Married At First Sight season 18 has been a struggle viewers as they work through the failings of the experts for another season, and it’s become clear that after struggling with their jobs, the Married At First Sight experts will likely be replaced by next seasons. Throughout Married At First Sight season 18, there have been issues with the team of experts on the show that have generally frustrated viewers of the show. While the experts are often left out of the earliest phases of the relationships, they’re usually not absent, which is what MAFS season 18’s cast is experiencing.

Throughout the last several seasons of Married At First Sight, viewers have had a hard time with the way the experts have functioned. While Dr. Pepper Schwartz, who’s been on the show since Married At First Sight season 1, has been a fixture on the series, the other experts have varying degrees of tenure. Pastor Cal Roberson, who ed the show during MAFS season 4, has his own expertise in marriage and relationships, while Dr. Pia Holec, who only ed in during MAFS season 15. Throughout the last several seasons, the experts have been trying and failing to create matches.

While the group has been trying to generate their chemistry and create matches that work both on the series and in the real world, the Married At First Sight experts have struggled to be able to keep themselves on track with a standard success rate. Prior to MAFS season 12, there were typically multiple couples choosing each other on Decision Day, and at least one of those couples remained together after the show. While there were some outliers, it was typical that at least one match, usually more, would come out of each season unscathed and excited for the future.

Throughout the last several seasons of Married At First Sight, there have been issues with the success rate as it’s crashed to be disastrously low. After MAFS season 17’s deception from the cast , wherein they tried to dupe the producers and experts as they moved through the experiment so they’d be certain to get a good edit, things clearly needed to change for the current season of the series. While the matches may seem a bit more palatable, Married At First Sight season 18 seems to have the same unfortunate issues as its predecessors, leaving the experts to blame.

8 MAFS Has Had Low Success Rates

There Have Only Been Two Lasting Couples In Recent Years

As Married At First Sight viewers follow along with the series, there have been an array of issues within the last few seasons that have been difficult to see on screen. On top of the difficult moments of the last seasons of the series, Married At First Sight hasn’t had successful relationships consistently in years. In the last six seasons, only two of the thirty matches made by the experts have come out of the experiment together and continued on to have a successful relationship. While there isn’t expected to be a 100% success rate, things have been bleak.

In the last several years, only two couples have gone on to be successful from the show. Married At First Sight season 12’s Vincent Morales and Briana Myles are married with a daughter after meeting and getting to know each other on the series, though they had their share of issues on the show. In more recent seasons, Married At First Sight season 16’s Nicole Woley and Chris Thielk were excited to meet during the experiment, and have managed to stay together after the show. Otherwise, no matches have been able to succeed in their relationships.

7 Pastor Cal Roberson Has Struggled To Give Diplomatic Advice

He’s Not Able To Distance Himself Enough

Although he’s been part of the show since Married At First Sight season 4, Pastor Cal has had a difficult time staying in touch with the cast and their relationship issues as the show has continued on. Pastor Cal is a relationship counselor that comes from a background of religious counseling, which can be difficult for some people. Despite knowing that he’s coming from a different place than many of the MAFS participants, Pastor Cal doesn’t really change his approach from couple to couple.

Instead, Pastor Cal comes from a place of knowing that his relationship experience has colored his perception in a certain way. He’s been able to be helpful to some, but has struggled in helping others and keeping his answers more diplomatic. In moments of tension, Pastor Cal’s help doesn’t always appear to be what the Married At First Sight cast needs.

6 MAFS Hasn’t Utilized The Experts On Screen

They Haven’t Been Present

Throughout the current season of the series, the Married At First Sight experts haven’t been featured anywhere near as much as they had been in the past. While the MAFS experts are often seen very early in the season, especially before the couples have met and been married, there’s usually a lull where they aren’t featured as heavily. Throughout the first stretch of the MAFS marriages, there isn’t much going on with the experts, but they do appear at times.

During MAFS season 18, there’s been a lot of issues with the experts being shown and utlized by the participants. Throughout the course of the season, the experts have only shown up a few times and haven’t been able to help the couples navigate their difficulties. While the experts aren’t the only line of defense that MAFS couples have, they should be more active in helping the couples get established in their early days of marriage. With the experts clearly off-screen, it feels like the show could be phasing them out.

