Michelle Is the ‘Married at First Sight’ Drama We Can’t Ignore

Michelle Tomblin worked overtime to earn the title of resident “mean girl” on the Chicago season of Married at First Sight. After meeting a stranger at the end of the altar that she wasn’t particularly attracted to, she learned that her new husband, David Trimble, lived in his family’s basement. After learning that David wasn’t as successful as she would’ve liked, any chance of making the social experiment work went out the window for Michelle. After fighting through humble beginnings to become a stable adult, Michelle had zero patience for anyone that reminded her of past financial struggles as a child. She questioned David about his decision and was extremely condescending towards his lifestyle and priorities.

From their first conversation during the wedding reception, to her repeated questions on the honeymoon and several times after, David remained positive in his responses to Michelle, even though at times her tone was dismissive and bitchy. Not only was Michelle repulsed by David’s home, but she was also disgusted with his wardrobe and overall presentation. On the honeymoon she complained about his actual physical presence being too much and asked for space. When he assumed she wanted space from him for a few hours, she angrily informed him that when she needed space it was for at least a day, and he shouldn’t call or text her during that time. David acquiesced to Michelle’s demands and even spent the night at a restaurant on the honeymoon so that Michelle could have the entire room to herself without being irritated by his presence.

Michelle and David Are Another MisMatched Couple on MAFS

Once the couple returned to the states, Michelle made it clear that she didn’t feel enough of a connection with David to live with him. She criticized his clothing, his choice of words and complained that he didn’t ask her important questions during their brief times together. When the couple traveled to see each other’s actual living spaces, Michelle was sickened by the reality of David’s messy basement bachelor pad. Her neat but simple monochromatic apartment was less than impressive to David, but he bit his tongue, although it was clear he felt duped by Michelle’s grandstanding about her lifestyle once he saw her actual reality.

David continued putting up a positive front, asking Michelle if there was anything he could do to make things better, but his wife remained cold and irritably distant towards him. Because there is only so much time before a boiling pot becomes unable to accommodate its contents, viewers knew David was eventually going to explode from absorbing Michelle’s constant digs and passive-aggressive insults.

In several scenes, Michelle shared her inability to find a connection with David, in conversations with friends and the other girls. She insisted he was a very nice and sweet person, and she felt guilty because she didn’t feel anything towards him and couldn’t get over his living situation. In episode 12, Michelle was given a gift horse when she receives a text message David intended for another woman. She immediately created a narrative of being hurt and blind-sighted by David’s philandering ways. The truth is, David should’ve stopped playing Michelle’s game long before his guilty text. Being matched with someone who is committed to painting you as beneath them is humiliating and eventually will take a toll on everyone.

David’s Silence Fuels Michelle’s Blame Game

David absorbed Michelle’s verbal insults but instead of letting her know how it made him feel, he remained silent and slowly disconnected from the process. He started entertaining other women in an attempt to lick the wounds of his bruised ego after enduring four and a half weeks of insults and insinuations that he wasn’t enough from his wife. By episode 13, Michelle has gone full throttle, positioning David as a “fboy” who cheated on her while she remained committed to the marriage. The couple sat down with Pastor Cal, and he agreed with Michelle’s assessment of David being a liar. He asked the couple to spend time together, but Michelle kept all fingers pointed at David. “So when are we going to get to the bottom of the text message?” she questioned as soon as the two walked out of the doctor’s office.

Anyone who has been watching the whole season knows that Michelle hasn’t been open to their marriage since the reception. Although David’s cousin confirmed he was lying about the text messages, it’s not feasible to believe Michelle had any shred of emotional investment in the marriage. Her extreme focus on David’s misstep allowed her to hide her inconsiderate behavior behind his mistake. Instead of acknowledging her part in the breakdown of the marriage, Michelle focused on David’s immature reaction to her constant rejection. “You know you’re looking bad right now, right? This makes you look really bad,” she chastised, after Pastor Cal left the two to speak alone.

Michelle Has Enjoyed Belittling David All Season

David ducked his head but refused to defend himself or keep it completely honest with Michelle about how her insults about his home, clothes, etc. hurt his feelings. The episode ends with Michelle triumphantly sharing David’s mistakes with the rest of the cast and reveling in their disappointment in him. For some unknown reason, Michelle’s cast mates refuse to hold her accountable, but fans of the show have been extremely vocal on social media about her bitchy behavior.

Using someone’s wounded responses to your insults against them is manipulative behavior. David was wrong to lie about the text message to another woman, but the correct decision would’ve been to hold Michelle accountable for her verbal insults and passive-aggressive behavior. Some social media fans believe David should’ve left the process completely because of Michelle’s obvious mistreatment. There are some fans that believe David’s actions were inexcusable, but they would have to acknowledge there has never been a time when Michelle exhibited any emotion towards him other than disgust. In order for a MAFS couple to have a chance at any type of success, friendship or a potential relationship, it’s imperative that both sides are open to working through their differences. Michelle checked out before she removed her bridal gown, proving she is the worst of several bad selections for Chicago’s MAFS season. Married at First Sight Season 18 is available to stream on Hulu.