MAFS’ Anti-Woke Groom Quits After Being Called Out By The Show’s Gay Couple
We always knew this would happen. When Married At First Sight (MAFS) cast an outspoken, self-described “anti-woke” groom on the same season as the show’s fourth-ever same-sex couple, the outcome was never really in question. We can afford to be very cynical about this one.
Tyson Gordon, a 30-year-old former soldier and property investor from the Gold Coast, entered MAFS 2026 as an intruder groom and immediately made himself known for all the wrong reasons. His list of requirements for a partner was long and eyebrow-raising: no feminists, no green hair, no criticism of Donald Trump, and definitely no gay men “anywhere near” him. He also described queerness as “very much in your face” these days, which, coming from a man who demands a “submissive” wife and wants five children, is a bit rich.
The gay couple who wasn’t having it
Intruder groom Chris Robinson and his husband Sam Stanton, the show’s fourth same-sex couple, had a front-row seat to all of it. Chris wasn’t quiet. “He said he’s not homophobic but in the same breath also said ‘I don’t care about gays, do what you want, but do it behind closed doors or keep it out of my face’,” Chris told Pedestrian. TV. “For me, that’s like telling a straight person to keep it out of my face. I’m sorry, but that’s a bit offensive.”
Chris also confirmed that both he and Sam planned to confront Tyson directly in upcoming episodes, along with several other cast members.
The exit nobody was surprised by
On Sunday, 8 March, Tyson’s time on the show ended at the Commitment Ceremony after his matched partner, 32-year-old real estate agent Stephanie Marshall, tried to raise concerns about how they communicated. Tyson stormed out. Fellow groom Joel put it plainly: “This bloke wouldn’t even spell masculinity, you know?”
Channel 9 under fire again
Tyson’s casting didn’t sit well with viewers or politicians. Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek publicly criticised Channel 9 for giving him a national platform, accusing the show of normalising coercive control. She wasn’t alone. The Conversation noted that Tyson’s rhetoric reflects the language of the online “manosphere,” a loose network of misogynistic subcultures that gained broader traction around 2014 and has since filtered into mainstream media and politics.
For MAFS, none of this is new territory. The show has weathered scandals every season. But casting someone who made openly homophobic comments alongside a same-sex couple feels less like accidental drama and more like a calculated ratings move. Channel 9 knows exactly what it’s doing. And so do we.
