Lauren and Orion Are Experiencing Cultural Differences on ‘MAFS’

The Big Picture

Table of Contents

Toggle

• Orion and Lauren’s initial connection was based on their shared commitment to celebrating their cultural backgrounds, but a conversation about racial slurs created a wedge in their relationship.
• Lauren made an insensitive joke about Native Americans, causing Orion to feel insulted and resistant towards her. They were unable to resolve the issue and it created tension in their newly formed marriage.
• While audiences hope that Orion and Lauren can overcome their cultural differences, the incident highlights the importance of vulnerability and the potential impact of racial barriers on relationships.

Orion and Lauren were quickly on their way to becoming fan favorites in the current season of Married at First Sight Denver. Orion is extremely proud of his Native American heritage and Lauren is an unapologetic card-carrying member of the Black Girl Magic club. Their commitment to celebrating their culture offered an obvious commonality, and they were both visibly attracted to one another. A viral social clip of Lauren showing Orion how to tie his shoulder-length tresses up at night and the two announced they were bonnet buddies on their wedding night scored huge with the African-American audience and convinced MAFS fans the two were about to embark on a blissful honeymoon that would hopefully lead to a healthy marriage.

Their cultural backgrounds initially were the spark that connected the two, offering each something exciting to learn and explore about the other. Unfortunately, the couple’s foray into each other’s cultural backgrounds during a conversation on their honeymoon created a wedge that could threaten the couple’s chemistry and prove a hindrance to their marriage.

Orion Was Insulted by Lauren’s Insensitive Joke With A Native American Racial Slur

Lauren started the dialogue, addressing the uncomfortable conversation surrounding the use of the “n” word. Orion listened intently to his bride’s feelings on the inappropriate use of the word, but was brave enough to admit he’d ignorantly used the word years ago when quoting a hip-hop song. He expressed regret and remorse and assured Lauren that he understood the negative history behind the racial slur that has such a significant place in American history. Orion then shared the history behind some equally negative slurs aimed at Native Americans. Lauren’s knee-jerk response was to assure Orion she’d never used the term “red skin” and even went so far as to say she didn’t understand the connotation of the word. Orion was quiet and when Lauren looked over at him to respond to her denial she laughed and remarked, “Oh I just looked at your skin”. Her uncomfortable laugh immediately tasted like regret in her mouth, but the damage was already done. Orion’s expression went from open to resistant, and he physically moved away from Lauren. She tried to apologize, but the scene became even more awkward, with Orion doubling down on being offended at Lauren’s use of the slur that was historically tied to an extremely painful piece of American History. Lauren tried to apologize from another vantage point, but was unsuccessful, and eventually the awkward silence pushed the couple to opposite sides of the room and, sadly, the very new marriage.

RELATED: Lifetime’s ‘Married At First Sight’ May Have A Lawsuit Pending

During the after party immediately following the episode, host Keisha Knight Pulliam attempted to engage Orion in a conversation to potentially suggest he give the same grace to Lauren that she offered him after he acknowledged using the “n” word earlier in life, but Orion doubled down on his stance. He reiterated the painful history of the term and refused to give Lauren any additional grace, although he admitted both their infractions stemmed from ignorance.

Orion And Lauren Initially Bonded at The Prospect Of Learning About Each Other’s Cultural Backgrounds

Audiences will have to continue to tune in to learn whether Orion and Lauren are able to put this incident behind them and reclaim their initial connection or if this will be chaff that inevitably marks their union as incompatible. For most couples, disagreements on the honeymoon or early in the marriage are impersonal and while they may be annoying, they aren’t substantial enough to attack their spouses’ sense of pride or personal identity. Orion’s identification with his cultural heritage and Lauren’s insensitive remark could work to push him further from being vulnerable to her in other areas. By the same token, Lauren may feel defeated and interpret this difference in cultural background as a bigger problem of being unable to connect with Orion on an intimate level. The science behind MAFS success relies heavily on both people being willing to lead with vulnerability and often, when insulted deeply, it’s hard for couples to recover.

Orion and Lauren were the only couple to feel an instant connection this season. Both spoke candidly about being open to sharing their culture and lifestyles with their intended spouse. Ironically, in addition to having commonalities with race and culture, they both voiced an openness in their approach to sexuality that appeared to give them another pro in the list of things the experts found that made them a viable couple. MAFS audiences are always hoping for a match made in Lifetime heaven, so we know there is energy attempting to push this couple towards a deeper understanding of one another that will lead to them rekindling that initial flame. Only time will tell if racial/cultural barriers will prove too large an obstacle to overcome, or if it will lead them to a deeper understanding of one another and ultimately their bond. Either way, the conversation was a teachable moment for audiences who rarely get a glimpse behind the rhetoric to witness the pain racials slurs have beyond their historical context. Here’s hoping this emotionally charged episode offered a lesson on the importance of inclusion and representation on television.

Married at First Sight airs every Wednesday on Lifetime at 8 PM EST. Episodes can also be streamed on the Lifetime app.

Watch On Lifetime Now