There are signs that the Married at First Sight franchise will start producing seasons faster, as several clues give way to this notion, including the show’s platform change. Married at First Sight season 18 ended in March 2025, and it was arguably the most chaotic season of all time. It was marked by a cheating scandal and couples swap between David Trimble and Madison Myers, who dumped their original spouses, Michelle Tomblin and Allen Slovick, and decided to pursue each other. Moreover, Emem Obot’s disastrous marriage to Ikechi Ojoré ended in an early divorce petition.
Shockingly, Emem went on to become engaged within a week of that divorce call to another man, and she is a wife once again today. Only one season 18 couple, Camille Parsons and Thomas McDonald, went on to stay married come decision day, but Thomas said in the “Where Are They Now?” episode, that they weren’t passionately in love. Whatever the drama in season 18 was, the season did follow a schedule that is standard for MAFS. However, there are indications that the schedule could get an overhaul in the future, which could be a positive direction change.
MAFS Historic Schedule Explained
MAFS Follows A General Schedule
Married at First Sight has been known to stick to a particular schedule. The seasons are typically quite long by reality TV show measures, as they run for five to six months on average, including the reunion and catch-up episodes. Then, MAFS takes four to six-months hiatuses between seasons. This means that one season is usually run a year. Between the seasons, editing for the next season is likely taking place.
What is rather irritating and maddening about Married at First Sight, is that the final season product that’s put before viewers’ eyes, has traditionally happened well over a year in the past. The reunion and catch-up episodes are filmed a year after filming, but don’t even make it to screen for another few months after that.
Watching the dynamics and drama that happened so long ago each season is bothersome, as the filming, production, and then airing time are not aligned well to give the viewers the best experience.
MAFS Fans Are Annoyed By The Current Production Speed
The MAFS Season 19 Couples Got Married In February 2024
Married at First Sight fans have a lot of time to stew on the previous season during the hiatus, which gives way to annoyed and resentful fans. Most viewers want to forget about the negative aspects of the previous season and look forward to a fresh cast, city, and set of drama all under the umbrella of being hopeful lasting matches will be made. The current production speed is unacceptable to a lot of fans, and many have voiced complaints.
In the casting announcement (via @mafsfan), they revealed that the weddings for upcoming Married at First Sight season 19 took place in mid-February 2024, and season 19 will likely not premiere (by Lifetime’s history) until Fall 2025. In the comments of the announcement, MAFS fans shared their ill-feelings about the franchise’s speed.
“They need to release the episodes faster, these people got married over a year ago??????”
“holy s**t !!!! Why does it take so long !!!?? Wow !!!”
“Why we gotta wait till fall when spring just started and they got married over a year ago”
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MAFS Needs A Scheduling Overhaul
& It Looks Like That’s Happening
Married at First Sight is switching network platforms in 2025. The show is being taken over by streaming giant, and Netflix’s number one competitor, Peacock. MAFS season 19 will be produced and shared by Peacock. However, within this transition, two things can happen. Since the switchover is happening during the production and editing of season 19, season 19 could premiere in the fall, as is the Lifetime pace, or it could have a faster production through Peacock’s takeover.
If fans learn that the season 19 premiere will happen closer to the summer rather than the fall, that means Peacock has picked up the pace. If the latter happens, it might not necessarily mean that faster production speed won’t happen, but rather that the transition is the hindrance. Regardless, reality TV trends, especially under Peacock, are for shows to have shorter turnaround times. In future seasons under Peacock, the filming, editing, and airing schedule could shrink, and Married at First Sight fans could look forward to shorter hiatuses and drama that isn’t from a year and a half ago.
Source: @mafsfan/Instagram