5 Dr. Pia Holec Has Treated MAFS Counseling Like A Court Case

She Hasn’t Been Unbiased In Her Discussions

As Married At First Sight has been getting used to the presence of Dr. Pia’s tactics have proven to be unconventional.

As Dr. Pia has moved through Married At First Sight season 18, it’s been clear that her tactics aren’t landing with some of the participants. In recent episodes, it’s felt like Dr. Pia has been more combative, treating her counseling sessions more like court cases than couples counseling. While Dr. Pia may be trying something unorthodox, the argumentative nature her counseling sessions land in makes it feel feel like the couples and the viewers aren’t doing well within her parameters.

4 MAFS Has Been Pushing Couples To Counsel Each Other

They’ve Been Having The Couples Work In An Echo Chamber

Throughout the first stretch of episodes of Married At First Sight season 18, the couples have been on their own for the majority of the season. Pushed to deal with the delicate beginnings of their relationships on their own, without the help of the MAFS experts, it’s been clear that the couples have been struggling doing things on their own. Though they’ve been connecting to the best of their ability, the Married At First Sight couples have been relying on each other more than anyone else, as they’re the only ones who have been able to understand eacn other.

With so much happening early on in the MAFS process, it’s clear that the couples have been having a hard time meeting each other in the middle with communication, clarity, and consideration. The couples have struggled to connect and resolve their issues, but they’ve also been living within an echo chamber throughout their time on the show as they’ve only been talking to other participants about their issues. The MAFS couples have needed the experts’ input, but haven’t had it accessible.

3 Dr. Pepper Schwartz Has Been On The Show Since The Beginning

She’s Been On The Show For Too Long

Despite the fact that she’s been one of the longest-reigning experts on the series, Dr. Pepper’s longevity on Married At First Sight is more to her detriment than her advantage. Dr. Pepper has been a part of the show since the very beginning, but her time on MAFS has been getting more difficult in recent years. Though she’s often the voice of reason when it comes to matching couples together who may not work out, Dr. Pepper isn’t the strongest voice in the group of experts.

With so much time on Married At First Sight under her belt, Dr. Pepper has had a ton of experience matching couples together and seeing them take on the experiment. While the experience is an asset, her time on the series has been something that may be coloring her attempts to match new couples up moving forward. Dr. Pepper may need some time away from the series to refresh and regroup, but may need to be replaced altogether for the show to succeed.

2 MAFS Has Shown The Experts Failing Matchmaking Process

They Weren’t Able To Offer Genuine Explanations

Although the Married At First Sight season 18 matchmaking special was a show of how the experts were looking at the participants and the ways they were evaluating them to be matched up. Throughout the special, Dr. Pepper, Dr. Pia, and Pastor Cal spoke with the potential participants at length, allowing them to tour the MAFS cameras through their homes and explaining what they were looking for in a relationship as they moved forward in the process. The couples were selected during the special, and it was clear that the experts felt confident in their matches.

While the matchmaking special was eye opening for viewers, it wasn’t because of the experts giving their expertise. Many viewers felt that the experts were struggling to create genuine matches throughout the special, making it clear that they weren’t going to work on the series. After the MAFS season 18 matchmaking special, most viewers didn’t expect to see the couples of the season succeed, or even show much compatibility.

1 The MAFS Experts Aren’t A Cohesive Group

Although the Married At First Sight experts all have their own brand of expertise as they move through the process, it’s clear that the group isn’t cohesive and don’t share common ground when it comes to matchmaking. The experts, as they make their way through the process of the season, aren’t available to the MAFS participants and don’t seem to reconvene over what’s going on in their relationships. Instead, they stand idly by as the relationships they’ve created struggle to stay together.

Though the experts have their own strengths, it’s clear that the team that Married At First Sight has built over the years isn’t cohesive. With each expert coming to the table with something different to add, the mixture of their strengths winds up creating some interesting weaknesses, which add to the low success rate of the series. Married At First Sight has continually proven the experts aren’t a great match themselves, which makes them unable to create successful relationships.

Married At First Sight airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on Lifetime.

Source: Dr. Pia Holec/Instagram