‘Married at First Sight’ Expert Pastor Cal Teases a Series ‘First’ in Season 17 (Exclusive)

Married at First Sight is bringing the drama – and a series first – when Season 17 premieres on Oct. 18. Prior to Wednesday’s special kickoff episode on Lifetime, Married at First Sight expert Pastor Cal Roberson opened up to PopCulture.com about what’s to come when the one-of-a-kind marriage experiment comes to Denver, Colorado, to follow new singles in search of love through the matchmaking skills of the experts. 

The trailer for Season 17 teases some serious drama – and even a runaway bride – which Roberson says is a “first” for him not only in the show but also in his career. “I can say that this is a first in Married at First Sight history, and our plans did not go as planned,” he teased. “So you are going to have to watch to see, but it’s a first for us. It’s definitely a first for me, whether on the show or not.”

“Hindsight is 20/20,” Roberson told PopCulture of the expert’s sometimes unsuccessful matchmaking. “I wish I could live in hindsight that way I wouldn’t make any mistakes, but sometimes our best intentions just go awry,” he added, explaining that while they spend months preparing people for marriage, when the pressure of filming hits, the whole experiment feeling much more “daunting.”

While Roberson and his fellow experts “try not to aim for drama,” the marriage coach said the upcoming season has an “extra helping” of it and “probably a whole gallon of stress.” There are also some heartwarming moments ahead. “Everybody wants a happy ending, but I think we all still like a little spice,” Roberson said of the viewers. “We like a little drama and a little messiness … but irrespective of that, I believe that overall there will be lessons to be learned and lives will be changed, and I think it’s going to be [that] every possible emotion you could imagine, you’re going to see in this season.”

Roberson is also convinced that real-life singles and couples will be able to take away some lessons from the new season, and he’s developing a helpful tool to help them utilize those lessons and others in their own relationships. Roberson and his wife are preparing to launch the Marriage Ain’t For Punks app in the “early part” of 2024 which will serve as a “trusted resource for all things [marriage] and pre-marriage.”

From marriage counseling and parent?ng advice, there will be plenty of resources within the app, and on the other side, people looking for the love of their life will be able to take part in an “innovative process” that will mimic the matchmaking services people have seen on Married at First Sight. “We’re not swiping left or right. Look at it as a matchmaking service, but based on the information that you put into it, we’re going to find you the love of your life, and we’re going to find that match for you, not multiple matches where you have to swipe and people become a meat market,” Roberson promised. “In fact, we’re changing the game here because we are changing it from a meat market to a mate market. … I’m so excited about it.” 

Get details about the app here and tune into the Married at First Sight special kickoff episode on Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime before Season 17’s premiere the following week on Oct. 18 at the same time.