New show: "Married At First Sight"

[katietornado]

Yes, it's exactly what it sounds like.

nypost.com/2014/07/08/total-strangers-meet-at-the-altar-and-marry-at-first-sight/



Jason Carrion and his groomsmen were getting changed into their suits in a hotel room at the Westin New York Grand Central when Carrion’s best man ribbed him, “You’re getting married, man. You’re getting married.”
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“Stop — stop saying that,” the 27-year-old EMT from Brooklyn warned before his wedding, which took place in March.

Walking downstairs to the ballroom where he was to say his vows, Carrion was all nerves. Standing at the altar, he watched the bridesmaids walk down the aisle one by one.

“Oh, man, this is gonna happen,” he thought. Finally, the door opened and his bride appeared.

It marked the first time he’d ever seen her — much less talked to her.

Carrion is one of six singles who agreed to legally marry a stranger for the new show “Married at First Sight,” premiering Tuesday at 9 p.m. on FYI (formerly Bio).

The extreme social experiment uses four experts — a sexologist, spiritualist, psychologist and sociologist — to create three perfect couples based on scientific matchmaking.
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Potential cast members filled out lengthy personality profiles, and the four experts went on field visits to conduct psychological assessments, sexology sessions and spiritual counseling to narrow 625 possible matches down to three ideal couples.

The spouses know nothing about each other — even their names — until they walk down the aisle in the premiere. The next nine episodes follow the newlyweds as they live together for four weeks — after which they have to decide whether to remain married or get a divorce.

The six singles on “Married at First Sight” (based on a Danish series of the same name) are all from the tri-state area and were struggling to meet the right person.

As any single New Yorker can attest, the city’s nearly 1.5 million available guys and gals between the ages of 20 and 34 mean a potential hookup is always just a Tinder swipe away. With daters often paralyzed by options, “Married at First Sight” dares its contestants to give up choice in a mate.

Jamie Otis, 27, a labor and delivery nurse from Harlem, really wants to have kids of her own and was having a hard time finding Mr. Right among New York’s party-hardy male population.

“In New York City, I feel like the guys are primarily just players until they’re hitting their late 30s,” she told The Post. “It’s tough to find guys who are serious.”

Still, even Otis — who previously (and unsuccessfully) competed on “The Bachelor” and “Bachelor Pad” — was taken aback by the show’s extreme premise.

“At first I was like, ‘No way. What are they, nuts?’ ” she said.

But she began to change her tune after the show’s producers played her the Danish version, in which two of the three couples ended up in successful marriages.

“The feeling I had when I watched these other couples — to feel like I could potentially meet someone . . . it’s wildly crazy, but it could work,” she said.

Even though many of her friends thought the idea of marrying a stranger was silly and ill-advised, she took the plunge.
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“My siblings were like, ‘Jamie, you’re never going to get married if you don’t do something like this, so go ahead,’ ” Otis recalled.

The experts based the matches on potential spouses’ personality, background, values, beliefs and goals with the aim of creating a more fulfilling, secure relationship than the person is capable of finding on his or her own.

“We have the opportunity to match people with a person who complements them, as well as is similar in important ways,” said Dr. Pepper Schwartz, professor of sociology at the University of Washington and an expert on the show. “And, perhaps, end the kind of mistakes they might make themselves based heavily on attraction or a misperceived need for a certain kind of person that is really not good for them.”
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Bensonhurst-based EMT Carrion also thought professionals could help him find what he wanted in a mate.

“I believe you can be extremely attracted to somebody at first sight, but once you get to know them, that’s where the real love comes,” he told The Post. “I’ve been with beautiful girls before, but they didn’t have something — I can’t even explain it. With [my wife], she has it.”

Carrion can’t say which of the three women on the show he married — the couples will be revealed in the premiere.

Like Otis, he initially said no to doing the show — then had a change of heart.

