Lifetime/A&E Press
Married at First Sight, Lifetime’s experimental reality series, sets willing participants up with a person whom they marry without ever knowing each other beforehand. The show then follows the ups and downs of the newlyweds as they navigate their lives with their new, “stranger” spouses.
Each of the couples is paired by matchmaking specialists, known as the “experts” of the show. They ween out the applicants that are looking to be on the show strictly for fame or exposure, find those are seriously interested in finding love, and then go through a series of steps to match those who are the most compatible with each other.
The experts “create what they believe are compatible couples based on scientific matchmaking and continue to counsel and mentor each set of newlyweds throughout the experiment,” the official Married at First Sight page reads.
Here’s what we know about the experts:
Pastor Calvin Roberson
Pastor Roberson is a famous author, marriage coach and relationship expert, according to his bio on the Lifetime page. As an ordained minister and counselor, he has dedicated nearly 30 years of his life to helping couples build strong, healthy relationships and keep their marriages alive. He is a “magnetic” public speaker and holds a BA in Theology from Oakwood University and a Masters of Divinity from Andrews University.
“Calvin and his wife Wendy operate the successful marriage coaching organization, Married and Naked, and he also serves the thriving Atlanta congregation, Progression church, as the lead pastor,” his bio reads. “He and Wendy currently travel internationally conducting marriage and relationship conferences, boot camps and seminars.”
Dr. Pepper Schwartz
This experiment is about so much more than physical attraction. It’s about values, morals and finding someone you can share a life with and grow old with. Attraction can grow over time. ~Dr. Pepper Schwartz #MAFS #MarriedAtFirstSight
Dr. Pepper (as she is known by on MAFS) has authored 25 books over the years, most of which involve the science and psychology behind relationships, how happy couples make their relationships work, and helping debunking myths about sexuality. She is also the author of over 50 academic articles on intimate relationships, marriage, love, and sex and was the national Love, Sex and Relationship Ambassador for the AARP for twelve years.
Dr. Pepper is actively involved in many groups, councils and programs dedicated to research on relationships and sexuality. “She is presently on the board of the advisory council of the Human Sexuality Program at the University of Minnesota Medical School. She is also Chairperson of the Intimacy and Aging study group at Stanford University’s Center for the Advanced Studies in the Behavioral Sciences as well as a senior fellow and board member of the Council on the Contemporary Family,” her bio reads.
Dr. Jessica Griffin
Sending your spouse mixed messages is detrimental to the future of the marriage because it creates instability within the marital space. A space which should always be a source of safety and security. ~Dr. Jessica Griffin 🙌 #MarriedAtFirstSight #MAFS
Dr. Griffin is a clinical and forensic psychologist, specifically focusing on trauma, relationships and divorce. She has been working with families and couples for over 15 years and received her BA from the College of Wooster and her Doctorate from the Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology. Griffin is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts’ Medical School (UMMS) and the Executive Director of UMASS Medical School’s Child Trauma Training Center.
“As a nationally recognized relationship expert in trauma and cognitive-behavioral therapy, she has trained thousands of mental health providers and other professionals, across the country,” her bio states. “In addition to her positions at UMASS Medical School, Dr. Griffin has maintained a private practice for over a decade where she works with couples and families.”
READ NEXT: Married At First Sight’s Luke and Kate Are NOT Divorced … Yet