Are Emily and Brennan From 'MAFS' Still Together? Fans Aren't Happy With His Behavior

Season 17 of Married at First Sight touched down in Denver, Colo., where we were introduced to five new couples. One of which was Emily Balch and Brennan Shoykhet. Emily, an account executive, had never been in a serious relationship. However, she took a leap of faith and tied the knot with Brennan, a senior NetSuite consultant at Sikich. It's a decision they first seemed pleased with.

Perhaps, it's because Emily accidentally got a sneak peek of what Brennan looked like (via a friend who showed her a pic of Brennan after finding out Emily was going to be on MAFS) before their big day, as she exclusively told Distractify in an October 2023 interview.

Upon walking down the aisle, Emily told us, "I was very pleased with what I saw and very excited that he was all mine."

MAFS resident matchmaking expert Pastor Cal Roberson explained the reasoning behind their match.

"They are two ambitious and adventurous individuals with successful careers, vibrant social lives, and strong values that we believe align perfectly,” he said during the season premiere. “Even though Emily’s never been in a serious relationship, we’re confident she’s ready to be the supportive and longing partner that Brennan longs for.”

Things start out rosy, but do they last?

Things started to get rocky for the couple after the honeymoon. The pair was supposed to move in with each other following the trip, but Brennan didn't seem too excited about the idea. He decided to take some time alone, telling Emily that they could "reconvene" in a few days. Then, in a meeting with Emily and Pastor Cal, Brennan implied that he wasn't attracted to Emily. From then onwards, the marriage was on a slippery slope.

Even though everything took a turn for the worse after the couple got back from the honeymoon, they seemed to be on better terms after Emily got in an ATV accident on the group retreat. Brennan showed up for Emily and made sure that she was healing comfortably. Emily showed her positive attitude and it looked like things might turn around for them.

Unfortunately, things turned sour again when the couple went out to dinner before Decision Day and Brennan said that Emily's negativity was a red flag. He said that “the negativity caused there to be no chance” of them staying together. Later, Emily tells producers, "I hate him."

They both ultimately said they wanted to get a divorce on Decision Day.

Even before Decision Day, MAFS viewers were quick to call out the couple's doomed fate.

Fans were upset by Brennan's behavior, and rooted for Emily to leave the relationship. "My heart hurts for Emily. Brennan is an a--hole for how he treated her. He is so cold and is dimming her light," wrote one fan on Twitter. Another told her to "run," followed by three red flag emojis. Well, it sounds like Emily got the memo and decided to put herself first.

Brennan said that when he realized that the experts made a mistake in matching himself and Emily, he lost hope in the process. Emily responded by saying, "You know exactly what you signed up for, and you avoided it by deflecting and saying nothing and making sure I said nothing."

She went on to imply that Brennan had been emotionally manipulative with her by punishing her when she said or did anything that he didn't like. "If I did something wrong, you left. If I did something wrong, you yelled at me the next morning. If I did something right, you would stay over. If I did something right, you got lunch with me."

Brennan later apologized for the way that he acted during their visits with Dr. Pia, admitting that the way he acted could have been seen as controlling.

It looks like there's more drama to come between them on Part 2 of the Season 17 reunion.

Watch Married at First Sight on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on Lifetime.