Married At First Sight's Most Uncomfortable Kisses

Married at First Sight has paired numerous strangers together in legally binding marriages. After an extensive interview process, the hopeful singles are matched by a set of experts. They first meet at the altar, having no information about one another prior to saying, "I do." This dating show with a twist is responsible for multiple lasting marriages. There are even children who have been born as a result of these Married at First Sight unions.

During the eight weeks the "extreme social experiment" unravels, the pairs exchange vows, meet each other's families, travel to tropical honeymoon destinations, and move in together. Throughout their journeys, the newlyweds must also navigate another important aspect of a marriage — whether or not they have physical chemistry.

Some couples have it right from the start, while others take more time to get comfortable with one another. And for more than a few pairs, they never find that spark needed to ignite any passion. Needless to say, this has resulted in many awkward kisses over the years. Here are some lip-locks that proved to be cringeworthy for couples and viewers alike.

Things got off to a rocky start for Karen Landry and Miles Williams in Married at First Sight's 11th season. The night before their nuptials, Karen found out the identity of her fiancé through a mistakenly sent text from the show's production team. She then proceeded to spend the night scouring his social media accounts for information and was not too happy with what she saw. "Based on what I knew about Miles and what I knew about myself, right away I had mixed feelings on whether this match would work," she wrote in a piece for Us Weekly.

Although she was filled with doubts, Karen made it down the aisle. Eventually, nerves got the best of her, and she wound up crying at the altar. When it came time to kiss, Miles politely asked, "May I?" to which Karen said, "Cheek." The result is a short peck, giving off major hesitation vibes from the bride. 

Throughout their honeymoon, Karen resisted lip-locking with her hubby. However, once they moved into their apartment, the couple reportedly shared a smooch during a game of Truth or Dare (via Soap Dirt).

Fan favorites Stephanie Sersen and AJ Vollmoeller had an instant and playful connection that radiated on screen. When the groom first saw Stephanie, he could not take his eyes off his blushing bride. And during their wedding photo shoot, the CEO could not keep his lips off of the financial consultant. During one long makeout session, the photographer actually had to yell out, "Cut," to break up their just-wedded bliss.

Although the Season 8 pair had to face some roadblocks at the start, such as AJ's impatient attitude when hangry, they are currently enjoying their life together. A true Married at First Sight success story, the couple starred in the spinoff show Married at First Sight: Couples' Cam, filming their self-quarantine in Philadelphia. In an interview with Lifetime, Stephanie dished on how they keep the sparks flying. "So we've been making sure we do nice things for each other around the house. ... And then sometimes we'll do a little romantic dinner on the balcony."

Clearly, Stephanie and AJ's first kiss was a hint at the romance that would grow between them.

Married at First Sight Season 10 couple Zach Justice and Mindy Shiben had what seemed like a fairy tale wedding. The moment the fitness pro first laid eyes on his bride, he asked, "Where have you been?" And as for the figure skating coach, she turned to her loved ones and declared, "He's so handsome, guys!" Their first kiss appeared romantic, with Zach asking, "May I?" while pulling her close.

But that first kiss was more uncomfortable than viewers might have thought. On their honeymoon, Zach admitted there was no spark during that first kiss. Conversing with the other husbands, he said, "Simple things like first kiss, I felt nothing, ... and that's just how it was." After observing the other couples, Mindy realized they were lagging behind in the intimacy department. After an intense conversation on the beach, she said, "I was shaking, thinking, 'I just made a big mistake.'"

When they returned to D.C., Zach refused to cohabitate and Mindy discovered he'd been texting her friend. Therefore, it was no surprise when the couple decided to call it quits on Decision Day. Drama continued to surround the ill-fated pair, as Mindy posted on Instagram that her ex still hadn't officially divorced her by July 2020.

After tying the knot in Season 6, Shawniece Jackson and Jephte Pierre have had an on-again, off-again relationship. As apparent on their wedding day, the radiant bride seemed committed to making it work. Jephte, on the other hand, was visibly uncomfortable at being intimate with a stranger, and their photo shoot resulted in a cringeworthy smooch on the cheek. "This is really awkward being this affectionate in front of my family," he said. When someone in the crowd shouted, "On the lips," the schoolteacher retorted, "Mind your business."

On the show's Decision Day, the newlyweds decided to stay married. "He's stuck with me for the rest of his life, but don't tell him that," Shawniece, a cosmetologist, said to the cameras. Before that episode premiered, in April 2018, People reported that she was pregnant. On the spinoff show, Married at First Sight: Happily Ever After, in November 2018, the couple revealed that they'd separated. They eventually reunited and welcomed their first child, Laura, together. So, despite an uncomfortable kiss early on, these two worked on their relationship and remain together.

