S.17 Former Cast Tell-All

[Retired at last]

My guide says Former MAFS cast members return to reveal behind the scenes gossip and insider information on what really happened during their seasons and beyond.

 

My thoughts - this COULD be interesting, depending on who they get and what scoop they will allow.

[atomic]

26 minutes ago, Retired at last said:

My guide says Former MAFS cast members return to reveal behind the scenes gossip and insider information on what really happened during their seasons and beyond.

 

My thoughts - this COULD be interesting, depending on who they get and what scoop they will allow.

It's going to be:

Airris
Bennett 
Jamie and Doug 
Paige
Rachel 
Stacia

I'm personally not interested enough in any of the others to sit through Jamie and Doug for two hours, but hopefully those who do watch can share any good scoop!

Edited April 3 by atomic

[Crashcourse]

Welp.  I got through the first 20 minutes and that's enough because I'm not interested in any of these people.

[Rightside]

Oh no. I thought it was the "evening gown competition" reunion show. 

Ugh, it is more filler with people I could care less to hear talk.

Still, another week of our nation nightmare to come! My DVR is really getting a workout.

[JenE4]

I’ve only seen Jaime and Doug and Aris’s seasons out of this group. But even though I have no idea who these people are or what they experienced, I’m still engaged. Paige’s husband had a pregnant fiancé pop up?!? Wow!! What season was that?! I just posted earlier in the other thread that I was hesitant to stream earlier seasons because the amount of content seems daunting, but I would tune in to see that fallout.

[kristen111]

Stacia with those phoney braids .. what the hell?   This show never ends.  Enough.   Reunion Part 1 next week?  Are they kidding?   This is like a bad dream.

Edited April 4 by kristen111

[Elizzikra]

49 minutes ago, JenE4 said:

I’ve only seen Jaime and Doug and Aris’s seasons out of this group. But even though I have no idea who these people are or what they experienced, I’m still engaged. Paige’s husband had a pregnant fiancé pop up?!? Wow!! What season was that?! I just posted earlier in the other thread that I was hesitant to stream earlier seasons because the amount of content seems daunting, but I would tune in to see that fallout.

It was awful. Her "husband," Chris was just an awful person. Lied constantly; arrogant (with no substance); tried to convince Paige that he was "afraid he would fall in love with her" while admitting on camera that he didn't think she was attractive (though he did have sex with her)... it was painful to watch, honestly.

I think she looks cute pregnant and I hope everything works out for her. 

[JenE4]

16 minutes ago, Elizzikra said:

It was awful. Her "husband," Chris was just an awful person. Lied constantly; arrogant (with no substance); tried to convince Paige that he was "afraid he would fall in love with her" while admitting on camera that he didn't think she was attractive (though he did have sex with her)... it was painful to watch, honestly.

I think she looks cute pregnant and I hope everything works out for her. 

Yikes! That’s really sad. 

[Yeah No]

Well that's 2 hours I'll never get back!  What an odd assortment of cast members.   They could have tried harder to find a more cohesive group.  Jamie O. seemed more tolerable than before, but Doug with the ring, yikes that was cringeworthy.  Sweet, though, but among all those singles probably reliving their tales of woe it was a little hard to watch.  Stacia and Rachel - just ugh.  And Bennett is a little loopy (nothing new there).  It was nice to see Paige again though, looking so happy and pregnant.  This is the most I've seen of her ever.  I have a lot of respect for her weathering the crap she went through with that asshole Chris with such class.  She probably deserves the MAFS booby prize award.

[Elizzikra]

3 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

Well that's 2 hours I'll never get back!  What an odd assortment of cast members.   They could have tried harder to find a more cohesive group.  Jamie O. seemed more tolerable than before, but Doug with the ring, yikes that was cringeworthy.  Sweet, though, but among all those singles probably reliving their tales of woe it was a little hard to watch.  Stacia and Rachel - just ugh.  And Bennett is a little loopy (nothing new there).  It was nice to see Paige again though, looking so happy and pregnant.  This is the most I've seen of her ever.  I have a lot of respect for her weathering the crap she went through with that asshole Chris with such class.  She probably deserves the MAFS booby prize award.

