Married At First Sight Season 3 Episode 1 Recap
I Hear Wedding Bells
Sam Role is probably the sweetest soul. The first we learned of her on Married At First Sight is this:
- Financially independent
- 30 years old
- Manages a bank
- Raised in a military family. Moved around a lot.
- Her parents divorced, but her grandparents were married for sixty years. Regardless of what happened in her own dating life and with her parents, Sam believes in marriage because of her grandparents.
And you can feel the love she has for her grandparents. Her grandma recently passed and the only thing Sam kept saying during wedding prep was how much she wished her grandma was there. She chose to wear a wedding dress that she felt her grandma would have been proud to see her in. I nearly lost it seeing her pain and agony and the beautiful love she has for her grandma.
Neil Bowlus is Sam’s Married At First Sight match. This is what we know about Neil:
- 31 years oldCompliance specialist (Who knows what that means? Just sounds smart. Ha!)
- Master’s degree in biology
- Considers himself very active (ran marathons, hikes, skydives, snowboards)
- Like Sam, parents also divorced. But, it is his mom’s healthy relationship with her new spouse that allows him to believe in marriage.
- Neil believes in the effectiveness of arranged marriages as his grandparents were arranged.
Self proclaimed simple man, Neil’s just looking for a quality life spent with his partner. He’s ready to commit and is optimistic that the experts will find him the woman he’s been looking for. Awww! 🙂
Random Fact
This is the oldest couple that’s been paired on Married At First Sight. That could mean something, right? Just throwing it out there for ya!
To Beard Or Not To Beard
Before we continue with our next couples, I cannot NOT mention Neil’s beard. Everybody and their sister had an opinion about his beard. There’s no doubt Neil isn’t your “average” man. But who likes average anyway? I happen to really like his quirky, awkward ways. He’s so serious and a bit nerdy which makes him so funny! But like I said on the MAFS Facebook Page, ‘seeing that beard as I walked down the aisle probably would have scared me.’ (I mean, look at how I reacted to my handsome hubs with a clean shaved face! lol) However, I like what someone replied to my comment. They said “I wish it was Neil who decided to trim his beard for his wedding. Not his family’s and Dr. Pepper’s.” I whole-heartedly agree with this. He shouldn’t have to change who he is (definitely SHOULDN’T, actually). If he changes who he really is for this experiment then it will never work. He needs to be loved and accepted for his true character.
Here Comes The Bride
Let me just begin by saying Ashley Doherty, 30, is a smarty pants. No, but for real. She has a little cubby that she showed us of her current degrees (former social worker), but she decided to go back to school to be a nurse. Smart girl if you ask me – not only because she has so many degrees, but because she chose nursing as her second career. Nursing is tough as bullets, but more rewarding than a calorie free brownie cheesecake WITH ice cream and whipped topping. There’s just something special about selflessly caring for others to improve their quality of life. (Us nurses stick together – always.) 😉 And clearly she has a super committed and serious type of personality. The day of her wedding she was studying for an exam. The day I was married at first sight I was so focused on not puking I couldn’t have studied if I had tried – this girl definitely gets the gold star!
David Norton, account executive, already seems to be the complete opposite of Ashley – but he is her future husband. While Ashley sipped her champagne and refused strippers at her bachelorette party, David was sporting a pink wig, dancing like a wild man, throwing back beers, and hanging from the ceiling. But, in his defense he has been in a few long term relationships and has already been committed to marrying prior to this arranged marriage. That ended with a silly fight and break up.
You can see David is nice guy who likes a good time, but my concern for this couple is that he likes to have a bit too much fun (nothing wrong with that), but Ashley is not at a stage in life to let loose. Nursing school is no joke. She’s going to be studying a lot, at clinicals in the hospital for hours on end, and in the lab practicing nearly every single day of the week. Throw marrying a stranger (who clearly likes to have a lot of fun) in there and it’s bound to be rough on both of them. BUT, it could be just the medicine they both need: help Ashley loosen up and de-stress after all that studying and help David settle down which is clearly what he is looking for. Best part about David is that he is super romantic. I can already tell this guy knows just the right things to say. I have a feeling he is going to completely sweep her off her feet and that would make for a great Married At First Sight story. They say opposites attract!
My Married At First Sight Experience
Runaway Groom?
