- Ah, [bleep]. - Seven weeks ago,
ten fearless singles took a daring leap of faith
in order to find love.
They married as complete strangers,
and with Decision Day approaching fast,
our couples are going to have to decide
whether they want to stay married or get a divorce.
[upbeat music]
Last time, our four couples examined each other's past
in hopes that their choice would become clear
before Decision Day.
- There's a lot of happy moments in his house,
on this street in general.
- ♪ Grew up down the street ♪
♪ We were meant to be ♪
- The growth from when I first met you to now
is just beautiful.
- We made a lot of progress together--
- Yeah.
- But we still have things that we need to figure out,
being so close to Decision Day.
♪ ♪
- This is where I live. Raise kids here.
- We missed the mark on a lot of situations,
but where we align is so deep and connected.
- ♪ You know it, you'll know it ♪
♪ ♪
- If you're married and you're not living together
all the time, how do you reassure each other?
- I'm just not sure
exactly what that's gonna look like yet.
- I mean, we can't really raise kids when we are across town.
♪ ♪
- Can Katina finish her bachelor's
and finish her nursing while being married
and having a kid? That is a lot.
I know Katina cares about school a lot.
- Yeah, if you care for somebody,
you will always look out for what's best for them.
♪ ♪
- And tonight...
[laughter]
- ♪ When do we start wanna have some fun ♪
- With only one week left until that fateful day...
- I figured we could eat
and then do a home fertility test.
- What does that tell us? - Your sperm count.
♪ ♪
- Our couples will have the chance
to talk to those closest to them
before they make the biggest decision of their lives.
- She's working on her associate's.
I mean, that's just how much she wants to get into nursing.
So we're looking at almost three
to five years still in school.
♪ ♪
- I definitely feel more connected to him,
but feelings have still not come.
- I didn't come to this process to make a friend.
- Right.
- Are you feeling better about his job plan?
- You know what a sales engineer is?
- No.
- It took a lot of work to get there,
and I did it for four years.
- I don't know what that means.
Like, how does that translate to, like, income?
♪ ♪
- ♪ It's all or nothing ♪
- This is "Married at First Sight."
- ♪ There's no other way ♪
♪ ♪
♪ It's all or nothing ♪
- ♪ We try to see the big picture, time slips ♪
♪ Right through our fingers ♪
♪ Takes a lot ♪
♪ Takes a lot to become a believer ♪
- I'm with my bonus babies.
Hey, Rocky.
I love you very much.
Chloe, I, uh, I like you very much.
Chloe, "love" is a very strong word
that I'm not ready to use on you.
- Decision Day is less than a week away,
and it's time for our couples
to reach deep within themselves.
- I'm with my husband. [laughs]
We're taking a walk on the beach
before he heads to work today.
- And really determine whether or not they can share
the rest of their lives with a spouse
they met as a stranger only seven weeks ago.
- He got me this really cute gift.
It says Noi Wifey.
That says we got married June 25th, which we did not.
We didn't even know each other at this point.
- They are legally bound in a real marriage,
and the only options are to stay married or get a divorce.
- I'm--I'm with a friend, then,
and that's not what I signed up for.
That's not what I wanted and, you know,
we have a lot of things to work through.
The only thing that I can change on my own
without her help is me being my authentic self.
All the other disconnects we have,
we gotta work that out together.
And however this marriage goes, if I'm my 100% authentic self,
I'll be able to live with it.
♪ ♪
- ♪ Everybody wants a lover ♪
♪ But nobody wants to love ♪
♪ ♪
- I figured we could eat
and then do a home fertility test.
- What does that tell us?
- Your sperm count.
♪ ♪
Decision Day is approaching,
and Mark and I are doing really well.
I, uh, believe it's gonna require some sperm.
But based on the fact that Mark and I
are probably close to the end of the fertility spectrum
versus the beginning,
it seems to me as though the fertility test
would be a useful thing for me to know before Decision Day.
I'm a planner, so I like to know things...
- Yeah.
- And the way you love and care for your cats
tells me that you would really love and care for your kids.
- Oh, yeah.
- I can see you making your kids a priority,
and I really like that.
I might consider incubating a child for you.
- Baby sharks are in no rush, but you know what?
Maybe I am a little curious to see if my little guys
and her little girls can make something down the road.
- All right, baby. You know, you gotta ejaculate.
- Okay.
- I might give you a little help.
[Mark laughs]
- ♪ Or maybe it's all I wanna do ♪
♪ ♪
- ♪ It's all I wanna do ♪
- Mark, I ain't gonna lie, your sperm don't look healthy, babe.
You gotta drink some water.
My man is dehydrated. [laughs]
It looks like he's shooting out Elmer's glue
that's been uncapped for a week.
Sperm cocktail.
♪ ♪
Okay, and this goes in there. - Mm.
- If I'm gonna be honest,
it's really hard to look at your husband's splooge
in a plastic cup that serves ketchup or tartar sauce
in a fish restaurant.
Ugh.
- Five, six--
- If you see any line at all, your test is positive,
no matter how faint or how one compares to the other.
- It's looking low.
- No, I see--I see a line on both.
- You do?
- Yeah, I can see one right there--it's a shadow.
Give it seven minutes. You can't read it before then.
- While I'm waiting, I'm, like, kind of get nervous
because I tried things that enhance my size
and muscles in my 20s
that could impact the ability to have kids.
So I'm really hoping to see the results
come back in our favor.
I'm looking safer by the second.
Looking like I still got stuff in the tank.
♪ ♪
Still positive. Don't have to go get a refill.
- You're gonna be a great dad.
And you got the dad jokes lined up.
- I can still make them.
My little troopers are still swimming by the millions.
There are lots of-- lots of little sharks
dying to find an egg.
Good to go. - Congrats.
- Ha! Let's see.
- Those little swimmers. - All those swimmers.
♪ ♪
- ♪ I've been searching for a new life ♪
♪ An open door ♪
- You look so cute. - Aw, so do you.
- It's so good to see--I miss you.
- I know, I miss you too. It's so weird.
I'm, like, so used to seeing you all the time.
- I know. - I'm like,
"Wait, I have a husband that I see every day?
What?" - That's crazy.
- So much.
It's crazy how much can change in such a short amount of time.
- Yeah. - But we had a good start
and then we kinda had, like, a rocky integration,
I guess, like, after we lived together.
And then I think now we've kinda, like, turned a corner,
but who knows?
Like, some--some weeks are great.
Like, we don't fight and we're just so happy
and just having fun, and then the next week it's like...
♪ ♪
- Yeah, last time when we were talking,
we were talking a lot about, like,
how you were raised and how it's different.
- Yeah.
- Like, your family is so communal
and you just, like, do things for each other.
And he made such a point of being, like,
you don't do this stuff, which is weird.
- I'm over here, you know,
cooking, cleaning, getting the house in order.
And I haven't seen us splitting tasks.
Like, part of me is like,
"Well, maybe we should try that first
so that you can really feel what that's like."
- 'Cause you're such a nurturer.
- Yeah, I was like...
- I just thought that was bizarre.
- "What do you mean I don't do things?"
- Like-- - I was really lost.
- Do you see me? - I was like,
"What things I--do I not do? I don't understand."
So he probably felt like, "Oh, she must not be doing anything
because she's not saying she did it."
I still don't really do that, but I do, like, verbalize,
like, my appreciation for him a little bit more.
- Are you feeling better about his job plan?
- A little bit, I've had--
- I don't know why Steve won't just get a job.
- Yeah.
- He sound--he seems like such a smart guy.
Like, I bet he could get a job easily.
- He could. - Yeah.
- That's the thing, you know, like, it's like you can.
- I know.
- Honestly, I feel like he's the type of person
that needs to just focus on one task at hand.
He's like, "I'm gonna focus on my marriage right now."
And then when he has the time and energy, then he'll be like,
"I'm going to focus on figuring out what I really wanna do
and how I'm gonna support this marriage."
I mean, like, good for you. Like, that's wonderful.
- So I think you're, like, rolling your eyes.
Can you say that with more attitude?
[laughs]
- I mean, for me, though, like, I'm a hustler, like,
I'd be like, "Oh, I'm gonna do that.
