Well, that was interesting. The Married At First Sight couple’s retreat always brings the heat, but this time it was a full-on forest fire. Or more accurately, a hurricane, a level 5 “Hurricane K” to be exact.
We’ve seen some couples lose it on MAFS, but this was a whole other level. Michaela’s storm has been building since the honeymoon, but on the couple’s retreat, it hit its peak as Michaela had several breakdowns and blowups.
When the couple first arrived on the retreat, it was all glowing and goats as the two played with baby goats and expressed their excitement in reuniting in the same bed for the retreat.
Michaela gushed to the other couples about how she and Zack were in a great place and even dished out advice to the other couples about how to get to the happy place she and Zack had arrived in. Oh, the irony.
Michaela loses it
But just a few short hours later, as the couple sat on the patio, the two admitted they had had a talk the night before about calling it quits on Decision Day, taking some time apart and then getting back together after the experiment was over to see if there was something there.
But when the two began talking more about it, it became apparent that they were not on the same page. Zack admitted marriage with Michaela had been a lot harder than he had thought and Michaela lost it.
She hit herself in the face, shoved the table away, and ran off laughing and yelling “I can’t.” It was a scene. She told Zack his proposal of them breaking up on Decision Day then maybe getting back together was crazy.
Meanwhile, Zack sat in shock, saying he was wondering how he got into this position in the first place.
Later, while the two sat in bed, Michaela admitted she did not want to ride back with Zack in the morning and he said that if that was the case, then he would rather leave that night. And in blew a hurricane that tipped Zack’s Libra scales right over.
Michaela called her sister to give her a ride, then began demanding Zack “leave now.” But when Zack began to pack his things, she began yelling and cursing at him. When he left with his suitcase she followed him out, took it from him and threw it back in the bedroom. Zack retrieved it as she continued to yell and scream.
Zack calmly went to his car despite the others trying to convince him to stay, as it was late. Zack got to his car where Ryan and Bao attempted to talk him down, but Hurricane K came screaming from the house and Zack climbed in his car and left.
Michaela then blew through the house, knocking over furniture as she went, until the night culminated in a producer attempting to hold her back as she screamed, cried, and broke a wine glass on her way to slam the door in the camera crew’s face.
By the next morning, Michaela was gone too, leaving a path of destruction in her wake.
Bao and Johnny play nice
Bao and Johnny had a surprisingly peaceful time on the couple’s retreat, probably because they didn’t really interact with each other or sleep in the same bedroom. Bao took Pastor Cal’s advice of keeping things light and it seemed to work out for them as the two had a nice time.
They teamed up with another struggling duo Brett and Ryan and the four went skeet shooting where Bao almost took out the entire crew but seemed to have a good time regardless.
Bao did admit to the other MAFS wives, that she was tired of being disrespected by Johnny and that her younger self had always promised that she would never let someone talk to her the way that Johnny was. Bao isn’t the only one who has picked up on the way Johnny talks to her, fans have accused Johnny of being “toxic” and even encouraged Bao to leave him.
But Bao kept the conversation between her and the ladies and didn’t express her decision to Johnny, so the two continued to get along and have a good retreat.
At the end of the retreat, Johnny admitted to Bao that he really liked how up for everything she was and how she was always willing to try new things.
It was a good moment for the two and maybe a hint of progress?
Things between Bao and Johnny were fairly uneventful, probably because Bao had her hands full trying to put out fires for Michaela and consoling Brett. It was a busy retreat for Bao.
Brett and Ryan get real
Brett and Ryan finally had “the talk.” It did not go well.
In the car ride to the retreat, Brett broached the subject of Ryan’s interest possibly being split, and the things his sister had told her. Ryan got defensive and said that he didn’t feel that they needed to talk about everything because he felt his actions were portraying his feelings.
The couple hashed it out again on the retreat and things went about the same way. After an awkward moment where Ryan had said to the other couples, he wouldn’t mind sharing a room with Brett, Brett shut that down and decided the talk needed to happen.
The two settled into some patio chairs and got down to business. Ryan said he probably should have tried harder and communicated more, and Brett agreed. She felt that when she did “call him out” as requested, he shut down so she felt stuck. Ryan said he didn’t like talking about every little thing but understood people needed different things out of a relationship.
The two decided they could be on the same page about working on building their friendship and communicating more. They sealed the deal with a shot and went on with the retreat. Not exactly a resolution, but at least some progress for the two who have spent most of the experiment in awkward silence.
Rachel and Jose prepare for forever
Rachel and Jose ran around the retreat living their best life. The two slept in the same bed, cooked dinner together, and played with baby goats.
Rachel and Jose were voted “most likely to have kids first” by the other couples and even voted for themselves for that award.
It’s ironic as we placed them pretty low on our own Most Likely To Succeed list, but despite the odds, these two seem to be doing great. While there is the lingering concern over the couple’s knockdown drag-out fight that resulted in Rachel being “accidentally” locked out of the apartment, the couple continues to work through the incident and try to find ways to keep it from happening again.
Rachel and Jose talked about now not being the time to slow down on their relationship but instead to put the pedal to the metal and put it in overdrive. The two continue to plan for their future and all the hopefully happy times it will hold.
Myrla and Gil ride off into the sunset
Once again, somehow Myrla and Gil are the least dramatic couple of the retreat. The two did have a small hiccup as Gil once again had to check Myrla and her “Debbie Downer” demeanor.
The two went on a horseback ride despite Gil’s fears and lounged by the pond afterward. Myrla said she had enjoyed it but would have preferred a longer ride. Gil asked if she could ever just be happy with things as they were. Myrla said she “received” what he was saying. Gil questioned if it was ok for him to tell her that and she said she appreciated it and could change the behavior, thus she “received” it. The two then moved on and had a great retreat. Communication level: expert.
The two stayed drama-free the rest of the time and seemed to enjoy spending time together and with the other couples on the retreat.
Truthfully, the main event of the couple’s retreat was Michaela’s breakdown. Otherwise, the other couples all got along and participated in dinners, dancing, drinking, and game nights.
The retreat ended with only two couples sharing a bedroom, and only four couples remaining to the end. Not exactly great numbers. But there was one interesting point brought up. There were only four couples on the honeymoon, as Zack had contracted COVID-19 and Michaela went home, and there were only four couples left at the end of the retreat. Some foreshadowing, perhaps?
Now the question remains, how many couples will be left standing on Decision Day?
Married at First Sight airs on Wednesdays at 8/7c on Lifetime.