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Married at First Sight cast Season 9

Source: JCM Photography- Asheville, NC / JCM Photography

Season 8 of Married at First Sight in Philly may have just come to a close, but it’s already time to prepare for a new season and four new couples. That’s right, Lifetime is sticking with four couples instead of the traditional three after the success of this last season. Just like the previous season, there are two African-American pairs featured again, but this time around, the search for love and marriage continues in Charlotte, North Carolina. Here are the stories behind the individuals matched to be married at first sight.

The first couple consists of 27-year-old Keith Manley and Iris Caldwell, who is also 27.
Keith is a Greensboro native who believes that family is the most important thing in life. Divorce, for him, is not an option, and he looks up to his grandparents, married 55 years, parents, married almost 30 years, and Jay-Z and Beyoncé, married 11 years, as marital role models. He is aware that marriage requires a great deal of communication and work, and he’s ready to do it. He’s also ready to become a father “immediately.” His ultimate hope is to find a partner he can build and grow an empire with, à la Bey and Jay.

We’ll see if he will find his queen bee with Raleigh native Iris. Raised an only child, she doesn’t have married couples she is inspired by because her parents divorced when she was young. However, she is excited for the opportunity to possibly be matched with someone she can not only pour into, but have pour back into her, as she is known for giving so much of herself to help those in her life. She hopes to be supported and uplifted.

Also interesting about Iris is the fact that she is a virgin. She has been saving herself specifically for marriage, and looks forward to giving all of herself to the right man — hopefully her future husband. (Should be an interesting honeymoon episode.)

Married at First Sight cast Season 9

Source: JCM Photography- Asheville, NC / JCM Photography

Married at First Sight cast Season 9

Source: JCM Photography- Asheville, NC / JCM Photography

The second couple we’ll be watching out for is Gregory Okotie, 32, and 30-year-old Deonna McNeill.

Gregory is a transplant to Charlotte, primarily raised in Fort Washington, MD in a single-parent household. He is a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) lover who is strong in faith, successful, and heavily involved in his church. Gregory is also more than ready to find love and start a family after years of being on the move traveling and going through failed relationships. He is confident that the success he’s seen some of the couples have on MAFS, he too will have, and is willing to put in the work to ensure that happens.

His match is Deonna, who was raised by both of her parents and considers family to be everything. Like Gregory, she has reached success in her career. Deonna is a homeowner, has done a great deal of traveling and has a tight-knit group of friends and family, but she too feels as though she’s missing something by not being married and having her own family. She is open and willing to try whatever is necessary to succeed with the experiment because she trusts the experts and is confident in her leap of faith.

Married at First Sight cast Season 9

Source: JCM Photography- Asheville, NC / JCM Photography

Married at First Sight cast Season 9

Source: JCM Photography- Asheville, NC / JCM Photography

These are some good-looking people, but we’ll have to wait and see if that actually translates to compatibility.

Season 9 of Married at First Sight in Charlotte premieres on Wednesday, June 12 at 8 p.m. with the matchmaking special. The two-hour premiere follows at 9 p.m. EST/PST on Lifetime.

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