Dipaly Banerjee
‘Married at First Sight‘ offers a unique twist on the tried and tested dating reality show formula. Once a group of eligible singles signs up for the social experiment, relationship experts pair them up based on their characteristics, desires, and much more. These couples meet directly at the altar, where they get married before going on a lavish honeymoon. Later, they are allowed to settle into everyday life and get to know each other better. Ultimately, they decide whether they want to continue being married or go their separate ways. One such duo introduced to us in season 16 is Jasmine Secrest and Airris Williams. So, let’s find out exactly who they are and what they do, shall we?
Jasmine Secrest: From a Competitive Cheerleading Coach to Multiple Beauty Pageant Winner
Jasmine Secrest was born in Memphis and is a resident of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The 32-year-old comes from a loving family of 5, comprising her parents, Evette Secrest and Andrew Izo Secrest Jr., and her two siblings, Shemika and Pernell. On the surface, it would seem like the reality TV star has it all, a great career as a competitive cheerleading coach, excellent education, and stunning good looks that helped her to win multiple beauty pageants, including the title of Miss United Nations of America in 2021.
Jasmine has also secured the winning title in other beauty pageants, including Miss Jackson, Tennessee. The star attended Middle Tennessee State University, where she majored in Health and Human Performance, focusing on recreation therapy. Currently, alongside being a Cheerleading Coach, the reality TV personality also works as a Breeder at Royal Doodles & Poodles. She has also worked as the All-Star Supervisor at Premiere Athletics.
However, even with such a fat resume, her love life was falling thin. Despite several attempts at securing a life partner, her dating scene fell short with no luck at love. She joined “MAFS Nashville” with the hope that the relationship experts, with their own experience and expertise, would successfully find her the man of her dreams. This is exactly what happened once she locked eyes with the talented and handsome Airris Williams.
Airris Williams: A Software Engineer on a Quest to Find His Soulmate
Airris Williams is a 39-year-old Software Engineer who is a living example that “it’s never too late to switch careers and do something that makes you happy.” After completing a Software Development boot camp at Nashville Software School, Airris achieved his dream career after switching from Law Enforcement. He is currently working at HCA Healthcare in Nashville. The reality TV star focused on himself for a few years before deciding that it was time to expand his home and settle in with a beautiful wife and children.
However, Airris’s luck at love is very similar to Jasmine’s, where he could not find his soulmate, and the dating scene did not live up to his expectations. Though the Software Engineer has never been in a long-term relationship, he feels he is more than ready to settle down. He appeared on the show with the hope that the relationship experts would find his soulmate. But the idea of marrying a stranger, let alone in a reality TV show, was too much for his family to take, and they tried to take him out of it, claiming the whole experiment was a bad idea.
In an exclusive interview with Newsweek, Airris faced his family and let them in his plan to appear on Lifetime’s ‘MAFS.’ Fallina, Airris’ cousin, described the whole experiment as “over the top.” She expressed her concern and said: “For someone who lacks experience in traditional relationships… he’s never shared a space with anyone. He’s never been in a truly committed relationship. To go from playing the field out here, to be getting married in two weeks with someone you know absolutely nothing about… you’re planning to do this for the rest of your life. It just seems really extreme to me.”
On the show, Fallina said, “Airris should walk away now. I don’t personally think that he’s ready for everything that comes with a marriage. I would like to see him really take the time to get to know someone and try, first, commitment through traditional dating versus just going to the extreme.” Though Airris tried to persuade Fallina and his family about his reasoning behind the decision, his efforts went in vain. Nonetheless, he went ahead to appear on the show and married his lovely and talented wife, Jasmine Secrest.
Read More: MAFS’ Clint and Gina: Everything We Know
