Married at First Sight : Erik Lake Worries if Pairs Can Overcome 'Turbulence' to Find a 'Happy Ending'
courtesy erik lane Erik Lane
Erik Lake appeared on Married at First Sight's 12th season, which took place in Atlanta and aired in 2021. Though he was married to Virginia Coombs at the time, the pair have since divorced. On July 6, season 15 of Married at First Sight premiered on Lifetime, following five San Diego-based couples as the reality of their newly-wed lives together sets in. Here, Lake gives PEOPLE his recap of Wednesday night's episode.
What's up, MAFS fans! Good to be back with you. The season has been flying by and there have been a lot of ups and downs, so let's dive right in to this week.
The opening scene begins with Mitch talking to his friend Shayna about being a little too playful in the bedroom with Krysten. I definitely agreed with Shayna's advice for him to try making an effort to show he is attracted to her in a serious way. Like Mitch, I love to laugh and joke with my significant other, but a line has to be drawn with certain aspects of a relationship. Intimacy is one of them.
It's okay to be playful at times, but in my opinion (and it's just my opinion, ladies!) women wish to be desired and wanted by the person they love and who they are in a serious relationship with. Mitch just needs to reassure her of that and show it better, and they will have no problem finding a middle ground where it can be playful at times, as well.
Stacia and Nate met with Dr. Pia and the topic of trust was brought up right off the bat. As a man, you want your other half to trust you, especially when you're fully committed to making the relationship your top priority. Trust issues from past relationships or life experiences seem to be fairly common when two people enter a new relationship together. I can relate to that from both sides.
I understand what Stacia was saying when she said she needed to see something happen to believe it. Words can only do so much but actions truly show someone who you are. I feel Nate is fully up to the task and wants to meet the challenge that Dr. Pia suggested they accomplish in order to build that trust between them.
Madeline Barr Photo Krysten and Mitch
Justin and Alexis started a discussion about her going out every weekend with her friends, and Dr. Pia arrived just in time to help guide the situation. Justin explained that it's okay with him if she has that time with her friends, but every weekend seems like a bit much, especially with the marriage being so new. Alexis didn't seem to think there was a problem with it, considering it's usually only a couple hours during one day of the weekend.
I don't have any doubt that Alexis is a loyal and committed person, but she may be a little naïve about how drastic of a change it is to go from being completely independent and single to living with a full-on husband while having to account for his needs and feelings on a daily basis. It's tough!
Dr. Pia really dug deep and uncovered some underlying feelings of Alexis' that indicated she may not remain married to Justin in the future. Justin was deeply hurt by this and took his ring off as a response.
I can tell they care for one another and want to find some common ground to be successful. Their relationship is experiencing a bit of turbulence at the moment, but I'm hoping they can find some smooth air soon! Wink wink.
RELATED: Married at First Sight Recap: Keith Dewar, Kristine Killingsworth on Which Couple is 'Not Hopeless'
Mallory Kessel Stacia and Nate
Lindy and Miguel are flying high right now! It seems they have a new addition to the family with "Baby Migindy." They played an intimacy game in the form of Jenga while caring for the fake baby doll. Hey, practice is practice, right?! It's very easy to see the chemistry between them and how much they enjoy being around one another. They may be caring for a fake doll, but their feelings for each other are something they definitely aren't faking.
Mitch and Krysten were next to sit down with Dr. Pia. Krysten opened up about how her mom is her childhood hero because of how hard she worked to provide for the family and the sacrifices she made. Mitch asked a question about it, which made Krysten a bit upset because she just wanted him to support her and be there, especially when she becomes vulnerable.
Dr. Pia later found out that they have put their physical intimacy on hold because Krysten needs more emotional intimacy and trust to be on the same levels as other aspects of their relationship before they can be physical again. She wants to see more of the Mitch she saw last week on a consistent level. Happy wife, happy life, as they always say.