Oh, I'm gonna cook, clean, and bust my ass."
- Yeah. - Why can't you also do that?
- Yeah, it's like the stakes are so high.
- Mm-hmm.
- Like, to put your faith in someone
that you've known for...
- Two months? - Two months.
- Like, how are you processing such a big decision?
- It's pretty scary. - Yeah.
- As much as I love Steve, a part of me just wonders
if we have enough of a foundation--
if we've built enough of a foundation
to really make it everlasting.
I really wanna make sure that the decision I make
is really the best decision for me ultimately.
I do trust him more now,
but I also need to weigh the pros and cons
and, you know, like, for me, it's still kind of scary.
♪ ♪
- Well, you're getting close, huh?
- Yeah. [both laugh]
It's up in the air what's my decision.
So it's important that I meet with coach Mack today.
He's my mentor.
He plays, like, a-a father figure in my life.
He'll be honest, and that's what I need
'cause I wanna make the best decision truly for myself.
- So what's new?
- Decision Day is getting close.
Me and Katina, we're trying to figure out
where we gonna lay down,
and where's--where's our final decision?
Our chemistry is real, she's beautiful,
she's mad funny. She's a business major.
- Yeah.
- She's working on her associate's.
I mean, then she's talking about
she wants to switch into nursing program after.
So we're looking at almost about three to five years
still of school.
I ignored it at the beginning
because I just wanted to get to know her,
and when we first talked,
I-I thought what she was done in May.
And Coach Mack, I'm ready--I--you know this.
Remember I was telling you in college
I can't wait for me to travel the world.
- Right.
- And I don't see how she could travel the world
while being a wife and getting her bachelor's
and then going to nursing school.
I just went through this with my ex,
and it didn't work.
I'm over school. I don't--even who I'm with,
I don't wanna hear nothing about school.
Katina feels like she could just go in and out of school.
Like, I could travel and do my--my books and do that.
My ex was like that, and I struggled with it.
♪ ♪
- Well, the bottom line is, you know...
- And--and I said that to her.
- It's--it's the rest of your life, right?
And if you have a different idea
of what it should be to be married,
then it's not the right place for you, right?
- Right.
- You guys aren't on the same page, and you should be.
- You should be with your--with your wife.
And look, I mean, it's a real simple question
and answer to yourself, right?
- Yeah. - Is she the one?
♪ ♪
- ♪ 'Cause you know and you know it ♪
♪ And you know and you know and you'll figure it out ♪
♪ 'Cause you know and you know it ♪
♪ And you know and you know and you'll figure it out ♪
- Jas, what's up? - Hi, Miles.
- ♪ We've gotta figure it out, we've gotta ♪
♪ ♪
[knock at door]
- [laughs] You knock, and then you open the door.
- I didn't want to be super rude, I got some manners.
Look at this.
This is the first time that me and my sisters
are all getting together
since I let them know that I was marrying a stranger.
It's actually too late to pull out
'cause I'm getting married in two weeks.
[all screaming]
Also, last time I was here, my sister Tina was pregnant,
and now we have a wonderful addition to my family
who is hopefully can give me some advice
on what I'm going to be doing on Decision Day as well.
Is this just for décor, or are we eating?
- No, no. - A'ight.
The last time I seen you guys all together,
I was two weeks away from getting married.
Now I'm making a decision.
- Wow.
- Is that what you've been stressing about?
- Mm.
I feel like I've spoke to you the most about,
like, what's going on and where I'm at.
What would you say in terms of what we need to focus on
in order to, you know,
both of us confidently say yes on Decision Day?
- You guys want the same thing.
You guys are looking for the same thing.
For some reason, you guys aren't giving each other,
and I think that comes from a lot of over-processing.
Both of you guys are thinking too much,
so you guys are doing a lot of foreshadowing.
- So here's the good news.
I feel like we cleared the air with all of that.
- Oh, nice. - Good.
- Like, I would say now we're on the same page
of, like, what needs to change in our relationship.
- Nice.
♪ ♪
- So tell me, how--how's it-- how's it's been going?
- Things have been going really well.
- So has it been more romantic or--
or have you felt any feelings develop?
- I definitely feel more connected to him,
but feelings have still not come.
♪ ♪
Even though Mike and I are in a good place,
we're not in the space that I want us to be in for me
to feel 100% confident going into Decision Day.
I still--I'm trying to get a deeper connection.
- I didn't come to this process to make a friend.
- Mm-hmm. - Right.
- I want my wife to be my best friend.
- Right. - But not...
both: Just my friend.
♪ ♪
- Well, at least what's holding you back
from being intimate?
- We've definitely, you know, have had moments
where I've felt our connection get deeper,
but they weren't necessarily moments where I looked
at him differently, you know, in that way.
- Has he made any efforts to, I don't know, make any moves?
- He'll, like, reach for my hand or, like,
come and sit next to me, give me kisses on the cheek.
He does, like, all of that stuff.
- You think that if he were more outward
about his feelings and, you know, told you that,
you know, he wants this to work,
and do you think that your mindset will change
in a way that will help the relationship grow?
♪ ♪
- Yeah.
But I also think that he's probably in his head about it
and purposely doesn't talk like that
'cause he doesn't wanna make me uncomfortable.
- Yeah.
♪ ♪
- We have a short amount of time
until Decision Day, and I'm like, "What do I do?"
- Do you not feel like the progress you've made
is enough to trust to move forward?
- I don't know. I don't know.
- It's just a sticky situation
because you don't wanna be pushy
so that she can feel comfortable,
but at the same time, how long is too long for him
to feel like he's comfortable as well in his marriage
and getting everything that he feels
like he deserves in his marriage?
- I think you might wanna take this time
and make a decision to protect Mike.
It might be time to sit with yourself and decide one,
what you're willing to compromise,
and two, what you feel like is worth it, I think.
Like, you know, is it worth going on hope
and just shrugging and saying, "Maybe I'll get what I need
to be--to be secure here eventually"?
You might wanna figure out how much that part
of your marriage means to you,
and I'd personally think and just walk and just watching
and how much you analyze it, it means a lot.
♪ ♪
- That missing link is really important.
- It's important, yeah.
♪ ♪
- Do you think now it's worth pointing out
all of the--all the stops and trying to see
if things can change if you tell him,
"Hey, you know, if you open up more emotionally
"and tell me how you feel about this relationship
"and about me specifically,
then it could certainly help us grow"?
Have you considered that?
- No, I haven't.
[both laugh]
- I mean, see where it goes.
You should do everything it--
whatever it takes to-- to see if it works.
- Yeah, but if I'm not feeling anything,
you know, come Decision Day,
it would--it would really be, like, a no.
♪ ♪
- ♪ I wish I could forget, whoa, whoa ♪
♪ I wish I could forget, whoa, whoa ♪
♪ Everything you said to me ♪
- Hey, buddy. - What's up?
- What's going on? How are you?
- Good. How are you? - Good.
- Oh, yeah.
I love you too.
- Decision Day is a few days away,
and I'm not 100% yes or no.
So I thought I'd come and talk to Jon
about how to get to one place or the other
and any last words of wisdom and how to navigate this week.
♪ ♪
- How's everything going?
[both laugh]
♪ ♪
- It's going.
I mean, it's-- this week was a lot.
Monday, Mom went to the hospital.
It's hard because my mom is at a point
where she's not taking care of herself
and she gets nervous getting in out of the bed
because she's heavy.
So a full-time care facility
is probably the best place for my mom
because she needs professional help.
- I mean, I just think
you're in a little bit of a ditch right now.
You need a little help to get out of it,
but you do have depression, Rose.
The--the house is coming along. We got a lot of stuff.
- Dude, I can't believe how much you cleaned out.
- Wow. What work my husband has done.
Check this out.
And it's still going.
- She was in, like, the same apartment
as Anna-Jo, right? - Yeah.
I emptied out every cabinet. - Holy crap.
- This house has never seen the light of this in years,
so we're working hard.
- So it's like, those are the times
that I'm, like, really happy she's there.
It's, like, wh--wh--it's, like, when there's a moment when,
like, I-I could use support, she's very, very supportive
and I'm like, "I'm really happy that you are there.
