By Victoria Uwumarogie ·Updated January 5, 2022
If you’re a longtime viewer of the hit Lifetime series Married at First Sight, then you know there have been some heartwarming success stories. There’s Deonna and Greg from Season 9, Kristine and Keith from Season 8, and recent favorites like Woody and Amani and Miles and Karen from Season 11 as well as Briana and Vincent from Season 12. There have also been those marriages that just didn’t work, despite the best efforts of both parties. And then there have been those head-scratch worthy pairings, filled with drama and poor behavior that end up being more talked about than those who had a healthy love story and stayed together. The series is indeed a rollercoaster.
So if it’s that kind of an experience for those watching it, what would make someone want to be chosen to marry a stranger at first sight? We asked both of the Black women taking part in the newest season in Boston to break down what it was about the place they were in in their lives and the dating scene in Beantown that made them put their futures in the experts’ hands. Here’s what Katina Goode, chosen and matched with Olajuwon Dickerson, had to say about taking the leap of faith, as well as the less than pleasant experience she’s had looking for love in Boston, and why she had “nothing to lose.”
ESSENCE: Congratulations on your marriage! First and foremost, what made you want to do MAFS with the ups and downs that have been witnessed over the previous 13 seasons?
Katina Goode: I have always been an optimistic person. I was well aware that signing up for something like this, there was a 50/50 chance that I would be matched with someone I actually liked. That part of me made me focus on the couples who stayed together for the long haul instead of the ones who decided to call it quits. I still wanted to take a leap of faith because we only have one life to live, and after all, I knew I had nothing to lose at the end of the day. I thought that signing up for Married at First Sight was worth the risk despite the ups and downs I could face.
Courtney Hizey Photography
Were you a fan of the show before deciding to throw your hat in the ring for the process?
I would definitely say I was someone who was tuned in on Wednesday nights with a glass of wine with one of my friends. I still can remember saying that when I turned 30, I would give it a chance if I was still single.
How has the dating scene in Boston, as a Black woman, been for you?
Whew, child, the dating scene in Boston can be challenging — as well as being a minority, Black woman in Boston who also deals with fear and sometimes the harsh reality that our own kind don’t choose us time and time again. The colorism and negative stigmas put on Black women have become a roadblock for many of us. Nobody wants to get picked last, but unfortunately, we have gotten used to it.
What work did you do to prepare for this experience to be ready for marriage? Any therapy? Unfollowing or cutting off exes?
I knew that I would be someone’s wife one day and always knew it would happen quickly. This was something I always felt in my gut, and with me knowing this, I knew when I did meet my partner, I didn’t want them to have to deal with the consequences of past traumas I may have endured. So I focused on myself, prayed, cried, and journaled. I found a therapist I felt like I could connect with. I forgave who I needed to, but most importantly, I made sure I found peace within myself. My faith in God really helped me on my journey.
A girl still likes to have her fun here and there, so there were definitely a couple of people I had to give the bye-bye to.
What do you hope to get from this process and marriage as a whole?
What I hope to get from this process is to meet someone I can live life with, fall in love with, have a family, and be my very best friend. I hope to meet the person who can bring me laughter and add to my joy. I’m so excited to see where this journey may take me, and I’m hoping the man waiting for me at the altar is the person I can say was worth the wait.
Season 14 of Married at First Sight premieres with a three-hour episode Wednesday, January 5 at 8pm ET/PT on Lifetime.
TOPICS: dating love and relationships Married At First Sight
The post What Makes A Woman Want To Get ‘Married At First Sight’? Katina Of Season 14 Says, ‘I Knew I Had Nothing To Lose’ appeared first on Essence.
