when he married Paige? 

[gingerandcloves]

One minor "spoiler" that I saw: Lindsey has her wedding dress up for sale. Maybe she's just trying to recoup some money, but personally I don't think it's a good sign for the marriage *coughMyrlacough*.

Also, there were two couples who successfully obtained annulments, both from the D.C. season  - Meka and Michael, and Taylor and Brandon.

Edited January 6, 2022 by gingerandcloves

[StatisticalOutlier]

6 hours ago, gingerandcloves said:

Also, there were two couples who successfully obtained annulments, both from the D.C. season  - Meka and Michael, and Taylor and Brandon.

I'd forgotten which couple it was.  The thing is, Michael, the one who lied about absolutely everything even in situations where he was bound to get caught (not only lying about being a yoga instructor but having Meka show up at the studio for a class!) is the one who filed for an annulment based on fraud. 

Meka posted some long account of the hearing they had (done remotely because of Covid), but as far as I know there's no official record, like a transcript.  From her account, it was a real mess. 

What I remember her saying is that Michael's lawyer was throwing all sorts of stuff around, including that Meka had changed her name (which was true, but not done for purposes of fraud) and maybe she was running from the law or something.  The lawyer was also alleging fraud on the part of show, but didn't present any evidence other than Michael was recruited for the show and didn't understand what he was getting into (which isn't fraud), and the claim that the show matched them for drama instead of marriage, which would be REALLY hard to prove, and even if they did match them for drama, is that actually fraud?  But nobody from the show was there anyway, to testify one way or the other, so that can't (or shouldn't) have entered into the judge's decision.

I recall that the judge asked Meka about her intentions with respect to the marriage and she said she wanted to be married.

The judge asked Meka if she wanted an annulment and she said she didn't care if it was an annulment or a divorce, she just wanted out.  And the judge granted the annulment.

That's what got me thinking about the process of annulment, because from Meka's account, it sounds like the judge just decided to grant it because she was okay with it and Michael was obviously okay with it because he's the one who asked for it, and the facts were a big mess. 

That's not how it's supposed to work--the judge is supposed to listen to the testimony and decide what the facts (truth) are, and then apply the law to those facts.  So how did this happen?  That's when I realized that the only way irregularities get reviewed is if there is an appeal, and if both parties want the annulment, then neither will appeal.

And it might seem that if both parties want the annulment, then what's the problem with giving it to them, but if that's the system we want, then we need to change the laws that require that annulments can be granted only if certain elements are present.

I don't know of any account of Brandon and Taylor's annulment, but Brandon had the same lawyer Michael did, and my recollection is that Brandon was alleging fraud by the show, but also that Taylor went on the show only to increase her social media presence, which could be evidence of fraud on her part, and she'd be there to address that (unlike allegations of fraud by the show).  What I'd like to know is whether that judge explicitly found that Taylor had engaged in fraud and granted the annulment based on that, or if it was another mishmash decision like Meka and Michael's. 

[ECM1231]

Never mind. Just wrote a long-winded answer about Meka and Michael and see that @StatisticalOutlier beat me to it.

Edited January 7, 2022 by ECM1231

[Koalagirl]

A couple of interesting things on the after show which was so much better without Jamie Otis as host. Jasmina was recruited to be on the show. When asked what her first impression was of Mark, Lindsey said she thought he was a “guido” and she never dated guidos but figured she would give it a shot. She also said that the morning after the bachelorette party she realized that Alyssa had blocked her on social media. She gave some excuse then Jasmina called her out on it and said that two of Alyssa’s friends as well as two of her own friends heard Lindsey talking negatively about her, told Alyssa, and that’s why she was blocked. They showed an unaired clip of Lindsey looking for her written vows before she entered the area to walk down the aisle. In front of the camera people, the producer, and others she literally pulled down the top of her wedding gown.  Katina looked completely disgusted and asked why she didn’t just pull down one strap at a time and Lindsey responded that she had pasties on so it was no big deal.  I think Lindsey is going to wear thin on everyone.  I did feel sorry when she said her mother was in town the week leading up to the wedding but left so she wouldn’t be there for the wedding.  

