S01.E11: 6 Months Later

[trimthatfat]

I was coveting Monet's jewelry.

 

Her earrings and necklace were beautiful! I love chunky jewelry.

[Ohwell]

Everybody is different. That's what keeps it interesting.

So true.  I hated Monet's shoes (maybe it's because my feet hurt just looking at them).  I would have liked the necklace if it had been smaller.

[MsPH]

Yes. I found it tacky.

And --unlike the gross Vaughn comment revelation from Monet-- not really germane to the discussion about their relationship.

 

Well they were talking about how hard it was for him to just spoon for a month and making it sound like he climbed Mount Everest, so I thought it was pretty relevant. It's not him who kept bringing up his blue balls, it was the host and everyone else. In addition to being funny, I think it was healthy advice to every sex obsessed person out there. If your partner isn't up for it or you don't have a partner then feel free to use your own hand. It's normal and healthy and a million times better than making lewd suggestions at other people (Vaughn, please take note!). I also think it was super respectful of him to do it while she was away. So good on Doug!

 

I don't think Doug was playing cool, he's just really confident and knows himself and Jamie better than she knows herself. He didn't look nervous at all in before the decision either, because he knew Jamie was gonna stick around. I think that's very attractive. I guess Doug just reminds me of my SO in many ways and he's the kindest most loving person I know, so I can't help liking Doug. And why wouldn't he like Jamie? She's not just hot, she's also funny, ambitious and seems to have a good heart. Yeah, she can get a bit mememe when she's insecure, but that doesn't make her a bad person. I think those two are genuine and I wish them all the best!

 

BTW, did no one stick around for the announcement after the credits? "Follow Jason and Cortney and Doug and Jamie in the new series "Married at First Sight: The First Year". So seems they've already gotten their sequel. Wonder when it airs. After they've been married a year?

[sleekandchic]

Thinking things over The Day After, I have mixed feelings and tempered compassion for all six newlyweds. But my disappointment in all four experts just continues to grow and grow.

In her review linked here, Tara wonders why there was no live audience, and I agree. The energy of the reunion would have been heightened, and the experts may have been required to answer a straight question here or there. So, of course, they couldn't risk a live audience! The manner in which the experts would not budge from their script, and their palpable disapproval of Monet REALLY bothered me.

I had no problem with Monets revelation of Vaughns insensitive request the night of her surgery because the production editors made M and Vaughns sex life central from the beginning. And just as I suspected, for all the big talk, there really wasn't a true sexual chemistry between them at all. Monets face and body didn't satisfy V, period. They never had a chance.

I thought Vaughn was just ridiculous at the reunion. It was like he thought this experiment was a sci-fi exercise; Make Your Perfect (Robotic) Mate. He wanted a Paula or an Alicia lookalike; a chef; a housekeeper; a woman who would leave him alone until he said it was OK to talk; a sex partner ready to perform how and when V wanted, always at Vs request and direction. Etc etc. Where were the woman's needs, desires, sexual and emotional health in the Vaughn scenario? No where, no how.

The truly TERRIBLE aspect of Vs expectations in this experiment was that for ALL the big talk of instruments and truth seeking, none of those unrealistic goals came through. How can that be? It throws the foundational methodology right out the window.

I think Cortney is one those steel magnolia types who will fight hard to make her marriage work. Since I think Jason is a decent guy who will be an active emotional participant with his wife, I think they have a good chance at success.

I actively dislike Jamie because I discern a manipulative, calculated, self-centered Player who has her eyes on a Prize, and the Prize is not a successful marriage. The fact that the experts were lapping up Jamie's disingenuous praise and accolades just rubbed me the wrong way. Simpletons wearing blinders and earplugs.

And Doug is a doofus goofus, content to drift and to skate. HOWEVER, I do believe that I MAY have detected a slight alarm or reticence when Jamie was waxing poetic about her desperate love of him, or her respect for his GREAT mom. Could it be that Doug has seen the craycray behind the facade, especially once the cameras went bye bye? It's really only a matter of time.

[crazychicken]

Hang on did I hear right Dr C comments that people from Jamie's background normally have a romanticised view of the perfect relationship/family. Jamie wants babies before telling her husband she loves him (after 4 months when the reunion was filmed) but it is a sign that she is all in and trusts Doug now. WT is no expert willing to say to Jamie slow it down lady your expectations on your perfect family are way to high due to your upbringing go and get some counseling sort your crap out.

 

My takeout from the reunion was the experts do not like being called out especially Dr C, the death glares they were throwing Monet for not being willing to sit back and take abuse from her perfect match, but all smiles and praise for Jamie because in all the interviews I have seen she is praising the experts.

[ridethemaverick]

Whew boy.

Courtney and Jason. Zzzzzzzzz.

Vaughn and Monet. It became clear to me watching this that they both threw out bombs early on that they just couldn't come back from.

Vaughn basically told Monet she wasn't what he wanted and then let slip some negative opinions he obviously holds about black women. No coming back from that.

Monet basically told Vaughn he's a scrub and not what she wanted in a man. No coming back from that.

Additionally, I don't think either of them is ready for marriage. But I will say they sure argue like a married couple. Damn.