Not just anyone, but you are there."
And then Thursday, with JC, she--she--she's there
for me for--for that.
So she shows up when I need someone to show--
- That matters the most? - Matters, yeah.
She shows up when I need someone to show up,
which is--which is huge,
but when we have these disagreements
to a point of the way that they happen,
I'm like, "I'm fine if you're not there."
So it's, like, that's why I'm so torn sometimes
which to go because I've seen both every week.
- Mm-hmm.
- And for me, when you first meet someone,
you don't wanna have too many downs,
you rather have more ups than downs.
And we've had an equal amount.
It's just probably why I'm, like, torn between
which way to go because of the ups and downs.
- I'm, like, I sit here and I look at your circumstances
and I look at, like, everything that's on your plate,
and I feel like once the responsibilities
die down a little bit and you get back to your schedule,
then you can start to make it work.
When you find someone that you put it together with,
and you have times like you had this week,
that's when the nitty-gritty comes,
and that's when it matters the most if that makes sense.
So I understand that you're basing things
off of the previous eight weeks,
but she definitely showed up this week.
Judge the most recent because that's the progress.
And this was probably one of the tougher weeks of your life,
to tell you the truth.
I know Mark very well, and transitions
have always been tough for him.
This is the first woman that's challenged Mark in this way,
but all he wanted to do was have somebody
that he can build a life together with
and grow together with.
And he's definitely better with somebody else,
and he starting to realize that.
- Here I am, like, unsure of what to do, stay or leave.
I don't know what life is like without her
because I haven't really been away from her.
In normal relationships,
you have so much time away from each other
to really figure out if you've missed them
or not when you get in a fight.
- Yeah-- - In this situation--
- Exactly-- - I have no clue.
- Exactly. Yeah, that's tough.
- I feel like it's something that I need to know
what life is like without her.
I wish that through all these ups and downs,
I had clarity on yes or no.
I wish it wasn't so which way.
- At the end of eight weeks,
you're not doing yourself any justice
if you're just like, "Screw it."
- There are so many things about Lindsey that's so great,
and there are things that just haven't arrived for me yet,
and that's the difficulty.
Will they arrive? I don't know.
♪ ♪
[upbeat music]
- ♪ Make it personal ♪
♪ Take your time ♪
♪ Would you mind if I asked you a question? ♪
- Hello. - Hey, come on in.
- Hi. I brought champs. - What's going on?
My good friend Paria is coming over to the apartment
to help me do a little ring shopping for Noi.
So I've been checking out this site, jamesallen.com,
which has been awesome.
- Oh, wow.
What's making you wanna get another ring?
- I mean, after everything we've been through,
you know, so many good times,
but also, it's been really challenging at times
and she's put in so much effort
into making things work for--for both of us.
And, you know, I think giving her this gift
will just really send her a message as to how I feel.
- Yeah.
- I feel like Noi deserves this ring
because she's showed up since the start,
since she wrote her vows and--and--and spoke them to me.
And from then on out, just had so much love to give
and is willing to step out of her comfort zone
in order to meet me in the middle
to make this marriage work.
So I wanna give her something really special.
So the first step we're gonna do here
is--is, you know, choosing a setting,
and this flush fit is--is a pretty,
you know, close match to what she was describing.
- Oh, that is gorgeous. That's good. Exactly.
I like how the band--like,
you always want a really thin band.
- She really loved the round diamond.
- Yeah, for sure.
- So, like... - Yeah, you don't want--
- I think that's what we're gonna go with.
And I wanna pull away from that fancy yellow--
- Like, you want it to be like clear and white?
- Yeah, so I think F is a good choice for that.
- Yeah.
- Let's just--let's just take a look at this idea, okay?
- It's breathtaking.
I, like--I can't even-- wait, what's that?
You can do the inscriptions?
- Yeah, you get a free engraving.
- So sparkly. She's going to love this.
- Yeah, once you figure out the band and the diamond,
you just go to this third step here and, you know,
just kinda make sure that this is the one.
- I think she's going to absolutely love this.
♪ ♪
- We have the perfect ring for her.
- Guys prove their commitment with where they kind of
invest their money sometimes, and, like, it does feel nice
to feel like someone's investing into you.
And it's also nice to, like, have your,
like, wife kind of, like, wearing a nice ring.
It kind of gives a message
to all the other men to back off.
It's like a form of claiming--
- It's my wife. - Yeah.
- ♪ I am the diamond ♪
♪ ♪
- Have a seat.
- I will, I will.
♪ ♪
- Have a seat.
- Oh, my gosh.
- How's it going with you and Mark?
Mark the shark.
- Yeah, Mark stepped it up in the last week or so.
- How's he, um-- happy to see you happy.
- I said very early on, "I know I'm a lot.
I need somebody to rein me in." - Me too. Yeah, me too.
We're two full-time jobs.
- It ain't easy being a boss.
- Yeah. - It is fun, though, ain't it?
- It is fun. It's a lot of work.
- I know, somebody's gotta do it.
I love Olajuwon. It's always so nice to see him.
I feel like we just are buddies.
Like, he reminds me of somebody I would have,
like, grown up with and just kicked it with after school.
And I think Olajuwon and I are, like,
very similar in our approach and our directness and, like,
how we like to handle things, and I-I value his perspective.
♪ ♪
- Would you say there's more pros than--than cons?
- Yeah, I think he's a good person.
We connect on faith. We connect as a team.
I really trust him when he gives me advice.
When he does sit and take the effort to talk through things.
- Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- What bothers me most is that, like, when he has problems,
he'll talk to--he can talk to you about it
or Jas about it, but he--and he'll talk to Mike
about what he wants to talk to me about.
He doesn't necessarily tell me, his wife, first.
And, like, I've said to him, like,
"You've never come to me with something
"that I've turned you down about.
"You've never come to me with a hard situation
"that I walked away with.
"So trust and choose me first as your wife to talk to me
and give me the chance to respond to you."
- Well, I will say this, I think he does it
because he wants to make sure he says it the right way,
'cause you are a strong woman and you're really smart,
so if you say the wrong word or term it the wrong way,
you will break it down to a way where it could make him
feel stupid on what he just said.
- Yeah. - So I think he tries
to express it to everybody else--
- That is tough. - To get the best--
'cause you know Mark, he takes in what everybody says,
that's--that's--that's who he is.
He likes--he likes people's opinions.
- That makes so much sense.
One time he was trying to say something,
he was saying dismay and I'm like, "Dismiss."
- Dismi--that's what I'm saying,
'cause you will--you'll make--you'll stop him
in what he's saying and correct the word.
So I think--I do it too. I talk to Mike,
I talk to Mark and Steve before bring it to Katina.
- What are the cons about Katina?
She's in school, and that might affect
your family planning-- - Just life--life experience.
- Life experience is huge to me.
Like, if you have kids,
you have to be able to cook and do these things.
Like, I--those are the things I just expect.
- She's a cook. She's always cooking for you.
- No, it's--she's-- she's learning to cook.
It sounds stupid, but it's not.
It's my life, and I choose
that a certain wife is what I-I expect.
- I have a friend who, like, he's going through this
in a long-term relationship, like, his expectation of,
"I wanted somebody to cook dinner for me
"when I got home
to be a stay-at-home mom, to live that life."
- Nobody has to stay home. She could work if she wants.
Like, I want her to be able to work.
- Oh, you want her to work and work?
- No, no, no, but she's-- right now is that--
the thing is that she's just working at home.
Like, you work on your computer.
- Yo, it's a lot of work.
- No-- - I work at home.
- Not for my wife. - Okay, well.
- My wife has a lot of free time.
It's--it's at the point where you have to ask yourself,
"Is it enough for you?"
That's what it really just comes down to.
- That's something that you can learn. though.
You could do, like-- - I'm not getting--I'm--
- You could do a meal delivery service, make it a date night.
- Right, but I'm not here to be a teacher.
♪ ♪
- Okay, but you gotta be
a little bit, that's what a marriage is.
- No, these are things, yeah, she could learn.
So it's--it's-- now it's up to me to say,
"Am I willing to do this?" Am I willing to say,
"She can't travel this week so I can travel?"