In what is one of the most hard-to-watch weddings in Married at First Sight history, Jamie Otis reluctantly married Doug Hehner in Season 1. Upon reaching the altar, the bride-to-be was obviously disappointed and avoided eye contact with the man standing next to her. "I just happen to be not attracted to the guy," the nurse said in a clip from the ceremony. During their photo shoot, when Doug came close to give a kiss, it was clear Jamie wanted no part in being affectionate with him. So instead, Doug got his lips close to the side of her ear, while Jamie flashed a fake smile. 

In an interview with The List, Jamie reflected on her overreaction during her wedding day. "I had these expectations that I would have some sort of chemistry and some sort of romance and that's really far-fetched," she said. On their honeymoon, fortunately, things took a touching turn when Jamie started catching feelings for the software salesman. Over a romantic dinner, they finally shared their first kiss.

Season 5's Nate Duhon and Sheila Downs definitely liked what they saw upon first glance. In fact, the Married at First Sight bride admitted she was immediately smitten. In an interview with The Knot, the school director said, "When I met my husband at the altar, there was no denying our chemistry." Therefore, it was no surprise when the pair passionately kissed at the altar. But when they went in for another kiss, Sheila's father stood up and yelled, while laughing, "Hey, you went for seconds. What's the matter with you?" Seeming to share the same sentiment, Nate's dad also reacted to the PDA by making a face. Not surprisingly, the fathers argued during the reception, as noted by the Daily Mail, which was a sign of problems to come.

Nate and Sheila's honeymoon foreshadowed impending doom, as they began their pattern of arguing in front of the cameras. When they eventually filed for divorce, Sheila took to Instagram to expose her partner's alleged infidelity throughout their union. "He was dishonest and there were women throughout our ENTIRE marriage," she claimed (via People). The manager defended himself on Twitter, saying, "Infidelity was not a reason, nor did I ever admit such a thing."

Clearly a passionate kiss — however awkward it may have been — is not always a mark of a great relationship.

Ashley Doherty and David Norton were matched as part of the Married at First Sight Season 3 cast. At the start, the nursing student did not feel attraction towards her new husband, and she tried to explain that to him. Still during a fun-filled ferris wheel ride, David decided to make the first move. As he bravely leaned, Ashley turned her head, resulting in a cheek peck. "Really, not even a kiss on date night?" he asked, defeated. "I did," she replied. "That wasn't a kiss," he responded. 

On Unfiltered, David, a software exec, spoke about their eventual first kiss. "It was a big step for us. ... We had some wine, we were opening up," he dished of the lead-up to the kiss.

Ultimately, their connection wasn't strong enough to sustain a marriage, and the pair split on Decision Day. Ashley cited the fact that her husband had texted another woman as part of the reason for the breakup. In an interview with Us Weekly, David revealed, "I realized how far away we actually were from being a married couple, outside of a piece of paper that says that we are married."

During their wedding photo shoot in Married at First Sight Season 4, Nick Pendergrast seemed annoyed at the thought of being intimate with his new bride, Sonia Granados. When the photographer asked for "one little kiss," the newfound groom said, "Oh my goodness, again?" as he unenthusiastically planted a forced kiss on the social worker. Not exactly a reaction you'd want to hear from your new spouse.

Unfortunately, once they settled back home in Miami, Sonia revealed that, after she had sex with her husband, he told her that he wasn't attracted to her. In an interview with The Knot, Nick explained that attraction does not necessarily refer to physical attributes, but the personality of a person. "The way they handle certain situations. The way we generally interact on a person-to-person level. It's a constant roller coaster of emotions," the property manager said. 

On Decision Day, the couple did choose to work on their relationship, but ultimately decided to divorce after less than a year of marriage, as reported by Entertainment Tonight. Given their awkward kiss, this news may have not been too surprising to fans.

It was all smiles and giggles when Mia Bally and Tristan Thompson first met at the altar. The tutoring club owner seemed extremely giddy about the woman the experts had found for him. Once the officiant announced, "You may kiss your bride," however, Mia blatantly turned her face, resulting in a full-on cheek kiss. Obviously embarrassed, Tristan responded with nervous laughter. His uncle even weighed in on the awkward situation, saying, "She didn't kiss him. I didn't like that."

Worse than that kiss, as the newlyweds tried to depart for their honeymoon, things took an unexpected turn when the new bride was detained at the airport. According to People, the airline recruiter was "previously charged with three counts of stalking and one count of unauthorized use of a credit card involving an ex-boyfriend."

While the couple stayed together on Decision Day, ultimately Mia filed for the divorce while the show was still airing, as reported by People. Seems like their awkward kiss on Married at First Sight was a bad omen.