I think Mitch just needs to provide more of what Krysten is asking for, and it would definitely improve things all around for them. He can definitely accomplish this without losing who he is as a person.
Mallory Kessel Alexis and Justin
All the couples then had fun answering intimacy questions with one another. Mitch opened up a bit to Krysten about a failure he had after his dad passed away.
Then, we finally saw Morgan and Binh meeting with Dr. Pia after the issues they've been dealing with over the past couple of weeks. Morgan was just really wanting to feel like Binh was sorry for hurting her, but she said she hasn't felt any of that from him so far. I think Binh means well and is a genuine person that is not trying to intentionally hurt Morgan.
The issues that have transpired over the last couple of weeks have been tough on them both and it's been a struggle for them to navigate where each other is coming from. Miscommunication seems to be a big cause of why their relationship is the way it is right now.
Dr. Pia gave Mitch and Krysten an exercise to perform that involved being more intimate without the jokes and playfulness. It definitely helped and made Krysten feel like they were taking the necessary steps to get back to their physical intimacy.
Nate and Stacia also did some exercises to improve their physical intimacy. Stacia recognized how her past trust issues were affecting the present, but said she wants that to go away and fully trust Nate. It seemed to me like they were closing in on resolving that issue.
RELATED: Married at First Sight: Virginia Coombs Says the Couples 'Have a Long Way to Go Before Decision Day
Nick Crespo, Dreamer Photo & Film Lindy and Miguel
Alexis made an effort to spice things up by giving Justin a little show on the stripper pole. Afterward, they decided to play a game where they blindfolded themselves while the other spoke from the heart on how they feel about one another. It seemed like this was a productive use of their time in understanding where they are in the relationship. Good progress, and hey, if Justin plays his cards right, maybe they can make the stripper pole a permanent part of their apartment. Haha!
The ladies and the guys later gathered to discuss how their relationships were going. Baby Migindy joined the guys and they got some humor from it, but it also showed how strong Lindy and Miguel's relationship is because they were given an additional task to work together on that no other couple had.
Binh opened up to the guys about his and Morgan's recent conversation. The guys know that Binh is a good person and means well, but he still appeared to be learning about himself and trying to give Morgan what she was asking for. Meanwhile, the women understood where Morgan was coming from about needing to truly feel Binh was apologetic for the things that have transpired.
Krysten admitted she's been pushing Mitch away and wanted to make a change in letting him in more. Mitch admitted he was still dealing with where he is at mentally and emotionally in the relationship and that the specific ultimatums Krysten wants by Decision Day are a little tough to handle.
The guys sided with Justin, agreeing that it was a little weird that Alexis wanted to go out partying with her friends every weekend. Everyone appeared to be questioning her intentions of wanting to be a wife, especially with the actions she's been displaying over the course of the experiment. Nate didn't hold back his opinions on the situation — quite the straight-shooter right there!
Madeline Barr Photo Morgan and Binh
But in all seriousness, I can resonate with how Justin is feeling. It's easy to see that he cares about this marriage and wants it to work. Justin even admitted that he's made multiple attempts to be intimate physically and has been denied, leaving him feeling unwanted and hurt. I truly hope they can figure out a middle ground where they can both be happy and form a strong marriage.
Later that night after the meet-ups, Justin and Alexis had a bit of a blow-up. I could see this coming and it was probably good for them to finally get everything out there. It basically came down to the fact that they see married life in different ways. Will they be able to overcome that? It's hard to say. It's really tough when you genuinely care about each other but have fundamentally different ideas of how you envisioned married life to be. The hope is they figure it out and make it work, and they do have some time to try and do that. But ultimately, they have to do what's best for themselves, and that may not be the happy ending everyone is hoping for.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Next week's episode looks like they are all in store for some rough rides! I do wish all the couples the best and hope they can find the happiness they are looking for.
Married at First Sight (produced by Kinetic Content) airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.
