You don’t just marry a person, you marry that person’s entire family — for better or for worse. On the Monday, January 5, episode of Married at First Sight, the three couples stumbled their way through their first holiday as husband and wife. It happened to be Father’s Day, which was a more joyous occasion for some than others.
Things kicked off on an upswing when Tres Russell admitted that he and his bride, Vanessa Nelson, had become the first couple to knock boots. “We consummated our marriage. It’s official,” he said. “We consummated the f–k out of our marriage.” As a grin spread across his face he added, “High-five to us! I’ll high-five myself!” Vanessa was a bit more reserved but confirmed he was telling the truth. “Sex is important in marriage,” she mused.
Maybe Don’t Pass Out Drunk on Your First Holiday Together
The warm fuzzies Tres and Vanessa were feeling continued into the start of Father’s Day. Though Vanessa revealed, “It’s not something that I celebrate because I don’t really have a relationship with my father,” she was quick to add that she “definitely” wanted to spend time with Tres’ father. “I think it’s important that we establish those relationships,” she explained.
Things were going well as Tres and Vanessa hosted Tres’ father, uncle and sister, as well as Vanessa’s sister, for a home-cooked celebration — but the mood took a turn when she came back from hanging out with the girls and found Tres passed out, drunk. (Disclaimer: The cameras were not there to capture that exact moment.)
“I enjoy having drinks. I think everyone should have fun,” she reasoned. “But passed out, drunk? No, that’s not something I find attractive at all.” During a tense conversation the following morning, she told her husband: “I just don’t think that you need to be that inebriated.” Tres didn’t like that critique very much.
“Before getting married, I loved going out! I used to go out all the time!” he argued. (ICYMI, when they were discussing finances, the luxury car salesman revealed that he would drop $300 at the bar on the regular.) Vanessa wondered if Tres valued his friends more than her, and he mumbled, “I really didn’t do anything wrong.” Vanessa rolled her eyes, and they really looked like a married couple for the first time.
David Struggles to Deal With His Father’s Death
Meanwhile, David Norton and Ashley Doherty continued their tumultuous trek toward coupledom. Like Vanessa, Ashley revealed that she did not have a relationship with her biological father, so the holiday was a bit different for her than for most since she celebrated instead with her stepfather. Her husband, however, had an even more strained experience with the holiday, since his father passed away many years before. David tried to open up to Ashley, but she continued to dismiss his efforts with short answers and reminders that they barely knew each other.
Then, on Father’s Day, David finally had enough. “Why are you so grumpy?” Ashley asked as they hung out in bed (with about 3 feet of space between them). “Oh, God, because my dad died! I hate today!” David shouted as he stormed out of the room. Since David is normally so mild-mannered and upbeat, Ashley was completely stunned by his outburst.
Ashley Is Completely Freaked Out by David’s Mom’s Home Videos
Fortunately, though, she got up and went over to console him as best as she could. It was one of, if not the first, time Ashley actually opened up to David, and it made a big impression on him, for the better. After this one step forward, however, it seemed like they immediately took one step back.
When David’s mom came over and started playing old VHS tapes of David with his dad, Ashley was clearly overwhelmed. “I’m enjoying hearing the stories of David and his father, but it’s also kind of a lot. It’s kind of like information overload,” she said to the camera, looking absolutely terrified. For his part, David didn’t seem to notice the negative effect the home movies were having on his bride.
Later, when David tried asking Ashley about how she was feeling, she practically begged him to “just talk about light stuff.” A frustrated David then snapped, “I’m asking you for 15 minutes of conversation before we go to bed or you go study.” When Ashley shrugged in response, he added, “I’m not just going to let you avoid it.”
He didn’t really have much of a choice though, and she essentially kicked him out so she could study for an upcoming test without answering any of his questions. “If this was one of my friends and I was giving advice to my friend, I’d say, ‘Man she’s not digging you. Take a hint,'” David lamented to the camera.
When in Doubt, Go to the Shooting Range With Your Father-in-Law
It had been a rough go for Neil Bowlus and Sam Role up to this point, with her repeatedly challenging his manhood and accusing him of being fake when the cameras were rolling. Though mild-mannered by nature, eventually Sam’s needling got to Neil. “I know two Neils,” Sam argued. “I know the cool Neil that I talk to when there’s no camera, and I know the camera Neil,” who she said was too concerned with being politically correct.
“What are you talking about?!” a frustrated Neil shouted to the camera, though he did also admit that he speaks to the camera the way he would speak to his grandmother, so that might be part of Sam’s issue.
Things came to a head when Dr. Schwartz stopped by to debrief them on their marriage so far. Sam described her honeymoon as “long” (which the doctor admitted was not a good sign) and Neil complained that he felt constantly disrespected by his wife. By the end of their chat, however, Neil and Sam seemed to have reached some understanding, and by the time Sam’s dad stopped by for Father’s Day, Neil was on board to hit the gun range.
“Guns don’t kill people. People kill people?” Neil asked as he prepared for his outing with a laugh. He and Sam’s father really hit it off though, and Neil claimed to “love” him already, even going so far as to refer to him as a “father figure.” Maybe there’s hope for these two yet — Neil and Sam, that is.
Tell Us: Which couple surprised you the most this week?
Married at First Sight airs on FYI Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST.
