Love on the Spectrum: World falls in love with Michael from Netflix dating show
He looks like your average bloke next door, but Wollongong man Michael has captured hearts around the world after appearing on a Netflix doco.
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A 25-year-old guy from Wollongong has captured hearts of people around the globe.
Michael is one of the star’s of a heartwarming Australian reality show called Love on the Spectrum that documents the complex world of dating when living with autism.
Autism spectrum disorder – also simply known as autism – is a persistent developmental disorder, characterised by symptoms evident from early childhood according to the Australian institute of Health and Welfare.
Love on the Spectrum originally aired back in November 2019 on ABC but has recently been added to streaming service Netflix where new viewers in the US and the UK have all fallen in love with Michael.
The hopeless romantic introduces himself as an “an A+ partner” and his biggest dream in life is “to become a husband”. Aww.
RELATED: What parents wish you knew about austism
Michael, who lives with Asperger’s, has already picked out a ring for his future love and likes to dress to impress, going on his dates in a suit and bringing a rose to gift his lucky lady.
Sadly, he doesn’t meet his future wife during the documentary series, but in the last few days Twitter has blown up with affection for him.
Some describe him as the “type of person every man should aspire to be” while others said he was a “god among men” and threatened to “burn Twitter to the ground” if he doesn’t meet the love of his life soon.
If you’re not completely smitten with Michael on Netflix’s Love on the Spectrum, you’re dead inside. pic.twitter.com/uBKXkfCEnr
— Camille (@Camille23320231) July 24, 2020
Michael from Love on the Spectrum is the type of person every man should aspire to be.
— Awa (@Athioye) July 23, 2020
Interviewer: What's your greatest dream in life?
— Riah Person | Stay Home (@lilririah) July 22, 2020
Michael: To become a husband
Me: *coughs in omg my heart*
So, Love on the Spectrum is off to a great start 😂
Michael from Love on the Spectrum is the type of person every man should aspire to be.
— Awa (@Athioye) July 23, 2020
Michael on Love on the Spectrum is my new favorite human 10/10 I want him to find love so bad omg ðŸ˜ðŸ–¤
— meagan hope. (@meaganh0p3) July 27, 2020
As well as being incredibly heartwarming, Michael comes out with some cracking one-liners, at one point telling the camera he wanted to “look my absolute best … especially in the face”.
Alongside Michael were 10 other hopeful romantics who all face moments of rejection, those all too familiar first date awkward silences and even experience love.
To help them on their quest for love, they are assisted by Jodi Rogers, a qualified sexologist and counsellor who has also spent over 10 years working for Autism Spectrum Australia.
On the show she helps guide the young adults through their emotions and feelings, giving advice such as how to greet a date for the first time and questions they can ask.
People who live with autism can find certain aspects of everyday life challenging, from reading social cues and making small talk to being able to understand another person’s perspective – which can make the dating world even harder than it already is.
But despite the challenges, it’s not impossible to meet someone, as the five-part series proves. Among the star’s of the show are two couples, Thomas and Ruth who have married since filming ended, and Jimmy and Sharnae, who got engaged in front of the cameras.
Many have branded the show “beautiful and pure” – even Australian singer Sia got in on the praise, tweeting it was an “absolute must”.
Ok, Love on the Spectrum is the cutest 🥺 pic.twitter.com/WdLv3JRt0l
— Selma 🂠Bouvier (@atongatem) July 24, 2020
If you haven't watched love on the spectrum on @netflix then you absolutely must!
— sia (@Sia) July 24, 2020
IT'S SO DANG SWEET AND BEAUTIFUL!
Only on the first episode of love on the spectrum and I’m already in tears🥺 it’s the most genuine n pure love I ever seen🥺ðŸ˜
— Kâ˜ï¸ (@KinziMcLeod) July 28, 2020
When the show first aired late last year it was praised for its diverse cast of non-neurotypical people and was labelled an accurate and “not fake” reality show that brilliantly portrays the reality of living on the spectrum.
Continue the conversation @RebekahScanlan | rebekah.scanlan@news.com.au
Originally published as Love on the Spectrum: World falls in love with Michael from Netflix dating show