You know what I'm saying? Like, does our timeline meet?
That's real where-- where I'm focused at.
- You gotta ask yourself, "Is being in a marriage
more important to you as traveling?"
♪ ♪
I think if you said no to Katina, you would regret it.
♪ ♪
[upbeat music]
♪ ♪
- You ever danced salsa before? - Never.
- Bachata, merengue, anything?
- It's okay, I got you. - All right, are you--
you supposed to open it first, that's what happens.
♪ ♪
- Hi. - Hi, how are you?
- Good. How are you? - Good.
- I set this up so me and Jasmina
are gonna have some fun, dance some salsa.
- Mike thinks he's a better dancer than me.
- It's--it's in my heart. - Oh, man.
- I mean, I was born a dancer.
I care for her right now more than I've ever have,
and my hopes for today is me and Jasmina get to a point
where the romance part of our relationship grows to a point
where we both feel comfortable saying yes on Decision Day.
- Okay, we're gonna come to the side.
We're gonna go side, together, side, together.
Side, together. Nice, yeah.
Look it, you've got a little groove, I like it.
Together, side, awesome. Back the other way.
all: Back, forward, together, back, forward, together.
- Back, together and... - Ooh.
- Yes. Boom. And boom, boom.
Ooh, we got it.
- ♪ Olé, olé ♪
♪ Olé, ola ♪
[energetic salsa music]
- Michael and I are having so much fun together dancing.
The music is great.
I'm really picking up on the moves,
and this is the Michael that I want to see every day,
and this is the Michael that I want to grow with,
so I'm hoping that him and I
will be more connected after this.
♪ ♪
Look at me in red, matching. So pretty.
- I like you in red.
- Thank you.
♪ ♪
- That was fun. - It was.
♪ ♪
- So I think for us, this has been a long journey.
- Mm-hmm.
- Going into this marriage, I had a whole idea
of the type of husband I was gonna be.
I was like, "This is what a husband's supposed to do.
Boom, boom, boom."
So reflecting, if I can go back and do things different,
I think I would listen first
and find out what your needs are.
I would...
♪ ♪
Communicate with you more
and not create my own ideas of who I think you are,
or my own idea of your intentions
without really asking you.
I think I wasted a lot of time being in my head
and creating narratives, and I didn't expect to find out
so many things about myself.
I thank you for that.
- You're welcome.
♪ ♪
I appreciate you for...
Saying what you just said, you know,
and you're not very vocal on your feelings.
I feel like sometimes I'm too vocal about my feelings
or, like, too honest and raw.
When that happens, you just sit there,
and you just listen to it.
So I guess my question is, how do you feel now?
- I would say I have romantic feelings.
There's no question why I feel like we were matched.
Like, none.
Um.
I think maybe because the way our relationship has been,
there's times where the feelings aren't as intense
as I would like them to be.
♪ ♪
So how do you feel?
♪ ♪
- I feel like everything that we've been doing
up until this point, you know, has been, like,
making us better and benefiting us.
♪ ♪
As far as romantic feelings,
I honestly don't feel that yet,
and I'm in a place where...
I love how we get along, I love how goofy we are,
how silly we are, how we get each other.
- Yeah.
- How we have so much in common,
but I'm in a place where I don't know
if I'm looking at it as if it's a friendship
or if it could be more...
- Yeah. - Than that.
And that's what I go back and forth with.
- Yeah. - You know?
♪ ♪
- This is not where I thought this romantic dinner
was supposed to go.
It's--it's heartbreaking to hear
that she doesn't have feelings for me.
I guess the question we have to answer for ourselves maybe,
do we feel like...
- It will turn into that?
- One day it will turn into that?
Or is this just where we're at?
- ♪ Said too much ♪
♪ I might say too much ♪
- ♪ You don't have to worry about nothing ♪
♪ But me loving you, loving you ♪
♪ As long as I'm here on this earth ♪
- It's so pretty.
- You like it?
- Yes, and you got me roses.
- Yes. - Aw, thank you.
- I think it's important to go
on one more last date before Decision Day
because as stressful as Decision Day is,
I also want to take the pressure off
and enjoy each other.
I just wanna take it in.
I wanna cherish her, and I wanna hear how she feels.
It's crazy how fast the process is coming.
- I know.
I'm glad I got matched with you.
The last couple of weeks is when
I felt like it was going by the quickest.
- Yeah, I was getting ready.
- But when we first got married and the honeymoon,
it felt like time was just like regular time.
- Yeah. - And then now it's like--
- Blink of an eye.
You're like, ain't got any more time.
- Yeah.
- It's definitely been a great journey, you know,
Puerto Rico, Vermont-- - We traveled a lot.
- And we've done a lot. - Yeah.
This last dinner before Decision Day,
it's definitely, like, a bittersweet moment
because we both don't know what each other is gonna say.
I feel like we're on the same page,
but at the same time, you never know.
When my husband gets by himself,
me and that mind be going to work.
- Do you feel like there's any lingering questions
heading into Decision Day?
- I don't have any lingering questions with you
'cause I feel like we talk about everything.
It's just more so what we think about on our own time
and to consider it future-wise.
And I feel like it's, like, something we kind of have to,
like, decide on our own.
- Absolutely. This is our lives.
We got to make our own decisions based off
what we think is best for us,
together and also independently.
♪ ♪
- You have any lingering questions for me?
- No, not really lingering.
I would hope when you start, you know, going to school
and all that stuff--
I don't know, I hope you'll be able to balance.
That's a lot.
Do you think there's gonna be a challenge
to be taking care of all the things you're doing?
- For me, if I felt like
I wasn't capable of doing all those things,
I wouldn't ever have signed up to be your wife.
I know what I'm capable of, and I know the things
that I want out of life, so with that being said,
I definitely know that I can do everything.
Being a wife is important to me,
like, it's just something that I--
- Why? Why is it so important to you?
♪ ♪
- 'Cause I wanna have a family. I wanna have a partnership.
I wanna experience life with someone.
- Do you not think you could have a partnership
and experience life without being married?
- No, you can, but eventually,
it would have to end in marriage either way.
- Oh, okay.
- I'm nervous about my future.
This decision that I'm making, it is life-altering
because I feel like I entered a new world,
a new life, being somebody's wife and having a husband.
So if I'm gonna go back to being single again,
it's like I'm starting all over.
- And you felt this way towards the relationship
within the time period--
- The time that we-- no, this is the first time
I've experienced a relationship dynamic like that.
- Mm-hmm, I would hope so.
- And even the feelings that I do have for you,
it's a different type of feeling.
It's, like, a mature--
- Stronger than normal?
- Yeah, I have strong feelings for you.
- Why so? - That's easy.
It's, like, our connection and the way that we vibe.
The way that we naturally, like, get along,
and then also you give, like, this tough love.
It's sometimes--it's like--like,
"Here he go talking again."
But it's like, good. Like, I like it.
- Hmm. - [laughs]
- You understand? - No, I do.
I'm just playing with you.
Sorry I put you on the spot. Like, go ahead.
- Especially the way that we laugh together.
Like, I can say that this is the most, like,
natural I've ever laughed in a relationship.
That's one of my most,
like, favorite things about our relationship.
- Me too, that's my favorite. Dude, we laugh every day.
Every--there's not one day,
even when we argue, fight, it does not matter.
There's always laughter when I see my wife.
That's what makes this, like, so worth it
because I don't think I've been with a woman
who would make me laugh so easily in years.
But I feel like there's another level of yourself
you won't ever reach until you reached--
unless you're with the woman you love.
And I learned to smile and laugh easier
because you are in my life, so I truly enjoy you.
I don't think anybody could have made me feel
the way you made me feel or made me learn about myself.
So I see why the experts chose you.
- You're gonna make me shed a tear.
- That's true for real.
Any relationship is about making each other grow,
and I'm accomplishing that while enjoying you.
- You're like, "Hmm, life's not hard enough.
Let's be a husband."
- Yeah, so I'm happy because I felt like
I went from a boy to a man.
I could not have done that without you.
So thank you.
♪ ♪
Whatever our decision is,
there's nothing I regret, Katina.