Kevin didn't seem to be feeling Vaughn at all.

Doug and Jamie. Seems the bloom is off the rose for Dougie. And Jamie was trying too damn hard. And I agree with a previous poster; Jamie's body language changed a little bit in the last segment.

I need to be on twitter because I missed what happened between Vaughn and Jamie. And Vaughn totally almost called her a bitch. He's a piece of work.

I still can't stand the experts.

[Mom2twoNonna2-3]

Pretty sure all of the weddings took place on March 14.

 

Jason's 1 month gift to Courtney said 3-23-14 on the back. Even if it was the 14th, that puts their "end of marriage" around the 20th of April. 5 months later is right now. They'd still have a month to go. From what I heard, you have to be "separated" for 6 months and even though he basically moved back to NJ after a few days, for all intents and purposes of the show, they did not separate until end of April.

 

I never did quite figure out the twitter war thing between Jamie and Vaughn, but, not gonna waste brain cells on that!

 

I don't think Jamie ever called Doug a schmuck right out, she just made comments to the effect that she couldn't be with someone who was a schmuck, on several occasions. I listened closely to the episode when it aired, but it's been awhile. Although, I'm pretty sure I could rewatch on one of the gazillion re airings if I had a hankering, but, I really don't.

[PityFree]

Could Doug be getting messages from women who've seen the show and have crushes on him? and now he thinks "oh man! I just closed off all my options for having sex with all of these strange women by staying married!"

Maybe he thinks too highly of himself now?

[sleekandchic]

MsPH, I somehow missed the announcement of the new show! Well then...and so it begins.

******

One other observation I made during the reunion: When all the couples were together on stage, and Jamie became even more energized and vocal, she mentioned (1) that all the wives had become good friends during the experiment; and (2) that she had had a Twitter battle with Vaughn because of his disrespectful behavior toward Monet. Jamie asserted she felt protective of Monet.

OK. If true, why wasn't any of the wives-bonding -time ever shown or even mentioned? And why didn't the guys have bonding time, too, then? I watched Cortney's and Monet' s faces when Jamie asserted that they had bonded. C and M were like the Great Stone Face. Monet may have given a slight nod; Cortney may have shown a slight smile? But they seemed to freeze? Did I miss their adamant agreement? Because I concluded that Jamie's assertion was just another of her calculated exaggerations and machinations.

However, I absolutely believed that Jaime and Vaughn had a heated exchange via tweets. What interested me more though was what Vaughn slipped in there last night. He said (paraphrasing) that people were saying some terrible things about Jamie on Twitter, and if he wanted to, he COULD have fought back and really hurt Jamie's feelings as she hurt his. But he took the high road.

Just another indicator to me of Vaughns basic personality flaw: he keeps lists, wants tit for tat, wants praise and recognition for making the smallest decent gesture, and wants repayment for that smallest act of decency. Whether it's sex from his woman, or praise from experts or audience, Vaughn will not be denied his props.

After meeting his mom and hearing her philosophy toward V, and knowing his dad died when V was just 13--and also knowing that V served over a decade in the strict regimen of military service--I can understand Vaughns pride and insecurity, his need for approval and affirmation. I have compassion for him.

But in the context of MAFS and its experimental goal, Vaughn was a terrible candidate. And, in general, I think his chance of a truly compatible, happy marriage with ANYONE is very slight.

Edited September 18, 2014 by sleekandchic

[Sunnyside]

J&C:  I like them!  I'm so happy for them.  I hope they last forever and have 2 kids and a dog.

 

V&M:  Victims of slim pickins.  Expert's Epic Fail.  When the "experts" were screening folks, I saw a black guy say he was a nympho.  I was glad they didn't match him with M. or the bible girl, whew....and then enters Vaughn.  I think the other creep would have been a bit more "civil" with M.  And surely the threesome comment by V warranted the hand comment by M.  The only thing I saw them have in common this whole time is when they both glared at the "experts" as if to say "this $#*!!! is ALL your #$%@ fault and now we gonna be divorcees because of your @$$$##^^%!!!   I think M was a bad choice for this type of experiment anyway because she seems the type that has to grow on a guy who is a bit desperate and a push over who can appreciate a talkative know-it-all (but not really, but in a love her anyway kind of way).  Don't get me wrong, I think M is CUTE, she just needs to look up the word traditional before she uses it in a sentence again.

 

D&J:  I think D was sitting laid back because he was no longer horny, or he saw how pathetic he looked breathing over J the WHOLE time on tv.  It was not appealing on his part, just pathetic and sad.

 

 

[zxy556575]

I didn't notice Monet's jewelry or shoes or dress. I did notice that Doug was once again wearing a sloppy-ish tee shirt. Guess he hopes that dressing like a teen will distract us from noticing that he's losing his hair.

 

Could the reunion set have been any cheaper looking? And Dr. Schwartz needs to learn how to sit up straight.

 

Dr. Joe is undoubtedly a twit, but 66% is an amazing success rate for any type of matchmaking service. Whether or not the two remaining couples stay together in the long run, I do give the "experts" credit. Sorry, I can't type that word sincerely.

 

Since Jamie's turnaround was the primary storyline, I remain surprised that she was allowed so much freedom on social media. She all but told everyone the ending.