I have to give Doug and Jamie credit - married 10 years and two kids, with a miscarriage in there and some other heavy stuff. I know here is a fair amount of criticism of them but ... they are still married. I was shocked when they sort of casually alluded to Doug having been on medication to prevent relapse (in alcoholism, it seemed) that he kept secret from Jamie. Just besides the logistics of taking a daily prescription med that your spouse doesn't know about, how do you just break into conversation one day "hey honey, I've been on Antabuse for the last ten years and just now thought I'd mention it?" And then they just as casually went on to the next subject.

Bennett was loopy but I did like what he said about how when you are feeling something you don't want to be feeling, just lean into it. The harder you try to push it down and not feel it, the more it just keeps weighing on you. That struck me as wise. 

[Yeah No]

20 minutes ago, Elizzikra said:

I have to give Doug and Jamie credit - married 10 years and two kids, with a miscarriage in there and some other heavy stuff. I know here is a fair amount of criticism of them but ... they are still married. I was shocked when they sort of casually alluded to Doug having been on medication to prevent relapse (in alcoholism, it seemed) that he kept secret from Jamie. Just besides the logistics of taking a daily prescription med that your spouse doesn't know about, how do you just break into conversation one day "hey honey, I've been on Antabuse for the last ten years and just now thought I'd mention it?" And then they just as casually went on to the next subject.

Bennett was loopy but I did like what he said about how when you are feeling something you don't want to be feeling, just lean into it. The harder you try to push it down and not feel it, the more it just keeps weighing on you. That struck me as wise. 

Yeah I was a little groggy by the time Doug revealed that stuff.  I used to wonder how committed to each other he and Jamie were but I have to hand it to them for coming through all the challenges they've faced together.  I felt like the others were out of their league in some ways by comparison.  Next to some of them Doug and Jamie seem so much more mature.  Well, they have been together a long time now and have grown up a lot.  They really impressed me.

Good for the rest of them for speaking about the recurring "optics" issue on the Denver season and how the more some of them tried to hide what was really going on the worse they looked and the more it damaged their marriages.

[qtpye]

41 minutes ago, Elizzikra said:

I have to give Doug and Jamie credit - married 10 years and two kids, with a miscarriage in there and some other heavy stuff. I know here is a fair amount of criticism of them but ... they are still married. I was shocked when they sort of casually alluded to Doug having been on medication to prevent relapse (in alcoholism, it seemed) that he kept secret from Jamie. Just besides the logistics of taking a daily prescription med that your spouse doesn't know about, how do you just break into conversation one day "hey honey, I've been on Antabuse for the last ten years and just now thought I'd mention it?" And then they just as casually went on to the next subject.

Doug had lied to her before about credit card debt and caused them to lose out on a house.

I will give them credit for being married for a decade. That is impressive.

[kikicat]

3 hours ago, JenE4 said:

I’ve only seen Jaime and Doug and Aris’s seasons out of this group. But even though I have no idea who these people are or what they experienced, I’m still engaged. Paige’s husband had a pregnant fiancé pop up?!? Wow!! What season was that?! I just posted earlier in the other thread that I was hesitant to stream earlier seasons because the amount of content seems daunting, but I would tune in to see that fallout.

Season 12. It was memorable. Paige and Chris were the capital D-rama MAFS producers dream of. Then there was Erik and Virginia, Mr. Stick-in-Ass and OG Party Girl. And Jacob (Jake?), a nice guy with an 80s obsession. Can't remember his match. No spoilers, but you can probably make a wild guess how many couples are still together. I'd say worth a watch.

Tonight's show...I watched a few segments, but not much to say. Paige looking good. Airris is still all talk, no follow-through. "Blow out her back" pffft.

Edited April 4 by kikicat

[kikicat]

1 hour ago, qtpye said:

Doug had lied to her before about credit card debt and caused them to lose out on a house.

Drinking, debt, lying. There's that MAFS thorough background checking in action. 

But they do get credit for staying together. Who knew Jamie would be the stable one? More or less.

On to Chicago! Maybe we'll get an ex-con or an undercover bigamist.

[Chatty Cake]

I’m happy that Paige is doing well. That’s all I got lol.