- ♪ It's to my heart ♪
♪ It's to my ♪
- When I cross my heart ♪
♪ And we said forever after ♪
♪ We're a beautiful disaster ♪
- Oh, my God. Look at this.
- This is where we had our first lunch.
- Was it? - Yes.
- I think this is the first drink I had
that you were like, "That's disgusting."
- Yeah.
Do you remember what I told you it tasted like?
♪ ♪
- No. Vagina.
[both laughing]
- Vegan. Vagina.
♪ ♪
- I wouldn't know.
Cara was my work wife, and the minute we met,
we kind of knew each other.
We are very similar and very different,
and I've never questioned
whether or not she understands me or my motives,
so I take her advice to heart.
- So how's it going?
Up and down, up and down. - Mm-hmm.
Have you ever dated an only child?
- No. - Me neither, but wow.
- I get what I want.
- No compromise. Like, he's super rigid.
- About what, though? - Everything.
He doesn't adapt well with stress or change.
I'm somebody who thrives in the chaos and the change.
- Yes.
- And he is like, "I like to live a nice, safe life."
I bet you like to take a shot of adrenaline
and jump out of a plane like, "Let's do this."
And I'm like, "Exactly." And he's like, "Not me."
- So you balance.
You gotta meet there somewhere, right?
- Mm-hmm.
What'd you think of him at the wedding?
- He seems fun. And he smiles a lot.
He didn't stop smiling the whole day.
- He is fun.
- I thought maybe a smidge bland, like white bread.
- Yeah, he's definitely white bread.
- But classic.
- He's, like, one thing away from a Velcro sneaker.
[laughs]
The minute he becomes a father, he'll be like, "Velcro!"
- The white socks.
Gonna get him a ride-on lawnmower?
- Oh, my God.
- Something reliable about that.
- Mm-hmm. He's a big softie.
He's definitely the sensitive one.
Somebody's gotta be.
- You need that. - Yeah.
What is endearing about Mark is his empathetic heart.
That he can feel.
That ability to feel deeply is a gift.
But I know he doesn't like to say it or admit it,
but he is in a time of crisis.
So I never know what I'm going to get with Mark.
There's parts of me that wonder, like,
"Is Mark just not adaptable
or is just Mark overwhelmed right now?"
Because so much is happening to him.
Like one thing on top of another on top of another.
And is he just in that state of crisis where, like,
he needs to take something piece by piece by piece
because everything is so much?
And I think that's very much the case with him.
But I only get this pressure cooker moment
to kinda get to know him before Decision Day.
And I, like, love him and I think he's great,
but, like, he's not giving me that, like,
sparks and butterflies, you know?
And I think the way I'm trying to express how I feel,
I think he takes it on like he didn't do something right
or he's not good enough for-- I mean, no, I'm just trying--
we're--we're trying to get to know each other.
This is how you get to know me.
I have these moods, and I'm like,
"I can't do it. I'm not sure."
And then I have a day like today
where he's really sweet
and kinda like a wounded little puppy.
And I'm like, "Hmm, let me help you."
But does the good outweigh the con?
And can I be patient and try to give him a chance
to see whether or not he's somebody who gets better
with adapting and change as he gets older?
- Just go with your heart.
And maybe think a little, too, about it.
But not too hard. 'Cause you could do that too.
- True. - Make a list.
- It might not be in his benefit.
I'll pray on it.
- Maybe work on the intangibles.
- Yeah.
He's definitely gonna be my first husband.
He might not be my last. [laughs]
He might be my only husband.
♪ ♪
Time will tell.
- ♪ Love so dangerous ♪
- ♪ Well, it's just the middle of the day ♪
♪ It's just a new other day ♪
- ♪ You know what I'm saying ♪ - ♪ Just another day ♪
- We are about to play flag football!
Say hello, all. Say hello to Tina.
- Hey, I'm ready to kick some ass.
- Some ass.
- Oh!
♪ ♪
- Clap your hands to the music ♪
- We are playing flag football
with the other couples, and I'm excited to play.
Whenever we get together with the other couples,
we always have a good time in any sport activity.
- This is cool.
Hi. - Hi.
- It's nice that we can catch up with everyone
and enjoy our last night together as a group.
- Tails. - Oh, heads up.
- Tails never fail. Yo, what the--
- Tails never fails.
- Choose wisely, Mark.
♪ ♪
- You gonna choose your--
- You better pick your wife.
- [laughing]
- You took too long to answer that.
- That's right.
I know you look a little sad about that, but...
- This is one of the things that
you have to just do for your marriage.
When you're in an activity, you have to pick your partner.
If you don't, get used to sleeping on the couch.
- Sorry, babe. I'm keeping the honeys.
Yo, Steve'll make this the easy one for me today.
[laughter]
- Mike, let's go.
♪ ♪
- Katina, I gotta get my wife.
- Jas.
- Oh, I thought you were already picked.
- It's really starting to feel like elementary school
all over again, where I'm getting picked last.
But Olajuwon didn't even pick his wife first.
So at least I feel a little bit better.
- ♪ Show 'em what you got ♪
♪ Show 'em what you got ♪
♪ Why not show 'em what you got ♪
♪ Show it all ♪
♪ ♪
- I got my dream team.
I know that Jas is a fighter and a talking smack girl.
And I'm all about that.
- Break. - Break.
- Mike, you know, he's an athlete.
He's quick, and I got the tank to run defense.
And me, I just think I'm one of the more athletic girls.
♪ ♪
- Go.
- Go, baby, baby!
[all shouting]
- What a run by Mike!
- ♪ Hotter than your mama's kitchen ♪
♪ Sunday dinner, all the fixin's ♪
♪ Baby I want it, yeah, yeah ♪
♪ Hotter than your mama's kitchen ♪
♪ Sunday dinner, all the fixin's ♪
♪ Baby I want it, yeah, yeah ♪
♪ Time to remind them who you are ♪
- Katrina! Grab the flag! [laughter]
- Katrina, you cannot do-- - Yellow flag!
[whistle trills]
- It's my first time doing flag football,
and I was waiting for this moment to shine.
I knew I was gonna do good.
- Yo, Katina! Ahh!
- I'm actually impressed with my wife.
She started off as somebody who doesn't like sports,
and she came out there, was the MVP.
She balled out.
- Watch the buck, sweep. - Yeah.
- I told you watch the buck, sweep.
- I'm feeling like I'm gonna catch the ball,
then all of a sudden, I'm going down.
- Oh, shoot. He pulled something.
- Are you okay? - You good?
- I see him grab his butt. Then he gives an arch.
And he just--he's down like a heavy tree in the woods.
And I don't think he's getting back up.
- What is it, hamstring? - Lindsey?
- Can we get the doctor? - All right, so--
- We'll just--we'll just--here, put his toes forward.
- Ugh, stop, stop, stop, stop. - Stop, stop, stop.
♪ ♪
- Oh, shoot. He pulled something.
- What is it?
- Ugh, stop, stop, stop, stop. - Stop, stop, stop.
- Just give him a-- just give him a minute.
- Where does it hurt? It's gonna hurt, but it--
- Yeah, that's right, but he can't even move.
- Was it the hamstring? - Yeah.
- What are you doing? - Push his toes a bit forward.
- Is it locked up, or is it-- - You okay?
- I'm not gonna force it. - Ugh.
Ugh, stop, stop, stop. - No, no, this thing is tight.
- Ugh, ugh.
- Can you bend this?
♪ ♪
Oh, it's like right here, right?
- He needs water. - There. Right there.
- Right here? - Yeah.
- He looks like he pulled a muscle.
He didn't hear anything pop. That's promising.
- Ugh.
- I think when your cells are dehydrated,
it's a huge problem for any athlete.
And Mark is very dehydrated,
which we learned with our at-home sperm test.
Here, drink this one.
- Caught a [bleep] wicked cramp in my leg.
[bleep] hear me ripping.
Can we get the doctor?
Get some [bleep] meds and IVs over here.
Where's Matt Damon when you need him?
- I'm glad you're moving and standing.
That's a good sign.
- Yeah, that was-- that was painful.
I was wide open too.
- You saw the green light, like "I'm scoring! Ahh!"