Edited September 18, 2014 by lordonia

[Bandolero]

Monet just doesn't  have a filter, especially for TV.  It's not just about mentioning the hand job.  She also talked about pulling panties out of her butt crack and peeing between two cars.  I guess she thought those remarks were cute, but I thought they were TMI.  She  mentioned the hand job to embarrass Vaughn, but she just ended up making herself look crude.  Vaughn acted like a dick at times but I believe that Monet said and did far more hurtful things to him than we saw, which is why he was shaking while sitting next to her.  It was very telling to me the way the "experts" were looking at her while she was talking.  It was like they were so uncomfortable that they were ready to bolt.  

I always give people the "side-eye" for supposedly "keeping it real" but only about others never about themselves. I'm sure she probably said some inappropriate and/or nasty things off-camera as well but, off course, we won't know it because she won't ever say. And acting one way for the cameras even if it is because of concern over how black women are portrayed gives credence to what Vaughn alluded to... that she puts on a front for the camera. Vaughn sure has his issues but I would bet money that she gave as good as she got. I have said it before... but I still don't get what makes Vaughn a scrub. He has a career, his own place/car, been in the military, etc. It all comes down to how much money he has... which is fine but I wish she would just say that vs the emasculation. 

[ketose]

I would say Vaughn is a potential scrub if he wants to ditch his real job for modeling. Jamie Otis models, too and she's still getting her paycheck and medical insurance from being an RN.

 

Vaughn and Monet really missed the gravy train if there's a new show following the couples from MAFS. I've seen FYI's schedule and they don't have much to offer otherwise. They will eventually suck all the novelty and interest out of the two couples and dump them as soon as MAFS 2 is ready.

 

So, it seems that Jamie's trailer park hell hole is a couple of hours away from me. Then again, there are plenty of families in houses that are abusive assholes as well.

[ridethemaverick]

I feel like there needs to be a companion term for "emasculating". Something that describes when men make women feel less feminine and womanly. Because while I agree that Monet spoke to Vaughn in ways that probably made him feel emasculated, I think he spoke to her and treated her in a way that probably made her feel like he was...undermining? Tearing down? her feminity.

[eyetotelescope]

 

OK. If true, why wasn't any of the wives-bonding -time ever shown or even mentioned? And why didn't the guys have bonding time, too, then? I watched Cortney's and Monet' s faces when Jamie asserted that they had bonded. C and M were like the Great Stone Face. Monet may have given a slight nod; Cortney may have shown a slight smile? But they seemed to freeze? Did I miss their adamant agreement? Because I concluded that Jamie's assertion was just another of her calculated exaggerations and machinations.

 

One of them mentioned that they do a Wives Night and the other two agreed with the first one (sorry, couldn't remember who said what).  Then it was asked what happened during Wives Nights, and all 3 of them laughed and joked about what they do (which is talk about the husbands).  So I do think that Jamie was telling the truth.

 

 

BTW, did no one stick around for the announcement after the credits? "Follow Jason and Cortney and Doug and Jamie in the new series "Married at First Sight: The First Year". So seems they've already gotten their sequel. Wonder when it airs. After they've been married a year?

 

I saw that too.  I didn't realize that they had already committed to doing a show to follow J/C and D/J in their first year of marriage.  I'd like to pretend that I won't watch it, but I'll probably tune in.  I've never watched a reality show other than this one, but they've got me hooked.  

 

I think Jason and Cortney are actually in love.  I loved that Cortney protected Jason from having to divulge what happened during his last evening with his mother - she just said she was there and that it was a private moment that meant a lot to them.  It made their relationship seem very real and it also showed that Cortney is really taking care of Jason now.  It was also so nice to see how sure Jason seems about his relationship with Cortney now, as compared to the last few episodes and the finale.  I think these things bode well for their future.

 

As for Doug and Jamie... well, they were what hooked me on the show, because Jamie's initial reaction to Doug was too entertaining.  Over time though, both of them really started annoying me - Jamie for being so self-centred and "made for reality TV" and Doug for fawning over Jamie and being generally pathetic.  This episode was weird because Jamie was still self-centred and playing to the audience (though she pretended that she was more caring about Doug now...psssh, whatever, Jamie) but Doug definitely seemed less pathetic (he probably got some lessons from Jamie on how to play to the cameras).  Maybe he's also less infatuated with her or something, but the relationship definitely seemed more "balanced" in the sense that Jamie wasn't just stringing Doug along.  Anyway, there's something that doesn't quite rub me the right way with these two - I just don't buy their love story, as much as I'd like to.

[Amelie06]

Look, I believe that Vaughn hurt Monet and some of her sore spots (am I too fat? are all the eligible black men left really only interested in mixed/white women? is there something about me that inherently puts men off?), so she hit him right back in his sore spots. People do crap like this all the time. I recently had two colleagues at work going in on each other. (You're stupid!/ Well, you can't have kids!) (I work with crazy people. It's very stressful). Anyway, neither party covered themselves in glory. They let themselves get baited by that League of Judgmental Bitches (the "experts") and didn't represent themselves very well. I kept hoping one of them would take the high road and just laugh it off and say they didn't come to re-litigate old arguments. I was to be disappointed.

