Married at First Sight : Virginia Coombs Says the Couples 'Have a Long Way to Go' Before Decision Day
Virginia Coombs/instagram Virginia Coombs
Virginia Coombs appeared on Married at First Sight's 12th season, which took place in Atlanta and aired in 2021. Though she was married to Erik Lake 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, Coombs gives PEOPLE her recap of Wednesday night's episode.
On this week's episode, the couples dove into what it will take for each of them to truly fall in love. For some, love by Decision Day is a need from their spouse. For others, walls are up — but they are already seeing past Decision Day, with or without an "I love you."
Binh & Morgan
Madeline Barr Photo Morgan and Binh
We started out the episode with a date planned by Morgan and I love how Binh jumpded right into playing mermaids with her. She was taking the girls' advice to try and give him a clean slate after he broke her trust on the honeymoon. They were super touchy and playful, and seemed to really be getting along. Morgan said she wanted someone who would say "yes" to anything, and Binh said seeing her happy makes him happy. This date felt refreshing compared to some of their more awkward interactions.
As we explored each of their experiences with love, Binh disclosed how he has never been in love with a romantic partner. Morgan, on the other hand… girl, are you still in love with your ex? She went on and on about how they showed up for each other every day, and how he said he would fight anyone for her, that finding a love like that is hard, and that it was a situation of "right person, wrong time." She was glowing while talking about him, which is a little concerning. Binh opened up to Morgan about his relationship during college and that he became distant with her after he had a string of traumatic events happen back-to-back that he was not equipped to handle.
I really like how Binh always seems to take ownership for his mistakes and is trying to dig deep into why he acts the way he does. He apologized to Morgan for his actions on the honeymoon and told her how it was his own insecurities that made him worry about her personal finances and family life. He said how growing up in an Asian home, he was expected to be a doctor and was loved for what he achieved, rather than who he was. He also said he has never felt like he was enough because of the career path he chose. He apologized for projecting that onto her and said that, apparently, they both have daddy issues, just in different ways. We know Morgan does not speak to her father, but Binh, on the other hand, feels his dad did the best he could. Morgan opened up about feeling like she would not meet his standards and appreciated how vulnerable Binh was being. I worry Morgan might push Binh to continue digging before he is fully ready.
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Binh set up an adorable Korean BBQ for Morgan when she got home from work. Did anyone else notice they opened a door that says "Do Not Open"? Anyways, their whole conversation and interaction felt a little forced and awkward. Their hug and body language just always seems off and uncomfortable. As a fellow people pleaser, I did appreciate their candidness and for digging into what made them both grow up to be that way. For Binh, being the only Asian kid in his community, he was picked on a lot and felt the only way to combat it was to be an overachiever in school and being overly-kind. For Morgan, she was always striving to please her father and said once she decided to cut him out of her life, the people pleasing went with it. I struggled with how passively she discussed cutting off her father. Anyone who has made the decision to cut off a parent knows how difficult it can be, but yet she came off as though it was an easy experience. I think she has a barrier up and there is a lot more to the story than we're being let into.
We didn't get a ton out of Morgan and Binh with the expert therapist. Morgan said emotionally, she started out humiliated but now things are getting better. She told Binh she needed more compliments to make her feel like a woman rather than a bro.
In true MAFS fashion, we ended the episode on a cliff-hanger showing Morgan telling Binh that Alexis told her what he has been saying about her… While I have not lost all hope for this couple, I truly do not think they like each other. The body language and awkward interactions speak volumes more than their words do.
Krysten & Mitch
Madeline Barr Photo Krysten and Mitch
We opened up Krysten and Mitch's scenes with Luna humping her bed… I guess the married couple weren't the only ones "consummating the marriage like rabbits."
I really admired how both Mitch and Krysten are doing everything they can to stay true to themselves. They both don't hold back and say what is on their mind. However, they are very different and without compromise on BOTH their ends, things could get rocky.
Mitch was being goofy and cooking dinner while Krysten was opening up to him about her life goals. She said after a couple of babies, she wants to start flipping houses and is even open to having a sustainable edge. Krysten was continuing to tell her husband how creating homes for people means something to her and you could truly see the disgust on Mitch's face. He is the definition of "If my mouth doesn't say it my face will." He briefly touched on the rising housing prices, but they tabled the discussion for now.
