The Most Devastating Breakups In Married At First Sight History

What are the most devastating breakups in Married at First Sight history? For the stars of the show, marrying a stranger on national television may be the hardest thing they'll ever have to do. However, what most people don't know about Married at First Sight is that the breakups are much more devastating. Some splits have even been so volatile, they've ended in arrests and restraining orders.

Although many of the Married at First Sight couples are still together – there are cast members who believe in the power of the matchmaking experts and try to stick it out, after all – most of the show's marriages end in painful divorces. To that end, many tears have been shed as the newlyweds navigate living with a complete stranger, who just happens to be their spouse. However, they inevitably learn that when it's isn't right, it just won't work out, no matter how hard you try. 

Viewers have been the sidelines for these rollercoaster rides, cheering when toxic marriages end, and saddened when the couples they were rooting for split. Here are the most devastating breakups in Married at First Sight history.

On season 5 of Married at First Sight, Nate Duhon and Sheila Downs had undeniable chemistry at the altar; they also shared the same values. Those similarities, however, were not enough to sustain a happily-ever-after for the pair. The fighting began during their honeymoon, causing Sheila to have doubts about her husband's commitment. "I was all in, so when we got into a dumb fight and Nathan immediately said that he no longer wanted to be married, that sent me into a tailspin," she dished to The Knot.  

On Decision Day, they admitted their wrongdoings and vowed to work on their problems. However, they had a devastating breakup when Sheila tweeted that a woman told her she was sleeping with Nate (via Us Weekly). To clear up any speculation, the groom posted on Twitter (via People) in a since-deleted tweet, "Infidelity was not a reason, nor did I ever admit such a thing." 

In response, Sheila wrote on Instagram, "I see that instead of finally operating in integrity, [Nate] chose to continue to lie...He was dishonest and there were women throughout our entire marriage."

For season 10 Married at First Sight couple Zach Justice and Mindy Shiben, their road to demise began on their honeymoon, when the new groom revealed he wasn't attracted to his bride. To make matters worse, he refused to move in with her and began texting her friend behind her back. It wasn't a shock when they had a devastating breakup on Decision Day, with Mindy saying, "I do think you have it in you to be a good husband, but you have not been a good husband to me" (via People).

At the reunion show, Mindy said she felt that Zach's participation in the show may have been merely a publicity stunt. During the episode, Katie Conrad, also part of the Season 10 cast, admitted that Zach asked her out (via People) which surprised their spouses.

Although the ill-fated pair have been separated for a while, the ice skating coach took to Instagram to announce that her ex still hadn't officially divorced her. The fitness instructor cleared his name by responding with, "Please don't lie to these people for attention, it's gross." 

Although they were absolutely smitten on their wedding day, Married at First Sight's Katie Conrad and Derek Sherman later had a devastating breakup. Throughout their marriage, they faced insurmountable issues like Katie pining over her ex-boyfriend and Derek having never been in love before — and not being able to say those words to his wife. Despite this adversity, they chose to remain together on Decision Day, which was probably not the best idea.

On the reunion show, it came to light that the pair didn't remain married (via the New York Post). Katie said Derek did not prioritize making their relationship work and she was initiating all the conversations and intimacy. While they were on a supposedly romantic getaway in Nashville, Derek's new bride asked for a separation.

When asked if he got his heart broken, Derek said during the reunion, "Thankfully, Katie made it real easy not to really be able to fall in love with her." To add insult to injury, Katie confessed to her husband that she had an affair with her ex during their marriage. 

On the first season of Married at First Sight, Jason Carrion and Cortney Hendrix had instant chemistry, and easily fell in love. Therefore, it seemed only natural that they stay married on Decision Day. The lovebirds even went on to star in two spinoff shows, Married at First Sight: The First Year and Married Life. Although the couple faced challenges, like's Jason grueling schedule as a fireman and Cortney's desire to move from Jason's New York home, they managed to resolve all their issues.

After five years of marriage, however, the seemingly well-matched pair sadly filed for divorce after a devastating breakup (via People). "It is with a heart full of sadness that me and Cortney have decided to separate," Jason said in a statement. "We fell deeply in love, and had very much a fairytale story being married as complete strangers." Sadly, they're not a Married at First Sight couple who surprisingly stayed together.

