What’s the secret to a lasting marriage? The three couples on Married at First Sight would probably really like to know. As the newlyweds entered their fifth week of married life, they began to realize that decision day — when they announce whether they want to stay hitched or get a divorce — was just around the corner.
On the Tuesday, February 16, episode, it seemed that knowing the experiment was coming to an end helped put things in perspective for the pairs — but while some of them grew closer, others struggled to keep from breaking apart.
Neil Tells Sam He Doesn’t Miss Her
Because Sam Role couldn’t get the time off work, Neil Bowlus headed out to Las Vegas solo for a family wedding instead. In Sam’s case, absence made the heart grow fonder, as she admitted to the camera, “I really do miss him.”
Everything was going well as she video-chatted with Neil later that night, until he asked her if she missed him (which she obviously did). Instead of answering right away, she turned the question back to him, asking if he missed her.
“No,” he said with a shrug. “It takes me a long time to miss someone.” Sam, crushed, told him he’d hurt her feelings. That actually confused Neil even more. “It’s weird,” he said to the camera, noting that she hadn’t exactly been lovey-dovey with him before he’d left.
While Neil scratched his head, Sam vented to the cameras. “He doesn’t deserve to talk to me … I feel like Neil could have been that piece that lasted with me, and we could take this relationship to another level, but at this point though, after five weeks, after experts have given advice about what to do, how to speak to me, things to work on together — as much as they’ve given me the same advice, that has shown it has meant jack s–t to him. Jack s–t!”
David Tries to Make Amends With Ashley
Things weren’t going any better for David Norton and Ashley Doherty, either. When David returned from visiting his family in Buffalo, he received a polite but icy reception from his wife, who was still stinging from him (allegedly) asking out another woman on a date.
For his part, David told her that he was sorry and that she was right about the fact that his ego had gotten in the way of him giving her a heartfelt apology before he’d left. It was progress, but it was hardly over.
Fortunately, Dr. Pepper Schwartz dropped by to debrief the pair on what had happened, and pointed out to Ashley that she may have contributed to the situation. “You have been slow to warm up to him,” Schwartz point out. (Umm, yeah.) She then offered a few theories about why David had done what he’d done. “Maybe he was angry and hurt because maybe you don’t show him that you find him attractive,” she speculated, “or maybe he was telling you the truth.”
By the end of their chat, David and Ashley agreed to turn the page and take Schwartz up on her suggestion that they get away somewhere together. They ended up choosing an outdoor adventure park, where they zip-lined and jumped off an insanely high platform (while attached to some sort of rope and weighted safety device) … and they actually seemed like they had a good time.
At the top of the jump, before David launched off the platform, Ashley gave him a kiss! Yes, it was on the cheek, and yes, it lasted about one-millionth of one second, but still, it was lips-to-skin contact. With one week left, maybe there’s hope for them yet.
Tres Isn’t So Good With Horses
Though, generally speaking, Tres Russell and Vanessa Nelson had enjoyed a smoother ride than the other two couples, there were still some major issues looming over them. Most notably was the question of whether they’d continue to live together after the experiment officially ended.
Tres didn’t think they should both immediately cancel their leases, while Vanessa was openly afraid that if they didn’t have a plan in place to live together, their whole relationship was going to fall apart. Tres was frustrated by Vanessa’s emotional response to what he saw as a logical approach.
“If she can’t learn to trust me a little bit more without questioning every decision that we make, I don’t think this is going to work,” he said to the camera.
They got a break from the serious stuff, however, when Tres booked them a romantic getaway at a bed and breakfast. Tres pulled out all the stops to show Vanessa how much he cared with a car service to drive her to the bed and breakfast, a romantic dinner with roses when she arrived and a horseback ride the next day.
Unfortunately, Tres turned out to be allergic to horses (or grass, or something else out in the wild) and had a terrible allergic reaction. When his face swelled up so much that he could barely open his eyes, they opted to cut their getaway short. Vanessa still declared it “a wonderful trip” because she was so touched by the effort Tres had made. It was unclear whether he still thought it was wonderful.
Sam Cries … Tears of Joy
Despite how hurt (and angry!) Sam was by Neil saying he didn’t miss her while he was gone, she greeted him with open arms when he returned. In some strange way, it seemed that his offhand remark really showed her just how much she did care about him, and she took the liberty of blowing up some of their wedding photos and hanging them around the house as a display of her feelings.
Neil also had reflected on their exchange, and brought an assortment of trinkets from Sin City for his wife to show her that he really cared. Sam was so touched, she cried.
“It made me cry tears of joy because that makes me realize how much I miss him and how much he felt bad that that happened. That just proved to me more why we were matched and why I still want to stay married to him,” she explained to the camera. Immediately when I walked in, the first thing I wanted to do was go and get my marriage certificate and change my last name, and I’ve never felt that way before.”
The couple then headed off to Savannah for what Sam hoped would be a “second honeymoon.” In other words, it sounded like she might be ready to consummate the marriage very, very soon.
Tell Us: Do you think Neil and Sam are going to consummate their marriage?
Married at First Sight airs on FYI on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST.
