Already have an account?
Get back to the

‘Married at First Sight’ Recap: One Couple Get the Quickest Divorce in the Show’s History

When the going gets tough, people who have been married for less than a month get going. On Married at First Sight‘s Tuesday, September 13, episode, all three couples found themselves struggling to move their relationships forward as things became more serious, and the reality of marriage settled in. But no one was struggling more than embattled spouses Derek Schwartz and Heather Seidel, who, after taking some much-needed time apart, were forced to decide whether they wanted to give their union another shot or throw in the towel.

Related: PHOTOS: Hollywood's Ugliest Divorces

The D-Word

Sitting across from Pastor Calvin Roberson, Derek explained, “I was hoping that we wouldn’t go for a divorce at this point and that we would stay married and try to work it out, at least for the six weeks that we discussed.” Then it was up to Heather.

Related: PHOTOS: On Again, Off Again Celebrity Couples

“I’m really sorry about how things have gone,” she began. “I don’t think you’re a bad person at all, and I’m sorry that I can’t move forward with you. I cannot be married to you, and I hope that you understand that.”

The pastor was openly disappointed that Heather was giving up already, but couldn’t say or do anything at this point to change her mind, and so — for the first time in the show’s history — a couple opted for divorce at the midway mark of the experiment. Derek and Heather exchanged a few short words after that final meeting: “Good luck” and “bye.”

Related: PHOTOS: Celebrity Splits of 2016

Heather said she didn’t regret putting herself out there, but she did wish things turned out differently (no kidding). Derek, however, was beyond crushed. “Maybe I’m the type of person who’s supposed to be alone,” he said.

Gone Girl

Meanwhile, fantasy was fading into reality for Tom Wilson and Lillian Vilchez. After leaving to walk the dogs, Tom reported that when he returned home, Lillian was gone and hadn’t responded to his many calls or texts. While he openly admitted they’d had a “rocky” few days, he said he thought they had reached a good place. Moments later, Lillian returned like a bull in a china shop. 

It turned out that she had come from the doctor, who had informed her she needed surgery on her shoulder. (She had been in an accident a while before, and this injury hadn’t healed properly on its own.) This hit her hard partly because she had expected to get the “all clear” to resume normal activities. Though Tom did his best to reassure her that he was going to be remain by her side and support her, Lillian was unconvinced.

“What if I can’t rely on him?” she wondered to the camera. “What if I can’t depend on him during this really hard time?” She then questioned, in general, how committed Tom was to the marriage. It seemed to come sort of out of left field, but her emotions were all over the place as a result of the bad news.

Fortunately, relationship expert Rachel DeAlto dropped by to check the temperature of their marriage. Tom explained he was sensing Lillian’s fears, but insisted that he did see “forever” with her. Rachel told him to lead with that when he went back to talk to his wife, which is exactly what he did.

“I’m invested in this. This isn’t just something you do just for fun. This is forever. I’m in it. I’m committed,” he said. Lillian still worried that she didn’t know the “real” Tom. It was pretty unclear what he could do to convince her she did, but they got busy with some body paint Rachel had left for them and were soon taking a coed shower, so things couldn’t have been that bad.

Heather and Derek on Married at First Sight
Heather and Derek on Married at First Sight

Nick and Sonia Have a “Wine Vibe” (Also, Sonia Might Be a Lesbian)

When they sat down the morning after their fight, Sonia Granados was clearly still stinging from Nick Pendergrast announcing to her that he was not in love with her. Sitting stiffly across the table from each other, they began trying to talk it out. Though the conversation was stilted at first, eventually they both softened up. She admitted she shouldn’t have stormed off, and he admitted his MO was to shut down — and by the time they were done, they were both smiling and laughing.

Nick was touched enough by their chat, in fact, that he organized a romantic wine-tasting night for them, which he kicked off by giving her a bouquet of sunflowers (her favorite). “Maybe we can get a little drunk and be comfortable,” he explained to the camera. It sounded like a good plan to us!

The wine did seem to give them the liquid courage they needed to loosen up, and they ended the evening in the same bed, with the dogs not in the same bed, which was a major step forward. (No, Sonia and Nick still did not have sex.)

Rachel stopped by to check in with them as well, and gave them two assignments to try to jump-start their intimacy. The first was a Truth or Dare game that they both admitted was “awkward.” The second was a visit to a tantric massage therapist, who encouraged Nick to “drink up” his sexuality rather than “oppress” it. It did seem that Sonia really connected on a physical level — except her connection was with the instructor. “I’m pretty sure I’m a lesbian right now,” Sonia joked. It seemed like a joke, anyway.

The instructor did get Nick to place one hand on Sonia’s chest and one on her belly, which was a pretty big step forward, considering his recent declaration that he wouldn’t touch her boob. “I feel like I could have sex with my husband right now,” Sonia reported. “Maybe it could happen tonight.”

Tell Us: Do you think Nick and Sonia will ever consummate their marriage? And should Heather have given her marriage more time?

Married at First Sight airs on FYI Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Got a Tip form close button
Got a tip for US?
We're All Ears for Celebrity Buzz!