Ahead of the season 11 premiere, PEOPLE exclusively revealed the five new couples who took a leap of faith when they walked down the aisle to marry a complete stranger.
Set in New Orleans, the season featured 17 two-hour episodes that captured each couple’s emotional journey from the wedding and honeymoon to the daily struggles of working on their marriage.
Amelia and Bennett
Bennett grew up in Montvale, N.J., and was the artistic director of a theater company before appearing on the series. Bennett, who had sought a life partner for years, had been through a string of bad relationships but was deeply encouraged by Married at First Sight’s history of success with past couples.
Amelia was raised in Richmond, Va., and was completing her medical residency at the time of the show. Amelia said that she subscribed to the idea that “you can fall in love with anyone-ish,” and much like her grandparent’s arranged marriage, she really thought it was possible to learn to love someone. She loves social experiments and thought Married at First Sight would be the perfect one for her.
At the end of season 11, Amelia and Bennett chose to stay married on Decision Day. However, according to E! News, they split in after one year of elia has shared her music and yoga experiences on her Instagram, while Bennett has posted photos of his travels and theatrical pursuits.
Amani and Woody
Woody was born and raised in New Orleans, where he was a teacher and coach at the time of filming. Woody was ready to find a partner with whom he could share the love and kindness he learned from his mother. He knew who he was and what he had to offer to his future wife and was eager for the experts to help him find that special someone.
Amani was born in Northern California and raised in Chicago but moved to New Orleans to attend college. Amani is passionate about her work in the nonprofit sector and aspires to open a nonprofit organization working with youth. Amani was serious about finding a life partner to share her career ambitions with, explore the world and ultimately start a family.
Both Woody and Amani found what they had been looking for on the show. In ed Reign Randall, after first sharing their exciting pregnancy news exclusively with PEOPLE in .
Olivia and Brett
Brett was born and raised in Gretna, La., and worked in IT. Brett said he was always ready for marriage and was open to the MAFS bride San bernardino experience because of his belief that, historically, arranged marriages have been the primary means of matchmaking for the vast majority of human history.
Olivia was born and raised in Bossier City, La. After receiving her Master of Science in Nursing and working in clinics in Iowa, she wanted to be closer to home and moved to New Orleans for a position with a comprehensive stroke center. Having worked hard in her career, Olivia was ready to dedicate the same time and effort to a relationship.
However, Olivia and Brett decided to split before Decision Day. Olivia later spoke to PEOPLE about her experience on the show and noted, “marrying a stranger is not for the faint of heart.” She is also the co-host of Check the Locks, a true crime podcast.
Christina and Henry
Henry was born and raised in Arabi, La. Henry was looking for a partner to settle down with and felt he tried every approach possible but was unsuccessful. The dating apps were disappointing, and his friends and colleagues had no one else to introduce him to on his journey to finding love. Henry was interested in Married at First Sight because he believed the experiment would be beneficial in many ways – and would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that he’d be crazy to pass up.
Born in Houma, La., Christina was raised by a single mother and never really knew her biological father. The flight attendant was eager for the Married at First Sight experiment because she believed the experts were willing to do the work for her so she could settle happily into a relationship with her perfect match.
Christina and Henry opted not to stay married on Decision Day. Like Olivia, Henry later shared his thoughts on the series with PEOPLE along with his girlfriend, Kayla.
Karen and Miles
Miles was born in Spartanburg, S.C. He has always been passionate about education and loves working with children and young adults. Miles was looking for a wife but felt like his options were limited and thought Married at First Sight was the perfect opportunity to be connected with a partner he would not ordinarily come across. Miles not only had faith in the experts, but he trusted in the process.
Karen grew up in Baton Rouge, La., and was working as a consultant in New Orleans at the time of filming. Karen had been single for five years and found dating to be quite difficult. Karen was ready to be on Married at First Sight because she believed the experts would find the right man who had been eluding her all this time.
The couple remained together on Decision Day and began a YouTube series documenting their post-show lives together. Karen has also released a cookbook titled Killa Be Cooking.
