Will Michael finally get his happily ever after?
Ahead of his second-chance wedding to Chloe on this week’s episode of Married at First Sight, PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at the pair preparing for their big day, from Chloe praying with her bridesmaids to Michael having his boutonniere placed on his pink suit.
“I am definitely thankful and excited for this second chance at being married at first sight,” Michael, 38, tells PEOPLE. “I am optimistic that everything will work out beautifully but that optimism is lined with caution.”
He adds: “I know what the worst case scenario feels like and it would be disingenuous of me to not acknowledge that.”
Chloe admits she has mixed emotions ahead of seeing Michael for the first time, telling PEOPLE, “I am feeling really hopeful, but also super anxious and a little scared.”
“The idea of legally marrying a man I’ve never met is wild, but I believe in the process and I know the experts have matched me with someone they believe in, too,” the 39-year-old Senior Director of Development adds.
Michael and Chloe’s big day marks the first time in franchise history that fans have seen a hopeful get another chance. Earlier this season, Michael revealed to his MAFS costars that he had been left at the altar.
“You know, wedding day comes around and she comes down, she pauses for a moment and then essentially states that she doesn’t want to marry a stranger,” he explained to the other couples.
He added that his bride “left a note and that was our real, only contact.”
After his bride’s shocking exit, Dr. Pepper Schwartz, a sociologist on the Lifetime series, asked Michael if he was open to taking “another chance” on love.
“You know, you emotionally and mentally tune yourself for this,” Michael said of joining the social experiment. “And I discovered things about myself that I didn’t realize in the moment like I knew I was ready for marriage, but I didn’t know I was that ready. So to answer your question, I would 100% do this again.”
Chloe appeared equally open to the unconventional path to love, saying, “If you asked me in my early 20s what I wanted in a man, what I wanted then and what I want now are two completely different things.”
She added: “I have an opportunity to do something I’ve never imagined in my life doing ever, really thinking about being married at first sight!”
Married At First Sight (produced by Kinetic Content) airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime. Married At First Sight: AfterParty airs at 10 p.m. ET.