It wasn’t an easy start for Kirsten and Shaquille on Married at First Sight. After the admittedly “picky” bride dodged a kiss on the lips from her new husband at the altar, the two opened up to PopCulture.com about their relationship, which fans will get to watch play out on the rest of Season 16 of the Lifetime show.
Kirsten told PopCulture that going into the Married at First Sight experience, she was looking for a partner she “can build a legacy with,” and share a life together. That partner, she continued, would be “a man who is a leader, lover, good communicator, a protector, and a provider” and someone who is going to be “faithful.” So going into her wedding, Kirsten’s biggest concern was not being attracted to her husband, and not being able to build that kind of relationship and connection with him.
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With those parameters in mind, meeting Shaquille at their wedding wasn’t what Kirsten had in mind, as her new husband was a year younger than her and has a bald head – which she called his “second strike.” Looking back, Shaquille told PopCulture that Kirsten’s reaction played into his biggest concern going into the wedding. “Everyone has their dealbreakers when it comes to marriage, and I was concerned if one of my potential wife’s deal breakers would be marrying a guy with a bald head,” he said. “Thank goodness my confidence is strong enough and I am comfortable in my own skin.”
Getting off to a start like that wasn’t ideal, but Kirsten said the biggest challenges of her newlywed days were “having deep conversations and getting to know each other on a deeper level.” Shaquille agreed “communication and support” were difficult during those early days, noting that “between school, work, and catching COVID, we had a lot on our plate.”
In the end, while Shaquille and Kirsten aren’t spilling the details on their ultimate Decision Day choice to stay married or get a divorce, Kirsten said she learned “how to be vulnerable and patient” during her time on the show, while Shaquille learned to “never judge a book by its cover” and to take time to know and communicate with people while keeping yourself open to “[adjusting] your expectations.” Married at First Sight (produced by Kinetic Content) airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.
