'Married At First Sight' an Old Practice or Voyeuristic Fail?

A summer reality TV-show is making waves with its controversial premise: Couples are matched by a panel of relationship experts and they marry without ever meeting each other.

It's called "Married At First Sight," a 21st Century twist on a concept that's as old as time itself -- the arranged marriage.

The new show features three couples who have agreed to participate in a social experiment and marry someone chosen for them by four relationship experts.

The American Pastors Network was quick to condemn the reality show, calling it a mockery of marriage.

"A major role of pastors today is spending serious time counseling couples who want to enter into the sacred union of marriage. Marriage is not a game show, a contest, or something to entertain the masses. Rather, it is a divine relationship defined by God...and confirmed throughout scripture," they said in a statement.

Marriage and family therapist Linda Mintle agrees.

"The idea that you would just marry someone and know nothing about them, to never date, to have some pseudo-scientists put together some ideas of why you'd be compatible is just outrageous in terms of what it means about marriage," she said.

CBN News talked with some reality TV veterans and asked them what they think about the controversial show.

"I think it's a gag. I think people knew what they were getting into. I think it's probably over produced. I don't think it's as organic as people think. And I can't imagine meeting someone and getting married on the spot," Mark Long, former reality show contestant, said.

"I don't think you should marry anyone at first sight. Do they talk? Do they get to know each other? That's crazy. Crazytown," Jodi Wincheski, CBS casting director, said.

"Married At First Sight" definitely takes public matchmaking to a whole new level. But judging from the number of other reality shows like it, the Amercan public loves to tune in to see modern singles attempt to find true love.

Not too long ago the Game Show Network got in on the craze, unveiling It Takes a Church, where the entire congregation gets involved in the matchmaking process. In the case of contestants Rhoda Nyrienda and Randy Phillips it seems to have been a success.

"This experience has been nothing short of a blessing," Nyrienda said.

But Mintle warns these shows don't represent real life. She said most of the time there's just enough reality in dating shows to make us want to watch.

"There's a lot of voyeurism. We love to watch the drama. There's just enough blend of reality and fantasy… Maybe I could find love that way," she explained.

And why in 2014 do so many singles feel they need help finding love?

"We don't live around our extended families and those intimate communities like we used to" Mintle said.

"I think dating is hard for everyone right now. People meet online, you're not meeting in real life. They don't get set up by friends, or by people they know, so everyone has trouble making a connection," Wincheski said. "So let's face it, if someone is going to set you up with 25 guys, like, why wouldn't you go, all right, I'll give it a shot."

Whether any of the "Married at First Sight couples" will stay together remains to be seen, but what's not up for debate is the popularity of these shows, so don't expect them to go away anytime soon.