 

[gingerandcloves]

Actually, I might be wrong about Lindsey's dress...it could have been the one from her first (non) wedding. Maybe someone else here knows.

[StatisticalOutlier]

5 hours ago, ECM1231 said:

Never mind. Just wrote a long-winded answer about Meka and Michael and see that @StatisticalOutlier beat me to it.

Did I get it right?  I was working from memory.

3 hours ago, Koalagirl said:

She also said that the morning after the bachelorette party she realized that Alyssa had blocked her on social media.

I'll admit I'm old, and I don't do social media, but all this blocking people do just seems so dumb.

[Elizzikra]

Quote

Actually, I might be wrong about Lindsey's dress...it could have been the one from her first (non) wedding. Maybe someone else here knows.

I think she is selling the dress that she wore on MAFS. That is a different dress than the one she had for her first (non) wedding as she said during the shopping scene that this was the second time she went wedding dress shopping in her life. 

That said, I don't think that selling the dress necessarily says anything about the success of the marriage. A lot of brides sell their dresses right after the wedding now; people sort of recognize that there's not much point saving them (no, your children and grandchildren aren't going to wear them); they're expensive and the styles change so quickly that you want to sell right away while something is still current. I think a lot of MAFS brides also buy a lot of new clothes, makeup, accessories, etc. for the show so maybe they use what they make off the dress to offset those costs?

[NowVoyager]

Speculation that Alyssa & Chris don't make it past 2 weeks begins ~13:00. The evidence is there's no footage of them dressed up for decision day like the other couples.

 

[Yeah No]

On 1/3/2022 at 6:09 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

But @Empress1 gave examples where this very show has used night-camera-in-the-apartment footage in previous episodes. 

Maybe (and possibly apparently) she did assume she was off the record, but it wasn't a reasonable assumption, knowing what everybody knows about reality TV by now.  The only people who can claim "I didn't realize" would be the Loud family, and the original New York City cast of The Real World. 

Since when do most human beings make "reasonable assumptions"?  Even if it was unreasonable, it's not beyond understandable in my opinion.  I've found that most things to do with human relationships defy the reasonable.  And that's really my point.

Besides, I personally think Clara was only keeping quiet about it because she felt desperate to hold onto the marriage.  If what she said about Ryan in that clip was true I don't think she owed him anything at that point.  It sounded to me like she felt disrespected and even used by him by that time, and if that's the case more power to her for not letting him shut her up about it.  Her doing it when the main camera crew wasn't there and only with the other women tells me she was looking for support and maybe had too many glasses of wine to care at that point about "reasonable assumptions".  She just didn't want to stand up and publicly admit to the world that things were that bad or she would have taken a different attitude in her talking heads, one that matched what she said to those women.  If she really knew that clip was going to be used she wouldn't have continued to keep saying and doing things in front of the main cameras that were incongruent with it, like keeping quiet about their sex life when he was on camera with her and in her talking heads.  She would have been aware that they might use it and have realized she would be seen as a hypocrite for keeping up the charade for him.  But obviously she didn't do that precisely because she probably wasn't making "reasonable assumptions".

[qtpye]

On 1/9/2022 at 12:07 PM, NowVoyager said:

Speculation that Alyssa & Chris don't make it past 2 weeks begins ~13:00. The evidence is there's no footage of them dressed up for decision day like the other couples.

 

Thanks for posting this. I love Tamara T.

I did not expect Alyssa and Chris to be the ones that might not make it 2weeks. I thought they would not connect but be the boring couple that rides it out till the divorce. 
I guess we’ll see.

Edited January 11, 2022 by qtpye

[pdlinda]

1 hour ago, qtpye said:

Thanks for posting this. I love Tamara T.