- I literally was, like, wide open,
then I was the run-- run right down.
- It's a big week, everybody.
I mean, besides big Mark the Shark getting injured here.
I mean, you know, we got some-- some big decisions coming up.
How's everyone doing?
- I feel positive.
- You feel positive? Aww.
- Yeah, I feel pretty good.
- I'll let you know.
- Ah, she'll let me know.
- I think it would be good
to know that everything we've gone through,
there's some real feelings there for Lindsey as my wife,
and it would be sad if between our Decision Day
I didn't feel anything.
So I'm hoping that I do wanna continue to stay married.
But I still have a little bit more time
left in this before Decision Day.
It's just make sure I make the best, best decision.
- I feel fine too.
I told him I was like, I just wanna enjoy this week.
You do what you doing. I'll see what I'll do.
Then we'll talk, yeah?
- Even though she's with me every day, so.
- That's true.
- I'm feeling good about Decision Day.
I mean, me and Jas had a conversation.
It seems like we're on the same page
on what we need to focus on
and think about going into Decision Day.
- For us, it's just a matter of how we're feeling
and, you know, where we're at mentally
and emotionally on Decision Day.
I feel like if Michael and I don't stick true
to what we said, we would work on,
it would result in us getting a divorce.
And that does kinda scare me.
So I don't really feel secure in my marriage to him.
I just know we're definitely in a better place,
but really anything could happen.
What about you two?
- Oh, it's a big decision,
but it's still gonna be a surprise.
We had one other unanswered question,
and I just hadn't seen
what it was like on the football field yet,
and she just showed out there, so I feel a little...
- He did pretty great.
- You're--you're basing that off of my...
- Yeah.
- Football-- flag football skills?
- I think we've come a long way as a group.
- Yeah. - It's hard work.
Things don't happen overnight.
You know, kinda like what Cal said at the--
at the volleyball thing in a way that--commitment.
You know, thinking about why you did this
and really what you wanted prior to the--the wedding
and just throughout the eight weeks.
Again, what did you really want in a marriage?
And did you get what you wanted in a--in a marriage?
Regardless of things that happened?
- Try not to say let it stress you out too much.
What's supposed to be, will be.
Be grateful that they even found you someone.
Think about it, out of thousands of people.
We all--they were like, "You guys aren't too broken."
[laughter]
So I would say, you know, try not to let this week
stress you out, still find enjoyment.
The time that you have left with your partner.
And if there needs to be forgiveness at the end,
go through your emotions,
but don't become bitter if anything.
- Well said.
- Knowing that this is the last time
seeing everyone before the Decision Day,
makes me kinda sad because I want everybody to be happy,
and I hope that everybody comes out the way
that they wanted to.
- Whatever the decision is, just respect
the other person's decision and,
you know, hopefully, we can still be cordial.
Get together and still, you know, it doesn't end sour.
- You never know the future of it.
- ♪ You know I still care ♪
♪ Oh, baby, are you out, are you out ♪
♪ Are you out there? ♪
[upbeat music]
♪ ♪
- Entering Medford. - Don't do it. I'm driving.
- How many minutes? - We gonna crash.
- You're gotta pay attention to the road.
- 15. Back off on your seat.
You're like a little kid who can't ever have a surprise.
Sit. - I hate surprises.
- Well, you know what?
- I married a stranger, and that was so tough.
- All right, jeez. - We've been married two months
and you're not keeping snacks in your car for me.
- I'm about to feed you.
I have to grab something here real quick.
So I need to carry this, so I need you to hold the door.
So I need you to come with me real quick, take two seconds.
- Are we going to your grandma's house?
- The best-case scenario, if I say yes on Decision Day,
is that I have certainty that I wanna be with Lindsey
and we're gonna build a life in my mom's apartment.
- This is a trip. [both laugh]
- And it's gonna be exactly what I had hoped for
going into the marriage eight weeks ago.
- This is very nice.
You did a lot of good work cleaning it.
♪ ♪
Thank you.
The past eight weeks, I feel like eight years.
- This is where we're having dinner.
- Okay.
It just makes my head spin.
But here we are.
- Oh.
- I think the past eight weeks have been a lot
of learning and growth
and kind of putting this pressure cooker.
Sometimes when you put food in a pressure cooker, though,
it gets real soft and juicy.
I think we're kinda soft and juicy right now.
♪ ♪
- Can you believe this is what I'm making for dinner?
The first time we went out to sushi
in that bowl, that dragon came in.
- This is the chef's choice.
Sashimi and nigiri and a Naruto roll.
♪ ♪
- You have pushed me to new things.
You have cared for me under tough conditions
like my mom and the cats and the apartment.
I mean, this place has never looked like this.
And it wouldn't have
if you didn't jump in and push and help.
Even if it's old, it feels a lot more like home
than it did for many years.
And I appreciate that.
- I really get a lot of joy in building a home.
And so if we do stay together,
give me a weekend and a $500 budget.
- $500 budget?
- Yeah. - For what? For what?
- Light fixtures, paint,
for the linoleum, for the carpet,
bathroom lights.
Remove all these 1970s panel curtains.
They're bitchin'.
- They're nice. - Oh, Mark.
♪ ♪
Does the idea of, like, creating a space
that makes you feel great and comfortable intrigue you?
Or is it something that,
you know, doesn't bother you either way?
- Like, there're just some things,
I don't know, like, I'm not ready to throw
everything out to make it brand new.
Painting, sure.
Like, I wouldn't wanna move that dresser.
- I wouldn't wanna live with that.
I don't like it. It's not my style.
I don't wanna move into your past amongst your family
and your mom's things.
You have--you always say to me, like,
I need to live day by day in the moment.
Can't think about tomorrow. I have to live in today.
But a lot of the times I hear you talking about yesterday.
In your home, in your childhood, in this house.
Mark is living in the past, and I need somebody
who wants to build and live in the future and present with me.
- Like, this apartment and that home in Quincy
feel so good just standing on property.
- Really? - Mm-hmm.
- It's beautiful.
- It feels like there's lots of love here.
The way my mind works, if you were living here,
I made space for you in a place that's mine
and my grandmother's and my mother's,
and they're not here,
but I want it to still feel like
there's a part of them here.
- Yeah, I know, but you just said, like,
I want you to feel like this is my place
and my grandma's place and my mom's place.
- But if--I understand-- - But I want our place.
♪ ♪
- We are gonna agree to disagree
on just the apartment thing tonight.
We live very different lives.
We have some core values as people,
but just our hobbies
and the way our day-to-days are so different
that it's difficult to know sometimes what to do.
Why don't we get some fresh air?
But I would say as a couple, no matter what we have
that can be tough in our marriage,
we'll still put it aside and have fun.
You can have difficult conversations,
you can still enjoy each other and have a fun moment with it.
- Do you want to salsa? - No.
- No? I'll help you.
♪ ♪
[both laughing]
♪ ♪
- ♪ I woke up thinking it was all a dream ♪
[upbeat music]
♪ But right now something's got a hold on me, yeah ♪
♪ And baby, I can't let go ♪
- This is great.
- Yeah, it looks delicious.
♪ ♪
So pretty solid eight weeks, huh?
♪ ♪
- It's been quite the ride, I will say.
But a year ago, if like, someone asked you
if you were ready for marriage,
a year ago, would you have said yes?
- I think I've been ready for marriage
for a little while now.
Maybe around, you know, two to three years.
- What was the shift?
Like, what happened in your life
that made you think that you're ready
to say goodbye to your single life?
- I think it's like, you know,
spending a lot of time with my family.
Just really enjoying hanging out
with my nieces and nephews and the family's
one of the biggest driving forces for me.
♪ ♪
- How are you feeling, like,
about us not living together after Decision Day?
♪ ♪
Do you think it'll, like--like, regress our marriage?
- What? Living separately? - Yeah.
- I don't know. - Or you don't know.
- I mean, what do you think it'll be like?
♪ ♪
- I don't think much will change between us.
I mean, like, as far as, like, emotions go
and, like, the bond and the love,
I don't think that will go anywhere, but--
- I mean, it could, right?
It is taking a step back in a--in a sense.
We're not constantly together,
but there could be benefits to that too.
