Married at First Sight season 17 took place in Denver, Colorado. It was the longest season in franchise history, as it began airing in mid-October 2023, and didn't finish its run until late April 2024. The reason for the longevity of the season had to do with a MAFS first. Michael Shiakallis was originally matched with a bride who wasn't ready to marry a stranger, and she ditched Michael at the altar.

Michael was then rematched while the other couples were already halfway through their eight-week journey. This scramble meant that there were several episodes featuring the couples after they broke up while Michael was going through the eight weeks to Decision Day with his new bride, Chloe Brown. Season 17 was largely considered a flop, with one of the main reasons being that none of the couples stayed together, and two separated very early into the season. Moreover, the cast controversy and contention took center stage, and it was not the quality drama viewers wanted to see.

MAFS Season 17 Had A Group Dupe

The MAFS Experts Were Fooled

Outside of the runaway bride, the rematching of Michael, and the five failed marriages, Lifetime's Married at First Sight season 17 had another red flag that made the season spiral. After the couples broke up and got together for a group hangout, it was hinted that there was dubiousness going on behind the scenes. It started with Becca Haley breaking up with Austin Reed because he lied about going out on the town with Brennan Shoykhet and one of the female producers the night before, which was also the same day Decision Day happened.

From there, Clare Kerr called out her ex-husband Cameron Frazer for "silencing" her, an accusation that angered Cameron, who spilled the tea in a side interview. According to Cameron, Clare had been instructing him on what to say on camera. Cameron said that Clare was in control of their narrative from the beginning, and called her a "puppet master."

"The fact that she's not attracted to me — that's one of those things she told me I couldn't say out loud. Oh, there we go! I just broke a promise!"

Those two situations fed into a larger plot that was exposed during the MAFS season 17 reunion. The entire season 17 cast, except Michael and Chloe, took part and attempted to pull off a coordinated group dupe. They endeavored to present themselves positively on camera so that they would get a good edit.

To do this, they essentially didn't allow each other to be authentic when the cameras were on them, which led to resentment and complications in each marriage that deteriorated the quality and credibility of the show and contributed greatly to the downfall of all the marriages.

What's more, the Married at First Sight experts did not catch on to the inauthenticities that were taking place. It was their job to detect and address any falsities between the pairs in their marriages. The experts were made to look foolish, and the failed group dupe also sparked intense animosity between the cast , specifically between the male cast and the female cast.

The MAFS Season 17 Animosity Explained

Season 17 Had A Lot Of Drama

The MAFS season 17 girl clique between Becca, Clare, Lauren Goodger, and Emily Balch was born out of their disdain and resentment towards their ex-husbands. The bitter foursome thought their husband were the perpetuators of all the negativity that took place in the marriages and felt the responsibility for the marriage failings was on them. The male cast thought the spiteful women lacked ability for their part in the negative aspects of their relationships and compliance in the dupe.

The differing views between the men and women of season 17 caused major animosity that reared its head at the reunion when they all came for each other. The other drama that happened was between Chloe and Lauren over Lauren showing interest in dating Michael after the show, and Chloe putting the clamps on that. Lauren spoke in a video diary about Chloe and said Chloe was "irate" about her following Michael on Instagram and said that she and Chloe's friendship had ended.

In the "Where Are They Now?" episode, things escalated as Chloe detailed that the bitter season 17 girl gang were running a smear campaign against her after the Lauren fallout.

"There is an on Facebook–two of them. One of them has written the most horrifying things you could possibly imagine about me…I know for a fact it's one of them with a burner ."

Chloe said that the season 17 women were “not ready for relationships of any kind,” capping her feelings on the women off by remarking, "I wish them everything they may need to be different people."

Do The MAFS Season 17 Cast Still Have Resentment?

Yes They Do

Emily has come for Chloe on her Instagram . She tried to provide a timeline of events to prove that Chloe was lying about having animosity with her and her clique, but it fell on deaf ears from MAFS viewers. Moreover, Emily has made several posts about Brennan being a clown and that there is more to the story that would ruin Brennan's reputation. Emily has threatened to do Instagram Lives exposing him, but she has largely come off as spiteful and immature. Emily also shares reflective - unable - posts on Instagram about her perceived plight on the show as well.

Lauren has also made a post about her ex-husband Orion not g the divorce papers. Clare and Becca have demonstrated online that they stand behind Lauren and Emily, and their continued online behavior has been indicative of their unwillingness to accept their shortcomings and let the past go. The male cast have remained quiet about the drama online and have moved on with their lives, as the season 17 women should be doing.

Are The MAFS Season 17 Cast Still Relevant?

Yes They Are

The Married at First Sight season 17 cast are still relevant, as season 17 was the latest MAFS content viewers have a hold of. Married at First Sight season 18 premieres in October, and when it does, the season 17 cast and their drama will fade out of relevancy, and public opinions on them will decrease. However, as fans watch season 17 for the first time or even rewatch it, the cast will maintain their significance. If any of the season 17 cast act up online, that will also contribute to them keeping their relevancy.

Married at First Sight season 18 will premiere on October 2, 2024, at 8 pm EST on Lifetime.

Source: Lifetime/YouTube, Emily Balch/Instagram