Pastor Cal Explains How Michael's Second Wedding Works on 'Married at First Sight' (EXCLUSIVE)

Season 17 of Married at First Sight brings with it a first for the franchise — a second match and subsequent wedding. That is, if Michael and Chloe say “I do” at the altar. But it's still a big deal for a second wedding, which is necessary after Michael's first match leaves him as soon as they meet face-to-face. And Pastor Cal explained to Distractify in an exclusive interview ahead of the Jan. 24 episode what this means for Michael.

There are plenty of questions surrounding Michael's second wedding on MAFS, not the least of which is if it will actually happen. While Pastor Cal couldn't give us all the tea, he did shed some light on how things work for Michael and Chloe and how the experts were very intentional with the decision to help Michael continue his MAFS journey.

Michael's wedding with Chloe essentially works the same way as his first on MAFS. However, Pastor Cal shared with us, he and the other experts had to “scramble and revisit the other possible matches” they originally had for Michael. After that, it was a matter of planning the wedding later in the season than is typical.

“Of course, we could never plan for anything like this, so it was not always in the plan,” Pastor Cal explained. And, he added, “This caught us all off guard, so we had to go back to the drawing board.”

He also admitted that, ahead of Michael's second chance at a wedding, tensions were high, and there was worry that “lightning would strike twice” in terms of Michael being left at the altar a second time in a row. But Pastor Cal and the experts also chose Chloe for a reason, and she is such a solid match for Michael that, according to Pastor Cal, “She could have easily been his first choice.”

When viewers first meet Chloe on MAFS, she's eager to get down the aisle and meet her husband-to-be. But for her, this is her first MAFS wedding. And she wasn't made aware of what happened to Michael prior to being matched with him. That is something Pastor Cal felt should be explained by Michael as his story to tell his potential new wife.

“Although some may feel she should have been notified, it would have only caused her unnecessary stress,” Pastor Cal shared with us. “Because we know the singles, we have to use our best judgment as to what is the correct course. We didn’t want to add to the already stressful situation and besides, we were following Michael’s lead here and it was his story to tell, not ours.”

Should Michael and Chloe make it down the aisle, the plan is for them to have their own getaway, though in a more intimate setting that the group honeymoon the other couples got after their weddings. And they do have a choice to make on Decision Day if they get married. But when that Decision Day takes place is a little unclear.

It was important to Pastor Cal and the experts that they didn't rush Michael and Chloe, given their late start. But, Pastor Cal added, viewers have to see if the couple makes it down the aisle first.

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