‘Married At First Sight’ Season 5 Premiere, Cast: Get To Know ‘MAFS’ Contestants


Married At First Sight Season 5 finally has an official premiere date. The hit FYI reality series, which is now moving to Lifetime, will air on Thursday, April 20 at 8 p.m. ET. Its highly anticipated spinoff show, called Second Chances, will air the following week, April 27, also on Lifetime.

After months of waiting, Married At First Sight is finally back for Season 5. However, before the premiere episode, a matchmaking special is set to air at 8 p.m. ET/PT, followed by a back-to-back episode of Married At First Sight. Much like the earlier seasons, MAFS Season 5 will follow the lives of three couples, matched by the show’s experts, as they experience the highs and lows of married life. Married At First Sight fans will get to see the couple’s journey right from the beginning: wedding, honeymoon, moving in together and learning about each other’s quirks. After the six-week social experiment is over, the couples will decide if they want to stay married or file for a divorce.

Married At First Sight Season 5 couples were matched by sociologist Dr. Pepper Schwartz, communication and relationship expert Rachel DeAlto, and marriage counselor Pastor Calvin Roberson. Dr. Schwartz is the only original MAFS expert left on the panel. DeAlto and Roberson both joined the show in Season 4.

For Married At First Sight Season 5, the experts headed to Chicago in search of individuals who are ready to take the risk of marrying a stranger. After screening hundreds of hopefuls, Dr. Schwartz, Pastor Roberson, and DeAlto found Anthony D’Amico, Ashley Petta, Cody Knapek, Danielle Degroot, Nate Duhon, and Sheila Downs.

According to People, Anthony and Ashley, both in their 30s, had their fair share of serious relationships in the past. Ashley, who is a restaurant manager by profession, shared that her last serious relationship ended because her boyfriend was unwilling to commit or start a family with her. On the other and, Anthony, a sales and marketing professional, said that he’s very much ready and excited to settle down.

Danielle has repeatedly tried finding her match on several dating apps, but none of her relationships seemed to work out. The 30-year-old dietician shared that she’s looking for a funny, intelligent partner, who’s not afraid to take charge of the relationship. The Married At First Sight Season 5 experts matched Danielle with Cody, a 26-year-old entrepreneur from a small town in Chicago. Just like Danielle, Cody is looking for a fun and empathetic partner, who has a great personality.

Meanwhile, Chicago State Cougars’ player Nate Duhon found his match in Sheila Downs, a 31-year-old devout Christian. Nate and Sheila seemed perfect for each other as both of them were looking for partners who share the same religious belief. Nate and Sheila shared that religion is very important in their lives, with Sheila even saying that she refuses to marry a man outside her faith.

Married At First Sight Season 5 will air for 17 episodes, while its spinoff, Second Chances will have 15 episodes.

Second Chances will follow Married At First Sight Season 3 alumni David Norton and Vanessa Nelson as they once again attempt to find true love. The Season 5 experts will once again lend a hand to David and Vanessa, in the hopes that they will eventually find what they’re looking for. In MAFS Season 3, David and his wife Ashley decided to call it quits after they failed to connect both emotionally and physically throughout the six-week experiment. While Vanessa and Tres decided to stay married, the two eventually also decided to part ways six months in.

Tell us! Are you excited to see Married At First Sight Season 5 and Second Chances? Sound off in the comments below.

Married At First Sight Season 5 airs April 20 on Freeform. Watch the promo below:

[Featured Image by Lifetime]

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