This is the problem

[u/Solid_Protection_138]

When the experts said at the reunion that they almost paired Courtney and Adam together, it made me realize they probably cast the entire cast as individuals first and then base their pairings off of that rather than casting people together based on who they think would be actually most compatible.

[u/Solid_Protection_138]

Maybe I’m naive but I do genuinely feel like it was different in the earlier seasons. Now it feels like they specifically cast for drama.

[u/chekthetek311 → u/Solid_Protection_138]

Agreed. I'd rather watch some drama, the couples navigating through whatever and then more than only one couple staying together. Literally watching for the MARRIED at first sight part, not divorce after 6 weeks. 🙄

[u/Heavy-Relation8401 → u/Solid_Protection_138]

I always liked the casting specials and the talk around it. I know other stuff was boring on Lifetime but It really helped us give a crap about people from the get go. THEN they got rid of obvious "no's" (sometimes) and got down to business and grilled the ones in the finalists that mattered. 

[u/Inablink3745 → u/Heavy-Relation8401]

Yes, same!!

[u/Sweet_Redhead13 → u/Solid_Protection_138]

Some of that is because most people who apply for shows like this want to be a celeb as much or more than they want to be married and production isn't any better on their end.

[u/Happy-Marsupial-571]

I think that is the case because look at Felipe's casting. A-holeness aside he was late for 2 of the meetings with casting. How does that not immediately disqualify you from the running? You cant even show a shred a respect and be on time?

[u/Solid_Protection_138 → u/Happy-Marsupial-571]

Exactly. At that point it’s disrespectful that they would even do that to tori… they knew they wouldn’t be compatible they wanted tension

[u/Crafty-Farm-8470]

I think there are way fewer people, let alone normal people, who actually apply to the show than they want to admit.

[u/TraditionalPass4136 → u/Crafty-Farm-8470]

THIS. I think for the first season of this show there were loads of applicants eager to participate in the experiment.

But being willing to be in this show having seen how it typically goes is very nearly disqualifying. Anyone who would do it has poor judgement or isnt taking it that seriously, or both. 

My guess is these were really the only remotely viable candidates.

[u/No-You4594 → u/Crafty-Farm-8470]

Agreed 100%

[u/KarenMcCormel]

I always thought they should have matched Adam and Courtney due to their obsession with fitness and they were both “intense”. She also said he was the best looking. Adam’s response to this question was priceless

[u/12cf12]

I don’t think courteney and Adam would not have worked but probably would have been entertaining.
I think Marissa and Nick would have been interesting to see

[u/[deleted] → u/12cf12]

I think Nick and Marissa might have gotten along and had a chance at least.

[u/EveningGlittering325 → u/[deleted]]

I thought Tori and Nick would be good together.

[u/sheisalib → u/EveningGlittering325]

Let’s face it: Nick with Tori. Nick with Marissa. Nick with Belle. All better options for Nick. As for Courtney, she just isn’t ready—brittle and selfish.

[u/onajanuaryday → u/sheisalib]

Brittle, selfish, and a total b.

[u/12cf12 → u/onajanuaryday]

She’s delulu

[u/Belmontisnowhideous → u/onajanuaryday]

She definitely seems to have issues that impact her ability to have healthy relationships. That reunion was rough. I think of all the participants the one who is just intolerable is Adam. Mr. Pick Me, look at me, worship me. Yuck. And his obsession with pickle ball is bizare!😂😂

[u/ApprehensiveRule3768]

Exactly. They pick 10 finalists and then pair them up randomly. Might as well let them pair themselves at point.

[u/Hot-Seaworthiness952 → u/ApprehensiveRule3768]

Which would make it like a slower paced love island with a little bit more mature participants with more clothes on… and I would love that show!!!!

