“Married at First Sight," the latest reality show from FYI, is an extreme social experiment that begs the question: can marriage be boiled down to a scientific equation?
The show’s premise is that top scientists, sexologists, psychologists, etc. match contestants up in what they believe are scientifically "perfect couples." The couples will not meet or see each other until the bride walks down the aisle (feels a little like an arranged marriage??). Once the couples are married, the social experiment begins! Are these couples in fact, "made for each other?" Will the marriage last?
So how outlandish is "Married at First Sight?" Let's break it down.
Experts go through extensive interviews and research to pair two people based on exactly what they are looking for.
Well maybe that doesn't sound so bad... We're all at some point in our lives told the same chiche that, one day, we will meet 'The One.' So why not leave it up to the professionals? We see the same kind of logic with dating sites and, more recently, apps that are designed to match you up with someone compatible. Dating sites give us the chance to take matters into our own hands.Let's face it, there are a whole lot of fish out there in the sea. Narrowing it down and filtering people based on interests, hobbies, jobs, goals and looks can make the dating game less overwhelming.
But wait a second, don't we all love LOVE because it's not science?? Love, at its best, is crazy and wild and has no real equation to it at all. So can this team of experts really create, what they believe to be, a perfect couple? Because most of the time doesn't LOVE MAKES NO SENSE AT ALL? We've all heard the saying, "If loving you is wrong, I don't want to be right!"
So does this idea that a 'perfect' partner or an 'ideal' marriage actually do us more harm than good? It oversimplifies all the complex moments that make up a marriage when two people decide to try to create a life together. And it's a DECISION. Because we all want a partner that makes us laugh, accepts us for our quirks, understands our faults, makes us want to be a better person, and loves us despite our bad breath in the morning. But it's not about perfection because, let's face it, the spectrum of love is not black and white, but full of color. If our standards are perfection, we will always miss the mark.
So while "Married at First Sight" may be shocking and entertaining for us all... Does it give us the wrong idea about what marriage is?? Tell us what you think!