Plot Synopsis

SURVIVING MARRIAGE is a one-hour reality series that follows couples on the brink of divorce, as they are stranded on a remote island for an extreme form of therapy designed to repair their troubled marriages. With their relationships on the rocks, each week one couple agrees to spend five days together on a secluded island deep in the South Pacific to try to rectify their marital issues. Left alone with no modern conveniences and limited access to food and water, these pairs have only each other to rely on as they navigate the challenging and treacherous conditions on the island. The couples must complete a series of physical and emotional exercises specifically designed by marriage experts to solve the serious issues tearing them apart. On their last day on the island, after five days of battling deep seeded marital issues that seem beyond repair, the couples must decide if they want to recommit to their marriages or end them once and for all. Licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Colleen Long and family therapist Dr. Tom Kersting help viewers navigate the couples' often volatile journeys, where a simple act can unearth years of pent up aggression, regret and pain. Each 60-minute episode features a different couple, including: Cleburn and April, high school sweethearts who struggle with hot tempers and are haunted by past indiscretions; Josh and Alethea, who married young and 18 years later are still trying to find their own identities; Damian and Randi, who find it difficult to maintain a balanced relationship with an imbalance of power and decision making; Dennis and Tamar, who struggle with financial burdens that are weighing down their marriage; and more pairs who decide to put their marriage to the ultimate test of survival.