Yes, Adrian from MAFS is still a bad guy

Over the last few weeks, we've seen Adrian get a bit of a redemption arc from MAFS editors. Last night's episode proved why all of it meant nothing.

Whilst there are some incredible individuals who end up on MAFS, just as many of them are pretty disappointing.

And, at this point, it's very clear that Adrian is the latter.

Since very early on, Adrian’s gross behaviour has been relatively consistent, making him one of this season’s villains - though his portrayal on the show hasn’t always necessarily sent this message.

As of lately, Adrian’s edit has been giving him a bit of a redemption arc - and here’s why I think that’s BS.

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Image: Nine.

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Adrian's villain origin story

At the start of this season of MAFS, Adrian’s red flags looked a little more pink to viewers (myself included, sigh). Sure, he was quick to shut down when he found out that Awhina had a child, but they’re obsessed with each other! Maybe they’ll work it out! Right? RIGHT??

Apparently the answer to that question is a solid maybe - although it should absolutely be a no. As each episode passed, Awhina and Adrian found themselves in a new drama, reignited by the same old issues that are never resolved, and never will be resolved.

And, this came to a head when Adrian was first faced with Awhina’s twin Cleo during friends and family week. If you’re reading this, I dare say you’re getting war flashbacks to Awhina being ganged up on by Adrian’s sisters and friend, left with only Cleo to back her up and call Adrian out on his nonsense.

At that point in time, I don’t think anyone was expecting Adrian to get a redemption arc.

We saw Awhina crying every day. They were sleeping in separate beds. Awhina even wrote leave at the commitment ceremony.

But, somehow this hasn’t been the case.

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Could he be a good guy?

Over the course of the couple’s retreat, viewers saw a shift in how Adrian was perceived on MAFS.

The guy who was once considered to be the show’s biggest villain, being called abusive and manipulative by the masses, was now being shown to have a softer side - making amends with Awhina, sticking up for other contestants, and standing by fan-favourite Jamie in her battles with both Lauren and Dave.

All kinds of videos have popped up on TikTok reflecting this change of portrayal; ‘Loving this new side of Adrian’, ‘Why do I love Adrian now?’, ‘We were wrong about Adrian!’. And this lasted all the way through feedback week and the couple swap challenge.

Now that we’ve made it back to reality once again, with the beginning of homestays week, we’re beginning to see why that kind of rhetoric was so dangerous.

Image: Nine.

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“I’m very surprised that they’re still together"

Despite a few positive weeks in the world of Adrian and Awhina, homestays week last night kicked off in exactly the way you would expect - a huge blow-up, started by Adrian.

Before the pair landed in Perth, ready for Adrian to get a taste of Awhina’s everyday life, he was faced with a truth bomb - he’d be reuniting with Awhina’s twin, Cleo.

This is when we find out that not only is Adrian not nervous at all about the visit, he actually thinks SHE owes HIM an apology.

“Unless I’m delusional here, and I’m completely in the wrong, screaming at someone is not the right thing to do ever,” he said.

“For me, it’s wild that Awhina can’t see what her sister Cleo done wrong that day.”

Awhina admits that she doesn’t think Adrian is owed an apology, and when Cleo and Adrian come face to face, it’s clear that she doesn’t think so either.

“I’m very surprised that they’re still together,” Cleo says.

“If I was dating a man, and his best friend was coming at me, and my husband wasn’t in my corner, I would have squashed it, I would have ended it, I would have walked away.”

Awhina, speaking to her mum, Cleo and Adrian, flippantly says that the two of them are both stubborn, with no resolution ever achieved at the end of any of their arguments - which viewers have seen firsthand throughout the entire series.

Adrian then goes on to suggest Awhina should move to Sydney because ‘his life is in Sydney’ (as if she doesn’t have a whole child who would need to come with her), starting yet another argument which will never end. Saying ‘the world works in mysterious ways’ doesn’t actually solve your problems! And, he swiftly dismisses Awhina’s feelings, saying she was never crying on the morning of their friends and family week meeting - even though we saw her doing so.

It shouldn't be excused

This season of MAFS (and MAFS in general) has copped a lot of flack for enabling the behaviour of dangerous men.

Of course, we don’t see every second of what happens between the contestants on the show, so there’s only so much you can say about a person from a viewer’s perspective.

But, seeing this flip in Adrian’s behaviour (coupled with his unhinged acts on social media) is indicative of why you should take every ‘redemption arc’ with a grain of salt.

While Adrian continues to gaslight and belittle Awhina on our screens, I’ll be manifesting that someday soon, she decides to listen to Cleo and leave him. Any man who you have to ask if he’ll be on his ‘best behaviour’ is not a man you should be bringing around your family, or your child.

Originally published as Yes, Adrian from MAFS is still a bad guy