Getting married to a stranger the first time you meet is no easy task on its own, but opening up to that stranger was an even bigger struggle for Married at First Sight star Zach Justice, who threw conventional dating to the wind for the wisdom of the Lifetime series’ expert matchmakers. Ahead of Wednesday’s all-new episode of the Kinetic Content-produced series, Zach opened up to PopCulture.com about the challenges of the first days of marriage to his new bride, Mindy Shiben.
Of agreeing to marry a complete stranger, Zach explained, “It was an opportunity that I personally felt presented itself at the perfect time, although a total risk, there was still a chance. And I wanted to see if the chance worked in my favor.”
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Admitting he has been “relatively picky” in the past when it comes to dating, Zach was “absolutely concerned” to be entering life as a married man with someone who had been selected by experts instead of himself.
“Knowing how guarded I can be, this would amount to be an even bigger risk if it was a stranger that I couldn’t mesh with early on,” he explained, saying his biggest worry with Mindy was “that I wouldn’t be able to open up like I’d like to, given the circumstances of how we met.”
“Regardless, I knew I had to at least let my walls down to give the marriage a chance,” he continued of his own personal growth throughout the process. “But I’m the first to admit I struggled to do so early on.”
And although Zach can’t let it slip just yet the decision he and Mindy made on Decision Day — whether it be to continue their marriage or get a divorce — he did have one piece of advice for himself that would have made the first days of his unconventional relationship go a bit smoother.
“Be transparent and honest! Even if it may not be comfortable,” he told PopCulture. “Opening that line of communication early is so important given the speed of this entire process.”
Married at First Sight (produced by Kinetic Content) airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.
Photo credit: Lifetime
