Married at First Sight expert Dr. Viviana Coles has confirmed she is leaving the Lifetime reality series and thanked MAFS viewers for their love and support.
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Lifetime announced the cast and premiere date for Married at First Sight's upcoming fifteenth season last week, and it was revealed that returning experts Pastor Calvin Roberson and Dr. Pepper Schwartz will be joined by two new experts on the panel, DeVon Franklin and Dr. Pia Holec.
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Given Viviana's name was left out of the casting announcement, fans were left wondering if Viviana planned to return to Married at First Sight in the future.
Viviana confirmed her Married at First Sight departure when she took to Instagram on Friday with a message to her followers and captioned it, "Thanks, Y'all."
In the image text, Viviana wrote, "I have always stayed busy with meaningful projects in my professional and personal life."
"I have decided to focus more of that energy on new exciting opportunities to further my mission to help others in their intimate relationships," she continued.
"I won't be returning to Married at First Sight next season."
Viviana, however, noted how she is "so grateful" for her seven seasons on the Lifetime reality series working with Married at First Sight's production company Kinetic Content.
"I believe in the MAFS process and in my colleagues and will continue to wish them and all of the upcoming participants the best," Viviana concluded.
Viviana added the following hashtags to her post, "#grateful #excited #hopeful #determined #doctorviviana #4intimacystyles #houstonrelationshiptherapy and #nationalsextherapyinstitute."
And then on Sunday, Viviana posted two videos on Instagram, the first of which she called her last Diary Cam" with Kinetic Content.
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"Warning: It's not cute but I hate goodbyes," Viviana wrote alongside the first video post. "@kineticcontent and @mafslifetime for making my First National TV Series such a wonderful experience. #MARRIEDATFIRSTSIGHT #mafs #mafsexpert #doctorviviana."
Viviana revealed she had just filmed her last scene for Married at First Sight.
"It's a very emotional day, but I'm so grateful for this opportunity. I'm so grateful to have been a part of this process and to have been a part of bringing couples together in love and teaching individuals on how they can be the best partner to others -- what to do and what not to do," Viviana shared, choking back tears.
"I'll never forget it. I am so grateful to Kinetic Content for giving me this opportunity. The people are amazing, but I'm really excited. I'm excited about the future and I'm looking forward to that and really getting back to what it is that I'm a part of on a daily basis."
Viviana went on to detail her practice, her book, and all of the programs that she has online.
"[I'm] getting the word out on how to be in healthy and happy relationships," Viviana said. "So thank you so much, and this is Dr. V. signing out!"
Later on, Viviana shared a video of behind-the-scenes moments from the day she filmed her last Married at First Sight episode.
"THANK YOU!" Viviana captioned the reel, which was set to the song "Thank You" by Meghan Trainor.
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The video featured Viviana accepting a cake with her image on it, laughing with staff, and smiling with her significant other.
"Thank you for making my first time on a national TV series so amazing!" Viviana wrote in the video.
Viviana received warm, well wishes from many Married at First Sight alums including Iris Caldwell, Elizabeth Bice, Amani Rashid-Smith, and more.
Viviana joined Married at First Sight for its ninth season back in 2019.
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Over the last couple of years, Viviana has felt the need to defend the experts and the show's integrity on more than one occasion.
Viviana has also received backlash for helping to pair up seemingly mismatched spouses for matrimony. She was criticized for putting Zach Justice and Mindy Shiben together as well as Chris Williams and Paige Banks.
The show's fifteenth edition is set to premiere with a special three-hour episode on Wednesday, July 6 at 8PM ET/PT.
Following the premiere, Married at First Sight will continue to air two-hour episodes every week featuring San Diego-based couples navigating the extreme eight-week experiment.
The new season will also represent the first time Married at First Sight has ever filmed a season in a West Coast city.
The five brides from San Diego who were selected to wed on Season 15 of Married at First Sight are Lindy, a 29-year-old doctor of physical therapy; Krysten, a 32-year-old sales representative; Alexis, a 29-year-old logistics specialist; Stacia, a 37-year-old accountant; and Morgan, a 27-year-old registered nurse.
The five grooms who will be starring on the new edition are Miguel, a 35-year-old associate medical director; Mitch, a 41-year-old environmental policy advocate; Justin, a 33-year-old digital marketing specialist; Nate, a 34-year-old day trader; and Binh, a 29-year-old engineer.
The pairs of strangers to be married on Season 15 are Lindy and Miguel, Krysten and Mitch, Alexis and Justin, Stacia and Nate, and Morgan and Binh.
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But Married at First Sight fans won't have to wait until July to catch a glimpse of the new couples and the new season, which is "destined to be entertaining, surprising and full of romance," according to the network.
Two weeks prior to the July 6 premiere, Lifetime will air a Season 15 Married at First Sight: Matchmaking Special on Wednesday, June 22 at 8PM ET/PT.
Lifetime will follow that up with a Married at First Sight: Kick-Off Special hosted by Kevin Frazier on Wednesday, June 29 at 8PM ET/PT.
Married at First Sight: Afterparty, once again hosted by Keshia Knight Pulliam, will also return on July 6 and air Wednesday nights at 11PM ET/PT immediately after each new episode.
On each season of Married at First Sight, the strangers are matched based on their compatibility, goals, hobbies, religion, views of marriage and gender roles, and more.
After meeting for the first time at their wedding ceremony, each Season 15 couple will then have the next couple of months of their new married lives documented -- beginning with their wedding ceremony, reception and honeymoon, and continuing with the joys and struggles of daily life as they move in together and adjust to being newlyweds with their stranger spouse.
Over the years, Married at First Sight has resulted in 14 couples still married and nine children.
Married at First Sight is currently wrapping up its fourteenth season based in Boston, MA, with the season's Married at First Sight: Where Are They Now? special airing on Wednesday, June 1 at 8PM ET/PT.
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Interested in more Married at First Sight news? Join our Married atFirst Sight Facebook Groupor click here to view our Married at First Sight newspage!
And click here for more updates on former Married at First Sight cast members and info on where they are now!
About The Author:Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.
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