![MAFS star Michael Shiakallis reunion screenshot](https://www.monstersandcritics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/michael-shiakallis-8.jpg)
After the recent revelations from the Married at First Sight cast it’s hard to figure out what was real and what was made up and now fans of the show are doubting everything.
Take the runaway bride situation, for example, that moment marked the first time in the show’s history that a bride didn’t make it down the aisle, but was it fake?
That’s what fans of the show are asking now that we know the entire Denver cast orchestrated sham storylines unknown to the producers and the experts.
The husbands confessed during Part 1 of the reunion that they all banded together early in the season and discussed a plan to deceive the process so they wouldn’t look bad on TV.
Those conversations seemingly didn’t involve Michael because his first bride never made it down the aisle and he was MIA for several of the early episodes.
It wasn’t until later in the season that he returned to the eight-week experiment with a new bride, Chloe Brown, and a second chance at marriage.
Michael Shiakallis responds to claims that MAFS’s runaway bride was fake
Another MAFS reunion sneak peek from PEOPLE features host Kevin Frazier’s conversation with the men.
Michael is in the hot seat as the host asks about MAFS fan speculation that the runaway bride scene was all fake.
“Was this staged?” Kevin bluntly asks.
“No,” Michael responds. “By no means was it staged, and the audience probably doesn’t mean any malice…but it can be tough at times because it’s like, well, those are real emotions from me.”
Kevin — who is never shy about calling out the cast — believes the scene was authentic.
He reassures the 39-year-old, “It didn’t look, to me, like you were acting when you went in there, when you were with your closest friends, and you broke down.”
Michael talks about breaking down after he was jilted at the altar
The clip includes a throwback scene of Michael being comforted by his family after his bride had changed her mind about marrying him.
“I was doing my best up to that point to not break down because I wanted to maintain a level of strength,” the MAFS star explains.
Michael admits that initially, his pride played a role in his calm demeanor and he didn’t want his friends and family to worry, but he could only put on that facade for so long.
“It did become a little bit overwhelming just because, as I’m recapping everything, as I’m seeing their reaction, that kind of just created that rush of emotion,” he admits.
“It was a tough thing to watch,” Kevin chimes in.
Married At First Sight airs on Wednesdays at 8/7c on Lifetime.