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‘Married at First Sight: The First Year’ Season 2 Premiere Recap: Jamie Otis Accuses Husband Doug Hehner of Not Making Her His ‘Priority’

Letting a group of experts pick your better half is one thing — sticking with that better half is another. In Married at First Sight: The First Year’s season 2 premiere on Tuesday, March 22, there were some victories, some defeats and plenty of lessons to be learned. While not every couple are fully committed just yet, they’re each growing closer … for the most part.

Related: PHOTOS: Failed Reality TV Romances

Lesson 1: Your Ex and Your Spouse Might Not Need to Be Besties

As the episode opened, Jamie Otis was gearing up to introduce her husband, Doug Hehner, to her ex-boyfriend in advance of her sister’s wedding. For some reason that was never truly explained, Jamie had a fantasy of the three of them enjoying a Demi-Bruce-Ashton-like friend triangle.

“Thank you for coming up early to meet my ex. I really appreciate it,” the Bachelor season 16 alum told her husband as they headed to her hometown. “It’s going to be awkward. There’s just no doubt about it. First of all, I do have to get my stuff from there.” Jamie didn’t need to warn Doug, however. He already knew how weird this was.

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“The fact that Jamie still has stuff at her ex’s is cause for concern, because it’s always an excuse to go back there,” he said to the camera. “Jamie’s ex has become a presence in the marriage, and it’s become synonymous with struggles that Jamie and I have had.”

To Jamie, he just mentioned his fleeting concern that she might “fall back in love” with her ex, which she shrugged off as she mumbled something about not being able to help how she felt.

It ended up being a moot point, though, because 30 minutes into their two-hour drive to meet Mr. Ex-Boyfriend, he canceled. “It really bothers me that my ex blew me off, because it just reminds me of how it was when I was growing up with my mom,” Jamie lamented. (It seemed like maybe it should have reminded her why they broke up, but to each their own.) “Thank God I have Doug, because he is the only person I can count on,” she added.

Related: PHOTOS: Hollywood's Most Expensive Divorces

Then Doug announced that since the ex wasn’t going to meet them anyway, he was going to turn the car around and drive back home. Jamie was not happy, but agreed to head back to her hometown separately as long as Doug promised to be on time to officiate at her sister’s wedding the next day.

Lesson 2: Don’t Skip Your Wife’s Sister’s Wedding for a Softball Game

Already irritated that he hadn’t come with her the day before, Jamie was further exasperated when Doug told her he was running late on her sister’s big day. “I am going to put a happy face on for my sister, but I am really angry with Doug. I don’t think there are any words,” Jamie said.

She stayed busy getting the bride ready, all the while worrying Doug wasn’t going to be there on time. Ultimately, he arrived 15 minutes before showtime, which really isn’t much of a buffer, considering he was officiating the ceremony and all.

Related: PHOTOS: The Bachelor After the Final Rose: Broken Engagements, Weddings, Babies, and More!

To his credit, Doug did do an excellent job overseeing the vows, and Jamie’s mood seemed to cool a bit — until Doug told her he couldn’t stay for the reception because he had to get back home for a softball game the next morning. “I know you have a game, but imagine if I did this to your family,” Jamie said to Doug, who thought she was “overreacting.” Jamie went on to take him to task for being generally unreliable. “Don’t be like my effing mother,” she snapped. (ICYMI: Everyone reminds her of her mother.)

Despite his wife’s pleas, Doug left to go to the softball game, and when Jamie returned home the following afternoon, she was irate. “The first priority in your life should be me and our family,” she argued. “If you leave my sister’s wedding early, it’s like your priority is this softball coach over my family.”

Doug’s response was to remind the camera that this was “one of the reasons” he had “suggested therapy to her.”

Lesson 3: Don’t Ignore Your Wife’s Birthday

Meanwhile, Cortney Hendrix was putting a lot of pressure on Jason Carrion to come up with something grand for her birthday — meaning she told him it didn’t matter to her if they did anything, but she used a tone that indicated she would hit the roof if he believed her.

Jason, who had been a little distracted (and disheartened) by his unsuccessful efforts to make contact with his half sister, first planned on working, but ultimately planned a big surprise for Cortney’s special day instead, which included a cupcake for breakfast in bed and a home-cooked Italian dinner.

Cortney loved it and couldn’t have been happier — well, unless Jason had actually given her a ring. As she brought that up over their gnocchi, he told her he planned to do that for her, someday, and “it will be just as special” as she could ever imagine.

Lesson 4: Don’t Buy a House While Your Future Mrs. Is Out of Town

Meanwhile, Neph Rodriguez and Jasmine had spent some time apart as she visited her family in Texas. They were both clearly excited to see each other upon her return, but soon after their joyful reunion, Jasmine was in tears because she missed her mom. Neph admitted he felt “guilty” taking her away from her family, but assured her they were “creating new memories” instead.

Doug and Jamie
Jamie and Doug.

One of those memories was that he bought a house while she was gone without consulting her. He had hoped she would be delighted by his big announcement, but that was not the case.

“It worries me to be left out of important decisions,” she said to the camera. She took a breath and asked him, “So we were waiting until today to tell me all of this?” That didn’t sound good.

“I did take you into account when I picked it,” Neph began. “It just so happened, when I found that house, you just weren’t here. I had to make a move on it, but I’m confident that you’re going to like it.”

Apparently, Neph forgot that he could have called her or texted her or emailed her or sent her photos of the house in advance of signing the paperwork.

Jasmine, who had been worried about whether their relationship was headed “in the right direction” (to be clear: toward marriage), clenched her jaw and told the camera, “I find out that he bought a house and he did not involve me whatsoever.” We’ll have to wait until next week to see what she thinks of the place, but it seems like the place itself isn’t the issue.

Tell Us: Did Jamie overreact with Doug?

Married at First Sight: The First Year airs on FYI on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET.   

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