Will 'Married At First Sight' Really Work?

It's hard out there for single people, sometimes. Traditional dating isn't easy to come by, and sites and apps are now the norm. If you follow the rule that you shouldn't date someone you meet after midnight, it's hard to meet new people organically. New romantic reality series Married At First Sight introduces viewers to six strangers who are tired of searching and are ready to get married to someone predetermined to be their perfect match. The first time they meet is at the altar, and then they have a month to decide whether or not they're going to stick it out or if they will file for divorce. What could go wrong when they put their romantic futures in the hands of an algorithm?

Reason aside, these six New York singles are sick of waiting and navigating the dating scene on their own, so they trusted the show to do the work for them. The hopefuls — Cortney, Doug, Jamie, Jason, Monet, and Vaughn — break down their backstories and explain why it's time to tie the knot. The experts — sociologist Dr. Pepper Schwartz (who amusingly introduces herself as "Dr. Pepper"), psychologist Dr. Joseph Cilona, sexologist Dr. Logan Levkoff, and spiritualist Greg Epstein — take the singles through a series of tests and interviews. We then see them use all their data to create "the perfect match" and hopefully get to this point:

And here's how it that happily ever after potion works:

Wardrobe

A week before their weddings, each person is notified that the experts found them a match, and the wedding planning begins. We see the men fitted for tuxes and the women go dress shopping in a slightly less emotional version of Say Yes To The Dress . They show a wedding planner get a feel for what one of the brides wants on her surprise wedding day, and we see them telling their families and friends that they're getting married, often to the extreme surprise of the person so close to them who knew them only as single.

The Big Day

We get as far as the wedding day, when we see both sides preparing for their big day with lots of nerves and second guesses, family and friends in tow. They get the whole treatment of hair and makeup, a room in a hotel that's decorated with flower petals and an aisle, bridesmaids, and best men. As tradition dictates, the groom walks in first and the closest indication he has of his stranger wife is her side of the room. It is truly good TV to see the bride's side of the room evaluate the groom as he does the same to her guests while the groom's side of the room surveys both parties' reactions.

The Long-Awaited Reveal

We see each bride walk through the door to their wedding ceremony and the couples survey each other. We get furthest with (spoiler) Jamie and Doug, and Jamie is overflowing with emotion. A voiceover laments that his family is beaming and she appreciates that, only she doesn't find him attractive. The episode ends after Doug has said "I do" and it's Jamie's turn, but she whispers "I'm sorry" to her intended husband. In scenes for the season we see rings exchanged on anonymous hands, yelling from cast members to what is presumed to be their assigned spouse, and the four week culmination of the experiment where the couples are put in a room with the experts and asked if they would like to stay married.

So does it work?

The short answer for this experiment is yes, these daring singles will get married, at least for four weeks. It's to be determined if all three couples go through with it, and we find out later if the couples stay married, but all three brides and all three grooms make it to their altars on their wedding day. We must stay tuned to know if we should be scared into re-downloading Tinder or if we should have more faith in outsourcing our chance at love.

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