I didn't buy Vaughn's reaction to Monet's verbal attack. I think he was trying to "win" by playing the victim to this mean woman who didn't support him. Blah Blah! I also think it was tacky for those "experts" to so clearly have taken sides. I loved when Monet called them out on the lack of support. I would be friends with Monet. She has her issues but she also has a lot of nerve and didn't let herself get run over by this process.

I'm calling it right here, in 3 years, Doug is going to smoke another cigarette and Jaime will try to stab him. Those two seem like an episode of Snapped waiting to happen. Jaime seems like the type who would get sick of Doug and try to kill him for the insurance money.

I've got nothing buy nice things to say about Jason and Cortney. They seem like nice people and a likeable couple. I think because Cortney was able to be there for him when his mother died, they may have truly become family. I noticed how she interrupted him when he was talking about when his mother died. It was clear that she wanted to protect him and those last moments he had with his mother. All the sudden my damn allergies started acting up and there may have been a sheen of tears in my eyes. Damn pollen.

[sleekandchic]

Ok, probably just a superficial kind of thought, but why the hell would a Jamie, almost from day one, start wiith the spooning and hanging on, rubbing up and against, and one leg flung over the guy's hip and thigh IF she didn't want sex? What was in her head? Was she testing Doug's limits or his self control?

The experts really came alive when any mention of sexual practice came up last night. I thought the giggling reactions were weirdly immature and inappropriate. But why not ask Jamie about her mixed signals? I would have liked to have heard her rationales for the touchy feely shit. All for the cameras? Or what? She might have said (and Doug agreed?) that it was a way to build closeness? Just very strange, to me.

In fact, I thought Jamie's brand of go/stop made Doug look a tad pathetic. Yes, he was a good guy in respecting her limits, showing patience and understanding. All good qualities. But the prolonged and ongoing spooning for 5 weeks bordered on emasculation to my thinking.

I want to throw Jamie and Vaughn together in fyi' s new show Love Prison for at least a month. Now that would be great tv!

Amelie06! Lolol. Snapped! Insurance payouts! I can hear that narrator droning already: "Born in the dirt and grit of a trailer park in upstate New York, Jamie Otis struggled from one reality show to the next, looking for Mr Right..."

I'll meet you here in a couple of years!

Edited September 18, 2014 by sleekandchic

[eyetotelescope]

I forgot to mention in my earlier post that Jamie's new hair colour and style aren't doing her any favours.  She looked a lot better with the darker brown hair.  This hair colour and do made her look pretty trashy.  And that dress definitely didn't help either.

[Sunnyside]

QUOTE

BTW, did no one stick around for the announcement after the credits? "Follow Jason and Cortney and Doug and Jamie in the new series "Married at First Sight: The First Year". So seems they've already gotten their sequel. Wonder when it airs. After they've been married a year?

I saw that too. I didn't realize that they had already committed to doing a show to follow J/C and D/J in their first year of marriage. I'd like to pretend that I won't watch it, but I'll probably tune in. I've never watched a reality show other than this one, but they've got me hooked.

Ha! We get to follow The First Year?! I missed that ad! I'd like to pretend that I won't tune in either, but I'm looking forward to The Carry-Ons and The Jamie, Dougie, and Doggie Show.

[Ohwell]

From the beginning, before she even opened her mouth, Monet was not Vaughn's type

I've been saying that from the get go.  And that's OK, if he has a certain "type" that he's interested in.  (Although I'm not sure he's stuck on light-skinned, biracial women.  I don't think he would have turned down a Kerry Washington or Gabrielle Union lookalike.)   Whatever his preference, he should have communicated this to the "experts" instead of just harping on the booty.   Be careful what you wish for, Vaughn.

Edited September 19, 2014 by Ohwell

[sparklemotion]

OK. If true, why wasn't any of the wives-bonding -time ever shown or even mentioned? And why didn't the guys have bonding time, too, then? I watched Cortney's and Monet' s faces when Jamie asserted that they had bonded. C and M were like the Great Stone Face. Monet may have given a slight nod; Cortney may have shown a slight smile? But they seemed to freeze? Did I miss their adamant agreement? Because I concluded that Jamie's assertion was just another of her calculated exaggerations and machinations.

 

I took it as they were having Wives nights post wrap of filming because they can't really tell anyone else what's up till the show airs and I thought the other women only slightly acknowledging it as it was something Production wasn't aware of...

[sleekandchic]

Eyetotelescope and sparklemotion, thank you both for explaining Wives Night. :)

Ridethemaverick, re a companion for "emasculate," found an interesting read. Safire (1986) concluded defeminate is probably best:

http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/32467/is-there-a-feminine-equivalent-of-emasculate

Edited September 18, 2014 by sleekandchic

[Armchair Critic]

Jamie was still self-centred and playing to the audience (though she pretended that she was more caring about Doug now...psssh, whatever, Jamie)

 

I just can't buy her story because of how she plays to the camera and of how she tries to schmooze the "experts". Comparing her to Cortney who seems to really love Jason, Jamie just comes off as phony.

