Summary
- Married at First Sight's low 18.75% success rate prompts calls for expert Pastor Cal's replacement.
- Pastor Cal's counseling misses the mark, most couples end in divorce; a new expert is needed for effectiveness.
- Having been on the show for 8 years, Pastor Cal's inability to help couples signals a need for replacement.
There are several reasons why long-time Married at First Sight expert Pastor Cal Roberson should be replaced. Pastor Cal, along with two other experts Dr. Pepper Schwartz and Dr. Pia Holec, are responsible for making the matches in each city they go to and guiding the couples along their eight-week journey. They are meant to identify issues within each marriage and help address any underlying tensions between the partners. Married at First Sight premiered in 2014, and recently finished airing its seventeenth season.
Married at First Sight has featured 64 couples in the last 10 years. Of those 64, only 12 of them are still together. That gives the show a success rate of 18.75%. In the last four seasons alone there have been no successful matches. Married at First Sight season 17 was particularly unsuccessful, with all five couples not working out. The experts also did not detect a group dupe that took place where the cast members tried to control their narrative and present for the camera a certain inauthentic way to make themselves look better.
Pastor Cal's Background
He Looks Good On Paper
Pastor Cal resides in Atlanta, Georgia, and has been married to his wife since 2009. He is a speaker, author, marriage coach, and alleged relationship expert. He is also an ordained minister and a pastoral counselor. He has been a relationship therapist for three decades.
On paper, Pastor Cal's credentials look good, but in practice, he has not had a good success rate on Married at First Sight, which is cause for concern and grounds for replacement.
Pastor Cal Joined MAFS In Season 4
He Is An OG On MAFS
Next to Dr. Pepper, Pastor Cal has been with the show the longest, having joined in season 4 in 2016. In that time, Pastor Cal should have been able to sharpen his tools as a therapist and approach to matching and guiding the couples, but he hasn't. Pastor Cal's demeanor on the show always comes off as someone who is genuinely concerned for the people he is counseling, and he does not hold back with his opinions. However, just having a comfortable demeanor is not enough to be an effective Married at First Sight expert.
Pastor Cal Has Not Been Effective
Most MAFS Couples Have Chosen Divorce
Pastor Cal has demonstrated that he is not the most effective expert. Most of the couples he counseled have ended in divorce. As an example, in season 17, Pastor Cal stepped in to help Lauren Goodger and Orion Martzloff at a critical point in their early marriage when they could not communicate progressively.
Pastor Cal did not get through to the couple or effectively navigate their issues in order to have a positive outcome.
Lauren and Orion walked away from their talk with Pastor Cal still not in a good place ( via Lifetime,) and split up the next day. That speaks to Pastor Cal's inability to be a good expert. Pastor Cal's approach and counseling missed the mark, as it often does.
Since Pastor Cal has lost his effectiveness, he should be replaced on Married at First Sight. He has been given a platform on the show for eight years to showcase his matchmaking skills and efficacy as a relationship coach, and he has fallen short. Having a new expert to replace him would at least help ensure the couples and viewers aren't getting more of the same.
Married at First Sight seasons 1-17 are available to stream on Amazon.
Source: Lifetime/YouTube
Married At First Sight
Reality
Romance
Based on the Danish version of the series, Married at First Sight is a reality show/social experiment that gives singles a chance to find a lifelong partnership with one particular caveat: they must agree to marry a stranger arranged the moment they meet. Experts provide counseling and guidance as they help couples navigate their new marriage with their unknown partner and highlight the journey of the newlyweds from wedding to honeymoon to beginning their new lives together. At the end of eight weeks, couples will decide to stay married or divorce.
- Cast
- Pepper Schwartz , Calvin Roberson , Viviana Coles , Jessica Griffin , John Aiken , Mel Schilling , Alessandra Rampolla , Logan Levkoff , Joseph Cilona , Greg Epstein , Rachel DeAlto , DeVon Franklin , Pia Holec
- Seasons
- 17
- Network
- Lifetime
See at Amazon