Vanessa & Tres
Vanessa Nelson. What can I say? This girl and her optimism. She is beautiful from the inside, out. She’s a 26-year-old corporate events manager. Like Sam, she was born into a military family and moved around a lot. Her parents divorced when she was in high school and she hasn’t spoken to her father since. (I couldn’t imagine the pain she suffers from this…just goes to show that we’ve all got a story, right.) It’s very clear to me that even though Vanessa is young, she knows exactly what she wants. During casting she said, “I don’t have a lack for attention from men. It’s just getting attention from the right man.” She isn’t shy to admit that she wants a man who loves to travel and who can keep up with her adventurous nature. And when it comes to the way she is going to be treated, she insists on being treated with respect the way she knows she deserves to be. #GoGirl
Vanessa met her match with Tres Russell – even if he did leave her at the altar as they were saying their vows. I hope and pray to
God I am right when I say that I think he just left her there to go get permission for her hand in
marriage. Never mind, I am sure I am right about that. I mean, I have to be. It is Married At First Sight. He never had a chance to ask prior. And this guy Tres, 27, is the definition of a romantic gentleman. Let me begin by saying that the first thing he did when he arrived to the wedding was introduce himself to each bridesmaid – and then proceeded to kindly greet every.single.guest. Reminder: he has no idea who these people are. Monet, Cortney, our friend Paria, and I watched and literally gasped in awe. SO SWEET! (Yes, we had a #FirstWivesClub viewing party and I persicoped it!) 😀
I also want to touch a bit on Tres’ back story because it is incredibly touching. And the main reason I find it to be so moving is because of the way he handles it. He told his heart-wrenching story and almost simultaneously said he has forgiven and moved on. That is a man who is mature, gentle, kind, and loving.
Based on what I saw from this episode of Married At First Sight, Tres was born to a white mom and a black father. He has a sibling with the same parents. Apparently his mom’s side of the family was racist. Tres looks – as they say – “BlackISH,” but his sibling appears to be fully caucasian. Long story made short, his mom left Tres when he was kid, but took his white-looking sibling to go live with her and her family. I’m just going to stop there because I don’t know all of the details and I certainly don’t want to tell his story wrong. But, you can get a sense of what a stand-up man this guy is. He literally told his story about his mom choosing to leave him, but take his sibling based on the color of their skin and in the same breath genuinely said “I forgive her.” I’m left speechless even as I sit here writing this. He’s incredibly strong, loving, and forgiving. Vanessa just got herself a gem of a man! (As long as I am right about him not actually having cold feet and he doesn’t run away at their wedding. I must be right, who has ever heard of a runaway groom? lol)
I think you all know by now a bit about my mom and our battered relationship. I wish I could hold my head high and say I have completely forgiven her. I know that would make me look better and feel better. God bless Tres, seriously. I am a couple years older than him and I am still not woman enough to be able to completely forgive. This is something I am still working on. It really is tough. I guess that’s why I already have an immense amount of respect for Tres.
TONIGHT
Married At First Sight episode two airs tonight. I was literally at the edge of my seat last week. Trust me when I say I am SUPER excited for tonight. I am in love with every single one of these couples this season. So far, they seem like such an amazing group. I am thrilled for tonight. Join me and my hubs as we tweet, insta, facebook, and periscope LIVE. Also, the new couples and FYI will be tweeting live as well. I love how interactive Married At First Sight is. Keeps it real! See you guys tonight. Happy Weddings Team 3 of Married At First Sight! Tres, get your booty back up on that altar. Don’t leave our girl Vanessa hanging like that! 😉
Answer these questions in the comments section below
- Will everyone follow through and be Married At First Sight tonight?
- Who is your favorite couple?
- Who do you think will still be married at the end of this season?
ANNOUNCEMENTS
#BlackLove
Speaking of my girl, Monet – She is premiering in a BRAND NEW show! #BlackLove is on tonight immediately after Married At First Sight on FYI! I cannot wait to see this sweet, vivacious, bubbly, fun-loving woman meet Mr. Right! At least I hope she does!
She brought four of her besties along for some love adventures in Manhattan! It’s like a modern day Sex and The City. Count me in for this one, too. I won’t miss an episode! 🙂 Follow Monet as she tweets live here!
Are you ready to be Married At First Sight?
Season 4 of Married At First Sight is being cast now! If you are single, live in Miami, and are interested in seeing if our team of experts can find you your scientifically created perfect match then follow the info below:
Chat with you guys tonight! XXOO
Jamie Otis