I did not expect Alyssa and Chris to be the ones that might not make it 2weeks. I thought they would not connect but be the boring couple that rides it out till like he divorce. 
I guess we’ll see.

LOL....I accidentally deleted the episode from my DVR (I mistakenly recorded that new show that replaced Jamie that I had no interest whatsoever to view) so now my interest is whetted about the new couples.

I know they always repeat the last show in a time slot leading up to the new episode so I'll catch it on Wednesday.

[buttersister]

What was it about Alyssa and Chris that PepperPastorPochahontas thought would flourish? LOL! How's the pool for 0/5?

[Yeah No]

6 hours ago, qtpye said:

I did not expect Alyssa and Chris to be the ones that might not make it 2weeks. I thought they would not connect but be the boring couple that rides it out till like he divorce. 
I guess we’ll see.

Actually it wouldn't surprise me.  I saw them as a huge mismatch from the start.  I think he would physically turn her off.  She wanted a guy with nice teeth and given how athletic she seems to be I'll bet she wanted someone thinner and more athletic.  It probably has a lot to do with his appearance.  He's not for everyone.  I would never be able to warm up to him that way.  Plus she seems like a "tough room" in some ways.  I can't put my finger on it.  Like she wouldn't even give it the ol' college try.

[gingerandcloves]

There was a hint that the Alyssa-Chris match was a bust early on. If you look at the promo pictures of each of the couples...four out of the five are taken inside an apartment. One isn't...guess which one. Yep. 

[qtpye]

1 hour ago, gingerandcloves said:

There was a hint that the Alyssa-Chris match was a bust early on. If you look at the promo pictures of each of the couples...four out of the five are taken inside an apartment. One isn't...guess which one. Yep. 

 

2 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Actually it wouldn't surprise me.  I saw them as a huge mismatch from the start.  I think he would physically turn her off.  She wanted a guy with nice teeth and given how athletic she seems to be I'll bet she wanted someone thinner and more athletic.  It probably has a lot to do with his appearance.  He's not for everyone.  I would never be able to warm up to him that way.  Plus she seems like a "tough room" in some ways.  I can't put my finger on it.  Like she wouldn't even give it the ol' college try.

I too, had doubts that she would be attracted to him. He reminds me a bit of Anthony from Couples Cam.

However, I heard that the penalty in not finishing the show was huge. That is why Zack (from Zack and Mindy) and asshole Chris from Atlanta continued to film despite not wanting anything to do with their brides.

They must have really hated each other to cut it so short.

 

[princelina]

So I'm a little behind on this season - mainly because each episode is 3 HOURS LONG!!!😡. Does anyone know if that's the plan for all episodes all season?

[Yeah No]

2 hours ago, princelina said:

So I'm a little behind on this season - mainly because each episode is 3 HOURS LONG!!!😡. Does anyone know if that's the plan for all episodes all season?

No, like last season it's only the first two intro. episodes that are 3 hours.  This Wednesday's episode was back to 2 hours.  I figure with the increased number of commercials I have to FF through I'm only watching 20 minutes more show than if it was only an hour long.

[Polliwollidoodle]

On 1/9/2022 at 12:07 PM, NowVoyager said:

Speculation that Alyssa & Chris don't make it past 2 weeks begins ~13:00. The evidence is there's no footage of them dressed up for decision day like the other couples.

 

ok I didn't look at the spoiler clip- but when I saw the photo of Alyssa and Chris in qtpye's post like 3 or 4 above this, I thought the body language was not promising. They did not look like they were into each other or comfortable with each other.

I think I have shared that in the still photos, I think Alyssa looks much better than in the actual videos. I still think she is a very attractive woman but sometimes I don't think the videos flatter her. I think the opposite with Chris. In the videos, it is much more flattering a look than the still photos. I don't think physically they are a match, but from the little we've seen so far, they seem to share really wanting to be married and not being loud and raunchy in public. Like how she didn't want to do shots and sat with her friends, and he was not into dancing with the strippers but saying he wanted that with his wife. 