[eyetotelescope]

I just can't buy her story because of how she plays to the camera and of how she tries to schmooze the "experts". Comparing her to Cortney who seems to really love Jason, Jamie just comes off as phony.

 

Yeah, her ass-kissing of the experts was off the charts this episode.  She gave them more attention than she gave Doug the entire season.

 

Cortney and Jason seem much more genuine - the emotions they expressed to each other seemed to be much less for the experts and cameras than for each other.

[Katmai]

 

I thought Monet's dress was a beautiful color but it should have been flared or A-line.  Either that or some spanx were called for.

I can't imagine how she got into that dress with it being several sizes too small. I realize it is supposed to fit, but with her being "curvy" as she calls it, when it accentuates your rolls of back fat, girl, it's too small. I was seriously afraid that front slit was going to give away all of the sudden and it would have been a massive wardrobe malfunction. It would have been much more complimentary to her figure if it hadn't been way too tight, but as mentioned previously, she needed a different style for her bottom line. (see what I did there? lol)

 

I can't add anything more to the Monet or Vaughn sides because all of their nastiness has been brought up, and I think both of them were to blame for all of their problems, not counting Dr C and his steadfast dribble about his tests STILL being correct. Those "experts" should go into a witness protection-like program because I can't see how any of them can be considered the least bit credible with all of their BS that they endorsed and spewed during this debacle.

[truthaboutluv]

BTW, did no one stick around for the announcement after the credits? "Follow Jason and Cortney and Doug and Jamie in the new series "Married at First Sight: The First Year". So seems they've already gotten their sequel. Wonder when it airs. After they've been married a year?

 

 

Thank goodness someone mentioned this because I was starting to think I'd hallucinated this. I saw people mention the Unveiled special or something which I think is supposed to be a collection of unaired scenes from the season but nothing about the above. So good to know I'm not crazy. I wonder when they plan to air that one. I get that fyi is just thinking about ratings and I can certainly see the appeal to both couples just on a financial level, since I doubt they'll be doing the show for free but I feel like all this just puts more pressure on them to have to make the marriage work because the show and the so called "experts" are using them as an example of its success. In fact I remember reading from those who read up on the original Danish show that the one couple who stayed together after the show but then divorced after a year, said that they felt pressure to make it work because they were held up as this standard for the success of the experiment.

[zxy556575]

I can certainly see the appeal to both couples just on a financial level, since I doubt they'll be doing the show for free but I feel like all this just puts more pressure on them to have to make the marriage work because the show and the so called "experts" are using them as an example of its success.

 

Oh, dear. I can understand the draw of banking some easy dough, but I wish they hadn't agreed to that. I don't care about Jamie and Doug (the junior Rancics) but I feel protective of Jason and Cortney. Doubt I'll be watching because I found the middle section of this series pretty boring already, but I hope their relationship can withstand the scrutiny. Wish them the best!

[soporific]

I would say Vaughn is a potential scrub if he wants to ditch his real job for modeling. Jamie Otis models, too and she's still getting her paycheck and medical insurance from being an RN.

 

Yes, for weeks I didn't understand where Monet's conclusion that "you haven't established yourself as a man yet" was coming from.

 

He's enrolling part-time to get his bachelor's degree in "electronic engineering technology" at 30 years old. It's admirable that he's going to put the work in, but Monet is at a completely different place in her life and career. When Monet says, "he has a lot of potential and would be a good husband in 5 years", I see what she's saying. What she's saying is, she's successful professionally, 33, and wants a big family. If she wants a big family she's running out of time, she needs to start having the babies basically now, she can't wait 5 years until she's 38. It's just the realities of women's fertility. Meanwhile Vaughn wants/needs to put some work in on his career. He's not ready to lead a family yet.

 

Monet and Vaughn may have had compatible personality types but their expectations as to when they would start a family and/or what would be needed to start a family were not compatible. This is similar to how Jamie was brought up short to see that Doug was not as established in his career despite being older. Meanwhile Jason was worried about Cortney's student loans. It's not fair to say someone is a gold-digger or marrying for money when they worry about the other one's financial state. The financials determine when/how you can start a family. 

[Matilde]

Ok, probably just a superficial kind of thought, but why the hell would a Jamie, almost from day one, start wiith the spooning and hanging on, rubbing up and against, and one leg flung over the guy's hip and thigh IF she didn't want sex? What was in her head? Was she testing Doug's limits or his self control?

The experts really came alive when any mention of sexual practice came up last night. I thought the giggling reactions were weirdly immature and inappropriate. But why not ask Jamie about her mixed signals? I would have liked to have heard her rationales for the touchy feely shit. All for the cameras? Or what? She might have said (and Doug agreed?) that it was a way to build closeness? Just very strange, to me.

In fact, I thought Jamie's brand of go/stop made Doug look a tad pathetic. Yes, he was a good guy in respecting her limits, showing patience and understanding. All good qualities. But the prolonged and ongoing spooning for 5 weeks bordered on emasculation to my thinking.

I want to throw Jamie and Vaughn together in fyi' s new show Love Prison for at least a month. Now that would be great tv!

Amelie06! Lolol. Snapped! Insurance payouts! I can hear that narrator droning already: "Born in the dirt and grit of a trailer park in upstate New York, Jamie Otis struggled from one reality show to the next, looking for Mr Right..."

