My Guilty Pleasure: Arranged 

Yep. It’s another one of my reality shows.

“Arranged” is a reality show that follows three couples (as seen above) who were arranged to some level. The show follows them from  a little of pre-arrangement, the wedding and post-arranged wedding. I am very into things about the human psyche and what makes us tick and it translates to shows I like, especially when it’s an area that is so foreign to me. Case in point, why I like Married at First Sight. I’ll walk you through the 3 couples.

Ah. Maria and Christian. To me, these were the only truly arranged couple. They are Romani people, popularly known as gypsies and in their culture, most marriages are arranged by parents and done by the parents. Christian is 18 and has never had a job and still lives with his parents, while Maria is 17 still in braces and a quiet pretty thing. They really knew nothing about each other. It was a bit painful to watch. Christian is clearly not ready to be a married man and is so mean to Maria that she threatens to leave so many times. Even the parents were nervous. They seemed to have hit a corner by the end but man it was rough.

Josh and Meghan are a true southern couple from South Carolina and were pseudo-arranged by their parents. His mom just felt she was a good girl for him and they began to date and had a proper relationship before being married. Meghan faces the issue of being the perfect wife and dealing with her mother in law who is a typical southern woman who nitpicks everything Meghan does and expects Meghan to be cooking, cleaning, baking and hosting as a woman because she very much has traditional values. They are interesting because Meghan is such a girly girl and Josh is a typical man, so watching their communication always makes me remember the whole “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus” deal.

This couple were arranged through a traditional Indian matchmaking website. They are a bit unconventional as they lived together before marriage, albeit with separate bedrooms. Both 34, Veeral is a mama’s boy that comes from a traditional Indian family while Ragini comes from a more modern Indian family…and therein lies their struggle. Gosh, Ragini gives me a headache. I have never seen anyone so uptight and combative about every single topic and perhaps she does need someone like Veeral who is more laid back and care free. I have to say though, through the course of the series, I kept wondering why Ragini got married at all.

All in all, it’s an interesting series. You are reminded how much work is needed in a marriage talk less of when you don’t know each other so well. You see how couples handle conflict and when they show their affection (except maybe Christian and Maria which was 95% conflict). The show has ended its first season now and will just have a reunion next week, where all the couples will meet for the first time. It airs on FYI on Tuesdays at 11.15/10.15c. and can probably be found On Demand. If you do give it a shot let me know what you think.