Here we go again, Married At First Sight fans!
MAFS Season 13 has officially kicked off with their season premiere in the great state of Texas, Houston to be exact, also known as Dr. Viviana’s hometown.
There are 10 hopeful singles, five matched couples, and three relationship experts who are all saddled up and ready to see if this season will bring all the romance, tears, drama, and love the show is so well known for.
So while we have made relationship predictions based on the matchmaking episode, we thought it would be fun to give each couple a success rating based on the premiere.
We have assigned each couple a number between 1-10, with 1 being the relationship equivalent of the Titanic, and 10 being a fairy tale of our time, story for the grandkids, love for all eternity vibes. So, in a nutshell, 1 is bad, 5 is good, and 10 is great.
So let’s kick this off.
Bao and Johnny receive a 9.5 success rating and our seal of approval
Bao Hoang and Johnny Lam are already a fan-favorite couple, and we are trying hard not to gush over here. Not only are they bringing in a new set of traditions and culture with their Vietnamese tea ceremony following their wedding, but they are also bringing the diversity of the first Asian-American couple on the show.
They also seem to have a way of winning hearts. Whether it’s the goofy faces they make, their vulnerability, or their over-the-top fastidious ways, they are already a fan favorite.
The premiere featured Bao and Johnny’s wedding, which held a few surprises.
During the matchmaking episode, Bao gave Dr. Viviana a list of people she did not want to be matched with, including people she had previously dated, people she knew through the community, and various others excluded for various reasons. Yet somehow, even with all of that, it was immediately obvious that the new couple was not so new to each other.
While Bao initially did not seem thrilled to know the person standing at the end of the aisle, their back story is actually quite sweet. Both were presidents of the Vietnamese Student Associations at their respective universities and met at a function related to that. So it’s clear the couple at least has a few things in common.
Both had also requested a traditional Vietnamese tea ceremony to follow their wedding. More and more pieces began falling into place for the couple as they continued to talk, and by the end of their time together, both seemed excited about the possibilities.
While there was a small hiccup pre-wedding, where Johnny sent over some sports-related paraphernalia that seemed to send introvert Bao just right over the edge, she eventually came around. It did not seem to be an issue once she discovered who was waiting for her at the end of the aisle.
Is it possible these two could completely implode if they can’t figure out how to get out of their own way? Absolutely. But we are still willing to bet on them because, as Bao keeps saying, “with big risk comes big reward.”
This couple has a strong foundation of shared values, community, and goals to build from. If the two can get out of their own ways and let down the well guarded and probably extremely clean walls they have built around themselves. We think this might be a match made in Married At First Sight heaven.
We give this couple a 9.5/10.
Go, Bao and Johnny, go!
Gil and Myrla only receive a 2.5 on the relationship success scale
Myrla and Gil Feria. Oh, this couple!
Well, let’s start with the fact that one of the only things Myrla requested of the experts was “no bald men,” and yet — here is Gil. Bald. Bald as bald can be. Not a hair in sight. Not even on his beard. Seriously, Pastor Cal? You had one job.
Gil told the experts, “no Instagram models.” Myrla has a very healthy Instagram following and a bathroom wall full of pictures of herself.
So already, we have some pieces of compatibility that are seriously not fitting. Not off to a good start. Myrla’s friends even commented on how picky she was over brunch where they lamented the inevitable demise of the couple if the man waiting for Myrla at the end of the aisle was, in fact, bald. Well, spoiler alert — he is.
Myrla also discussed that because of her childhood history of growing up in domestic violence, very strong or dominating character traits would not work for her. So they found her a firefighter. Someone who has to be in control, in charge, and on their physical and mental game daily. He also seems from the bachelor party to be a pretty avid partier, even earning the nickname “No chill Gil” while his bride is to be sat stoically through her own bachelorette party.
Gil stated that he did not want someone who was “high maintenance,” and yes, while that can mean different things to different people, Myrla is not exactly laid back in both personality and upkeep. So we have strikes against physical, lifestyle, and personality compatibility traits.
Not off to a good start.
Watching this couple is a little bit like watching a car crash. It’s going to be gruesome, but we can’t quite look away.
We give this couple a 2.5/10. Here’s hoping we are wrong. (Although we usually aren’t.)
We give Brett and Ryan a 7.5 and a break
Ryan and Brett Ignasiak. So we initially had this couple pegged as tied at third/fourth with Rachel and Jose, but we feel like maybe we were a little quick to judge and are bumping this couple a little up the list to a solid third place and a 7.5.
Hearing Ryan’s heartwarming tale of triumph over tragedy in losing his best friend and moving on and learning from that experience gave me a little hope that this serial date could be reformed.
Also, seeing Ryan’s family reaction to the news, which was basically both of his parents asking him why he couldn’t “just be a normal son” and not approving at all, makes us feel that Ryan really wants this to go against his family wishes like that.