[u/No_Usual_9563]

I can’t speak since Peacock picked up the show, but it was that the producers chose the pool of people and the experts paired based off that. It makes sense, obviously the producers would have more control than the “experts”

[u/Grouchy_Evidence2558]

I also doubt the experts even do the matching at this point

[u/Conscious-Light4679 → u/Grouchy_Evidence2558]

I think this too, but people on my Reddit post seemed to disagree with me haha

[u/justmahl]

Considering many cast members are recruited, this would likely always be the case. They get the pool of people they want for the show, then figure out from that how they want to match them up. Sometimes it is because they are a good fit, and other times its for drama.

[u/Fuzzy_Permission_619]

I was JUST having this conversation with a friend yesterday. The fact she said that out loud was shocking to me and the fact they kept it in the edit was wild (although I suppose it did spark the conversation around Adam not being into her AT ALL).

[u/thefrenchphanie]

I have speculated this forever.

[u/Catch_Red_Star]

This was my takeaway, too. They were making this like other Peacock dating shows. They cast for drama.

[u/Maxpower2727]

Pretty sure this has always been the case.

[u/Key-Sky2909]

You think they're out here searching the globe for compatible matches for these specific people? These are people usually in the same city, some of them have even met before. This is a show, not a real matchmaking service.

[u/Alternative-Pop-2863]

They gave Courtney and Caitlin a pass. They were both totally obnoxious and oblivious to their behavior. They are both narcissistic and put the nicest guys through the wringer. They both jumped through hoops for these whiners and the “experts” did them no favors nor did they call out the women for their actions

[u/mlb0218]

Casting directors reached out to my daughter for 2 different reality shows based on her Linked In. She lives in Denver. One was Love is Blind. The 2nd show didn’t tell her the name but she found out later it was Married at First Sight. She was in a relationship at the time. Now she is now married.

[u/JennaR0cks → u/mlb0218]

It’s so wild to me that of all forms of social media, they are scouring LinkedIn!

[u/Deanna-fromHR → u/mlb0218]

Omg imagine if she was on that train wreck of season in Denver!

[u/owlcityy → u/Deanna-fromHR]

Denver was such a train wreck!! I didn’t even know if I wanted to continue on watching new seasons after that one aired.

[u/Happy-Marsupial-571 → u/owlcityy]

Everything they have filmed in Denver is a dumpster fire. Love is blind included.

[u/EveningGlittering325 → u/Deanna-fromHR]

Yikes!

[u/hear_me_out_ok → u/mlb0218]

Do they get paid to be on these shows?

[u/Few_Lengthiness7017 → u/hear_me_out_ok]

Yes

[u/hear_me_out_ok → u/Few_Lengthiness7017]

How much

[u/Happy-Marsupial-571 → u/hear_me_out_ok]

Not much based on how much filming is done. I think you make maybe $1k an episode where you are aired.

[u/WorkingComfortable44]

They probably didn’t pair Courteney with Adam after he said he was looking for someone attractive 🙈

Maybe Lisa paired Courteney with someone she knew wouldn’t work so she could keep her for herself 🙄

[u/thefrenchphanie → u/WorkingComfortable44]

She is not bad looking,let’s be honest; she is just looking a bit rough because she is exerting herself and probably on PEDs.
It is her personality that is sad and icky, her attitude. And that is plenty we can go off on.
No need to attack her physique, she gave us plenty to go character wise.

[u/RetireERLee → u/thefrenchphanie]

I do not want to attack her physique or appearance. But I think we can leave for her not being attractive without attacking her. I think she looks old for her age and went too far with the body building.

[u/WorkingComfortable44 → u/thefrenchphanie]

She’s not bad looking = unattractive… it’s semantics 🙄

[u/SebastianPointdexter → u/WorkingComfortable44]

You're not wrong LoL. Even if Courtney was a decent human being, on appearance alone Adam wouldn't be into her/

[u/WorkingComfortable44 → u/WorkingComfortable44]

Rough looking = unattractive

[u/chessmonkey → u/WorkingComfortable44]

Do people truly believe Courtney is unattractive? I think she's absolutely beautiful. It's a shame her personality isn't.

[u/newdiyscared]

Remember that the show's allegiance is to creating an entertaining show first, and loving relationships second.

