Married At First Sight vs. Seven Year Switch: Which Is The Crazier Experiment

So it’s a new blog for a new show with a new experiment! Sort of a new experiment since this is technically season two of Seven Year Switch.

The guys who made the show where I fell in love with my hubby—Married At First Sight—are the same peeps behind this radical idea (kineticcontent.com) and this is the second season for what they’re calling “Switch Therapy.” Since Married At First Sight is on hiatus (until David and Vanessa return with MAFS:Second Chances) I decided to blog about this crazy good show for you all! Seven Year Switch is INTENSE.

What’s Seven Year Switch

Ok, if you thought Married At First Sight was absolutely unbelievable, you’re in for another crazy shocker. On this show the couples have already been married, but they’re finding themselves struggling in their relationship (seven year itch, anyone?) and they opt for switching their partners to see if the grass is really greener on the other side! (WOWZERS!)

So we say we’d do whatever it takes to make our marriages work, but would you do this? (For me – no way would I ever let Doug do this … nut uh! Not a chance!) Take two weeks away from your spouse to SWITCH with someone else’s. (No way, jose!) The object of this little experiment? To find out if you should have married someone else more like you.

Would You Give Seven Year Switch A Chance

Sounds extreme, right? Yeah I think so, too. But let’s keep an open mind because Doug and I didn’t exactly go down the beaten path and, let’s face it, most couples just choose to separate or stray when they’re unhappy…so maybe it is time for a different approach…?

Kinetic and FYI, you really know how to go for the jugular when it comes to love!

But I’m up for the ride, so once again, let’s put our anxiety levels in the hands of the experts. On this show they are Dr. Jessica Griffin, a clinical psychologist and Charles J. Orlando, a relationship expert. Right off the bat, they’re handing out some amazing nuggets that us married folks can really use in our own relationships at home.

Charles Breaks Everything Down & Tells It Like It Is

This guy pulls no punches when he’s talking about the couples. According to him, in some relationships, spicing up the bedroom is a non-negotiable. When he says, “For any husband who won’t, there’s a neighbor who will,” my jaw nearly hits the floor!

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that!

[bctt tweet=”Would you swap partners in order to “save your marriage?” That’s what 4 couples are doing on @fyi’s #SevenYearSwitch #YIKES” username=”jamieotis”]

So—Now That We’ve Become Acquainted With Those Two—Let’s Talk About The Couples

First, we meet Kelsey and James. They seem so different from each other. I wish they would’ve talked about how they met because I can’t even imagine how a spunky girl like her wound up with such a grounded guy like James. Don’t get me wrong, both personality types are amazing— but it’s hard to imagine them meeting in a bar on a Saturday night. And even if they did, I’d imagine that Kelsey would be riding a mechanical bull with her cowboy boots on and James would be in the back sipping on a Bud Lite.

But hey— they do say that opposites attract!

Kelsey and James With Serious Problems

Now let’s talk about their issues. The gist of the problem: Cleaning, money, and communication. (I feel like these are the same problems we all have … at least I know my hubs and I definitely do.) Now, I can attest to the fact that marriage does magnify issues and differences, but for James to say Kelsey acts like a child and for Kelsey to have such different needs in key areas like sex and spontaneity is a little scary. Kelsey wants adventure and James wants stability. May the best spouse win. Just kidding—let’s just hope for a little compromise on this one.

Now, what can I say about Aaron and Heather except that they’re such a cute, sexy, couple and their passion for each other seems to be strong. But boy, can I relate to the feeling that exhaustion can suck the life out of intimacy in a marriage. A question for Aaron: How is it 2016 and your wife is still stuck with all the chores? Come on, dude! You gotta help out! But I do admire his work ethic. It’s about balance though. Thanks to the Married At First Sight experts for teaching that to us early on. If all else fails – compromise is the name of the game.

And That Brings Us To Our 3rd Couple: Liliya and Tony

She comes from a traditional Armenian family. He’s from a single parent home and I know, just from that little bit of info that these two are strong. They come from such different backgrounds, but they’ve made it work for 9 years. And to me, their issues can be fixed with just a little bit of an attitude adjustment. Tony needs to assert himself and his dreams for his life more—and Liliya needs to be more supportive. The one thing that makes me think they’ll get through this is the fact that you can literally see the love they share when they look at each other. I can’t wait to see how this plays out for them.

Lastly, We Have Jaclyn and Dustin

First impressions? This guy seems like a party animal and she is like the glue that’s trying to keep it all together.

He even makes a comment about Jaclyn keeping her maiden name until they have a real ceremony, and I quote: “It’s almost like I’m not married so it’s almost like being single.”

Really? No. REALLY!!

He also tells us that Jaclyn was more like him when they met and he’s used to that side of her. Note: As we get older, relationships evolve and I think that’s what Jaclyn is wanting now more than anything. And the biggest shock: Jaclyn’s family doesn’t even know that they’re married!(Yeah, they’re legit married but their family and friends have no idea – so strange!) I have no idea what to make of all of this just yet. All I do know is that Dustin seems like this is going to be a 2-week retreat with a fun, new wife. But something tells me that he’s going to be learning some really big lessons and he’s going to be learning them the hard way.

Now, The Switches

Kelsey is paired with Dustin. (Uh-oh) James is with Jaclyn. Liliya is matched with Aaron (these two totally remind me of Kimye-Kim Kardashian and Kanye West) and Tony gets to spend two weeks with Heather.

As soon as they met each other, I immediately picked out the couple I’d vote most likely to succeed. And by “succeed,” I mean I think these two will learn the lessons that this experiment is supposed to teach and take it back to their spouse to start building a healthier marriage.

For me, that couple seems like it’s going to be Heather and Tony.

But overall, I admire all these couples for their courage and their willingness to go to extreme lengths for love. It really opens our eyes to the different issues that we all face and gives us more creative ideas for how to deal with them.

This season is going to be a crazy ride! What are your predictions for these four couples? Oh and one last thing – FYI has another brand new show called Kiss Bang Love (that’s literally what they do – it’s like the Bachelor on steroids) it airs right after at 10pm EST. If you guys watch it let me know if you want recaps on that too. I spent the whole episode blushing last week but I think it could be fun to chat with you all about it! Let me know in the comments!

Seven Year Switch airs Tuesday nights at 9pm EST on Fyi.

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What does it take to be a good wife? God knows I had some trouble figuring that out. My past threatened my future, but I learned how to stop that from happening. If you’re struggling in the dating world — or if you’re engaged, a newlywed, a long time married veteran, you will feel a lot better about your relationship after reading about mine in my new book, Wifey 101: Everything I Got Wrong After Meeting  Mr. Right!

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