Our 10 couples are halfway through one of the toughest phases of the Experiment, known as Confessions Week. After a week of marriage, they have now moved in together and are becoming familiar with sharing a home as husband and wife.
However, an overnight confrontation rocks the experiment, when Jesse accuses wife Claire of having secret phone calls to fellow groom Adam.
Jesse gives a blow-by-blow account of what happened that evening, revealing that he was suspicious of Claire and Adam’s relationship after watching them flirt at group drinks and then “catching” her on the phone to what sounded like Adam in the early hours of the morning. Furious, Jesse made his way into Janelle & Adam’s apartment demanding to look at Adam’s phone.
The commotion had woken the rest of the couples, and they are left trying to piece together what went down in the early hours of the morning. Janelle & Adam are also trying to understand Jesse’s motivations. Adam reassures his wife that Jesse has trust issues and that she has nothing to worry about and they agree to put the incident behind them.
Meanwhile Claire is still in disbelief after Jesse’s outburst and confronts him, demanding an apology. Jesse wants her to hear him out, but Claire has no interest in hearing anything other than an apology. Frustrated, Jesse gives in and apologises then packs up his things and moves out.
Next, it’s time to reveal a brand-new task in the Experiment – the Phone Swap task. It’s an exercise in trust: a key component in a healthy marriage. While this task may be tough, it’s designed to give our couples an insight into their partner’s true feelings and to gauge just how much they trust each other.
Alyssa & Duncan are the first couple to partake in the Phone Swap. Although the task was somewhat confronting, they allow each other to explore their partner’s phones and messages. What is revealed for each of them is a text trail of lovely messages sent to their loved ones celebrating their feelings for each other. The task leaves them feeling reassured that they can trust their partners to be open and honest in their relationship and that they do indeed share similar feelings.
Next, it’s Janelle & Adam’s turn to do the Phone Swap Task, but considering Jesse’s accusations that Adam had been secretly calling Claire, this task is also an opportunity for Janelle to explore Adam’s phone and clear any doubts she may have.
However, Adam is reluctant to do the task and is adamant that looking at each other’s phones can only lead to misunderstandings and paranoia. Somewhat disappointed, Janelle agrees with her husband and they both decide not to complete the task.
Confessions Week has been tough on Caitlin, after her husband Shannon made a confession that he is still in love with his ex-fiancé. Caitlin tells Shannon that she came here to put her all into the Experiment and his relationship with his ex is getting in the way of that. Shannon confesses that he was keeping his ex “on the fence” in case the Experiment did not work out, but admits he needs to grow up. Caitlin declares that he needs to put a boundary up with his ex or she will shut herself off from him.
It’s Melissa & Josh’s turn to take on the Confessions Letter task. In a heartbreaking letter, Josh wears his heart on his sleeve and reveals through tears that he is struggling with loneliness after his divorce. Josh is taken aback when Melissa offers no comfort and quickly turns the attention back on herself to reveal what Josh already knows… that sex is important to her. Josh is frustrated realising that beyond sex, there is not much else to their relationship, and he is desperate to connect on a deeper level with his new wife.
Next, Lyndall & Cameron have been given The First Impressions task, where they look back at the very first moment they saw one another. They are chuffed that they both had that instant attraction.
Bronte & Harrison have been living in separate apartments since the beginning of the week. Bronte decides to give the Experiment the effort it deserves and invites her husband to move back in. Harrison says that that is all he has wanted and returns with luggage in toe – both hope this will be the turning point in their relationship.
The Final task of Confessions Week is the new Five-Year Plan task, where our couples must list the things that they hope to focus on in the next five years. For Sandy & Dan, their future looks bright with similar goals and desires.
But when it comes to Melissa & Josh, their future takes a darker turn when Melissa puts “healthy sex life” in her plan. Fed up with his wife always prioritising sex in every aspect of her life, Josh questions her. The question lands badly and Melissa tells Josh that if he can’t keep up with her sexual needs, there are plenty of other men who will.
The fallout from Melissa’s Five-Year Plan continues later that night. Josh tells her that there is more to a relationship than just sex and that she has never shown any other interest in him – a point proven when he asks her what he does for a living and she is unable to answer. The fight culminates with Melissa taking sex off the table for a week to get to know each other better – Josh does not believe that she is capable of abstaining from sex but is willing to give it a go.