[seacliffsal]

I only tuned in to this during commercial breaks of Survivor.  I have no idea why they chose the participants that they did (I do understand including Doug and Jamie though as they are the originals).  Had enough of the rest of them during their seasons.  The most I got out of the bits and pieces that I saw was the fact that they all like hearing themselves talk.  Word salads?  Yep, many servings...

I agree that Paige had the worst deal ever on this show (i.e. Chris) but that doesn't mean I want to watch/listen to her go on and on without really saying very much.  I really struggled to remember who Rachel was and once I remembered I was all, oh yea, didn't even care during her season.  Bennet was a really interesting participant to include.  Got tired of Arris during his season, and Stasia always seemed way too set in her ways.

Maybe they should have a 'reunion' of the villains of all of the seasons.  That could be way interesting.

[Rightside]

10 hours ago, qtpye said:

Doug had lied to her before about credit card debt and caused them to lose out on a house.

I will give them credit for being married for a decade. That is impressive.

Doug didn't lie about credit card debt. He had a student loan that was never repaid that he forgot about. How do you forget about a loan??

I lost any "respect" for them when Jamie got a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan during Covid for about $54,000 that was forgiven. Exactly how was her "business" impacted by Covid?

Oh, at the same time Doug quit his job to be a stay at home dad.

[seacliffsal]

32 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

 

You didn't care when Jose locked her out of their apartment when she left one night after a fight without her keys, and the aftermath was caught on the unmanned camera in their apartment?  That was epic!  I still can't believe Jose thought that beard that made his mouth look like a monkey's anus was a good look.

Also, Rachel said the women her season (Houston) agreed not to discuss sex on camera because three of them were in education.  They did it in a group text, but there was a mole; she doesn't know who it was.

Yep, I really didn't care.  They put their lives on camera and I get to watch the trainwrecks-I don't have to care about them individually.  I am happy if any of these matches work out, but don't have an emotional investment if they don't. I barely remember who any of these participants are after their seasons end (same with other reality shows I watch). Does that make me a bad person?  Maybe.  But, in real life, I do care about people.

Edited April 4 by seacliffsal

[Retired at last]

I saw most of it (between commercials for other shows). I couldn't remember Rachel's name, but when they played a few scenes with her and Jose, I remembered. Sadly, they didn't show Jose's budgeting whiteboard - that was funny. But, Rachel appears to me to not be very bright. Maybe it is the way her voice is, but she just sounds stupid.

Stacia went all out in her look, as usual. I did have to laugh when someone suggested that she should get a dog. Can you imagine Stacia's reaction if the dog shed or peed in the house? At least, Stacia said NO. She also isn't dating and is fine with that. She never talks to Nate and he ghosted her at their last counseling session.

Bennet was fun. He spoke in a lot of word salads, but he was amusing. Airris was the same. I don't even remember his wife. Although I didn't watch their season, I thought that Jamie and Doug were weird. They were so wrapped up in each other physically, I am not sure of who was keeping the other one from running away. Every time they changed to a new position, it was still their hands were gripping each other or Doug had his hand on Jamie's leg, etc. I would rather they had on a different couple who were still married, but I understand the OG status.

They spoke a little about the current season, but didn't have anything I remembered, so it probably wasn't interesting.

I anticipate that this week's discussion will be very limited, since most people didn't watch.

ETA- Oh yeah, Paige. She spoke in her calm hippie-type voice with lots of trendy language. Ugh. She did seem very happy, though. She said she is in a healthy relationship, but they aren't married. Doug offered to officiate when they do.

Edited April 4 by Retired at last

[LakeGal]

I noticed they kept showing Airris for the reaction shots.  Not sure why.  But they sure did go to him a lot.  

[Crashcourse]

16 minutes ago, LakeGal said:

I noticed they kept showing Airris for the reaction shots.  Not sure why.  But they sure did go to him a lot.  

Wow, that's surprising because he had ZERO personality on his season.

[kristen111]

15 hours ago, kikicat said:

Drinking, debt, lying. There's that MAFS thorough background checking in action. 

