It’s decision day! On the Tuesday, October 25, episode of Married at First Sight, the remaining two couples had to announce— after six weeks as newlyweds — if they’d decided to stay together or get a divorce. Tensions were high as the date approached, and it seemed that each and every one of them was nervous about what the future might hold.
When in Doubt … Make a Vision Board
Remember when vision boards were a thing? Apparently they still are — at least in the world of relationship reality TV, that is. In an attempt to see if the couples were on the same page, each person was tasked with making a vision board showing what they hoped for in the future. Tom Wilson and Lillian Vilchez chatted as they pieced together their future lives with magazine cutouts and photos. During their crafting, Tom revealed that he’d like to adopt a child some day. “I am OK with adopting, as long as the first one comes out of me,” Lillian chimed to the camera with a smile. But that hardly meant they saw eye to eye on everything.
Both parties were still very concerned about their different takes on money. (ICYMI, Lillian wants to make a lot of money, while Tom wants to … live on a bus.) “If you want to really accomplish your goals, you have to work harder to make them a reality,” the ever-determined Lillian said. Tom replied that his future goal was “live a life that was very carefree.”
Meanwhile, Nick Pedergrast and Sonia Granados worked on their happiness collages. Nick said he hoped to have a business he could run from his phone, while Sonia was more focused on having kids. Randomly, Nick shared that he would like twins and that twins ran in his family. Like Tom, Sonia said she’d like to adopt a child. Nick didn’t say much to that.
When in Doubt … Exchange Gifts
After recounting to their respective friends their concerns about their relationship (which were pretty much confined to how differently they prioritized money), Tom and Lillian exchanged gifts. Tom gave Lillian a big, cheap clock that symbolized “time well spent together,” while Lillian said she gave him her heart. After, Lillian said she’d made her mind up about whether she wanted to stay married or divorce, but she was scared to learn what Tom had decided. Tom, on the other hand, focused more on the journey than the destination, saying he was “really proud” of himself and Lillian for just trying to make it work. “It’s been quite the journey,” he mused to the camera.
Sonia and Nick also decompressed with friends for a bit. Nick argued that he was getting more attracted to his wife as they grew closer, though his own pals thought that was kind of weak. Sonia, meanwhile, openly said she didn’t know if Nick was worth the effort. “My gut tells me to run,” she confessed. (That’s not good.)
In an interesting twist, however, shortly after airing her doubts to her friends, Sonia finally caved and moved back in with Nick — at least for the night (since they were deciding their fate the next day). Determined to show Sonia how much he cared for her, Nick gifted her with a book of photos from their honeymoon, as well as a delicate silver chain. In return, Sonia gave Nick a shirt with a cartoon pile of poop on it. Nick was determined to stay focused on the positive signs, however. “I’m happy she feels comfortable enough to stay,” he said before adding, “Though maybe it would have been better a week ago.”
Tom and Lillian Make Their Decision
After all of their hemming and hawing, Tom and Lillian finally sat down in front of Rachel DeAlto and Pastor Calvin Roberson. As they discussed points of conflict, Tom again looped back to his attachment to his bus. “Enough already with wanting to live in the bus!” Lillian shouted to the camera. (We hear you, girl.) Lillian was first to reveal her decision.
“I care for you so much. I want to look at the positives in our marriage and the good we’ve been through, and I would like for us to give ourselves the opportunity to grow in love,” she began as her eyes misted with tears. “But I have decided that I would like to stay married to you.” (But? “But” didn’t seem to fit in that sentence, except for creating a sense of tension.) Then it was Tom’s turn. He too had some interesting choices of words.
“Lily, I’ve thought all night and all morning and still couldn’t make up my mind about exactly what would be good for you and I, and my biggest concern is that if I’m not happy, then I can’t make you happy, and I’ve always put happiness on a pedestal, and I focus on how happy I am now versus how happy I was before our marriage began. I feel like the hardest thing about this is that you are such a great person, and … I have decided that I want to stay married.” (Again, not sure why the hardest thing about deciding to stay married was that Lillian is such a great person, but whatever.)
Nick and Sonia Make Their Decision
Next it was Nick and Sonia’s turn to announce their decision to Dr. Pepper Schwartz and Rachel DeAlto. Nick said his biggest takeaway from the experiment so far was to be more empathetic and understanding (i.e. to not say things like he wasn’t attracted to the woman he’d just slept with). Sonia said she’d learned to become a better communicator. They both, generally speaking, seemed at peace with whatever they had decided. Nick went first and said quite clearly that he thought they were “in a good place and moving forward in the right direction” and therefore wanted to stay married. This meant the final call was up to Sonia.
“We’ve had a lot of ups and downs, and I have moved back in, but I just — there’s just a lot of things that led me not to trust you,” she began. After a breath she added, “And I feel like I want to stay married to you.”
Nick was very obviously thrilled at this news, as he’d been unsure about what his wife had decided. “To be able to forgive me shows a lot about her and shows that she’s willing to work on this relationship,” he said to the camera.
A few days later, the two couples met up for brunch to check each other out. Though they all seemed happy and friendly enough, there was an obvious difference between the way Tom and Lillian were affectionate with each other and the way Nick and Sonia kept their distance. From their discussion, however, all four wanted desperately to make their marriages work.
Tell Us: Do you think either of these marriages will last?
Married at First Sight airs on FYI Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