On her YouTube channel, Cortney said their relationship was meant for a season, not a lifetime. Fortunately, they had an amicable divorce.

In one of the most heartbreaking moments in Married at First Sight history, Neil Bowlus devastated Sam Role in season 3 by asking for a divorce. Sam was so shattered that she ran away and broke down sobbing in the arms of the show's expert. 

Throughout their marriage, Sam struggled to find her husband attractive and acted disrespectfully, even kicking him out of their house. As a result, Neil did not feel loved by his wife. "At no point was that word used and at no point were feelings associated with that word were ever shown," he told RMH. 

Things took a turn for Sam in the last two weeks of the experiment, when she started to miss Neil while he was away. Ultimately, however, Neil was too hurt by the way Sam treated him, and decided to initiate the devastating breakup, which shocked Sam. "The only inkling I had was in my gut, but there were things that he said to me prior to deciding that made me think he would continue the marriage," she added.

At their wedding, it was obvious that season 4's Nick Pendergrast was not feeling his new bride, Sonia Granados. In fact, it led some of Married at First Sight's most uncomfortable kisses. Then, after moving into their Miami home, Nick told Sonia he wasn't attracted to her after they slept together, and within a month, she moved out.

However, on Decision Day, the couple chose to work on their tumultuous relationship, and on the reunion show, the pair revealed they were together. But after less than a year, they had a devastating breakup and divorce (via Entertainment Tonight).

Things got messy after Nick revealed to People that he was expecting twins with his new girlfriend. A jaded Sonia expressed her discontent over what she felt was shady behavior. "Yep, While he was trying to 'work' things out with me but telling her different," she posted on Twitter. Given that they separated in January and their divorce was finalized in April, and Nick told People he talked to his new love for three months before meeting her in May, Sonia's claim could be valid.

Married at First Sight's season 4 couple Mia Bally and Tristan Thompson started their marriage with an awkward kiss at the altar. Things continued on a rocky path as Mia was detained on the way to their honeymoon due to a warrant for her arrest for stalking. Besides this bombshell, the pair dealt with other hardships, such as Tristan kicking Mia out of the house and discovering she was still on dating apps (via E! News). "This entire marriage I feel like I've been completely honest with Mia...and it seems like she's gone out of her way to hide things from me," he lamented.

On Decision Day, Mia and Tristan decided to put the past behind them, and committed to staying married. However, as soon as filming ended, Mia said Tristan showed her photos of his ex in a bikini, causing her major doubts. She didn't even wait for the show to finish to initiate their devastating breakup, and filed for a divorce while it was still airing (via People). On the reunion show, Tristan called Mia "unstable" and they argued over who initiated the divorce.

On season 10, Married at First Sight bride Taylor Dunklin first saw red flags on her honeymoon when her husband Brandon Reid showed his volatile side to the show's production team. Taylor was not innocent, however, as she also played a part in their devastating breakup; she posted an Instagram post saying she was single. 

On Decision Day, it was clear the pair had irreconcilable differences. Taylor asked for a divorce, saying, "I feel like we were on the break of starting more and new communication but with all the things that have transpired, it might not be the best for us to try to continue" (via E! News). In true Brandon fashion, he walked away from the cameras, saying, "I'm over it."

On the reunion show, Taylor revealed additional drama. The host read Brandon's court filing about a heated encounter, which claimed she pushed him and then called the police claiming he assaulted her. To defend herself, Taylor said Brandon followed her. As a result, the ex-spouses were both arrested, went to court, and filed restraining orders against one another.

Jessica Castro and Ryan DeNino had arguably the most devastating breakup in Married at First Sight history. Despite their rollercoaster of a relationship, they stayed together on Decision Day. Jessica explained to Swaay that she wanted out because of Ryan's verbal abuse, but remained due to contractual agreements. "There were times where I didn't want to finish with the experiment because it was just that bad, [but] I had no other choice," she lamented.

During the reunion show, Jessica accused Ryan of cheating. He stormed off and was caught threatening Jessica's life (via Us Weekly). This prompted Jessica to get a restraining order. "I didn't want to risk anything, especially the safety of my family," she continued. 

In Touch also revealed that Ryan said on tape that he would "smack" and "break" Jessica, as well as "make your whole family disappear." Yikes! That was definitely one of the most uncomfortable Married at First Sight moments.