 

It looks like Jamie had on an Engagement ring AND wedding ring.  Why did Doug buy her another Diamond engagement ring if they can’t afford it?  She did say to him where did you get the money” or something like that.

[Elizzikra]

2 hours ago, kristen111 said:

It looks like Jamie had on an Engagement ring AND wedding ring.  Why did Doug buy her another Diamond engagement ring if they can’t afford it?  She did say to him where did you get the money” or something like that.

She did. Had she moved it to a different finger at one point?

i personally adhere to the “you can’t have too many diamonds” philosophy but i did wonder how the different rings work together in t if she will wear them in separate fingers. Nice problem to have though…

[Yeah No]

5 hours ago, kristen111 said:

It looks like Jamie had on an Engagement ring AND wedding ring.  Why did Doug buy her another Diamond engagement ring if they can’t afford it?  She did say to him where did you get the money” or something like that.

I heard that too.  I wondered if maybe it wasn't a real diamond.  You never know with them, LOL.

[princelina]

On 4/3/2024 at 9:24 PM, Rightside said:

Still, another week of our nation nightmare to come! My DVR is really getting a workout.

And next week is "Part 1"! 😄

I'll always like Doug and Jamie for the fact that they played the game - she was so upset with her husband that she ran off and cried, but went on the honeymoon and got to know him.  He had a bride who ran off and cried, but he went on the honeymoon and did everything he could to woo her.  And I do think they like each other and are happy together, in spite of all the hard stuff.

I couldn't remember anything about Airris except for that I know I didn't like his face - then all of a sudden he revealed himself to be old Orgy Arris!  I do remember him 🤢. I love how he's still smiling smugly as he pretends women are "sliding into his DMs" and he goes off to meet them in Dallas with his security-defying suitcase of sex toys.  No one believes you, you douchebag - wipe that smirk off of your stupid face 😄

[Hip-to-be-Square]

Why is Airris dressed like a green crash test dummy?  

Edited April 5 by Hip-to-be-Square

[StatisticalOutlier]

11 hours ago, Retired at last said:

I anticipate that this week's discussion will be very limited, since most people didn't watch.

Further limiting it will be our new yellow light warning: 

Quote

The principle of kindness and inclusivity applies to everyone, even to the participants of the show. (Please note that that doesn’t mean to condone everything that is said and done. It just means that comments should be mindful of participants’ humanity).

I'm guessing whoever issued the warning isn't familiar with Chris. 

Then again, maybe this is a loophole:  "Contemplate how your words might affect someone who likes or relates to a person featured on the show."  Surely nobody here relates to him, and if we all agree Chris is a horrid human being, can we let loose?

I like this part in particular:

Quote

- Assistance: If you’re unsure about contributing constructively, please consult our guidelines (insert link) for helpful advice and best practices.

It's comforting to know that such care is being taken when advising us we have until May 4 to shape up or we're gonna get shipped out.

[Chatty Cake]

Were the couples more inclined to stay together in earlier seasons? At the Former Cast Tell All there was only one couple still together. 

[princelina]

1 hour ago, Chatty Cake said:

Were the couples more inclined to stay together in earlier seasons? At the Former Cast Tell All there was only one couple still together. 

They may have been, but some of those from this show stayed together and got divorced eventually.  Did you notice that Doug said his biggest fear going into it was that they'd match him with someone completely inappropriate for him in order to make a show?  I don't think they did that to him, but I can't say the same for the recent couples!

[ByTor]

13 hours ago, princelina said:

I couldn't remember anything about Airris

Was he the one who lived in his grandmother's house and his wife didn't like how it was decorated?

[princelina]

1 minute ago, ByTor said:

Was he the one who lived in his grandmother's house and his wife didn't like how it was decorated?

I have no idea!  I didn't remember who he married until they showed her, and then he brought up his fake orgies and I remembered why I hated him.  I guess grandma's digs didn't leave an impression on me like that did 😂

[atomic]

13 minutes ago, ByTor said:

Was he the one who lived in his grandmother's house and his wife didn't like how it was decorated?

I think that was Keith from the Philadelphia season. Airris was the 40 year old from the Nashville season who seemed more into his cousin than his beauty queen wife.