I figured if any couple would bomb out I could see it being Lindsey and Mark. She is really a lot to deal with and although he was going in with a positive attitude and trying to see the bright side, he is definitely aware of how over the top she is ( energetic I think he said? lol) and to me, that would just wear me OUT.

 

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 1/10/2022 at 6:24 PM, gingerandcloves said:

There was a hint that the Alyssa-Chris match was a bust early on. If you look at the promo pictures of each of the couples...four out of the five are taken inside an apartment. One isn't...guess which one. Yep. 

Look at her tan line.  I remember noticing a similar tan line on one of the brides trying on wedding dresses.  I wonder if it's an indicator of when this picture was taken.

Or not.  Or it doesn't matter.  Probably just a Zapruder moment I'm having.

But my main issue is what's up with her runway-pose foot placement?  I don't care if it makes me look like a galumph--I hereby swear never to do that to my legs in a photo.  Chris gets to stand like a functional biped, so I should get to, too.

[Crashcourse]

4 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

But my main issue is what's up with her runway-pose foot placement?  I don't care if it makes me look like a galumph--I hereby swear never to do that to my legs in a photo.  Chris gets to stand like a functional biped, so I should get to, too.

Also, she has rather thin legs, so (at least in her mind) that pose kind of hides that fact. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

7 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

Also, she has rather thin legs, so (at least in her mind) that pose kind of hides that fact. 

But then there's no visible thigh gap. 

Meanwhile, Chris is just standing there.

[Retired at last]

Alyssa isn't as pretty as she thinks she is (she is still pretty, though), but she seems like she could do better than Chris, who is not attractive at all (to me). I am kind of looking forward to a little drama, just not as much as we have had in the last 2 seasons.

[Jax7917]

Agreeing with the post above who said Chris reminds them of Anthony from a different season (the one married to Ashley.) Chris isn't a gorgeous guy but he's not bad looking. Do the people expect supermodels going into this show? There's been some good-looking brides or grooms in seasons past but that's a rarity. To go into this show being shallow in the looks department is just stupid because if you're picky, then you should be on dating sites weeding the suitors out by looks, not praying that the experts who are known for giving the worst matches possible so there's drama are going to do right by you.

Lindsey is annoying as hell but she's not wrong in her bad thoughts about Alyssa. She does come off snooty and boring.

[Elizzikra]

Quote

Chris isn't a gorgeous guy but he's not bad looking.

I think Chris is a good looking guy - sure, not a model, but handsome enough. He takes care with his appearance, has good taste in clothes and seems to present himself appropriately for the occasion. Moreover, he seems like a nice guy who works hard and is eager to be married and have a family. 

I've dated worse, until I lucked out and found my amazing husband.

[Jax7917]

8 minutes ago, Elizzikra said:

I think Chris is a good looking guy - sure, not a model, but handsome enough. He takes care with his appearance, has good taste in clothes and seems to present himself appropriately for the occasion. Moreover, he seems like a nice guy who works hard and is eager to be married and have a family. 

I've dated worse, until I lucked out and found my amazing husband.

Yup! But a lot of people go on this show and say they are ready to change their ways and are looking for a good person but then they meet their spouse and can't get past the looks aspect of it. It's perfectly reasonable to need to be attracted to the person on at least some level but it's unreasonable to agree to marry someone you've never seen, met or know anything about and then harp on their looks or your lack of attraction all season.

I feel like the show would have more success if it was kinda like a tinder but you get married. You are given a bunch of photos of people who sign up for this show and then swipe until you choose some of the people who you are attracted to and then if 2 people match, then the experts step in, go through their usual bullshit reasons for matching 2 people and set them up to be married (the husbands and wives still wouldn't know who they are going to be marrying because they have approved of multiple people, so it would still be a surprise.)