I'll meet you here in a couple of years!

Whoa, I can totally see this. Jamie, being a nurse, would probably know how to put a dude out to pasture with no traces of foul play at first. Dayum! Now that would be a show. SMH, that's tuuuurrrble...ashamed of myself for this line of thinking. I'll go say a ton of Hail Marys now. LOL!

 

Agreeing with everyone that Monet and Vaughn were set up and that the experts were particularly unhappy with Monet for 'going off script' at The Reunion and for not just sitting there and just taking her lumps without questioning their due deligence with this match-up. That fourseome of professional charlatans irked me somethin awful...Cilona the most.

[Jellybeans]

I think it *could* have been funny with a lighter touch.... He just hammered the joke home. Repeatedly. All puns intended.

True... but all comedians on nighttime TV do this IMO and I still laugh. Think how many times we heard the cigar joke (it has reappeared) and I still... laugh. Sorry Hillary, it IS funny. Doug is an aspiring comedian and they tend to test out the same joke various forms until they get it right.

[Bellalisa]

My DVR did not tape the first hour of this so I missed the segment with Cortney and Jason and 1/2 of the Monet and Vaughn segment. I am happy about missing the whole Monet/Vaughn thing because I really never did understand what they were arguing about. In the sense that they way they express themselves I cannot follow what point that person is trying to make, to decide if I agree or not. It's all so generalized, random stuff. I just don't know which side to pick because I cannot understand their issues at all the way they communicate them to each other. It's like they are speaking a foreign language.

 

I fast forwarded through the re-hash of cigarettegate and mom-in-law gate because it was just more FILLER!!

 

My question is did Cortney ever meet Jason's mom and did she pass away?

[cooksdelight]

Yes, she met her and was able to hold her hand and reassure her that she would take care of her son. She passed away shortly afterward. It was a very touching story.

[ethalfrida]

 

I fast forwarded through the re-hash of cigarettegate and mom-in-law gate because it was just more FILLER!!

 

My question is did Cortney ever meet Jason's mom and did she pass away?

Same here on cigarette-gate and her ongoing trust issues...

 

Yes, Cortney met Jason's mother and his mom did pass away.

[Bellalisa]

Thanks! I do hope those two make it. Cutest couple ever! 

[sleekandchic]

The UK version of this show has been delayed because it was forced to recast THREE TIMES due to panicked dropouts:

http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/television/tv-news/channel-4-forced-to-recast-married-at-first-sight-three-times-due-to-panicked-drop-outs-30593656.html

[62GREAT]

I've see on other reviews and updates on the show that Jamie keeps talking about and throwing hints about having a baby soon.  How ridiculous is that with someone you've only known 6 months?  One article also referred to her as a former NYC nurse. I could be wrong, and her fans (Dr Cilona for sure) could be right, but I just see this constant talk of having a baby as another way to keep her name out there.  Just like the waiting until she's in front of the camera to tell Doug she loves him. Jamie is so busy putting all of their personal life out there on social media how does she have time for the relationship. Makes me really wonder about Doug's sincerity in all of this.  If this is all for the publicity do they realize how bad this will look if/when it falls apart?

 

I know it would be hard to pass up the money but I hope C & J don't let filming continue in their lives for a 1 year show, unless it was just a short amount of filming and a one time show.  Continuing to have cameras in their face/lives would make me start to wonder about them also.  Although with the 6 month reunion we weren't shown anything that was going on during that time with the couples.

[MsPH]

Jason and Cortney are adorable and Cortney getting teary-eyed over Jason's mom was so sweet. She really loves him a lot. It bugs me too how everyone keeps making comments about their age, when they aren't even that young and act the most mature out of this lot. I guess they just look young with their big puppy dog eyes. I hope Cortney will continue her hobbies once Jason's schedule isn't as crazy anymore.

 

I think Vaughn and Monet were both presenting some idealized version of themselves to the judges and when talking to the camera, and that's ultimately why they failed so hard. If you have dealbreakers or some specific requests then there's no time to mention them like while ordering a spouse. It seemed like they told the experts what they thought the viewers wanted hear instead of what they really wanted or needed. I totally agree with Vaughn that Monet should have specified that she wants a well-established man who wants kids right away. Then again I get how she might've expected the experts to figure that out themselves. Pairing such an independent successful woman with a younger guy seems a bit risky to begin with. I read on that other forum that Monet was really disappointed that Vaughn had quit the military just 6 years before getting a military pension and I can't blame her. That would have been a great base income to have. But if she was judging Vaughn for that right off the bat then there's not much he could've done to make things work. I don't know if he was or wasn't attracted to her, but I totally understand being turned off by her coldness. I really think they both are to blame and it's hard to figure out who started the decline since we didn't get to see everything. I know Vaughn snapped first on camera, but I find it really rude too if I'm talking to someone and they don't acknowledge it in any way. It sounded like it had happened more than once and it really bothered him. Maybe Monet is just lacking in basic manners. I don't know if she's considerate and loving while actually in love, but she did seem a bit cold to me too. Perhaps she's just been single too long. I know I had trouble taking my boyfriend into consideration when I was so used to just worrying about myself and my own happiness. Vaughn isn't the calm and doe-eyed earnest guy he likes to present for the cameras either, but then again if someone was being a bitch to me then I would be a bitch back. He does seem kind of childish and selfish though.