“You know the expression, ‘Go with your gut’? I can’t even explain it — it was just something I needed to do,” he said. “I never want to be on my deathbed and think, ‘What if?’ ”

[ringstrue]

Yay trashy summer TV is here! I can't wait!

[mbcdefg]

Wouldn't they have had to apply for a marriage license together? I'm calling BS on it being a legal marriage.

Also, where are the "Teh Gayz are violating the sanctity of my marriage!" protesters when it comes to shit like this?

[downtoearth]

They still picked Bachelor/Bachelorette-caliber people to do this, so in my mind this translates to fancy match.com for hot NY people.

I can't wrap my head around marrying someone on the day I met them without at least talking first.

ETA: Ditto with wawa on the license.  In our area you can get it yourself, then the signing and witness part are after the ceremony and you both have to be there. 

[wawa]

Jul 8, 2014 14:02:14 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Wouldn't they have had to apply for a marriage license together? I'm calling BS on it being a legal marriage.

Also, where are the "Teh Gayz are violating the sanctity of my marriage!" protesters when it comes to shit like this?

I picked up my marriage licence alone. Didn't need mh with me. The specifics vary by jurisdiction.

[pixy0stix]

Jul 8, 2014 14:06:59 GMT -5 wawa said:

Jul 8, 2014 14:02:14 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Wouldn't they have had to apply for a marriage license together? I'm calling BS on it being a legal marriage.

Also, where are the "Teh Gayz are violating the sanctity of my marriage!" protesters when it comes to shit like this?

I picked up my marriage licence alone. Didn't need mh with me. The specifics vary by jurisdiction.

I just looked up NY state. You have to appear together.

This doesn't mean they didn't legally get married. Just that they picked up the license at a later date.

[msmerymac]

Jul 8, 2014 14:08:27 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Jul 8, 2014 14:06:59 GMT -5 wawa said:

I picked up my marriage licence alone. Didn't need mh with me. The specifics vary by jurisdiction.

I just looked up NY state. You have to appear together.

This doesn't mean they didn't legally get married. Just that they picked up the license at a later date.

Might they be getting married in NJ or CT?

I know my officiant picked up our license after confirming our information. This was in CA, but you can only do it with specific licenses in CA. I didn't really care about the particulars, I just paid him an extra $50 to do it. And we're legally married according to CA, so that's good.

[pixy0stix]

Can you imagine being a family member and invited to this?

[downtoearth]

Jul 8, 2014 14:12:00 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Can you imagine being a family member and invited to this?

You would HAVE to go and report back to CEP on all the awkward moments that the camera edits out!!!

[pixy0stix]

Jul 8, 2014 14:11:10 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

Jul 8, 2014 14:08:27 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

I just looked up NY state. You have to appear together.

This doesn't mean they didn't legally get married. Just that they picked up the license at a later date.

Might they be getting married in NJ or CT?

NJ - I can't tell if you need to be there or not. Just that you need to submit documents and have a witness.

CT - Both parties have to appear in person to apply for the license.

[msmerymac]

Jul 8, 2014 14:12:00 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Can you imagine being a family member and invited to this?

That right there would be enough to discourage me from doing it. 

Much like having a Star Wars themed wedding or similar. I have a friend who had a Harry Potter themed wedding. In general it went over well, but some of the old people were confused. IMAGINE WHAT GRANDMA WILL SAY!

[pixy0stix]

Jul 8, 2014 14:13:18 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

Jul 8, 2014 14:12:00 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Can you imagine being a family member and invited to this?

You would HAVE to go and report back to CEP on all the awkward moments that the camera edits out!!!

Like the comments from your great uncle about how stupid this all is and the predictions of divorce.

[pixy0stix]

I love it when we get inside scoops to these things.

[mbcdefg]

Maybe the ceremony itself wasn't legal, but they did a quick City Hall ceremony on a later date?

[gardengal]

Jul 8, 2014 14:25:15 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Maybe the ceremony itself wasn't legal, but they did a quick City Hall ceremony on a later date?

This is what I did bc I was getting shit about using ULC online ordained person.