‘Married at First Sight’ Premiere: 5 Key Moments From ‘Lone Stars No More’ (RECAP)

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[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Married at First Sight, Season 13, Episode 1, “Lone Stars No More.”]

Everyone’s favorite social experiment has returned! Married at First Sight is back with Season 13 and welcoming 10 new singles to the series in “Lone Stars No More.”

Set in Texas this time around, the premiere episode kicks things off with plenty of drama and tradition as viewers meet Bao and Johnny, Michaela and Zack, Myrla and Gil, Rachel and Jose, and Brett and Ryan. Below, we’re breaking down all of the key moments from the installment.

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Telling the Family

(Credit: Lifetime)

At the beginning of the episode, all of the singles take to the spotlight in order to share the exciting news that they’re marrying a stranger. Among the most pivotal reveals during this portion of the premiere are the fact that Gil’s father was tragically killed in a home invasion when he was a kid, Johnny’s father lives in California after he left the family, and both Myrla and Bao grew up poor.

All of these factors have an effect on the reasoning behind their involvement in the show, and while there aren’t any outrageous reactions from family and friends in the initial meetups, Myrla’s friends mention that compromise will be key and Rachel’s family echoes this sentiment as they advise her to be honest about her feelings when it comes to her mystery husband, Jose.

Things take a darker turn when Johnny calls his father to share the news of his upcoming nuptials, but the man doesn’t allow the show to record him and reportedly tells his son to rethink his choice. Needless to say, emotions run high.

Meeting the Other Singles

(Credit: Lifetime)

As per tradition, the men and women participating in the season meet up for a little introduction of sorts. The women discuss comfort zones and Bao’s fears of being paired with a class clown-type. Meanwhile, the men seem to agree that they don’t want Instagram models for wives, and have fears about what’s in store. Johnny interestingly reveals that he’s looking for a clingy wife because he never got that kind of validation from his own family growing up.

Wedding Dress and Tux Shopping

(Credit: Lifetime)

Some of the singles head to the dress and tux shops to select their wedding day attire, including Michaela who gets emotional over the sight of herself in a dress. Michaela’s torn up over the absence of her father who died recently after being hit by a drunk driver. Thankfully, her sisters and mother are there to calm her nerves. Meanwhile, Zack worries that he won’t live up to his future bride’s standards during his fitting with friends and family. Bao’s mother is supportive as her daughter finds the perfect dress for her big day and Johnny picks a red tux as a gesture of good luck for his future marriage.

Bachelor and Bachelorette Parties

(Credit: Lifetime)

The bachelor and bachelorette parties are pretty tame in comparison to past seasons without any game-changing drama. While Gil shows off his pole-dancing skills, his future bride Myrla is over the party scene at the ladies’ shindig. And Bao takes a ride on the mechanical bull, making the other brides think that she’s a little wilder than she appears to be on the surface. Michaela contemplates her wedding night while talking with friends at the bar and reveals she’s not opposed to “smashing” on the first night.

Wedding Day One

(Credit: Lifetime)

The first couple up to the plate for Season 13 are Bao and Johnny, both of whom are extremely nervous but optimistic about their impending nuptials. Before they walk down the aisle though, both Bao and Johnny send each other gifts. Johnny opens a wedding survival kit from Bao and she opens her package to reveal he’s sent her a couple of sports jerseys and a piece of wall art.

This is when the fear spiral begins for Bao, who is adamant that she doesn’t want to be paired with a sports fan due to the fact that it has never worked out for her in the past. After getting over the sudden scare, she heads for the altar, and the surprises don’t end with the sports jerseys because Bao and Johnny know each other.

It’s unclear at first if this is a good thing or not, but the ceremony goes as planned and viewers are finally clued into their connection. Both Bao and Johnny had been student body presidents at different colleges and met at several conferences over the years. Without much time to let it all sink in, the pair have a brief chat about the strangeness of their predicament before posing for photos with their family.

Overall, it seems like an optimistic start for the duo, but could reservations about Johnny’s playboy past deter Bao from getting too close to her new husband? Only time will tell. Find out as Married at First Sight continues on Lifetime.

Married at First Sight, Wednesdays, 8/7c, Lifetime