 

In the end, I guess it doesn't really matter what either of them did, since they just weren't a good match. I really hated how Dr. C was still hanging on to his extensive tests as proof that they really are compatible. Give it up, dude! They so aren't. How did none of those tests pick up on the disconnect between Monet's wants and needs? I thought the tests were done so they wouldn't just rely on what they say they want, yet whenever their problems were brought up the experts made sure to mention that they wanted this and that in their spouse. If I didn't already think psychology was a pseudoscience then this show would have served as nice proof of that. I think they just got lucky with the other two couples. It was really weird how the experts looked positively disgusted with Monet ever since she came out. I wonder if she did something behind the scenes to piss them off, because I can't see what reason they would have to be biased, especially since Vaughn was painted as the guilty party for most of the season. It was very strange.

 

I think both Monet and Jamie were trying way too hard with those dresses. Made them look a bit tacky. I liked what Jason was wearing a lot.

 

Having no audience gave the whole show a bit of a strange vibe. I'm used to applause whenever someone comes on stage and this time they were met with silence and 4 people on the side looking awkward. I loved the furniture on set though, I want a sofa like that.

[lumpy narwhale]

Coming out of lurk-dom to share some thoughts.

I've watched from the beginning. I was really interested and at first it seemed like an actual social experiment but then they put every couple's story line through the same treatment "this is the episode we talk about money" "this is the episode we meet the family" and it ruined the show for me. I kept watching but there was nothing "real" about their canned interviews and it seemed like when they "met" with the experts they weren't even all in the same room most of the time (which is understandable but let's just say "hey we skyped with dr. so and so".

 

I think Jamie and Doug are a good fit if only because I think they both like the attention. I think Jamie will grit her teeth and keep at it as long as there are reality show opportunities for them, or as long as she thinks there are. I'm sure they're planning an extravagant wedding re-do. Doug might get sick of the facade and end things, so then she can be, in her mind, some heart broken hero of love and get lots of magazine covers for a couple of weeks. I don't see Jamie ending things, she wants the world to think she's got this perfectly romantic and "real" relationship happening.

 

I think Courtney and Jason actually have a lot in common and might make it in the long haul. They both seem committed to family and if they see each other as family I think they'll stay committed to each other, especially given Jason's loss and the role I'm sure Courtney has played in his mourning his mother. My brother in law's father died the night of his first date with my sister, he found out when they were out together. I KNOW my sister being there through his loss really deepened their relationship quickly.

 

I really do think the show had a lot of potential, I would have just preferred seeing their stories unwrap themselves in their own time rather then the formulas used every episode. Plus six weeks ain't nothing. I know it's a low budget show but if the couples were together longer before making their decisions I think the show would have been less likely to force the story lines each episode.

[Ohwell]

Yes, for weeks I didn't understand where Monet's conclusion that "you haven't established yourself as a man yet" was coming from.

 

He's enrolling part-time to get his bachelor's degree in "electronic engineering technology" at 30 years old. It's admirable that he's going to put the work in, but Monet is at a completely different place in her life and career. When Monet says, "he has a lot of potential and would be a good husband in 5 years", I see what she's saying. What she's saying is, she's successful professionally, 33, and wants a big family. If she wants a big family she's running out of time, she needs to start having the babies basically now, she can't wait 5 years until she's 38. It's just the realities of women's fertility. Meanwhile Vaughn wants/needs to put some work in on his career. He's not ready to lead a family yet.

I don't understand why it's a bad thing for someone to be trying to get a bachelor's degree at the ripe old age of 30.   People are holding down jobs and going to school part time all the time to sharpen their skills for a better job.  If anything, I applaud Vaughn for trying to make a better life for himself and any potential wife and family he might have.   Monet is a "product development manager for the fashion industry."  I don't even know what the hell that means but I'm assuming that someone in the fashion industry would know.  The point is, judging by what I've seen on TV it doesn't exactly look like she's raking in the big bucks.  All I saw was a sparsely furnished apartment and a dog.  I would say she's like Vaughn and most of the population--trying to make ends meet.  So her "you're not a man yet" and "you have a bright future" comments still sounded condescending to me.   I think that Vaughn is just as ready to lead a family as Doug or Jason or any other man.  He just didn't want to have a family with Monet.

 

When the "experts," especially Dr. C with his damn CIA tests, were questioning the applicants, I wonder how deeply they delved into what the financial expectations of the applicants were.  Everyone knows that money (or lack thereof) is one of the major issues contributing to the breakup of a marriage, and I wonder if, for example, they asked Monet if she was looking for a man with an established career.  Or perhaps Monet should have specified that that's what she wanted because she felt her biological clock was ticking.  Same thing goes for Jamie who didn't want a schmuck.

[lovetowrite73]

Every time I come in here, I remember another ridiculous statement out of Monet's mouth. LOL But her statement about how it's kind of hard to date when you're still married...give me a break. That was an excuse. It took my divorce nearly a year to be finalized, and my ex and I had been separated for about 2 years prior. Do you think that stopped me from going out and having fun? LOL Puh-leeze.