From the start of their union in season 8, Luke Cuccurullo made it implicitly clear that he wasn't attracted to his new bride, Kate Sisk. And the way he treated her because of that made him one of the biggest villains in Married at First Sight history. 

Specifically, when they slept together for the first time on their honeymoon, Luke said he "felt dead inside" and was "repulsed." Although deeply hurt by these words, Kate tried to make it work. "I think what kept me was never really knowing where Luke and I stood because of his lack of clear communication and his back-and-forth answers," she told Monsters & Critics.

The couple's problems were unresolvable, and on Decision Day, they both agreed to go through with the devastating breakup. And although their issues mostly stemmed from Luke, he found it difficult to admit any wrongdoing. "The imperfections I brought to the show were me being me, and any mistake I could think to take back would be erasing who I am as a person," he explained in an interview with Monsters & Critics

Season 4 Married at First Sight couple Derek Schwartz and Heather Seidel couldn't even make it through the six-week experiment, becoming the first couple in the show's history to divorce midway through a season. By the third day of their marriage, Heather already wanted to end things. In Touch reported that a source told them this was due to Derek's habitual marijuana use. "He asked her for permission to smoke and she said it was fine, but then she freaked out because she thought he did it too often during their honeymoon," the source claimed. Derek lamented on how upsetting that was to Us Weekly. "I felt terrible once I realized how not interested she was in me," he said. 

At the end of their honeymoon, Derek said he'd lost all respect for his new bride, calling her dishonest, judgmental, and cold. Although Derek asked to stay married in the seventh episode, Heather still requested a divorce. This was a devastating breakup for the ex-groom, who tried reach out to Heather on social media, but his messages remained unanswered.

Married at First Sight's Amber Bowles called Matt Gwynne "perfect," on their season 9 wedding day, but sadly the two had a devastating breakup. In an interview on The Sarah Fraser Show, she called their experience a "fake love story," and said that initial spark fizzled after three days.

Early on in their marriage, Amber was left in tears after Matt went out with his friends sans wedding ring — and never returned home at night. To add to the drama, Amber's friend told her he'd seen Matt out at a bar chatting up another woman. On Decision Day, Amber, understandably, asked for a divorce and Matt agreed. 

On the reunion show, Amber revealed that he had not yet signed their divorce papers, even though she sent them to him multiple times (via Monsters & Critics). Matt chose to hurt Amber even further by claiming he knew within the first 15 minutes of their first encounter that they would not last. Visibly angered, Amber then asked Matt why he still slept with her if he knew that was the case.

In season 3, Tres Russell and Vanessa Nelson decided to stay together on Married at First Sight's Decision Day. The couple enjoyed physical chemistry from the start, but admitted that they weren't in love. Their problems included Vanessa's mistrust of her husband and their difficulty communicating.

Since they seemed devoted to fixing their issues, fans were shocked when they announced they had split during the reunion show. Tres told Us Weekly that although they went to counseling, their spark was extinguished two months later, and he stopped being intimate with his wife. "After a heated exchange in which some hurtful things were said and done, I realized it was best for me to grab my stuff and leave," he said.

Tres called the devastating breakup "extremely painful," and tried to be friends with Vanessa, hurting her even more. "I wanted to meet to work on building a friendship together, and she thought that we were meeting to work on our marriage. When she found out my intentions, she decided it was best for us not to speak anymore," he added.

Married at First Sight's David Norton and Ashley Doherty seemed doomed from the start of their season 3 union. Mainly, from the beginning, Ashley made it clear that she wasn't attracted to her new spouse. 

Besides that hurdle, Ashley caught David chatting with a woman on social media, and in response asked for space. Then, before Decision Day, Ashley called David "kind" and "considerate," but noted their poor communication skills. David seemed more confident, stating that they had grown. And though Ashley said she went back and forth, she ultimately favored a devastating breakup on Decision Day, to David's disappointment. 

In a wild plot twist, after the show was over, news came out that David had been charged for disorderly conduct against an ex-girlfriend (via In Touch). Naturally, that made Ashley's mother angry at the show's producers, who knew of David's violent past — but still matched him with her daughter. "A couple of times, she said he got in her face," she said. "But of course they're not going to show that on camera because they portrayed him as Mr. Wonderful."