'Married at First Sight' Expert Opens up About Michael's Second Wedding After Runaway Bride (Exclusive)

Michael may have been left at the altar by a runaway bride during his initial Married at First Sight wedding, but the hopeful groom is giving marriage another shot with the show's first-ever second wedding. Ahead of Michael's second wedding day Wednesday, MAFS expert Pastor Cal Roberson opened up to PopCulture.com about trying to matchmake a true love connection the second time around.

Michael getting left at the altar by his first bride was something the MAFS experts "never imagined" or prepared for, Roberson admitted. "Hindsight is always 20/20. And that could not be more evident than in this case," the marriage expert confessed. "We had every belief and hope that his first bride had the fortitude and commitment to go the distance because she actually said she was ready and in it for long haul. I mean, don't we all wish we could read a person's true heart? Unfortunately, we don't. So did we overlook something? I can't say that honestly. We trusted her intentions and what she boldly told us about her commitment. However, I do wish we could have known better, but there was no way we could've seen this coming."

Luckily, the experts had also "previously considered" new bride Chloe as Michael's perfect match, and Roberson is convinced that if these two say 'I do,' they'll be in it for the long haul. That is if there are no "negative after effects or baggage" from Michael's first wedding, as the experts decided not to tell Chloe about Michael's runaway bride incident before she walks down the aisle. 

Roberson said the decision was made to keep Chloe from feeling like "a back-up bride," explaining, "Of course, she was an alternate choice, but by no means was she less qualified for this experiment. Telling her would have only added to her fears and may have affected her confidence. Also, it may have caused her to question him, or ask, 'What's wrong with him?' before they even met. We didn't think that was wise."

Leading up to Michael's second wedding, the MAFS experts were more nervous than ever. "After that first debacle, who would have not had nerves?" Roberson admitted. "Will Chloe show acceptance of him? Will he be afraid to open up for fear of rejection? The list of questions goes on. But we do know that Chloe and Michael are two very evolved and mature people and their greatest desire is to find the love of their life. This gives us some sense of comfort. Fingers crossed!"

Married at First Sight (produced by Kinetic Content) airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.