Harrison’s poor reaction to being accused of having a secret girlfriend reveals a sad truth

Married At First Sight is back but one groom has already made a big relationship mistake that could cost him his new romance.

Nine’s Married At First Sight has returned, and groom Harrison Boon has made a brutal relationship mistake by gaslighting his new bride Bronte Schofield.

Last night saw Harrison and Bronte get married. Harrison is a builder who thinks women think he is hot, and Bronte seems like a nice girl who wants to meet a nice guy – so, not a builder who has tickets on himself.

Harrison is a groom on MAFS 2023. Picture: Channel 9

Bronte is a bride on MAFS 2023. Picture: Channel 9

At the beginning, Harrison comes across as lovely. Then everything comes unstuck at the reception when Bronte’s friend Jessica tells her that Harrison has a 20-year-old lover that he joked about getting pregnant before he left. Charming right?

Naturally Bronte isn’t feeling very Cinderella about this development and sits Harrison down for a chat about his actions. This man is behaving so poorly that Tracy Grimshaw and her crew of cameraman should be chasing him down the street. (I know she’s retired, but I can’t let go).

Bronte asks, “Who is the 20-year-old you have on the outside? Please be honest with me.”

Harrison replies with “Who?” But then eventually tells her, “Look, um, I was seeing a number of girls before I came into this. I’m a single guy in Sydney. I didn’t know if this was going to last a week, or month or the entire experiment.” Right.

Yes, Harrison – who is on a reality show to get ‘married’ – is actually explaining to his new wife why it is fine he has kept his options open.

The only person who could possibly understand this kind of thinking is infamous Poly Queen Jessica from this season of The Bachelors - who came on the show with a boyfriend and had no idea why everyone was upset about it.

Bronte’s wedding day is ruined when she learns the truth about her groom. Picture: Channel 9

Bronte realising she is married to a man who is very rude. Picture: Channel 9

Harrison, explains that he’ll be honest and becomes so honest he seems to fail to take Bronte’s feelings into account.

Harrison said: “There was someone I had a crush on for a long time, and we connected a week before doing this, and in the lead up, I was saying, ‘I wish I was going to be doing this with you’.

“But again, she knew what I was doing, and I told her I was giving this a 100 per cent.”

Bronte accurately declares that this is her “worst nightmare”.

Psychotherapist Julie Sweet explains that Harrison’s attempt at honesty is invalid if he then just gaslights his partner aka being honest doesn’t exonerate your behaviour.

“There is also a difference between organically disclosing to a partner something honestly and only sharing some truths and partial disclosures when questioned,” she said.

Then things get weird and Harrison starts accusing Bronte of “blindsiding” him.

Bronte quips back, “You are blindsiding me!”

And then Harrison asks, “Why are you attacking me over this?” and keeps mumbling about being single before the experiment.

You weren’t married yet but you knew you were about to be married Harrison! That’s like someone saying they are single when they are engaged.

Harrison isn’t making much sense at all. Picture: Channel 9

Sweet explained that Harrison’s reaction to Bronte’s questions wasn’t healthy behaviour.

“For example in this particular scene when the individual was held to account, his response was not only one of defensiveness he also flipped the script,” she said.

Which is an interactional behaviour where the person on the receiving end of the complaint flips it back on the other, as if they are the cause and to blame for the source of the original problem.

“When the story was turned on the female last night, she was placed in a position where she could have had self doubt and questioned her own sanity, feeling guilty and that she was somehow at fault for raising the topic. This is textbook gaslighting,” she explained.

Harrison is baffled that no one understands he was single before the show. Picture: Channel 9

Harrison acting all upset because his wife is bringing up his girlfriend. Picture: Channel 9

Harrison continues to act very offended that Bronte has brought up his busy dating life.

Yes, Harrison is the one that has a woman waiting for him. Yet he is accusing Bronte of attacking him?

We are clearly in Gaslight city, and Harrison is the mayor.

It is easy when watching it on television to see the holes in his arguments but for Bronte, you can tell the fact he is so clear that she’s behaving poorly spooked her and she does back off.

She doesn’t appear to be happy and warns him that she hopes there isn’t more to the story but once he gets defensive, she pretty much stops berating him immediately.

Harrison’s behaviour doesn’t exactly set him up to have a great love story with Bronte but for us viewers at home it gives us a firmer understanding of what gaslighting looks like.