You could argue that the participants know full well what they are getting into, so any humiliation they suffer is "deserved", and normally I'd agree. But this show goes to great length talking up the "experts" and their ability to be successful match makers, which I'm sure is sold to the contests in a very heavy-handed way, so I can understand why the contestants are getting an experience they didn't initially expect when signing up for this.
That being said, the "experts" are anything but. If as a licensed professional mental expert you think you can honestly evaluate two people's ability to coexist for life based on just a few hours of evaluation, you are a liar, a fraud, or just delusional. I've done the math, there's no way each hopeful participant (during the initial interviews) gets more than 15-30 minutes of 1:1 time, before the "experts" decide who should be with who. How can anyone possibly believe that's enough evaluation time?
If this show sold it to contestants that this was a roll of the dice, that it was pure luck to result in a successful marriage, that's kind of masochistic, but at least it's honest. No, instead these people are told that this match was a good match, it was "scientific" even.
That might sound harmless enough, but soon after the contestants independently realize they made a bad decision, the gaslighting by the "experts" begins. "No honey, he's not secretly gay and using this as a publicity stunt to help his own career, he LOVES you!" Marriages that are obvious train wrecks waiting to happen are forced to continue through endless gaslighting by the "experts" to keep up the ratings. It's pretty sick, especially since they all took an oath to "do no harm."
The terrible "experts" would be bad enough if that's the extent of the mental abuse the contestants suffer, but then let's add in that most of them are just terrible people, too.
If you've got a good job, and a decent body (as all the contestants always do), then if you're still single at 30 and willing to be on a reality show to "find love", there's a reason: Horrible mental baggage. Now, I'm not saying anyone who is single at 30 is a mental case, they are not. But THESE PEOPLE ARE. If you're willing to subject yourself to the humiliation that is marrying a stranger on reality tv? Yeah, there's issues there.
Why would anyone think marrying 2 people with huge baggage issues would ever result in success, is beyond me.
Final rant about this show: The "experts" continually refer to this show as "an experiment." Well after 10+ seasons, and only 5 marriages lasting more than 6 months out of 37+ couples, I can safely say the "experiment" is an utter failure.
That being said, the "experts" are anything but. If as a licensed professional mental expert you think you can honestly evaluate two people's ability to coexist for life based on just a few hours of evaluation, you are a liar, a fraud, or just delusional. I've done the math, there's no way each hopeful participant (during the initial interviews) gets more than 15-30 minutes of 1:1 time, before the "experts" decide who should be with who. How can anyone possibly believe that's enough evaluation time?
If this show sold it to contestants that this was a roll of the dice, that it was pure luck to result in a successful marriage, that's kind of masochistic, but at least it's honest. No, instead these people are told that this match was a good match, it was "scientific" even.
That might sound harmless enough, but soon after the contestants independently realize they made a bad decision, the gaslighting by the "experts" begins. "No honey, he's not secretly gay and using this as a publicity stunt to help his own career, he LOVES you!" Marriages that are obvious train wrecks waiting to happen are forced to continue through endless gaslighting by the "experts" to keep up the ratings. It's pretty sick, especially since they all took an oath to "do no harm."
The terrible "experts" would be bad enough if that's the extent of the mental abuse the contestants suffer, but then let's add in that most of them are just terrible people, too.
If you've got a good job, and a decent body (as all the contestants always do), then if you're still single at 30 and willing to be on a reality show to "find love", there's a reason: Horrible mental baggage. Now, I'm not saying anyone who is single at 30 is a mental case, they are not. But THESE PEOPLE ARE. If you're willing to subject yourself to the humiliation that is marrying a stranger on reality tv? Yeah, there's issues there.
Why would anyone think marrying 2 people with huge baggage issues would ever result in success, is beyond me.
Final rant about this show: The "experts" continually refer to this show as "an experiment." Well after 10+ seasons, and only 5 marriages lasting more than 6 months out of 37+ couples, I can safely say the "experiment" is an utter failure.