We don't know, you know. - Mm-hmm.
I think for him, I mean,
he already feels like we're living together.
What would be the big deal in doing that
right after making a decision on Decision Day?
But, you know, I'm just not completely comfortable
doing that yet. And it's scary.
You still don't really know how things are gonna turn out.
- Yeah, we don't need to have a perfect marriage
by Decision Day, right?
That's not an expectation that we may ever have.
Never mind in eight weeks.
♪ ♪
So you know, I think the main point is,
is there enough to carry on at this point on?
♪ ♪
- I still have some questions
when it comes to work and career.
I mean, I don't really know the Steve
that has had a job, you know.
So it's like, my natural instinct is to worry.
- Although I mean, even though you weren't there for it,
I mean, we've had conversations
about family and different people.
Don't--do you think my track record
at least helps with that or speaks to a degree of,
you know, what I have done and what I'm capable of?
- Yeah. - I mean, do you doubt that?
You know what I mean?
- I don't doubt it, but, um,
I also need action to, you know.
- That's another thing I'm having a hard time with.
You're skeptical to believe in it for something.
I mean, do you know what a sales engineer is?
- No, see, that's the thing,
we don't talk about these things.
I had no idea what you did in your last career.
Like, I don't know.
- I didn't just apply for a job,
you know, down the street doing whatever.
It took a lot of work to get there.
And I did it for four years.
Like, I think that shows capability and dedication
to a-a-a career and all of these things.
But it's hard when, you know,
when they tell you these things,
you don't--you don't take it as significant
or you just say like,
"Oh, okay. Like, I haven't seen it."
- But this situation, like, the stakes are high, like...
♪ ♪
We only can go off of the information
that we have and know.
So I may know you're working on things,
but, like, I don't know-- I don't know what that means.
Like, how does that translate to, like, income?
- Yeah-- - You know that.
- But--but we've talked about this.
It's like, that's not really fair, you know.
- I have, like, always worked so hard,
and I don't make a ton of money,
and I know that I want, you know, three kids,
and in order to provide a comfortable lifestyle
for my family,
I would need my partner to contribute in some way.
So I'm realizing that I still need to know
that I have some form of security,
you know, savings, a place to live.
I don't wanna relinquish that much control over my security.
- Then take some faith in me.
- I can't know what I don't know.
♪ ♪
- I don't know how I feel about that.
♪ ♪
- ♪ Baby, I need some time alone ♪
♪ To be by myself ♪
♪ ♪
- ♪ Is it good, is it right ♪
♪ Is it dark, is it light ♪
♪ Am I low, am I high ♪
♪ Can you look, can you hide ♪
- The train's finally leaving its last station.
All aboard!
Coming into the station.
We hit the bottom. Bottom right.
- This is the final night that our couples
will get to spend together before Decision Day.
So they must take these last moments
to explore any necessary information
to help determine whether their futures include one another.
- ♪ Give fears a beginning ♪
♪ Then you will have an end ♪
- This is our last night in this--in this apartment.
- How you feel about that? - Um.
- I think so.
- Decision Day is approaching, and I have mixed feelings.
I feel anxious, excited, and nervous.
- I'm glad that we're still here.
And I think the cats help in a way.
It's like having, like, little kids.
- Oh, so we're staying together for the cats.
- I'm just--I just am saying that I think it's--
it's a bit--it brings a different dynamic
to a relationship or a marriage
when you have another thing to care for.
If you think about it, like, two strangers, five cats,
new place for everybody.
It could have went really bad.
- This is my favorite. Rocky, I'll miss you the most.
- Wow, that was dark.
- I mean, honestly, yes, I'll miss Rocky more than you.
I give Rocky love, he gives it right back.
I asked him to come, he comes. I hug him, he loves it.
You're like, "Oh, no, stop."
[laughing]
Just like that.
- I don't think just like that.
- I think the toughest thing for me to navigate
throughout this process has been, like,
where's Mark at?
Are you in or are you out?
'Cause, you are just as affectionate as me.
And just as, like, in the moment as me
when we first got married.
And then all of a sudden, when the tough got going,
you went, like, you kind of wanted get going a little bit.
- I think everything happens for a reason.
I think that four weeks or eight weeks, you know,
every day is an opportunity
to learn what you like and pay attention
and try not to do anything that would ever hurt you.
- You think you got me figured out now?
♪ ♪
- I think I have you figured out
more now than I did each week.
- Hmm.
- I would say that I'm a little anxious
because we haven't had a real positive week
in the last eight weeks. We've had some good moments.
We also had some really very tough arguments.
You know, for me, I just can't--
I can't live with someone
if we're gonna argue every week.
So it's very difficult on how to navigate
the rest of your life or the next couple of weeks
if we stayed together,
if these things are gonna change
or we're gonna be having these up and down moments
every single week.
I hope that I can find the ability
to make the best decision I can
under these type of circumstances.
- ♪ In the darkest night ♪
♪ Our blood is... ♪
- ♪ I can't seem to shake those shadows ♪
♪ Each song is close behind ♪
[upbeat music]
- Okay, okay, okay, okay.
Shake it one, three times you're playing with it, okay?
- This is the last time that we all see each other
before Decision Day.
- Yeah, I think it'd be, you know,
it'd be good to remember what we're like
when we're not with each other for two months straight.
- Will you miss me? And Sushi?
♪ ♪
- Yeah, definitely Sushi.
- You'll miss Sushi but not me? Sushi?
- Knowing that this could possibly be our last bedtime,
it's definitely a lot to think about.
- If you say no on Decision Day,
you'll also say no to him.
- Well, I think there's like a separate Decision Day for that.
[both laugh]
I think there is a bit of mixed feelings
in terms of the unresolved issues.
It's a joke.
- You're crazy.
- I'm worried that Noi may
have held some of her feelings back.
She's always had a hard time expressing them.
And as time passes, I always find out more,
and going into Decision Day, that's,
you know, that's a big concern.
Anyway, what would you have done differently
if you could start this all over again?
- What would you have changed?
- Probably would've got a job.
[both laughing]
♪ ♪
But anyways. - What's your real answer?
- Um.
I would have just eaten the pasta.
I would have just not said anything.
I just eat the pasta.
[both laughing]
I don't know what else I would have changed, okay?
These are the things I was thinking of.
♪ ♪
- I mean, it's funny now,
but at the time, it wasn't funny.
- No, it wasn't.
- I mean, I'm glad I can laugh about it now.
- Yeah.
- Would you want me to do anything differently?
- I mean, I guess--I guess it's just understanding
that we should treat each other equally, you know.
If you asked me, oh, I can ask you anything anytime,
and just expected that I should do it.
But if I asked you, it's like, you're liable to snap at me.
♪ ♪
Do you hate cleaning bathrooms that much?
- I hate cleaning bathrooms.
- Do you hate them so bad that from here on out,
you'll take responsibility of taking Sushi out?
- I'm busy working.
- It's like that I-I-I don't,
you know, that doesn't make me feel comfortable.
- Yeah.
- I should feel as comfortable
asking you for things as you do for me.
- Our final night before Decision Day,
and he's still counting things
and needs to ensure that the transaction is 50/50.
I think that's a sign that he still
has to develop trust with me.
I'm not perfect. - I know.
- Neither are you. - I know.
- I feel like if we choose to stay together
and he's still having to work through these issues,
I think it's gonna be really hard for me.
♪ ♪
- ♪ I know you're insane ♪
♪ ♪
- ♪ It's funny how these people come around ♪
♪ It's funny how these people come around ♪
♪ As the worst seems to go round and round ♪
- Are you sad to leave?
- Yeah, I am sad to leave.
- It's the final day before Decision Day,
and our couples are feeling the immense pressure
of making the biggest decision of their lives.
- I'm just feeling, like, nervous and--and anxious.
- In order to better evaluate the last eight weeks
of their marriage,
our couples will spend the last day alone.
♪ ♪
- Want me to help you make your suitcase?
- Yeah.
- I know you got stuff all over the place in this place.
I think you came with a whole house loaded.
- I know it's so much stuff to bring.
Before I got married,
I honestly didn't really think about the Decision Day aspects.
