Ryan De Nino, a former contestant on Lifetime’s reality television series Married at First Sight, has died at 40. De Nino appeared on the show’s second season in 2015, where he was matched with Jessica Castro as part of the series’ unique social experiment involving strangers who agree to marry after meeting for the first time.
A family member confirmed De Nino’s death to TMZ, saying that he died suddenly earlier this week in New Jersey. However, his family has not publicly disclosed the circumstances or cause of his death.
Ryan De Nino’s Journey on ‘Married at First Sight’
De Nino became known to television audiences after joining the second season of Married at First Sight. The season featured couples from New York and northern New Jersey who agreed to enter marriages arranged by relationship experts involved with the program.
De Nino was paired with Jessica Castro, and the couple remained married when the show’s six-week experiment came to an end. Their decision to stay together initially suggested that their relationship might continue beyond the reality series.
However, their marriage later became the subject of considerable public attention as their relationship encountered difficulties.
Relationship With Jessica Castro
Several months after the show aired, De Nino and Castro made headlines following a legal dispute. In 2015, Castro sought a restraining order against De Nino in Queens Family Court.
According to the allegations reported at the time, Castro claimed that De Nino had threatened her and members of her family. De Nino disputed that characterization and rejected the allegations.
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He subsequently shared court documents on Instagram and described the filing as an attack on his character. The dispute became one of the more widely discussed developments involving a couple from the show’s second season.
Production Company Responds to the Dispute
Kinetic Content, the production company behind Married at First Sight, also acknowledged the situation publicly at the time. The company noted that although the show brings couples together through a unique marriage experiment, the relationships formed on the program are real and can ultimately experience genuine breakups.
De Nino’s death comes more than a decade after his appearance on the reality series. His sudden passing at the age of 40 has drawn renewed attention to his time on Married at First Sight and his relationship with Castro.
As of the latest reports, De Nino’s family has not released additional information regarding his death. Further details about funeral arrangements or the circumstances surrounding his passing may be shared by his family at a later time.
