Emily Balch wed a complete stranger on the Denver season of Married at First Sight. While her journey didn't end in happily ever after, she's still celebrating the experience.
Emily's season of the reality series aired in late 2023 and early 2024 on Lifetime. But season 17 just recently dropped on Netflix, which means a whole new group of people are following her MAFS story for the first time. With that in mind, Emily has been sharing highlights from her time on the show on her Instagram. Those updates prove she hasn't let her failed marriage to Brennan Shoykhet get her down.
Emily and Brennan were a major MAFS mismatch. Despite an initial attraction during the honeymoon, the fun-loving, laid back party girl didn't click with the emotionally withdrawn Brennan. He seemingly checked out of their relationship as soon as they returned to Denver. While they did bond after her traumatic ATV accident, that wasn't enough to make them want to continue past Decision Day. At the reunion, the bad blood boiled over. Emily refused to believe Brennan when he said he wasn't attracted to her.
"I'm an 8.5 and you're a 6," she told him.
To add to the drama, the entire season 17 cast later admitted that they'd colluded behind the scenes to shape their storylines.
"We united together to come up with a plan to benefit us all," Brennan said, However, that plan clearly backfired, given how badly most of the cast came off by the end of the season.
Despite her chaotic season of Married at First Sight, Emily isn't reluctant to highlight her time on the show. In an April 15 Instagram post, she shared photos from her and Brennan's honeymoon in Mexico. Another update focused on highlights from her and Brennan's visits with the MAFS experts, along with a link to shop her looks.
"Power looks/moves for the expert visits & a moment for the #blueshirt," she wrote.
In one post, Emily referenced her divisive behavior during some of the MAFS Season 17 after-party episodes. During those appearances, she occasionally sparred with host Keisha Knight Pulliam, who called her out for her behavior.
"Wrapped in pink & powered by pettiness - the after parties," she declared in the caption.
Emily isn't shying away from the attention that comes with being on Married at First Sight. But Brennan seems to have moved on. His recent social media updates include a photo of him with his new girlfriend and posts about a home construction project. But in a May 2024 Instagram post, he did say that he didn't feel the show captured who he really was.
"I was shocked to see that the airing became a battle of his side vs her side instead of showcasing an awesome journey that we got to experience," he said. "I was also very disappointed that the portrayal of who I was as a person was not shown in the least bit. What you saw on tv was a guy struggling to navigate an incredibly difficult situation with a lot of people and a whole lot of factors involved. I did the best I could but even I didn't recognize myself in the moments I did watch on tv."
Married at First Sight Season 17 is streaming on Netflix and Hulu.