When it comes to love, Mitch has loved but never been in love, while Krysten falls in love easily (Same, girl!). Mitch's parents' divorce definitely changed his views on marriage, which I think is pretty normal. At the end of the day, Krysten said she thinks married life is better than single life. Mitch often struggles to see Krysten's points of view because he believes everything should be in moderation. I agree with Krysten that you should be able to celebrate and live accordingly to how hard you have worked for what you have. I worry she is bending to meet him in the middle while he is not budging at all.
Mitch recalled one of the first things he learned about Krysten was how much she enjoys karaoke. This date looked like so much fun — until it wasn't. It meant a lot to Krysten that Mitch put 100% effort into the date, and she even got to hear him freestyle and see a more fun side of him. However, things took a turn when Mitch brought up the real estate disagreement. He went on a tangent of why flipping houses triggers him because it prices out families that need housing and while it's not illegal, it is definitely unethical in his eyes. Sometimes, when he talks, it comes across as thinking he is better than others because of his views. You can tell Krysten felt extremely belittled. She has been so open to learning about environmentalism and just wanted the same respect in return for something she is passionate about.
Next up for this couple was a beach clean-up day. Once again, Krysten was such a trooper in learning and respecting what Mitch was passionate about. When they sat down to talk, I was extremely proud of her for addressing how Mitch has been making her feel. She reiterated to him multiple times that she does bring a lot to the table and that he needs to be more aware of that, rather than trying to manipulate her life dream into something bad. She said she's worried that Mitch wishes she was different, which will eventually lead to resentment on both their parts.
Then, we reached ShirtGate 2022! Lord, this whole thing is so ridiculous to me. The girls decided to play a funny joke on the men and have them all show up wearing the same shirt. Mitch essentially threw a temper tantrum. He finally agreed to wear the shirt if he could change when he gets to the event… what is even the point? I felt so sad that Krysten continually thanked him for wearing the shirt because he literally did the bare minimum and wore a shirt his wife bought him. At the heart of it, Mitch stood firm in his decision and said he is not materialistic and does not like being forced to do things he doesn't want to.
When the guest therapist got involved, Mitch said if you compromise too much, you aren't true to yourself and become a pushover. I am not sure what relationship Mitch thinks he is in, but we have not seen him compromise at all. Krysten finally admitted that she feels she is losing herself in the relationship and is trying to be a version of herself that he will like.
Miguel & Lindy
Nick Crespo, Dreamer Photo & Film Lindy and Miguel
We didn't see a ton from Miguel and Lindy, but I think the parts we did see are very telling.
Miguel met up with his best friend and they immediately started discussing the housewarming incident. Lindy got very emotional about Miguel not wanting to put her on his insurance after taking his last name and his friends are concerned that she can be a little 'Jekyll and Hyde' when she gets mad or upset. Miguel said when she does get upset and emotional, he starts to question who he married. His friend brought up a very good point that since they are married, Miguel's red flag radar might be down when, in reality, it should still be up.
Side note: I thought Miguel being afraid of the cat was hilarious. I appreciated his humor and that he still attempted to develop a bond.
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Lindy posed a question towards Miguel about what it would take for him to fall in love. They both agreed the main thing they needed is time. Lindy thinks you need to see someone in every phase of life and still want to be with them to truly be in love. Miguel said he's normally done if he starts to see someone is crazy or rude — but Lindy said she would hope for some grace since they are married. Miguel talked about how he has been taken advantage of in the past, which has led him to be more firm and vocal to avoid things becoming toxic. Lindy said she thinks real love is seeing someone at their worst and still choosing to love and fight for them, and feels like he was just keeping a score of all the things she does wrong. She said she thinks if there were no feelings involved, Miguel would be counting down the days to Decision Day.
With the guest therapist, Lindy continued to express how she wants Miguel to see her crazy and that she knows she can be overly emotional due to having an angry inner-child. I think there is a lot more to unpack here as to why Lindy seems to have a short fuse. She admitted that she is holding back because she is worried about how Miguel will respond to seeing those sides of her, and he agreed that he does not like the little bit he has already seen.
I agree that this couple needs time to continue opening up and seeing each other's side of things. However, having such different views of what being in a serious relationship means is going to continue to be an issue.
Nate & Stacia
Mallory Kessel Stacia and Nate
Nate and Stacia jumped right into a hot tub of the juicy stuff, with Nate saying his love for her is at a 4/10 while Stacia said hers is a 8/10. Stacia said for her, love is more about a commitment rather than a feeling. Nate said he needs comfortability and time for his feelings to grow. He has not been in love in his adult life and wants to understand her 100% and experience the small things, like dates and getting drinks together before falling in love. Stacia said she needs love from Nate by Decision Day but is scared to admit that to him.