Ryan seems like he could use a stable influence like Brett in his life, someone who takes her career, health, and interests very seriously. Ryan appears a little more on the flighty side, so having someone solid like Brett, might bring him more to center.
Now, do we still have some doubts over whether Mr. Serial Dater can woo Miss Never Been Kissed (or at least not recently)? Yes. Brett might take one look at this guy and decide she is better off without his wandering ways. Or could Ryan have trouble putting away his flirtatious past and committing fully to one woman for a long term? Yes.
Serial dating is usually indicative of something deeper going on. Lack of self-worth, commitment issues, selfish tendencies, running from problems, inability to form deep connections with others, but no matter the reason, it usually isn’t good, and it definitely isn’t something to brag about. Ryan seems to take some pride in his past “accomplishments,” which gives us some serious cause for concern.
But that being said, he doesn’t seem like an overall bad guy, and as history tells us, sometimes all it takes is one really great girl to tame a bad boy’s wild ways. We are hoping Brett can be that girl for Ryan.
We are giving this couple a 7.5/10.
Good luck, you two!
We give Michaela and Zack an 8.5 and two thumbs up
Michaela and Zack. We love this couple. We feel like they have the makings of a match made to last until Decision Day and beyond.
Michaela’s fun-loving personality and infectious smile are hard to resist and could be the ultimate compliment to Zack’s more introverted ways. While Zack’s low-key demeanor could also be the calming presence Michaela needs in her life.
Zack is young but is surrounded by support. His parents have been married for multiple decades, his siblings are both in long-term and serious relationships, with one brother being engaged. While Zack’s mother wasn’t initially thrilled by the idea of him marrying at first sight, the family eventually came around and rallied behind Zack with their full support. Zack has great examples of what love looks like and what it takes to make it in the long term.
Michaela also has great examples of love around her. She had a strong connection with her father and is very close with her family. She seems like a person who makes deep connections with others and cannot walk away from commitments or people.
While Zack is younger than Michaela and is the youngest person on this season, he does seem to be more mature than some of the youngsters in the past seasons. Many fans have serious reservations around Zack’s age, as Season 12’s young Virginia Coombs showed the experts and fans what happens when a couple has great chemistry. Still, one person is just not mature enough to be married.
Season 12’s Erik Lake and Virginia Coombs just filed for divorce this month. But unlike Season 12’s Virginia, Zack has other interests besides alcohol and partying and appears much more mature and committed to the process. He also has much stronger family support and accountability around him, something, unfortunately, Virginia did not have.
So while Zack’s age or Michaela’s stubborn and outgoing streak might be cause for fleeting concern, it definitely does not seem like something that will immediately or inevitably tank the couple. Behind Bao and Johnny, we think this couple is a top contender for “most likely to succeed.”
We give Michaela and Zack an 8.5/10.
Rachel and Jose receive a 3.5 on the success scale and a wary eye
Rachel Gordillo and Jose San Miguel. We don’t know about this Jose guy. I mean, who does he think he is? Brad Pitt? I mean, that list of requests? Come on now.
Jose busted out a list a mile long for the experts to use to find his “perfect girl.” Featured on the list were things like “long legs” and “long hair” but also “petite.” So she has to have long legs but also be short? We are confused. Jose seems to be too picky on both what he wants and what real women are like. Even Jose’s family pointed out his pickiness would have to go if he went through with the experiment.
It’s also a little, and by a little, we mean a lot, concerning that “Mr. Perfectionist,” with his runaway personality, was paired with Rachel, someone who admits she usually lets men “run over” her in relationships. Is this pair a runaway train waiting to happen or what?
Jose is also a very “everything has a place and everything in its place” kind of guy. Rachel admits to being a little messy and leaving her makeup all over the counter. She lamented to her friend that she was worried if something like that would drive her new husband crazy.
The two also seem to have very different ideas of how the cooking, housework, and bills should be divvied up. As we’ve seen, those are issues that can sink even the most otherwise compatible of couples. Remember Jasmine and Keith from Season 8? RIP to that relationship, and all because the couple could not agree on gender roles or how the bills would be divvied up.
So while some couples may overcome some of the singular issues this couple is facing, it does not seem that they are the most compatible or that Jose would be willing to compromise or work through the ways they are not.
The couple has a similar cultural background that we have awarded them a few pity points for, but we feel this couple is headed straight from the altar to divorce court, standing in line behind Myrla and Gil.
We give this couple a 3.5/10.
Goodbye Rachel and Jose as a couple, we hardly knew ye.
So there we have it, the newest ratings for our Season 13 couples based on the premiere. Stay tuned as we see if our numbers and predictions hold up or if we will be eating our words.
Married at First Sight airs on Wednesdays at 8/7c on Lifetime.