 

And to piggyback on Ohwell's post above - how do we know that Monet is established and successful in her career?

[whack-a-mole]

Every time I come in here, I remember another ridiculous statement out of Monet's mouth. LOL But her statement about how it's kind of hard to date when you're still married...give me a break. That was an excuse. It took my divorce nearly a year to be finalized, and my ex and I had been separated for about 2 years prior. Do you think that stopped me from going out and having fun? LOL Puh-leeze.

I bet it's a lot harder with a scary reality tv contract that specifies you can't spoil the ending by being spotted out and about dating other guys or you'll get a six or seven figure penalty.

[Your Grace]

 

I don't understand why it's a bad thing for someone to be trying to get a bachelor's degree at the ripe old age of 30.

There's nothing wrong with trying to get your degree at 30, but as the original poster said, it makes Vaughn incompatible with Monet.  Could you have a couple of kids while you're working on your degree? Sure, but I don't think it's the best idea and Monet probably didn't think so either.  He's basically restarting his career at 30 and he has plenty of time to do this and have children, Monet does not have the time, biologically, to wait for him.  They are not in the same place in life.  He is trying to (re)establish himself, she's already where she wants to be.  He should probably wait until his career has kick-started to start a family, she's pretty much ready now.  Their goals and expectations are misaligned in some fundamental ways that the"experts" should have recognized before they paired the two.

[Ohwell]

He's basically restarting his career at 30 and he has plenty of time to do this and have children, Monet does not have the time, biologically, to wait for him.  They are not in the same place in life.  He is trying to (re)establish himself, she's already where she wants to be.

I understand Monet's situation regarding running out of time to start a family.  I could have understood her having that conversation in private with Vaughn, as one of the reasons (the main reason?) why they weren't a good match.  But as I said before, it's her public comments that struck me as unnecessary and, frankly, mean.   But I get it.  Vaughn pissed her off and hurt her so she hit him where she thought it would hurt the most--his manhood.  Like I said, she's got her dog.

[ridethemaverick]

I never thought Monet cared a lot about money. I think it's as others have said...Vaughn doesn't really have a job and is about to go to school to get his bachelor's.

People were upset that she told him he has a bright future ahead but I think she was being sincere. Education is great and I applaud him for going to get his. But he is not established enough for Monet and there is nothing wrong with her saying that. Just like he said she's too independent and argumentative amd non-nurturing for him and that's OK too. I'm not sure why affronts to Vaughn's precious manhood are so much worse than his affronts to her femininity.

Edited September 18, 2014 by ridethemaverick

[Ohwell]

I don't think being called "cold" is an affront to anyone's femininity. 

 

One thing I know for sure is that I would never, ever want a match maker and I would certainly not agree to get married, sight unseen.  With my luck, I'd ask for a slim, black man and find Flavor Flav waiting for me as I walked down the aisle.  Yeah Boyeee!! 

[62GREAT]

I don't think being called "cold" is an affront to anyone's femininity. 

 

One thing I know for sure is that I would never, ever want a match maker and I would certainly not agree to get married, sight unseen.  With my luck, I'd ask for a slim, black man and find Flavor Flav waiting for me as I walked down the aisle.  Yeah Boyeee!! 

LOL LOL no one deserves Flavor Flav

[soporific]

It's not the difference in career stages that makes Vaughn and Monet incompatible. It's everything together: life stage + goals + marriage role preferences. If Monet wanted one or two kids and wanted to keep working then Vaughn's career goals/stage would matter a lot less. It's the fact that Monet's goal is a raise a bunch of kids and be a Stay-At-Home-Mom that makes Vaughn's career an issue.

Vaughn considers his family traditional even while they broke some traditions. (His mother not only worked, she made more money than his dad). So Vaughn thought his career was not incompatible with wanting to start a traditional family. Meanwhile Monet did not consider her lack of cooking/cleaning to be an issue even though it's exactly what Vaughn thought he meant by traditional. They used the same term but had entirely different ideas about what it meant.

Edited September 19, 2014 by cooksdelight
Quoted post deleted

[Armchair Critic]

Sounds like neither of them understood what traditional meant, what a mess.

[ketose]

I've see on other reviews and updates on the show that Jamie keeps talking about and throwing hints about having a baby soon.  How ridiculous is that with someone you've only known 6 months?  One article also referred to her as a former NYC nurse. I could be wrong, and her fans (Dr Cilona for sure) could be right, but I just see this constant talk of having a baby as another way to keep her name out there.  Just like the waiting until she's in front of the camera to tell Doug she loves him. Jamie is so busy putting all of their personal life out there on social media how does she have time for the relationship. Makes me really wonder about Doug's sincerity in all of this.  If this is all for the publicity do they realize how bad this will look if/when it falls apart?

As far as the former nurse thing, Jamie posted a nursie (a nurse seflie) on twitter last night. I don't she's got enough financial stability to qui that gig yet.

[trimthatfat]

I'm pretty sure Jamie is still a nurse. She IGed a book she was reading about neonatal medicine a couple of weeks back. I doubt Jamie would quit her career just because this show has been successful.