Who is Michael Shiakallis? 'Married at First Sight' Season 17's groom, who once lost race against Tom Brady, gets ditched at altar
DENVER, COLORADO: 'Married at First Sight' Season 17 star Michael Shiakallis has made history on the show as the first groom to be left at the altar, as hinted by a teaser, while his partner's identity remained a secret. 'Married at First Sight' Season 17 first glimpse revealed that Michael was left at the altar on his wedding day.
Michael, despite being abandoned, is quite the catch. He held the position of Head of SMS Digital Experience at Lumen Technologies.
He also participated in a Spartan race against Tom Brady in 2015, where he unfortunately lost. He shared a video of the race on Facebook with a playful caption acknowledging Brady's speed.
Originally from Stanton, Santa Ana, Michael attended Mater Dei High School. He later pursued higher education in California, completing his studies in Operations Management at California State University.
Michael holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a Concentration in Operations Management from Cal State Fullerton, College of Business and Economics.
His Facebook profile claims Sara Natasha is his idol. Professionally, Michael began his career as a Technical Service Consultant at Sprint in 2003 and progressed to roles like Lead Implementation Specialist Level 2. He later joined AT&T as a Senior Project Program Manager in 2010, according to his LinkedIn profile.
'Married at First Sight' Season 17's Michael Shiakallis has been single for years
Michael Shiakallis has moved to Denver in 2019. He claimed during 'Married at First Sight' Season 17 first impression with Lifetime that he has been single since he moved to Denver.
Michael claimed, "I have an eclectic taste and an eclectic set of hobbies," as one of the reasons for being single. He also said, "I do think I'm a little more of an acquired taste."
He further noted about his appearance in the Lifetime show that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He added, "I don't want to continue not to have a woman to love and not have a woman to share my life with. I don't want that anymore."
What qualities is Michael Shiakallis looking for in his wife?
During 'Married at First Sight' Season 17 first impression with Lifetime, Michael Shiakallis shared some of the qualities he was looking for in his wife. Michael shared, "In terms of courting my wife, I'm perfectly fine with that."
He further noted that he wants to take his future wife out on date nights. He would love to travel the world with her and do all the finer things in life.
He further shared, "I'm looking for a woman who's at her core really sweet, thoughtful, and caring woman. I'm a very affectionate person." Michael added that sex is important to him, and it's one of "the biggest displays of how we feel about each other."
He explained, "I get to explore how happy it makes me to make someone else happy." Michael also shared, "I really do hope she likes me and can grow to love me."
'Married at First Sight' Season 17 premieres on Wednesday, October 18 at 8 pm ET on Lifetime.