4 Key Moments From ‘Sliding Towards Decision Day’ (RECAP)

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Married at First Sight Season 16, Episode 19, “Sliding Towards Decision Day.”]

Married at First Sight Season 16 is just one episode away from the fated Decision Day, and Lifetime‘s social experiment continues to surprise in “Sliding Towards Decision Day.”

In the days leading up to the big choice, the couples are building intimacy, meeting with experts, and relying on each other to aid in their decision-making. Below, we’re breaking down all of the key moments from the installment, so beware of spoilers ahead.

Mackinley Shoots His Shot

Meeting up for a workout session with Airris, Mackinley asks how things are going with Jasmine before admitting he’s recently slid into Gina’s DMs. Noting that all of the brides from Season 16 are attractive, Mackinley expresses interest in Gina post-Decision Day, saying he wouldn’t be opposed to exploring something with her if she and Clint don’t stay together, but would she feel the same?

Couple Activities

In an attempt to spend one-on-one time together, the couples explore different activities. Kirsten and Shaquille have a custom song created by a local singer-songwriter who even gets Kirsten to sing a verse with Shaquille’s encouragement. During the outing, we also discover that Kirsten introduced Shaquille to her dad without cameras, but is it enough to make him feel secure in the marriage before Decision Day?

Meanwhile, Clint is feeling a little awkward about comments Gina made to the experts in the previous episode, admitting he feels blindsided by her saying he has “weird energy.” While visiting a ranch and riding horses, he keeps his cool, but Clint eventually asks Gina what she meant during a mini picnic. She reassures him that she isn’t making fun of him, just acknowledging his eccentricities and how that makes her feel, but Gina still apologizes for making Clint feel bad.

Chris and Nicole share a dinner prepared by a private chef and reflect on the looming decision ahead of them. While they have a fun time, mostly, Nicole is still concerned about their upcoming living situation and Chris is unconcerned. Could a potential fight be on the horizon for the couple who hasn’t experienced such discord?

Airris and Jasmine enjoy a kayak trip up the waterway before stopping for a little champagne picnic where they talk about their progress. While she’s going back and forth on her choice, Airris claims he has an answer to the impending Decision Day.

Expert Visits

The experts pay a visit one last time to the couples with Jasmine and Airris showing off their progress by sitting close together during their chat with Dr. Pepper and Pastor Cal. While Jasmine feels good that Airris has had a positive impact on their marriage, and they complement each other, she still needs to see more from him before making her final decision. Kirsten and Shaquille discuss meeting her family, and expectations. Ultimately, Shaquille wants Kirsten and himself to hold each other accountable for their behaviors and continue to work on things. Pastor Cal even tells the pair they have power couple potential if they stay the course.

Night Out

(Credit: Lifetime)

The men and women go out separately for a fresh perspective on their relationships. Airris makes a point early in the night to not bring up Mackinley’s attraction to Gina because he doesn’t want to cause trouble and he believes it has nothing to do with him. As for Gina’s comments about Cliff’s “bizarre energy,” he brings it up to the other husbands but gets over it in the end. Nicole and Chris share concerns over his kind-hearted nature, as she doesn’t want him to sacrifice himself to make her happy.

Everyone at both gatherings seems to agree as well. Kirsten calls her marriage a rollercoaster, and Shaquille highlights the benefits of meeting her dad finally. Airris expresses growth as well, admitting that when he was away from Jasmine, he missed her. Gina and Jasmine talk about their pole-dancing class before the group of women gets up to hit the dancefloor in the bar they met at.

There, they’re surrounded by a bunch of single men, one of which begins hitting on Jasmine, but they depart before anything wild can happen. The episode concludes with the couples reconvening at their apartments ahead of Decision Day. Don’t miss the big moment when the highly-anticipated episode arrives next week.

Married at First Sight, Season 16, Wednesdays, 8/7c, Lifetime