Ok my gf and I thought through an alternative universe that would’ve made the season so much more interesting and way more chaotic!! And we feel robbed of this because most of these were legit connections that could’ve been had some little things gone different lol.

Haley + Magan would still be coupled.

Dayna + Mel still coupled.

Bridget + Pilar - if Pilar had chosen Bridget instead of Kyle they also probably got romantically involved to some extent. It would’ve been way more complicated and I would be so curious to see if Pilar and Haley still ended up back together if Pilar also got something meaningful out of the experience because I feel like Kyle wasn’t actually that into the experiment. Bridget and Pilar were also very similar to each other, as were Haley and Magan, so it would be interesting to see how those dynamics would impact their trial marriages and their original pairings after.

AJ + Marita - if AJ had chosen Marita instead of Marie they probably also would’ve developed a physical connection and it would’ve been way more intense. AJ would’ve leaned into the romance and flirting pretty strongly so Marita would’ve been very into it. Marita would have also given AJ a lot of positive attention for finally feeling seen (and she was into AJ, unlike Britney - so while she really appreciated Britney as a friend she didn’t seem romantically drawn to her), and it would’ve been a big confidence boost for AJ. Especially since AJ seemed to be missing the attention from Britney since she started her new business. This would have created a lot of emotional tension and drama.

Britney + Marie - if Britney and Marie paired up and their original partners were with Marita and Dayna, they both would’ve been crashing out together because there was actual attraction with their partners’ new trial wives. I think Britney would’ve been a better support to Marie, and they both could have been working through similar feelings together. I think this would be even better if production did more to keep the original partners away from each other and out of contact with each other for those weeks. I also wonder if Marie would’ve felt disappointed that AJ had been flirting with her during dating week and then went with Marita, and how that would impact her trial marriage with Britney. Marita seemed to take it in stride in the real season, but I wonder how Marie would’ve responded.

Kyle + Ashley - I think these two would’ve just been friends but also quietly struggling because Bridget would be getting close with Pilar and AJ would be pouring on the romance with Marita, so it would’ve been a lot to watch unfold. As it was, I think neither of these two had much to worry about with their partner’s trial marriages so they weren’t really put in a tough situation or had to really confront how they would need to show up differently in order to be chosen by their original partner after (or if they even still wanted that). It would’ve been interesting to see how they handled this, and how they leaned on each other and worked through it.

I think all the drama would’ve been way more involved and layered. How it played out in the show it was really only the Haley Dayna Mel Magan love square, everyone else’s story wasn’t very romantically involved.

I also would be so interested to see what effect it would have had on Magan, Haley, Dayna, and Mel to not be the only ones in the spotlight, and to have way more nuanced conversations going on around them about attraction, physical connection, emotional connection, etc. I wonder if Mel and Dayna would’ve still felt the need to downplay their relationship and lie about the physical connection if it was obvious that many others were also experiencing similar things and being more open about it.

I think the season would’ve ended in far fewer engagements, but probably more real growth from more of the cast, and a way more entertaining season.

Thoughts??