I know a big part of the drama is the lack of attraction so I get why they do it like this but getting 0/5 matches is embarrassing. They need to switch up the formula.

Edited January 14, 2022 by Jax7917

[Cramps]

I rewatched the promo for the upcoming season. It looks like all the post-wedding footage of Chris and Alyssa might come from the honeymoon. But there are definitely no decision day shots of them whatsoever…

[gingerandcloves]

5 hours ago, Cramps said:

I rewatched the promo for the upcoming season. It looks like all the post-wedding footage of Chris and Alyssa might come from the honeymoon. But there are definitely no decision day shots of them whatsoever…

I didn't even see any honeymoon footage of them, but I'll have to watch again. I think this is going to be an epic disaster.

[qtpye]

I think the last couple who did not show up for D-day in the last few seasons was Zack and Mindy but I could be wrong.

[Booger666]

On 1/14/2022 at 10:22 AM, Elizzikra said:

I think Chris is a good looking guy - sure, not a model, but handsome enough. He takes care with his appearance, has good taste in clothes and seems to present himself appropriately for the occasion. Moreover, he seems like a nice guy who works hard and is eager to be married and have a family. 

I've dated worse, until I lucked out and found my amazing husband.

I also think Chris is a good looking guy.  If one of my friends was dating him I’d be thrilled for her.  He’s cute, kind, good job, and wants to be in a relationship.  I think he’s the only one of the guys on this show I would approve of for a friend.  All the others have some serious red flags.

[Yeah No]

On 1/14/2022 at 11:14 AM, Jax7917 said:

Agreeing with the post above who said Chris reminds them of Anthony from a different season (the one married to Ashley.) Chris isn't a gorgeous guy but he's not bad looking. Do the people expect supermodels going into this show? There's been some good-looking brides or grooms in seasons past but that's a rarity. To go into this show being shallow in the looks department is just stupid because if you're picky, then you should be on dating sites weeding the suitors out by looks, not praying that the experts who are known for giving the worst matches possible so there's drama are going to do right by you.

Lindsey is annoying as hell but she's not wrong in her bad thoughts about Alyssa. She does come off snooty and boring.

I wouldn't say I'm super picky, but when a guy is not classically good looking there has to be "something" about him to make me feel attracted to him.  I even found Jamie of Jamie and Elizabeth attractive.  And even though Anthony was a zero for me when I first saw him he later won me over with his sense of humor.  Right now I find Chris even less attractive than I did Anthony at first, but I know nothing about him yet other than he seems like a decent guy with a good job.  Unfortunately I don't know if all the great qualities in the world could get me over how I feel about him on a purely physical level.  I doubt it right now, but if I can get over Anthony's appearance anything is possible!

[Yeah No]

On 1/14/2022 at 11:14 AM, Jax7917 said:

Chris isn't a gorgeous guy but he's not bad looking. Do the people expect supermodels going into this show? There's been some good-looking brides or grooms in seasons past but that's a rarity.

I think most people expect someone at least evenly matched with them in the looks department and I see nothing wrong with that.  Having once been young and very attractive perhaps I may have higher standards but why wouldn't that be OK?  My husband is/was a handsome guy.  I didn't always date handsome men but I always envisioned myself ending up with someone that I felt was on a par with me appearance-wise.

Unfortunately I think this show often fails in matching people on the same level appearance-wise, but I can think of several couples that I feel were matched evenly, including Jamie and Elizabeth, Deonna and Greg, Tres and Vanessa, Samantha and Neil, Iris and Keith, etc.  There are more of course.  And some of them are very attractive.  Mismatches included Ashley and Anthony (Ashley is better looking) and Jamie and Doug (Jamie is more attractive).  Do I think Chris is less attractive than Alyssa?  Yeah, a bit.  She's no stunner but IMHO still better looking.  My opinion of course.