Source: Lifetime / Lifetime PR
After seven seasons of featuring two white couples and one black one, for Season 8 of Married at First Sight in Philadelphia, those behind the show are doing something different. There will be four couples this time around, and two of them will be African American. While it would be nice to get some people of Latin or Asian background in there, we admit that either way, things are about to get really interesting with eight singles for Season 8.
No changes in experts, though. Pastor Calvin Roberson, Dr. Pepper Schwartz and Dr. Jessica Griffin will be returning to counsel the couples.
As for the new singles, they sound pretty promising. Get to know ’em:
Source: Lifetime / Lifetime PR
Jasmine McGriff, 29, and Will Guess, 37
McGriff is reportedly looking for her Barack Obama out here. The Philly native has watched her parents flourish as a team for 17 years and hopes to have a similar type of relationship and success in marriage. But she’s doing quite well on her own, as she owns her own home and is doing great professionally. Still, she’s hopeful that her match will be for the long-term and can provide her with that one thing she feels she’s missing.
As for Guess, according to his bio, he believes that “marriage is the overall goal in life.” At 37 he’s already accomplished a lot, but is eager to find his Mrs., especially since he’s the only guy among his group of friends to not be married. He is reportedly “financially, emotionally, and mentally ready for the next phase in his life.”
Source: Lifetime / Lifetime PR
Kristine Killingsworth, 28, Keith Dewar, 29
Killingsworth, like McGriff, is basing her expectations for love and marriage on what she’s seen from her parents’ 35-year marriage. The real estate agent loves the work she does, but she’s interested in loving someone else romantically. According to her bio, “She feels that she has overcome a lot of her insecurities and is ready to share her life with someone else.”
Keith Dewar, unlike Killingsworth, didn’t grow up seeing a solid long-term relationship. He was raised by his grandmother in Philly and his parents weren’t together. Still, he has a positive outlook about marriage and is ready for it. The patient care technician (specializing in dialysis) is hopeful his match will be a person who “values teamwork, building an empire, compromise, and emotional support as much as he does.”
The African-American couples in the last few seasons of MAFS have had their share of successes and failures in the public eye. Shawniece and Jephte of Season 6 stayed together and just welcomed a baby girl, but they’re also trying to recover from his depression and infidelity. And as for Mia Bally and Tristan Thompson of Season 7, they barely made it out of the blocks after she was arrested on the way to their honeymoon, and by the end of the season, were bickering over who was the one who initiated the divorce conversation. Let’s hope that Season 8 will be a better showing for both new couples. We’ll have to wait and see if that’s the case.
According to PEOPLE, the show will be back January 1, with its matchmaking special airing at 8 p.m., while the two-hour wedding episode premieres right after.
