In defence of Dean from Married at First Sight

FORGET the haters. In an age of political correctness, we should be thanking Dean for staying true to himself and making MAFS much more interesting, writes James MacSmith.

WELCOME to 2018 folks, when any man displaying any traditional traits of masculinity is grabbed by the short and curlies before being publicly burned at the stake.

Enter Married at First Sight’s super villain and nightly punching bag Dean Wells, apparently ‘Australia’s Most Hated Man’.

Give me — and Deano — a break.

In this new age of excessive political correctness it is great to see someone who isn’t prepared to walk on the proverbial eggshells. Dean isn’t afraid to be himself, despite what others say. It’s a great pity not all of us feel this way.

At a time when we are being told not to refer to men and women as ladies and gentlemen, when we are being ridiculously encouraged to be gender neutral, Dean is unashamedly and proudly a man. As Mother Nature intended.

It’s time to cut Dean from Married at First Sight some slack. It certainly looks like Tracey has. (Pic: Tim Hunter)

Dean embraced a boys’ night for what it is: a great chance to bond with mates and have a good time with no harm intended. Words are not filtered and talk flows freely like the beers that are consumed. It’s called fun. Not enough people know what that is these days.

His words were Chinese whispers-twisted by self-righteous wet-blanket Pat, who won’t stand up to his mother as she continuously ridicules his wife but freely and merrily passes judgment on all others. He unleashed the self-appointed spokesperson for women worldwide Charlene who launched into a tirade against disrespect while simultaneously lashing Troy to “shut the f*** up”. Hypocrisy anyone?

I don’t remember Dean abusing anyone like that.

Charlene couldn’t wait to blurt out her and Pat’s version of events at the dinner party to the gang. Not considerately one-on-one or even to just ‘the girls’ but to the group as a whole when the potential for humiliation was greatest. So much for girl power. Her schadenfreude knows no bounds.

There are double-standards at work here.

On her honeymoon the perpetually pouting Tracey boasts of her history as a swinger with her ex-partner. Where was the outrage then about a woman enjoying casual sex without committing to her relationship?

Dean’s admirable qualities, like a willingness to accept his faults, have largely been ignored by viewers. (Pic: Supplied)

If Dean had made the same admission the Twittersphere would have self-combusted.

Carly has made it clear to Justin she prefers men like Troy or Dean. This was never scrutinised in the same eviscerating fashion as the boys’ supposed moves to ‘wife-swap’ because it was understood people are attracted to different characteristics.

Dean hasn’t been afraid to accept his faults and apologise for his shortcomings. He has a strong bond with his family including his late mother. Surely that is a sign he respects women. His best friend is female and he was reverent towards both Tracey’s biological and adopted mothers. These admirable traits have been largely ignored because of a few attempts at lighthearted humour.

Really, we shouldn’t be berating Dean but instead we should be thanking him for transforming a rather banal presentation of modern life into a palatable and enjoyable TV show. From the very start the show has been promoted on Dean. If the show’s producers were trying to sell this series on MAFS’ answer to David Brent Justin, mummy’s boy Pat or even Nasser, whose self-professed rock n’ roll lifestyle is tuned into Smooth FM, how many of us would still be tuning in? Not many.

And despite the public flogging he has copped, Dean is the most popular man on Married at First Sight. Tracey, Carly and Davina have all expressed their attraction towards him and his supercharged masculinity.

It seems the alpha male isn’t dead after all.

Originally published as In defence of Dean from Married at First Sight