A surprisingMarried at First Sightexpert is facing heat from fans for how they’ve been performing their job, and they are discrediting themselves.Married at First Sighthas always had a panel of three experts whose job is to match the couples and guide them through the eight-week-long experience. 79-year-old Dr. Pepper has been the longest-standing expert, as she joined in season 1. 63-year-oldPastor Cal Roberson, who is the expert getting the criticism from fans, was added as an expert in season 4. 39-year-old Dr. Pia is the newest expert, having joined in season 15.
TheMAFSexperts have long faced backlash because of the show’s poor success rate. Among the64 couples that have been matched(not including season 18), only 12 of those pairs are still together.Married at First Sightseason 18is currently airing, and the couples have passed their one-month anniversaries.Pastor Cal has been very involved in the last few episodes, but he has not been well-received as a therapist.
What Are Pastor Cal’s Motivations For Being On MAFS?
Fame? Money? Recognition?
Pastor Cal has been a formidable figure inMarried at First Sight. His faith-based advice and counseling has been rooted in traditional values, which has helped some couples, but his approach has also been off-base.
As far as Pastor Cal’s motivations for being on the show, they seem to be led by wanting exposure rather than a genuine desire to help the participants.
A Reddit thread byu/No-Fuel-8886dove into the reasons and effect Pastor Cal’s presence on the show is having in regard to his effectiveness and reception.
In the thread, there were several hot takes that painted Pastor Cal in a negative light.
“The only expert that I have a beef with is Cal. He is leveraging his collar for financial gain and that isn’t cool.”
AnotherMAFSviewer slammed Pastor Cal in a different sense.
“Like I don’t understand how, as a pastor you could make money off of a show that’s just a machine that generates divorce.”
Pastor Cal Isn’t A Good Therapist For Modern Couples
Pastor Cal Is Traditional
Lifetime’s Pastor Cal is also not an ideal expert forMAFSbecausehis views and advice is not meant for modern couples.Pastor Cal spends too much time focusing on how the woman in the relationship can uplift her husband, rather than viewing each person on an equal playing field. He is too traditional to be giving counsel when many of the couple’s dynamics call for different therapy styles.
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Does Pastor Cal Care About The Cast’s Welfare?
His Success Rate Is Poor
Another point of contentionMarried at First Sightfans have with Pastor Cal is his apathy towards the couple’s well-being and welfare.He often lets bad behavior go unchecked or does not offer appropriate guidance, which results in poor outcomes. A different Reddit thread byu/Chris9835came for Pastor Cal’s character.
“Their vested interest is to their client who is production not the couples. They care zero about these couples. That is fine for a sociologist, but for a Pastor to sell out like that is disgusting.”
Pastor Cal has clearly discredited himself in the eyes ofMarried at First Sightfans. His old school ideas and mismanagement of sensitive and potentially harmful situations has been egregious. That said, unless Pastor Cal changes immensely or is replaced on the show, fans will continue to bash him.
Married At First Sightairs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on Lifetime.
Married At First Sight
Cast
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.
