Married at First Sight is heading to Charlotte, North Carolina, for Season 9, following four more couples willing to risk everything to find love.
The Lifetime reality series follows couples paired together by professional matchmakers who meet for the first time at their wedding. As they go from perfect strangers to spouses, they have to work out their problems — with the help of the MAFS experts — to determine on Decision Day if they want to get a divorce or continue their marriage.
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Keep scrolling to get a sneak peek at the couples taking that leap of faith for love in Season 9.
The Married at First Sight matchmaking special (produced by Kinetic Content) airs Wednesday, June 12 at 8 p.m., followed immediately by a two-hour premiere at 9 p.m. ET.
Elizabeth Bice, 29
Elizabeth Bice, 29, is looking for love after seeing a healthy marriage modeled for her by her parents, who have been married for 29 years.
“If you would have asked Elizabeth two years ago if she was ready for marriage, she would have unequivocally said no,” her Lifetime bio reveals. “Because she has spent the past two years focusing on personal development and growth, she is ready to start this next chapter of her life.”
Going into Married at First Sight with an “open mind,” will her “free-spirited” nature help her go with the flow with her new husband? Speaking of that husband…
Jamie Thompson, 35
Jamie Thompson, 35, also comes from a close-knit family, and has known for years that “casual dating and vapid relationships weren’t ever his thing,” according to his bio.
Hoping the experts will be able help him find what’s been lacking in all his previous relationships, Jamie is looking forward to “a lifetime of happiness with his one true love.”
“Frustrated” with modern-day dating, Jamie is keeping an open mind about the unconventional method of meeting his wife on Married at First Sight.
“He realizes that he may not always make the best choices when it comes to dating,” continues his bio. “And he’s ready to trust the experts to get it right for him.”
Keith Manley, 27
Keith Manley, 27, is the next man on Season 9 looking for his wife on Married at First Sight, having also grown up with a family who instilled in him a sense of family.
With parents who have been married almost 30 years and his grandparents celebrating 55 years of marriage, Keith has had “a front row seat to what a successful relationship is supposed to be.”
Divorce is “not an option,” Keith is firm in that, willing to weather the ups and downs of marriage, which he knows require a “tremendous amount of work and communication.”
Looking for children right away in his marriage, Keith hopes to create a power couple like Jay-Z and Beyoncé with a “significant other who shares his dream of building and growing their empire as one.” Is his Queen Bey walking down the aisle to him?
Iris Caldwell, 27
Looking for love with Keith is Iris Caldwell, 27, who despite having her parents divorce when she was only three, has a close relationship with both parents throughout her entire life.
Iris decided to get Married at First Sight “because she always gives so much of herself to others, and wants to give that same attention and dedication to her personal life.”
Looking to find an equal partnership with a “supportive and uplifting” husband, Iris is open about maintaining her virginity until she finds the perfect life partner, revealing she “wants to be able to fully give all of herself to her future husband.”
Matthew Gwynne, 32
Matthew Gwynne, 32, is another Charlotte resident looking for a wife with the help of the Married at First Sight experts.
Growing up in a “very loving and supportive household,” Matthew’s parents were together all through his childhood, only divorcing recently.
A basketball player, Matthew is gone for a number of months of the year playing in international basketball games, which has led him to struggle in past relationships, which generally “ended because they lacked an emotional connection and the distance ultimately broke their bond.”
Hoping to bond with his wife on a deeper level, Matthew is “optimistic that the experts in the Married at First Sight experiment will help him find his true match.” Could his one and only be waiting for him at the altar?
Amber Bowles, 27
Amber Bowles, 27, may very well be that match! Growing up as an identical twin, Amber’s parents split when she was four and her mother came out as a lesbian, moving to Massachusetts in search of acceptance.
Her father, however, has been “incredibly present, supportive, and provided a solid foundation,” for Amber, who describes herself as “intelligent, strong-willed, bossy, and even a little bit sassy.”
Even so, Amber is also “hopeless romantic” who truly believes her life will have a “serendipitous, happy ending” reminiscent of a “cheesy” movie. Is the experts’ intervention the “dream come true” for her?
Gregory Okotie, 32
At 31, Gregory Okotie is ready to find his lifelong partner after growing up in a close-knit single parent household in Maryland.
As he enters into the Married at First Sight experiment, Gregory has never felt more ready to start a family “after years of traveling, failed relationships, and endless soul-searching,” finding himself finally financially stable, confident and self-assured enough to take on a partner.
Gregory’s involvement with his church and his “strong connection with God has helped mold him into the man he is today,” he believes, ready to be open-minded, genuine and transparent. Will all his preparing pay off in his new wife?
Deonna McNeill, 30
Putting her faith in Gregory is Deonna McNeill, 30, who after a childhood she looks back on fondly, is ready to start a family of her own.
With everything in Deonna’s life “lining up,” including her established career, travel history, home and close-knit group of family and friends, she still “feels a big void.”
Looking for a partner in marriage, Deonna agreed to be Married at First Sight in order to “take a leap of faith” that the experts will bring her “the man of her dreams.” Will she still feel that way come Decision Day?
The Married at First Sight matchmaking special (produced by Kinetic Content) airs Wednesday, June 12 at 8 p.m., followed immediately by a two-hour premiere at 9 p.m. ET.
