Absence makes the heart grow fonder … right? On this week’s episode of Seven Year Switch, the eight participants in the experiment were reunited with their real spouses. For some, it was a joyful return. For others, it was something different entirely. As the couples prepared to separate from their temporary spouses, they reflected on what they would miss about their (unofficial) mates.
Dustin Jokes That He Might Father a Child With Kelsey
“Dustin has a smoking-hot body, so I’ll miss that,” Kelsey cooed with a smile. She and Dustin decided they would keep their fake wedding rings on a while longer and ended up exchanging contact information, which wasn’t really part of the original plan. “You’ll have to give that ring to your kid in like 18 years and be like, ‘This is your real dad, right here,'” Dustin joked. At least, it seemed like he was joking … mostly.
Dustin’s real-life wife, Jaclyn, vowed to tell him how she felt and said that if he didn’t change, their marriage was going to be over. Kelsey’s real-life husband, James, seemed ready to make his marriage work. It was going to be hard to do that without Kelsey on board, however.
Aaron, Heather, Tony and Liliya Seem to Get It Right
Tony called Heather a “great match” for him, and Heather praised Tony for being a “nice” and “genuine” guy. While Heather divulged that if her real-life husband, Aaron, didn’t change, she wasn’t sure if she could stay married, once she saw him, they both embraced each other immediately. “Being back with Heather is very exciting,” Aaron beamed before cooking her dinner to show how much he’d changed.
“I don’t think you understand how much it means to me that you did all of this,” Heather said as they ate their meal together, but it seemed like he actually did (which is why he cooked dinner in the first place). Heather said that she realized through the experiment that she needed to make herself happy instead of always focusing on others, and Aaron acknowledged that she had always been his biggest cheerleader.
Meanwhile, Liliya said that by being paired with Aaron, she’d learned “a little bit” about what it was like for Tony to be married to her. Liliya said she missed Tony’s “big hugs” and couldn’t wait to cuddle, which they got to doing right away upon reuniting. Tony, on the other hand, said he was determined to have a more set career path, and all he needed from her was support, which she agreed to give. They were small steps, but important ones.
James and Kelsey Are Not on the Same Page
“My mind is very clouded,” Kelsey said to the camera upon reuniting with James. They hugged awkwardly, and she admitted how “nervous” she was. She then told James they needed to make a lot of changes. “Sometimes I feel like we’re this old, boring married couple,” she whined. “It’s very, very interesting going from you to Dustin because you guys are literally the most opposite people I ever met. He is a man. He is very intense and just very manly. He makes me feel like a woman. I need you to make me feel that way.” James looked like someone had just kicked him in the gut (or somewhere else) when Kelsey said that, and told her it was “hurtful.” To the camera, James reasoned, “I don’t know if she knows what a man looks like.” He might have had a point.
Still, James seemed hellbent on making his marriage work and told Kelsey that being away from her reminded him of all of the things he loved about her. Kelsey perked up when he said that and asked him again if he loved her. She then admitted that she drank every single day and seemed totally flabbergasted when he said that the way she had behaved had hurt him. She did insist that Dustin “never made a move” on her but confessed to James that she had no idea how they could get their passion back. She said she felt like their marriage was “very broken” and later revealed that she didn’t respect James at all. “It’s hard because he’s such a good guy,” she said. “I should feel lucky to be with him.” But she didn’t.
Dustin Breaks Jaclyn’s Heart — Again
Upon returning, Jaclyn and Dustin seemed stiff, to say the least. “I’m really not that happy to see him,” she admitted to the camera. Dustin reasoned, “I feel bad for her, but I’ve got to make myself happy.” About two seconds after they sat down, Jaclyn noticed that Dustin still had his temporary wedding band on. “It felt like a stab to my heart,” she said. “I needed a break, and I got a break,” Dustin replied before insisting that while he and Kelsey talked about a lot of stuff, they never “did” stuff (as in, they never hooked up). Jaclyn said she felt “abandoned,” and Dustin just sort of sat there, which was pretty much par for the course.
At lunch the next day, Dustin confessed that he was still texting with Kelsey, which Jaclyn wasn’t super psyched about. When Dustin and Jaclyn had to watch a video of Jaclyn crying after her meeting with Kelsey, Dustin got mad because Jaclyn “got lied to” (not because he’d done anything wrong). They then had a huge fight about the fact that Dustin had admitted he was attracted to Kelsey, which led to him arguing that there were “tons of women” he was attracted to. Then he got up and stormed off. “This is annoying me. I’m done,” he snapped as he ripped off his mic.
Tell Us: Do you think Kelsey and Dustin will end up together?
Seven Year Switch airs on FYI Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET.
