The honeymoon is almost definitely over for Married at First Sight couple Becca Haley and Austin Reed.
In Us Weekly’s exclusive sneak peek of the Wednesday, February 28, episode, Austin, 32, claims that Becca, 31, is to blame for how his behavior is poorly coming across to viewers.
“I care about how you’re feeling, but, like, I think it’s unfair to characterize me as this terrible person,” Austin says to his wife during an argument in their Denver, Colorado, apartment.
Becca immediately denied trying to make Austin seem like a “terrible person.” She stresses, “I talk about what a great person you are.”
Becca and Austin were matched by the MAFS experts in season 17, which premiered on Lifetime in October 2023. While they had an instant attraction on their wedding day, things took a detour after the honeymoon.
Once they returned home to Colorado, Becca and Austin had candid conversations about religions and family planning that revealed opposing viewpoints. Becca was raised Jewish but is currently agnostic, which contradicts Austin’s belief in Christianity. Then, Becca admitted that she was indifferent to the idea of having children but noted that she could change her mind if her partner really wanted kids, which Austin does.
The differing perspectives didn’t lessen the couple’s bond as they came up with compromises. Their lack of intimacy, however, has proven the opposite. Throughout the experiment, Austin hasn’t been ready to progress their physical relationship past making out — to Becca’s dismay.
After they came home from the cast’s retreat, their relationship faltered even more when they dealt with “miscommunications” during a disagreement. Becca was upset that Austin said off camera that he didn’t see them working out past Decision Day. She later told the experts of their troubles, claiming that he seemed hesitant to move forward and is dismissive of her feelings.
In Wednesday’s episode, Austin is reasserting that he’s not the bad guy in the situation.
“It’s, like, I have an opinion and when I express it and it’s not the same as yours, it’s automatically considered combative,” he tells Becca in the sneak peek. “Like, am I being combative right now? … The words you use to describe me aren’t for sure any that I’ve been described as. I’ve never been called these things.”
Becca notes that Austin is not presently being combative but said she doesn’t know how else to classify his actions.
“Those words matter,” Austin adds. “That’s what millions of people are going to see about me [when the show airs].”
Becca, however, posits that Austin seems to be more hurt by the “optics” than the actual meaning of her remarks.
“I care about both, Becca,” he says. “Have I said anything to make you look bad in any way? Ever on camera? … You are making me look bad, though.”
Married at First Sight season 17 airs on Lifetime Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