[ByTor]

I didn't see the Philadelphia season. The person I'm thinking of didn't live with his grandmother, I'm pretty sure he inherited the house.

[qtpye]

On 4/4/2024 at 3:45 PM, Crashcourse said:

Wow, that's surprising because he had ZERO personality on his season.

 

On 4/4/2024 at 3:28 PM, LakeGal said:

I noticed they kept showing Airris for the reaction shots.  Not sure why.  But they sure did go to him a lot.  

When Arris is your excitement "go to" then your show is officially less interesting than a traffic jam.

[Tayllor]

2 hours ago, ByTor said:

I didn't see the Philadelphia season. The person I'm thinking of didn't live with his grandmother, I'm pretty sure he inherited the house.

I'm pretty sure you're talking about Olajuwan from Boston, season 14.

[Lisa418722]

5 hours ago, princelina said:

They may have been, but some of those from this show stayed together and got divorced eventually.  Did you notice that Doug said his biggest fear going into it was that they'd match him with someone completely inappropriate for him in order to make a show?  I don't think they did that to him, but I can't say the same for the recent couples!

I watched the first season. Since this was new and no one knew what kind of show it was going to be, I believe the people were there to try to find love.  Now, I believe the producers look for wanna-be influencers who just want airtime and a chance to increase their followers and if it means drama, then that makes for a better show (to the producers, not the viewers).  

[ByTor]

2 hours ago, Tayllor said:

I'm pretty sure you're talking about Olajuwan from Boston, season 14.

That's it! Thank you!!

[princelina]

3 hours ago, Lisa418722 said:

I watched the first season. Since this was new and no one knew what kind of show it was going to be, I believe the people were there to try to find love.  Now, I believe the producers look for wanna-be influencers who just want airtime and a chance to increase their followers and if it means drama, then that makes for a better show (to the producers, not the viewers).  

Back when it was an "experiment".  Now it's "this process" 😄

[LuvMyShows]

 

On 4/3/2024 at 9:38 PM, JenE4 said:

I’ve only seen Jaime and Doug and Aris’s seasons out of this group. But even though I have no idea who these people are or what they experienced, I’m still engaged. Paige’s husband had a pregnant fiancé pop up?!? Wow!! What season was that?! I just posted earlier in the other thread that I was hesitant to stream earlier seasons because the amount of content seems daunting, but I would tune in to see that fallout.

On 4/3/2024 at 10:28 PM, Elizzikra said:

It was awful. Her "husband," Chris was just an awful person. Lied constantly; arrogant (with no substance); tried to convince Paige that he was "afraid he would fall in love with her" while admitting on camera that he didn't think she was attractive (though he did have sex with her)... it was painful to watch, honestly.

Just to close the loop...the "Chris" that was mentioned a lot in the earlier thread that JenE4 mentioned, is Paige's husband Chris.

[Gator Stud]

20 hours ago, ByTor said:

Was he the one who lived in his grandmother's house and his wife didn't like how it was decorated?

That was tall Keith.  Grandma did laundry and cooked for him too.

[LuvMyShows]

Well, I'm a sucker for behind-the-scenes info, so I like the occasional show like this one was. The host seemed to do a pretty good job for what the purpose was.

Looking ahead to next week's reunion, all I could think of was someone please tell the women on the reunions, that ultra-super-duper-extra glammed up does not necessarily equal more attractive! 

[ByTor]

1 hour ago, Gator Stud said:

That was tall Keith.  Grandma did laundry and cooked for him too.

I don't know who that is. The one that I'm thinking of didn't live with his grandmother, he got his grandmother's house when she died. @Tayllor was right, I was thinking of Olajuwan.

[princelina]

1 hour ago, LuvMyShows said:

Looking ahead to next week's reunion, all I could think of was someone please tell the women on the reunions, that ultra-super-duper-extra glammed up does not necessarily equal more attractive! 

I think it's funny that instead of seating them in pairs they're lined up guys against the girls.  Good times coming!😄

[StatisticalOutlier]

Well, they've deleted my posts without telling me and definitely without telling me why, but they DID fix the "[insert link]" in the yellow warning.  Happy to be of service.

