What Did Emily & Brennan Choose On Decision Day? (SPOILERS)

This article contains spoilers for Married At First Sight season 17.

Married At First Sight season 17 couple Emily Balch and Brennan Shoykhet have struggled through their marriage, but what did they ultimately choose on Decision Day? After a difficult time throughout MAFS season 17, the Denver-based couple were faced with the end of the experiment at the worst possible time. Emily, who suffered an accident that left her worse for wear during the final weeks of their marriage, found herself struggling to get Brennan to open up to her at every turn. After weeks of trying to get her husband to open up to her, Emily felt defeated by Brennan.

Throughout Married At First Sight season 17, Emily and Brennan have had highs and lows in their relationship. They were both hopeful at the beginning of their marriage, having felt they met someone who would ultimately be important to them in the future. Emily was immediately attracted to Brennan, but he wasn’t able to return the sentiment, which was difficult for their relationship. While Bennan tried to keep quiet about his true feelings as to not hurt Emily, his withholding was more painful than if he’d been honest. After Emily’s accident, the couple felt they could potentially turn a corner.

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Emily Was Hurt By Brennan’s Actions

Emily’s been doing her best to stay present in her marriage, knowing it was something she wanted to stick out and give her all to throughout the relationship. Unfortunately, the accident that she was hoping would bring her and Brennan closer together ultimately made things harder for the pair. While Brennan took care of Emily after her accident, once she was better he was back to being shut down and quiet. Emily shared during the Decision Day conversation with the experts that she’d felt hurt by Brennan, and not just because of how withdrawn he’d become in their difficult relationship.

Emily explained that her marriage to Brennan had become even more difficult when she’d found out that Brennan had potentially been seeing other women behind her back. Clare Kerr, who married Cameron Frazer on MAFS season 17, shared with Emily that Brennan had suggested that he and Cameron go out on double dates while they were both still in their MAFS relationships. While Brennan denied the accusation, Emily shared she was hurt by the way Brennan had handled the situation regardless of whether it was true or not.

Brennan Seemed Indifferent About Their Relationship

While Emily had been hurt by Brennan’s troubling actions, he didn’t seem to have much care about their relationship at all. Though he did his best to defend himself, Brennan didn’t have much to say about his relationship with Emily aside from the fact that he was hurt she didn’t believe him about other women. Brennan explained that he’d kept his true feelings to himself frequently during his Married At First Sight experience, as he’d wanted to spare Emily’s feelings from some of his harsher thoughts about their relationship. He realized that was a poor choice, but only in hindsight.

Emily Chose To Divorce

After all was said and done, Emily shared with Brennan and the experts that she wanted to get a divorce. She explained that she didn’t want to stay in their marriage when she couldn’t trust Brennan, sharing that she had a hard time hearing him try to defend himself during their meeting with the experts. Emily explained that she’d been talking to Brennan just days prior when he’d said he had enough to “ruin her on television”, so she had a hard time believing the empathetic act he was putting on. Emily was happy to be finished with their relationship.

Brennan Chose To Divorce

Although it wasn’t surprising due to his lack of attraction to her, Brennan shared that he was also happily choosing a divorce. Apologetic about his actions, Brennan shared that he wasn’t interested in continuing a relationship with Emily as he felt they didn’t have any physical or emotional attraction in their relationship. He shared that while he’d tried to shield her from his harsh feelings, he knew that wasn’t the right way to approach things. Ultimately, Brennan knew that their relationship wasn’t healthy and he didn’t want to continue to participate in something that was causing them both pain.

The Exes Continued To Interact Despite Their Choice

After their meeting with the experts, Emily stayed behind to talk while Brennan left immediately. Uncomfortably, Brennan walked out of the space and Emily stuck around with the experts, who told her how proud they were of her for truly putting herself out there. Pastor Cal Roberson shared that he knew Emily would be able to have a better hold on hre true self in her fugture relationships because of her experience on Married At First Sight. Although they left their meeting with the experts separately, Emily and Brennan continued to interact outside of their marriage, functioning as ex-spouses.

The pair was seen on the following day with the rest of the MAFS season 17 cast, as Emily and Clare began to vouch for Becca Haley when she was in a fight with her MAFS husband, Austin Reed. Emily and Brennan’s relationship was called into question, and they were finally able to speak up about what had been happening in their marriage without fear that their relationship would be impacted. Tearfully, both shared that they’d learned from their experiences together, and Emily thanked Brennan for supporting her when she’d been hurt. The pair left off in a good place.

Are Things Really Over For The MAFS Couple?

Although Emily and Brennan both chose divorce, it’s possible things aren’t completely over for the Married At First Sight season 17 couple. With Decision Day behind them, the pair are officially divorced, but during the preview for the next episode of the series, it appears that Emily is still having some conflicting feelings for Brennan. Shown getting ready to move out of their shared apartment, she seemed hurt by the idea of moving on. Brennan, on the other hand, is shown in the preview talking to a friend about whether or not he has regrets from Married At First Sight.