‘Married At First Sight’ Season 5 Stars Reveal Their Biggest Fears About Marrying A Stranger

Wedding day nerves are normal for any couple, but the anxiety is a bit higher when you’re about to marry a complete stranger on national television. Nate Duhon and Danielle DeGroot had some serious fears about doing exactly that on “Married at First Sight” Season 5, and the two told International Business Times about the emotional rollercoaster of the Lifetime reality show.

On “Married at First Sight,” six strangers are paired up by experts who believe they are perfect matches on paper. The couples meet at the altar and get married right there. Then, cameras follow them for several weeks to see if they really are soul mates. It’s an unconventional way of getting married, but Nate and Danielle (who are not married to each other) were both willing to take a leap of faith. In fact, the different approach made Nate more interested.

“I wanted to be married and the way the experts dig in and match you with someone who is compatible with you on multiple levels is what drew my attention,” he told IBT. “I’ve had my fair share of women, yet something was missing and none of them possessed the qualities I wanted in a wife. I knew that with help from the experts, I’m positioned to have a mate who will mesh well with me — it just so happens to be a stranger!”

READ: Meet the “Married at First Sight” Season 5 Cast

Though Nate, 26, says he was just excited on his wedding day, he had concerns before the big day. “My biggest fear about joining the show was marrying someone who I didn’t find attractive at all and that our personalities weren’t compatible,” Nate explained. He added that the show’s divorces made him “weary.”

Danielle had similar thoughts. Unlike Nate, who watched Season 3 beforehand, the 30-year-old hadn’t seen “Married at First Sight” until she was in the application process. She’s watched every episode now, but seeing that only three out of 12 couples stayed together didn’t make her too nervous.

“The past divorces were a concern,” Danielle admitted to IBT. “That being said, it was no secret to me that this was a huge risk and I’m a risk taker. Could it go wrong? Duh! But if it goes right, then it could be amazing. And what an adventure either way! I’m a hopeless romantic.”

It was actually getting married that was Danielle’s real concern. Knowing that the public would eventually see her marriage wasn’t exactly comforting either. “My biggest fear about joining the show was the marriage part,” the dietician said. “I respect marriage and the vow that comes with it, but I believe in following my heart, too. You can’t really know what to expect and what it will bring with it. I try not to care what others think, but people can be harsh on social media and you expose yourself to a lot of ridicule.”

Each episode of “Married at First Sight” Season 4 averaged over half a million viewers on FYI, and it’s expected to gain an even bigger audience when Season 5 premieres on Lifetime. Danielle is just hoping that the audiences don’t jump to conclusions.

“I hope viewers keep in mind that we are real people, who were working full time, and being thrown into a situation that was new on a ton of levels and that they’re only seeing a small portion of everything we went through,” she said.

While Nate isn’t afraid of watching his relationship play out on TV with thousands watching, the business manager knows that not every moment will be a shining one. “I’m super excited about watching the show. I wish I could see it before the world does so that I can brace myself!” he revealed. “Definitely some cringe-worthy moments in there.”

Viewers will have to tune in to see who Nate and Danielle marry. “Married at First Sight” Season 5 premieres Thursday at 8 p.m. EDT on Lifetime.