[Elizzikra]

3 hours ago, ByTor said:

I don't know who that is. The one that I'm thinking of didn't live with his grandmother, he got his grandmother's house when she died. @Tayllor was right, I was thinking of Olajuwan.

That was Philadelphia Keith. He was sweet. He married Kristine and they are still together.

[ByTor]

4 hours ago, Elizzikra said:

That was Philadelphia Keith. He was sweet. He married Kristine and they are still together.

I actually didn't start watching until Houston, so there are a lot of contestants I'm not familiar with. The only people from seasons before Houston who I know are Bennett & Amelia (mainly because I couldn't forget that her last name is Fatsi) and I remember Chris because I heard him talk & wondered who the Barry White wannabe was. I didn't realize that some channels on Philo show old seasons. Right now I'm watching season 10, so far I find this to be a pretty likeable sincere cast.

[Elizzikra]

1 hour ago, ByTor said:

I actually didn't start watching until Houston, so there are a lot of contestants I'm not familiar with. The only people from seasons before Houston who I know are Bennett & Amelia (mainly because I couldn't forget that her last name is Fatsi) and I remember Chris because I heard him talk & wondered who the Barry White wannabe was. I didn't realize that some channels on Philo show old seasons. Right now I'm watching season 10, so far I find this to be a pretty likeable sincere cast.

Gotcha. I haven’t watched since the beginning but I can’t remember which season I came in on. Philly was a mixed bag - I liked Keith and Kristine and thought they were a good match, but that season also brought us Kate (nice) and Luke (the devil incarnate). I like Bennett on his appearances since his season but during his season, I thought he and Amelia were QUIRKY to the point of playing the quirky couple rather than being their genuine selves. I was sorry that they broke up because I thought they were a good match but he seems happy in his current situationship.

 

9 hours ago, princelina said:

I think it's funny that instead of seating them in pairs they're lined up guys against the girls.  Good times coming!😄

Disappointing that the show is playing into the whole boys v. Girls thing. It bugs me when it happens within the group and it bugs me more that the show encourages it. Then again, maybe none of these couples can stand to actually sit next to each other at this point? I honestly don’t want to share space with any of them…

[princelina]

2 hours ago, Elizzikra said:

Disappointing that the show is playing into the whole boys v. Girls thing. It bugs me when it happens within the group and it bugs me more that the show encourages it. Then again, maybe none of these couples can stand to actually sit next to each other at this point? I honestly don’t want to share space with any of them…

Oh I totally think that's it!! 😃

[Yeah No]

14 hours ago, ByTor said:

I actually didn't start watching until Houston, so there are a lot of contestants I'm not familiar with. The only people from seasons before Houston who I know are Bennett & Amelia (mainly because I couldn't forget that her last name is Fatsi) and I remember Chris because I heard him talk & wondered who the Barry White wannabe was.

I've watched every season except the Nashville one.  I always saw Chris as a Little Richard wannabe, especially because of the way he dressed.

[Yeah No]

On 4/5/2024 at 12:08 PM, Chatty Cake said:

Were the couples more inclined to stay together in earlier seasons? At the Former Cast Tell All there was only one couple still together. 

It depends on how long you mean "stay together".  More of them decided to stay together on decision day than have lasted to this day.  Some broke up soon after, some took years to finally divorce.

This page on Wikipedia will tell you which couples said "yes" and which ones are still together.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Married_at_First_Sight_(American_TV_series)

It looks like Season 8 was the most successful so far if you measure that by how many couples are still together.  What I find interesting is how many of the earlier seasons still have one couple together even though they featured only 3 couples on the entire season.  This season we had 5 (or 6 if you count Michael's near miss) and none of them are still together!  And in Season 1 there was another couple that lasted several years and then divorced - Jason and Cortney.  That meant 2 out of 3 lasted for a while and 1 (Jamie and Doug) are still together.  So I think their track record was actually better in earlier seasons and is getting worse all the time.

We used to see more of the successful couples because the show featured several of them on specials and "Couples Cam", which aired during the pandemic.  On looking over those lists I saw couples that are still married that we never see anymore on any of these follow-ups.  Perhaps they have chosen not to participate.  I can't say that I blame them!