All week viewers have been confronted with Married at First Sight groom Tyson’s controversial opinions on politics, gender roles and sexuality – with many accusing the Nine Network of platforming a “toxic” and “misogynistic” participant.
But Sam, one half of this season’s queer couple, believes the experiment is exactly where someone like Tyson belongs.
“I actually think it was great to have him on the show,” Sam tells TV WEEK. “If we were on a show like Love Island, it would be really toxic to have someone like Tyson because the only people who could call him out would be the other contestants, where everyone’s on an even playing field.
“The best thing about MAFS is that we sit with experts every week and they call out this s**t – that’s the magic.
“It’s the one show where you can put someone really toxic on and show all of Australia that having these thoughts and opinions is not okay. If you don’t put someone like Tyson on the show, those conversations don’t happen.
“Then these people sit at home going through these TikTok algorithms, getting further and further down these dark paths, hating everyone around them because they’re not being called out for their behaviour.”
At tonight’s explosive Dinner Party, Tyson’s discomfort becomes clear when Chris announces he has two children on the way – both conceived through modern avenues like surrogacy and donor sperm.
Tyson responds by saying he “doesn’t really get the whole gay thing” and that parenthood traditionally should be between a man and a woman – something Sam admits he barely noticed at the time.
“I had no idea it would throw him that much,” the fitness studio owner says with a laugh. “I really ignored Tyson and everything that he did because I didn’t believe anything he said – and I actually find him quite dumb.”
Despite initially trying to ignore him, Sam eventually realised confronting Tyson head-on could be an opportunity to shift perspectives.
“I remember saying to my best friend Liz, who was the best woman at my wedding, that I hoped they’d put someone a bit controversial or even a homophobe on the show,” he reveals.
“Within my friend groups, I’m really good at articulating what it’s like for a queer person when people like that are around you.
“The way that I talk to Tyson is probably a bit less abrasive than other people in the group. I might get through to him a little bit more – and therefore get through to people watching at home a little bit more as well.”
While he admits Tyson’s behaviour was sometimes “triggering”, Sam says he actually felt worse for the women in the experiment than he did for himself and partner Chris.
“The homophobic thing didn’t hurt me as much because I’ve dealt with it my whole life,” he says. “But the way he speaks to women is what really pisses me off.
“He wasn’t like that with me – he would listen to me. If he had a ladder he would have men at the top, then gay men, then children, then probably animals… and then women.”
With the Commitment Ceremony looming, it could prove to be a pivotal moment for Tyson – who has shown little willingness to see beyond his own views.
Will the experts finally get through to him – or will the divide only deepen?
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