I think I was just--
when I found out I was getting married,
I just focused on--so much on am I gonna like this person?
And now that this day has literally snuck up on me,
I'm--I'm like...
♪ ♪
"Oh my God, it's here."
Are you nervous? - Am I nervous?
- Mm-hmm. - No.
- To be alone in your thoughts.
- Ah, nah, I'm gonna appreciate this.
- You're gonna appreciate it? - Yeah, I get to think.
- Okay.
- I really get to think the pros and cons,
what outweighs what, how I feel.
You know what I mean?
- Yeah.
- You never know, I might shed a tear, you know.
[both laugh]
This is a life decision.
This is not something that you could just
make a quick answer even if you was in love.
I feel like you still should think about your future
and think about is this right?
So I just feel like I need time to myself to just really think
and try to really
take in everything I've been through with Katina.
How'd you feel if you ended up single tomorrow?
- I will be sad.
I didn't sign up for this to get a divorce.
So it will take me time to process and to get over it.
But I would definitely, you know, I would be sad.
- Yeah. - I'd be hurting.
- I hear you. - How would you feel?
- I mean, yeah, you'll be--I'll be sad.
But you always gotta remember
that this was part of the process.
You knew that this is the chance that we'd take, so.
- Of course, but that doesn't change my feelings--
- I be bothered that--yeah,
I'd be bothered that, you know, if it didn't work,
but I would overcome it.
And then, you know, become okay again.
- Okay.
- I feel like 'cause you're a female, you're more like,
you know what I'm saying? - No.
- I guess you--I really can't--I mean.
I know I'll be sad,
but I don't know the level of where I would be
because it still didn't happen yet, you know what I'm saying?
- Mm-hmm.
- So I mean, I could give you an answer,
but I don't really know. I'm not in that position.
♪ ♪
- It's a scary thing because you put a lot of effort
into getting to know someone, so if it doesn't work out,
it's kinda like a--like a-- like a draining feeling.
- No matter what our decision is tomorrow,
I want you to know that I truly care for you,
I'm happy I met you,
and I hope you really choose what's best for you.
I don't ever want you to make a decision based off
because you care what other people are thinking.
This decision is deeper
than just saying I had a good time with you.
I hope you really do what's best for you.
You deserve what's best for you.
Be selfish then make your decision.
Be selfish.
'Cause you have to. I'ma be selfish.
I have to make what's the best decision for me
not because I care about anybody else.
I have to do what's best for Olajuwon.
♪ ♪
[upbeat music]
♪ ♪
- How are you feeling?
- Close to the same. I feel like Decision Day
came way quicker than I anticipated.
- Yeah.
- I feel like we got good.
We got in a good space, and then before I knew it,
Decision Day was here like that.
- I know.
Did you leave the fan on in the bathroom?
♪ ♪
- It's not your problem anymore.
[both laugh]
As soon as you leave,
this house is gonna be in shambles.
♪ ♪
- What are you gonna do with your time apart from me?
- Aside from tearing the apartment up?
- Yeah.
- Um, I'ma try to get some sleep
'cause I wanna be clear-headed going into tomorrow.
But aside from that, probably just do a lot of reflecting
just on the journey itself.
- Yeah. - Try to take it all in.
- I'm pretty much gonna do the same thing.
You know, feel like tomorrow is just a big day
where the both of us, you know,
like, it just changes the future, you know?
So just have to really think about my decision.
♪ ♪
I don't know if that spark can come.
Like, we're in a place now where everything is all good.
So, like, anything can happen,
but I just-- I'm just trying to decide
and think about if it's-- do I just see him as a friend,
or is there a possibility that it's more?
And I don't know.
I'll have to really think about it.
I don't know. Got some thinking to do.
♪ ♪
- You seem very calm and mellow right now.
- I'm still nervous and anxious.
- You holding it together, though.
- It may be a different story the next time I see you.
I don't know, I might just be like,
let's get this over with, or-- - Damn.
- I still might be calm. I don't know.
- Hmm.
I'm very nervous going into Decision Day.
Very, because this is probably the biggest decision
that I ever made in my life.
This is the day that we knew would inevitably come.
It came really, really fast.
Not knowing how things gonna unfold is anxiety-inducing.
What's gonna happen?
What is Jasmina's answer gonna be?
Is it gonna be different from mine?
Is gonna be the same?
There's a lot of question marks.
So having this time away, like, right before, like,
a really big decision is really important for us.
- You know, when we first got back from the honeymoon,
and I was going back to my apartment,
you couldn't wait for me to leave.
Like now you like, "Jasmina, don't go, stay."
[both chuckle]
- It's a little different because when you were leaving,
I knew you were coming back. - Mm-hmm.
- And we were gonna start fresh.
- Yeah.
- So like, it was kinda like the beginning of our marriage.
- Yeah. - But now,
going into Decision Day, it's a lot of question marks.
So this is a way bigger deal
than when you left the first time.
- ♪ Is this the start or the end ♪
- This gonna be a new beginning or the end.
♪ ♪
- I want you to think but don't overthink.
- I got ya.
♪ ♪
- Oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God, she's leaving me!
- ♪ Blood is thicker than water ♪
- Make the right decision. - I'ma make the right decision.
- Think about--think about our family.
Think about Feeny.
- ♪ Just holding on to what I believe ♪
- I love you.
- Mm, me too.
- ♪ I still see you in my reflection ♪
♪ I hope you know what it means ♪
- It's been real. [both laugh]
- It's been real fun.
- It's been real something.
- Get home safe.
♪ ♪
- See you. - Alrighty.
♪ ♪
- Bye, apartment.
Come on, Sushi. We have to go now.
♪ ♪
- Tomorrow is Decision Day, and Steve and I
are in separate places.
We spent so much time together, so it feels kind of bizarre
to be here when he's not around me.
- The only thing that's come up recently is that she is unsure
about moving in together after Decision Day.
You know, I don't know if this is an overall bigger picture
of concern that she has.
All I can really do is ask her directly
and find out for myself.
- Kinda feels unreal.
It's--it's weird not having Katina beside me.
- I feel like I started a new life two months ago,
and now I have to figure out what my next chapter
in my life is gonna be.
- It's bittersweet, you know.
This whole process has been...
♪ ♪
A whirlwind.
Seems like we've been married for eight years,
but it's just eight weeks.
- What's going through my head is the ups, the downs,
and what's important and what's what--what matters
and what are some key things I-I wanted for in a wife
and if I got those things in this marriage.
- Being single again is starting all over.
I mean, I came into this process very positive,
assuming that I would find my life partner.
So for it to be at the end
and the possibility of not getting that,
God knows how long until I can meet somebody
and hopefully find the person that,
you know, I spend the rest of my with.
- I'm, like, scared.
I just don't know how it's gonna go.
You know, I have an idea of how I feel like it's gonna go,
but I feel like,
whenever that happens, it never goes as you expected it.
- ♪ I'll always remember we stayed up that night ♪
♪ Gazing the stars and satellites ♪
- I-I did the best I could in this marriage
with somebody I met as a stranger.
♪ ♪
I gave it my best.
- You know, I'm gonna do what my heart tells me.
For the first time, my heart and mind are on the same page,
so that's always good.
- If it's meant, it'll happen.
If it's not, it was a beautiful journey.
- I'm gonna try to get rest and try to get
in a really good headspace and really think long and hard
about what's gonna happen tomorrow.
- Ma, wish me luck.
- ♪ Give me one more, one more, one more day ♪
♪ One more day ♪
♪ ♪
- Next time on "Married At First Sight"...
- This is Decision Day Dish Boston.
- I think they're both gonna say yes.
- The big day is almost here.
We'll get the inside scoop
from some "Married At First Sight" favorites.
- Give this man a shot to prove that he can.
- That's scary.
- Things started to change.
- I feel like it's much more than meets the eye.
- And in two weeks, our couples will have to make
the biggest decision of their lives.
To stay married or get a divorce.
- If I'm not feeling it, I'm not feeling it.
- I asked for a woman who's more established,
and those are the reasons why I would say no today.
- I'm telling you how it makes me feel,
and it's up for you to determine the next steps.
- Do you want to stay married or get a divorce?
♪ ♪