Jessica Studer and Austin Hurd may be one of the more stable Married at First Sight couples of the season, but they continue to stumble over their different ways of expressing their feelings towards one another in their marriage. With Decision Day looming, Jess admits in a PopCulture.com exclusive clip ahead of Wednesday’s all-new episode of the Lifetime reality show that while she has dropped the “L” word towards her husband, he has yet to reciprocate.
While at dinner, Meka Jones called Jessica out on almost using the word “love” about Austin in conversation in a playful moment that ends with Jess admitting, “I have told Austin I love him.”
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Asked if she had won the bet about who would say those three words first, Jess reveals she didn’t predict correctly that she would be the first to say it, and that Austin would have yet to reciprocate.
“I’ve said it, but he hasn’t said it,” she confesses, telling the camera, “There was no actual money on the bet, it was just me telling Austin one night that I bet you’ll be the first to say it, which turns out he wasn’t. I knew I wanted to say it, so I said it.”
Austin reassures his wife, “I’m not saying I don’t, I just need more time to be able to say it. We’ve had this conversation.”
Regardless of his intentions, Jess admits, “My heart crushes a little each time,” prompting from Austin a concerned, “No, don’t say that.”
“I know he feels the same way, it’s just…” she continues, with Austin chiming in, “It’s just a big word. I want it to be an authentic moment for me as well.”
This isn’t the first time the couple has come up against a barrier regarding those three little words. In a February episode of Married at First Sight, Austin admitted he had a bit longer of a timeline in mind for confessing his feelings than Jess did.
“I mean, I had a long relationship,” he said when asked about his relationship history. “I’ve only said [I love you] like a couple times. I mean, one time heart kinda broken. But then another time it was like a three and a half year relationship where, yeah, I was in love.”
At the time, Jess confessed to the camera she was concerned about what what meant for their marriage moving forward” “I asked him how long it took him to say I love you in a relationship. He does say a year, but for me that’s a long time. I do hope he says I love you sooner than later.”
Married at First Sight (produced by Kinetic Content) airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.
Photo credit: Lifetime
