When Zach Justice married Mindy Shiben on Season 10 of Married at First Sight, their relationship had way more fizzle than anything else after he revealed early on that he wasn’t attracted to his wife.
Things went from bad to worse for this MAFS couple after Mindy found out that Zach had been chatting it up with her friend Lindsay.
Zach insisted that he didn’t do anything inappropriate, but he also deleted messages between them, which made him look super shady.
To top it all off, Zach never even moved in.
So when Mindy faced Dr. Viviana and spoke about what it would take for her to stay with Zach on Decision Day, she had a list.
The harder Mindy seemed to want her marriage to work, the less interested Zach became.
Ultimately, things didn’t work out for Zach and Mindy, and she opted for divorce before Decision Day. And while Mindy was the one to call it quits, Zach seemed ready to be done too.
Now, Zach is speaking out about his unrealistic expectations when it came to the matchmaking process and made it clear that he and Mindy were not a good match. But would he do it all over again?
Monsters & Critics: What expectations did you have before appearing on Married at First Sight, and how did the actual experience differ?
Zach: When going through the process of sitting down with the experts as well as answering thousands of personal, detailed questions, I became very hopeful about the matchmaking process. Perhaps setting somewhat unrealistic expectations based on that hope.
The only thing I would say that made the actual experience different was not knowing how to navigate the relationship, with a match that didn’t make much sense.
M&C: Did the cameras influence how you reacted on MAFS?
Zach: Oh, no way! You truly get comfortable with the cameras being around all the time. Not to mention, you become friends with the crew. They’re all wonderful people, and therefore it just allows you to be yourself when filming.
M&C: If you could do anything different, what would it be?
Zach: Think less, say more. I overanalyzed so much of this experience in trying to “fix” and force what wasn’t there in the relationship. I should have clearly communicated without underlying thoughts of repercussions.
M&C: Which of the experts made the most impact on you, and what did you learn from them?
Zach: Let me preface this by saying I love all of the experts, and I do think they are lovely individuals who ALL had an impact on me. However, in this context, everything I learned came from friends, family, and other critics. I truly wish I could have leaned on the experts more, though.
M&C: What advice would you give someone appearing next season?
Zach: You absolutely cannot set ANY expectations. And ask a million questions to your partner. Mindy and I were truly on different planets with this match, but I would have at least understood how to better understand that if I asked more questions early on instead of shutting down.
M&C: Would you agree to get married at first sight if you could do it all over again?
Zach: Yes, whenever you go through such an incredible experience, reflect and learn, it’s impossible to not want to be better, and apply what you’ve learned. So, absolutely!
Married at First Sight airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on Lifetime.
No, Zach, you should have thought more and spoke less! Every time you opened your mouth you sounded stupid! You talked in crazy circles and it was evident from day one you weren’t there for love-you were there for camera time. Mindy is a beautiful, sweet, honest and incredibly tolerant woman who genuinely tried to accept you flaws and all. And, yes, you have many flaws just like the rest of us! I wish Mindy nothing but the best in love & life!