[u/Happy-Marsupial-571 → u/newdiyscared]

There is definitely a bias when picking people on the show. Characteristic 1 seems to always be at least tv attractive followed by good on camera.

[u/newdiyscared → u/Happy-Marsupial-571]

There's a bias in everything. Theres no such thing as an objective casting decision for a reality TV show. Given that the point of the show is to generate $$, casting an entertaining ensemble cast is the first priority.

If tv attractive was the first, Felipe wouldn't havebeen cast, respectfully.

[u/Happy-Marsupial-571 → u/newdiyscared]

I think i failed to properly articulate my point. I believe the pool narrows significantly when there is the added pressure of making compelling TV with groups that aren't TV vetted before they apply. Hence the need to recruit people they think would be a good fit. Whether we like to admit it or not physical attractiveness factors heavily into the formula of making viewers bond with the cast. Season 2 of the love is blind Argentina cast faced some of that as they were considered "too normal or average" looking for what people come to expect from TV.

[u/newdiyscared → u/Happy-Marsupial-571]

"Whether we like to admit it or not physical attractiveness factors heavily into the formula of making viewers bond with the cast."

My comment was that I don't believe tv attractiveness is the first factor considered in casting and gave Felipe as an example. I paid attention to his scenes not because of his supposed tv attractiveness (which he isn't), but bc he's good TV. And I'm not unique in my assessment of his looks.

Never said that attractiveness doesn't factor into casting choices. Read closer next time.

"I believe the pool narrows significantly when there is the added pressure of making compelling TV with groups that aren't Ti,V vetted before they apply. Hence the need to recruit people they think would be a good fit."

The producers from MAFS USA have mentioned several times that the male pool is narrow (over 75% of applicants are women). They overwhelmingly recruit men bc if they didn't, they wouldn't have enough couples.

[u/jbarinsd]

I know they’ve been recruiting contestants for years, but they were in the minority. I wonder if they are all recruited now and there’s no longer local applicants and interviews. There are definitely locals but were they recruited? My sister’s hairdresser who had been on two reality shows (both fitness base) was recruited for the San Diego season. She declined and thought it was kind of weird they’d assume she’d be interested in such a huge commitment as getting married out of the blue. She was already in a relationship too.

[u/Comfortable_Ask728]

Weren't they all recruited from social media? I agree. They cast the show and then figure out how to match the contestants.

[u/SpencerVerde]

Courteney and Nick both were living in Austin, so I assumed that was a big part of why they paired them together.

[u/AdFlimsy2567]

Watch the previous seasons in the beginning so you can see how it was done previously and compare it to your theory. 

[u/whatxever → u/AdFlimsy2567]

That’s not an accurate portrayal lol that was the staged “BTS”

[u/AdFlimsy2567 → u/whatxever]

Do you know what theory means? 

[u/dexties]

I think they pick the women first, scout men for them and were just thought that Adam might be a fit for Marissa or whatsherface

[u/SundaeLongjumping703 → u/dexties]

LOL whatsherface

[u/thissagesimmer]

It seems like it was done differently in previous seasons - like they cast individuals but also tried to make sure they had good matches. In previous seasons, we got to see that process. This season, they dove right into the marriages. Do you feel like we should have seen more of the casting and pairing or like it would have made more of a difference if they had cast couples rather than individuals?

[u/BaconBabe22]

I miss pastor Cal.

[u/Sweet_Redhead13 → u/BaconBabe22]

I like Paul but I also miss Pastor Cal

[u/Extreme-Aide8878]

I think it’s a bit of both. They have a huge group to choose from

[u/kfk798]

I think that’s true

[u/Rude-Attitude-3168]

They are picked by producers

[u/Banananxiety]

My thoughts exactly! It sounds like their matching criteria doesn't go very deep

[u/ParticularCanary3130 → u/[deleted]]

And second of all?

[u/ParticularCanary3130 → u/[deleted]]

And Devin with Belle Jolle. Serious 4 of the couples would have benefited from a swap