There should be a salacious German word for the blissful relief one feels at not being in another’s uncomfortable situation. Not pleasure at their misfortune, as in schadenfreude, just toe-stretching- and-dancing joy that you are safely under a blanket on the sofa while others are undergoing intense public scrutiny.
First impressions suggested earnest, caring individuals fed up of the transience of modern-day hook ups
This is the feeling I have when watching Married At First Sight, the hit American TV programme that is now franchised to 24 other countries across the world. The original programme in 2014 was influenced by a very similar Danish TV series, Gift ved første blik, and has also spawned eight (and counting) slightly desperate sounding spin-offs such as Married At First Sight: Honeymoon Island, and MAFS: Happily Ever After.
Is there a happy ever after? Well, the last available stats in 2023 showed that of the 64 couples who had made the leap of faith, 11 are still married.
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