‘Married at First Sight’ Season 9’s Surging Success Sparks Renewal for Seasons 10 and 11
Season 9 of Married at First Sight was the most surprising and tumultuous ride ever for the arranged marriage reality series. According to the numbers, viewers ate up all the excitement. Every network loves a hit, and Married at First Sight has been Lifetime’s top series for the past two years. The network was beyond overjoyed with the ratings for Season 9, which wrapped last week.
As reported by Yahoo! in a September 20 feature, the decision day last week lured 1.5 1 million viewers to not turn away from their screens, a series high for any Married at First Sight episode. It was not only the ladies who were munching their popcorn in anticipation of who would stay married. All adults age 25-54 brought season highs to Lifetime. Social media was also in a constant frenzy over the Season 9 matches, and that fervor kept up through every episode.
Lifetime is returning the love by giving Married at First Sight fans more to love. Season 9 and Season 10 are locked in for renewal, and there will be more time, more love, and more couples to see as they take the risk for forever love.
More, more, more of Married at First Sight
Season 9 took viewers to unknown places. There was the first virgin in Married at First Sight history. Another couple began with chemistry so strong that they almost couldn’t finish the ceremony before kissing each other to pieces. There was the bride who hadn’t had a serious relationship in over a decade, and her patient and determined groom who was committed to dismantling the walls around her heart. Then there was a husband everyone couldn’t help but hate, and a wife who came to see that she was worth commitment. Topping it off, a quirky couple who burned with passion and fire spiced up the mix. They proclaimed their love very quickly, before waging war on their relationship, and still deciding to make it work.
There will probably never be a more unusual season for the marriage experiment, but Lifetime is committed to giving fans what they love. Starting with Season 10 in January, each episode will be two hours, and there will be five couples involved in each season. Washington DC will be the hub for the hopefuls in Season 10. New Orleans has already been designated as the site for Season 11.
Working on love
The Married at First Sight success rate is not too shabby overall. Of the 29 couples paired, eight remained married. One of those couples is Jamie and Beth Thompson. The spirited and energetic match made a cross-country move just after decision day, and are enjoying life in the San Francisco Bay Area, even sharing pictures along their journey.
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“Life has been really different, but in a good way,” the couple related in a September 19 Us Weekly story. They describe their “crazy fights” as “nonexistent” now, as they continue “to learn to communicate.” For this bride and groom, having the cameras gone gave them inspiration to “nurture a positive and healthy relationship.”
Jamie’s new job at Google was only a part of the move. The North Carolina natives loved the idea of going to a totally new locale and experiencing new things together.
No matter when or how any marriage journey begins, hard work and patience have to be poured in equal measures with love, but the reward is worth the effort.
Two of Season 9’s couples needed “intensive care” and intervention. Only time will tell if expanding to five couples will stretch the experts’ time and skills too thin. Lifetime clearly endorses the “more the merrier” concept for their show.
Tune in for the supersized Married at First Sight episodes starting in January 2020 on Lifetime.
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- ‘Married at First Sight’ (Minus One) Couples Retreat Raises Questions Over Lasting Futures - October 15, 2020