‘Married at First Sight’s Jamie Otis & Doug Hehner Reminisce on Their Fifth Anniversary

Meaghan Darwish March 22, 2019, 4:30 pm

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married at first sight 5 — Courtesy of Jamie Otis and Doug Hehner

It’s hard to believe that Married at First Sight has reached its five-year mark, but with that milestone comes the fifth wedding anniversary for Season 1 stars Jamie Otis and Doug Hehner. The pair said “I do” without having met each other beforehand, and despite bumps in the road the couple remains happily married today while taking care of their daughter Henley Grace.

While the show itself may not be doing anything in particular for the couple’s anniversary, Doug says of Married at First Sight, “we kind of want to show appreciation and really show that the experiment does work and it’s not a crazy idea anymore.”

And you could say their lengthy union is a definitive proof of this. “It turned out to be the best decision of our lives,” Doug says of their marriage.

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The couple share that they plan to commemorate the event in their own way.

“To me, five years is a huge deal whether you’re Married at First Sight or [not],” Jamie says of the milestone. The spouses have a special trip planned without their daughter, whom they refer to as Gracie.

“This is the first time doing something without Gracie, so I kind of hate it, but I know it’s necessary,” Jamie says reluctantly. “You have to put your relationship first and fill your own cup before you can fill others’.”

It wasn’t an immediate spark for the couple, as Jamie admits she didn’t think that Doug was “her type” at first. Of what Jamie wishes she could tell herself then she says, “Maybe the guy who’s not ‘your type’ is the right guy for you and you should give him a chance.” And by giving Doug a chance, she’s found that joy.

(Courtesy of Jamie Otis and Doug Hehner)

Along the journey they’ve had their fair share of hardships, though, including difficulty with infertility and two miscarriages, but they’ve remained open to the community around them. There aren’t a lot of secrets when it comes to this pair, as they admit they’re extremely open to the public around them. It helped Jamie during those particular moments in their life together so far.

After sharing that she would blog following her first miscarriage, Jamie says, “So many women have gone through loss and never talked about it cause there’s never been a space for it — it’s always been taboo.”

And in being open, Jamie received outreach from women who have been through similar events. “It made me feel less alone… but also it made me want to share our story and not only to keep Jonathan’s memory alive… but ultimately to help other women.”

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And just because Jamie and Doug have found success with Married at First Sight, doesn’t mean that the show is for everyone. Both of them offered sage words of wisdom to anyone considering a similar path.

“The biggest advice before even deciding to go through the casting process is make sure you are ready to be married,” Doug iterates. “You have to be completely honest and open about who you are and what you want, and you have to be honest and open with all of the experts because that’s essentially what you’re getting matched up with,” he elaborates.

Jamie backs Doug up, saying, “Don’t reject what the experts are saying, anytime they offer advice, you better be thanking them left and right.”

And it’s evident in their take on the most recent season of the series. While Jamie is a fan of Stephanie and AJ, there’s one couple she’s definitely not rooting for. “I genuinely don’t want Kate and Luke to work it out,” she shares, while revealing it’s the first time she feels this way about any couple on the show.

Jamie with their daughter Henley Grace (Courtesy of Jamie Otis and Doug Hehner)

When asked if they would ever consider doing another show, the couple unanimously agreed that they would. “I’m going to pitch a show to Lifetime — the Married at First Sight couples Olympics,” teases Doug, who wants to get other couples from the show involved. “Big Brother, Amazing Race, Married at First Sight-style”

And with talk of TV, we couldn’t help but wonder, what do they like to watch? For Doug, it’s a History Channel mix with Project Blue Book and The Curse of Oak Island, while Jamie’s all about Netflix’s Making a Murderer.

While they banter back and forth, that proof that they talked about earlier shines through. As a representation for what the show can achieve, you’d think they might feel some pressure, but they both say, “I don’t think so.”

“And the reason why is because we said from the start to each other, that whoever you are, just be real on- and off-camera,” Doug says.

“We were genuinely ourselves the whole time,” Jamie echoes, and we believe it.