Reality Rumors

ABC has revealed the identities of the seven couples competing on Here Come the Newlyweds, a new reality series that follows recently married pairs as they face-off for the opportunity to claim an ever-escalating cash prize, which will premiere Sunday, March 2 at 10PM ET/PT.

Here Come the Newlyweds will begin with the seven “diverse, sexy and competitive” couples competing in various mental and physical challenges designed to test their affection for one another.

At the end of each episode, the couple who receives the lowest number of votes cast by their competition will be booted — with the show’s cash prize growing larger every episode. One couple will claim the “nest egg worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to kick-start their new lives together and help them realize their dreams” at the conclusion of the six-episode series.

Hosted by comedian Pat Bullard, Here Come the Newlyweds will air in the time slot following Oprah’s Big Give, a new reality competition series that will follow 10 people who are given money and challenged to find “dramatic and emotional” ways to spend it on others which is also scheduled to premiere Sunday, March 2.

The seven couples competing on Here Come the Newlyweds — and their ABC-supplied background information — are:

- Fawziah & Atif Bajwa from Cincinnati, OH
An arranged marriage, this couple had only one date before their wedding, which lasted three days and had over 500 guests.

- Dawn & Cody Freis from Denver, CO
Cody, an airplane pilot, fell head-over-heels in love with Dawn the day he met her. To be together as much as possible, Dawn quit her job to become a flight attendant.

- Heather & Lance Holmes from Middletown, OH
Lance told Heather’s girlfriend that he was going to marry her the moment he saw her. They both professed their love to each other after only three months.

- Kaia & Thomas Jacobi from Washington, D.C.
Since they worked at the same company, Kaia and Thomas kept their romance a secret. Kaia’s father is a reverend and insisted that Thomas be baptized.

- Dana & Steve Krashin from New York City, NY
They were high school sweethearts and dated 11 years before they got married. Since they have been together for so long, Dana thinks Steve should have ESP and know all her thoughts by now.

- Crystal & Johnnie Moutra from Missouri City, TX
Johnnie proposed to Crystal at a Houston Rockets basketball game. They live with his parents and 10 other relatives in one house.

- Toni & Barry Woodward from Deer Park, TX
Combined, this is their seventh marriage which they say is their lucky number. They never touched, kissed or hugged before they were married.