'Married at First Sight' Producer Explains the Casting Process
A producer detailed the process: "It is based on a high degree of research."
— -- All three couples who were paired on "Married at First Sight" have split, but an executive producer of the show is still standing behind the series.
Chris Coelen said that the match-making is "based on a high degree of research."
"The people [the experts] present are the people we move forward with and document," he told People magazine. "There's no debate. The experts always say there is no exact science and no guarantees."
The reality TV show, which airs on A&E's FYI network, follows three couples who meet for the first time at the altar. During the six week "social experiment," the newlyweds go on a honeymoon, move in together, celebrate the holidays, ring in the new year and navigate life together.
This season, Davina Kullar and Sean Varricchio announced that they wanted a divorce during the show's finale, while the two other couples, Jessica Castro and Ryan De Nino, and Jaclyn Methuen and Ryan Ranellon, broke up afterward.
Coelen said that to find the cast members, the production company, Kinetic Content, not only solicits applications from interested men and women, but also sends an "advanced casting team" to a specific region to look for singles. While seasons one and two were filmed in and around New York City, season three is slated to take place in Atlanta.
"The men and the women are treated exactly the same. We go to bars, mixers, singles events and church groups," Coelen said. "We also go on every dating site you could possibly think of -- OkCupid, Match.com, Tinder, Hinge. We also go on Facebook, talk to family and friends and try to make the pool as big as possible."
As explained on the show, matchmaking is then left up to four experts. However, before being selected, each person has to undergo "extensive written evaluations" and background checks by "highly accredited third parties."
"We get their recommendations and they rule out a lot of people," he said.
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