“I feel very caged”: Meet Married At First Sight’s Dan and Sandy

Diversity is coming to Married At First Sight Australia 2023 with this next pairing – and this couple might be the fresh breath of air we needed!

Born in Australia while growing up with a traditional Indian family, Sandy, 36, has had very little experience with men. Meanwhile, her new husband Dan has been married twice and has a teenage daughter.

From the beginning of the second episode, Sandy expressed her concerns that her husband would not be accepting of her culture, nor would he understand her insecurities and lack of dating experience.

Whether these two survive the experiment or not, the relationship experts selected the right man to offer stability and “guide” Sandy through this journey.

Given Sandy’s parents’ traditional values, they were unaccepting of her decision to join the tenth season of MAFS. But Sandy continued to have a traditional Indian wedding, donned with beautiful bright colours and decorations.

Sandy wore a red sari which signifies auspiciousness, prosperity, good luck and new beginnings in Indian culture.

It was an awkward meeting for Dan and Sandy, but the pair made a deeper connection as they shared vows and danced the night away.

All of Sandy’s fears washed away, revealing she felt “super empowered” as Dan accepted everything she had to offer.

“I feel so lucky to experience Sandy’s culture and her background. That’s something that really interests me and excites me,” he said.

“She is very much a trailblazer, which is something I very much respect and admire.

“I think she’s got a very strong sense of self; I think that’s really important because that’s what I try to teach my daughter so for her to be able to see that in another woman is exactly what I’ve been looking for.”

Despite the emotional turmoil prior to the wedding ceremony, Sandy revealed she held no regrets.

“I’m really glad I did this, because he seems worth it.”

At the end of the night, the newly weds went home and shared a bed – separated by pillows. All before jetting off on their honeymoon in Singapore! And ever since it has been smooth sailing for these two as they get to know each other more.

But during the third commitment ceremony, Sandy confessed she feels that Dan no longer wants to spend time with her after he spends hours away in the morning to exercise.

It then became clear that physical intimacy was a sensitive spot for the couple as Dan revealed “the sexual chemistry just isn’t there.”

They both agreed to stay in the experiment, and our hunch that the arguments continued was right!

Sandy and Dan took the next step in their relationship in order to build a stronger connection; they were physically intimate.

But afterwards, Sandy felt that her husband was growing more and more distant.

“He can separate sex and feelings. I’ve told him from the very start, I can’t,” Sandy revealed.

A distraught Sandy waited for Dan to return from his run and prepared the meal for their friends from outside the experiment. Dan revealed he felt “caged” and was concerned they weren’t compatible.

He then made it clear he wouldn’t move locations, given the pair reside in different states and needed someone who could slot into his lifestyle.

However, the most confusing part was their own perspectives on ‘me-time”. Dan suggested he would like someone who was active during their personal time, but Sandy said she wanted to use that time to work on the relationship. The father said Sandy is only deflecting and “making excuses”.

“Your raising your voice, you’re talking over the top of me, your being abrasive with me… You’ve gotta stop talking over the top of me Sandy,” he said.

To make matters worse, MAFS intruder Evelyn overheard Dan via an accidental butt-dial explaining to some other grooms that “he was too good for this experiment” and was showing photos of his ex-girlfriend. On the night some of the grooms caught up, Dan told Sandy he wanted to detach from her for a few days and be with his daughter.

When confronted during the dinner party, Dan was called “clever with his words” as he deflected, even claiming Evelyn never heard anything.

“It makes me feel so disrespected that your comparing me to [ex-girlfriends],” Sandy said.

“I apologise if you feel upset,” Dan said.