After the hot tub, the discussion continued upstairs with Stacia discussing how she also believes in measurable goals outside of just finances. Nate said he just wants to know her soul and that is he making a choice to be married but love is multi-faceted. She felt he is making the choice to be married but not to love her. He was clearly getting annoyed and picked up his phone (shocker!). He seemed like he was trying to avoid a hard conversation and flipped it around on her. She asked if this was their first argument and asked, "Do you feel different about me now?" If you really care about someone, your feelings should not change after one argument. Stacia wants Nate to love her and you can tell how desperately she needs that reassurance from him.
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The couple headed off to a couple's class and Stacia said she wanted to run towards her husband, not away from him. They seemed to have a good time cooking together and then sat down for dinner. Nate said he shut down because he felt she was playing games, which he did not like. She assured him that she was just trying to get her point across but that she was worried he was going to lash out when he gets upset. Stacia is doing a great job keeping her composure. She said she is worried about a loveless marriage since he was in a 2-year relationship where he did not love the woman. Nate asked, "Are you afraid of me not being in love with you?" to which she replied, "Yes." All Nate had to say here was that he was, at least, in the process of falling in love with her — but nope. He said he really likes her and thinks she is beautiful and that she should have faith in them. Why do men always throw in that they think you are beautiful when they are otherwise saying all the wrong things as if that helps the situation? Stacia begrudgingly cheered to having faith in their romance.
With the guest therapist, Stacia explained how she felt lonely, vulnerable and abandoned. She came into the process fully committed to making the marriage work and does not feel like Nate is matching her energy. He claimed he is trying to get deeper and take actionable steps. He wants to know what more he can do to prove to her that he's all in, and said if she doesn't have faith in him, then he will start giving up. But to be honest, Nate seemed like he is already giving up! His wife is crying and he is just standing there. Like, give her a hug or something, geez!
After the group therapy session, they went back to the apartment and Nate was visibly irritated. He said felt as though other people see the effort he's putting in, but she refuses to see it. She said she needed action, and he felt he took that seriously but is having to continually prove himself. At this point, Nate said he thinks neither his words nor actions mean anything to her. He needs her to believe him and quit making him prove himself and be patient with him so he can grow and go deeper with her. She said she needs an emotional connection, and he angrily exclaimed, "You got emotion now, you happy?" This phrase and his actions during conflict are alarming and show that he does, in fact, give up easily.
This couple is all over the place and I do feel that Stacia is trying harder in the relationship while Nate just might be looking for an excuse to get out.
Justin & Alexis
Mallory Kessel Alexis and Justin
I am so over these dog issues…
Anyways, when it comes to love, Justin thought he was in love once but realized now, he was not. I kind of call BS on this, seeing as he told Alexis he loved her after like, three days. He said he used to be a "yes" man but got hurt and tries not to be that way anymore. He talked about how his dad was always in and out of his life and he always felt it was one-sided love. Alexis asked if Justin believes you can fall out of love and he said yes. She, meanwhile, thinks love is for a lifetime. She also went into how she has lost trust in him due to everything that happened with the dogs. She felt alone in those moments and needs consistency and to know he's fully behind her.
Alexis asked how he pictures himself as a husband and Justin said he sees himself as a great listener and supportive. They talked about the difference between dating and being married, and how there is no easy way out. Justin said if they weren't married and just dating, he would still want to be with her. Alexis called herself a "track star" and said she would have ran already. She accepts people at face value and does not think Justin's words match his actions. She discussed how he won't ever understand where she is come from because they think differently and he just needs to understand that it's her truth.
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With the guest therapist, Justin started out hot, noting how when he's hurt, he feels betrayed and starts to protect himself and become cold. He said he's not bringing past traumas into new relationships after clearly saying he protects himself because of past hurt. The therapist discussed how this is a trauma response. Justin then continued to talk in circles, saying how Alexis does not know him well. He interrupted both Alexis and the therapist, compared Alexis to a third grader and said he's tired of explaining things. The therapist explained that he needs to keep trying to be understood or the same issues will keep coming up over and over again.
I cannot decide how I feel about this couple. I admire Alexis for sticking it out when she would normally run, but I already see toxicity and resentment forming between them.
Next week is one month anniversaries and all I can say is these couples all have a long way to go before Decision Day.
Married at First Sight (produced by Kinetic Content) airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.
