Mike and Elisa’s Journey to Polyandry Began with Cheating

TLC’s Seeking Brother Husband Season 1 couple, Mike and Elisa, open up about the reason they started to explore polyandry in the first place. After sparking an intense connection while line dancing, Elisa cheated on Mike while they were dating. She realized that she and Mike could “have a great relationship” and she “can still like somebody else,” which is why they’ve chosen to explore an open marriage.

Who is the ‘Seeking Brother Husband’ couple, Mike and Elisa?

TLC’s new show Seeking Brother Husband documents polyandrous couples (and trios) at various stages in their relationships of adding another husband. Los Angeles residents, Mike and Elisa recently got married after long-term dating. “As soon as we met, it was like we’re inseparable,” Elisa tells her husband. “I mean, we had fallen in love,” Mike adds.

The newlyweds are joining Seeking Brother Husband to explore an open marriage. Elisa has a strong desire to have multiple husbands and hopes that Mike can keep up. She believes there is a “double standard” regarding females having multiple partners, and she wants to change the stereotype that it’s purely for sex. Admittedly, her husband Mike struggles with sharing Elisa with another man but is willing to support Elisa.

Elisa’s realization after cheating on Mike

In a sneak peek for the premiere episode of Seeking Brother Husband (via People), Mike and Elisa open up about their rocky path to polyandry. In a confessional, Elisa recounts cheating on Mike. “That’s why I had such a struggle, like when, you know, I met that guy line dancing,” she told him.

“I cheated on Mike while we were dating — not because I was unhappy with our relationship, but because I just had this really intense connection with somebody else,” she said.

Elisa tells her husband that that period in their relationship was “so hard” on them. “It was like, ‘Why do I feel this way about this other person if our relationship is so good?’ I didn’t know at the time that we can have a great relationship and I can still like somebody else,” she admitted.

Mike admits that overcoming Elisa’s infidelity and becoming open to polyandry was a “rocky path.” Elisa adds, “It was definitely really hard.” But Mike knew that he wanted to continue to be with Elisa. “So, that was big step No. 1: We do want to continue this thing. The big step No. 2 is, ‘How to want this relationship to look moving forward?’” he said.

He said that with the help of “psychology” and “dating” books, he became open to the idea of non-monogamy. “I had to ask myself questions: ‘Do I want to stay with her to pursue multiple partners? Or do I want to break up with her?’” he continues. “I decided to stay with her and just grow from there.”