Australia has only just been introduced to controversial groom Tyson Gordon on Married at First Sight, but he’s certainly got Australia talking.
The 30-year-old Queenslander has already outraged fans with his problematic beliefs and comments in his audition tapes and wedding to Stephanie Marshall.
And at the Commitment Ceremony on Sunday, March 1, Tyson left fans infuriated as he doubled down on his shocking “submissive” wife remarks.
The groom left the other couples open-mouthed as he complained that he wanted a “submissive” wife rather than someone who “challenges” him.
He was pulled up on his language by the experts as he argued that Steph wasn’t a good match for him because she was too “dominant”.
“She talks very pretentiously; she does talk down to me. I’m sick of her talking down to me like that,” he complained.
However, John Aiken hit back with, “You say she’s offending you by the way she speaks to you. Have you heard how you speak to her?”
Further complaining about his match, Tyson said she wasn’t the “submissive type”, which sparked a further grilling from Mel Schilling and left the other couples stunned.
“You’re saying I want to be with someone who will lie down, give up their rights, not try to have their needs met, who will make the relationship all about you and your needs,” Mel argued.
While Tyson insisted that wasn’t what he was saying, Mel replied, “You actually are saying that. Language matters.”
The experts argued that he was behaving as if he were “superior” to Steph by saying she was “challenging” him too much, simply because she disagreed with him.
When asked if she was attracted to Tyson, Steph said she was physically, but not in terms of his personality.
“I think you’ve got very outdated views, but I’m willing to try and continue to work with that because I see a lot of good in you, and I can see why we’ve been matched,” she told Tyson.
She argued that the woman he was looking for either didn’t exist or could only be found in a “church”, to which he replied, “That’s a good way of looking at it, I agree, actually.”
John argued that Tyson was a very difficult person to match because of his views, to which the groom hit back with, “I’ve been married before, John.”
Tyson continued to argue that he saw no future with Steph and wanted to leave the experiment, but with no vote on their first week, they stayed on.
Scroll on to read all about the controversy that has engulfed Tyson on MAFS.
What has Tyson said about the MAFS controversy?
Tyson was grilled on his “sexist” comments by Laura Byrne, Brittany Hockley and Jules Lund while appearing on Stan’s spin-off show, MAFS: After the Dinner Party.
He appeared on the post-dinner-party chat show to defend himself earlier this week, but was grilled over his controversial opinions, particularly his vocal desire to have a “submissive” wife, which “offended every woman in Australia”.
When asked what he meant by that, Tyson replied, “For me, just a traditional wife.”
“When I say traditional as well, I don’t mean she has to be at home, cooking and cleaning all day; if she wants to work, go for it.”
“But just starting a family, having a few kids, me being the provider of the household, and having my partner stay home, looking after the kids, and living a good life on the Gold Coast.”
The Bachelor star Laura questioned him on his use of the word “submissive”, arguing it does not mean the same thing as “traditional”.
“I know submissive comes across as controlling, I understand that, but in my relationship with Steph, I felt like she was making me the submissive one, like I was doing all the cooking, the cleaning,” Tyson replied.
Jules argued that he and his wife, Anna, have a “traditional” family dynamic where he is the breadwinner, but said they are still very much equals in a bid to outline the difference between the two terms.
“As a guy, you don’t want a submissive wife, how effing boring is that?” Jules quipped.
“If she did everything I said, like that’s boring, get a cavoodle!”
Laura then gave Tyson the definition of the word “submissive” – a person who is obedient and compliant – in case he didn’t understand what the word meant.
“You’re sort of talking down to me a bit,” Tyson then replied.
“I am, because it’s really frustrating and really offensive as a woman,” Laura hit back.
Tyson clarified that he wants to be the “leader of the house”, with Laura pointing out that if he wants someone who is “obedient”, then, “Yes, it’s controlling, and you want a dog”.
Tyson shockingly replied, “OK, then there you go, maybe that’s what I want. I don’t want a dog, a literal dog, but I want to be the man of the house.”
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I’m sure every female wants that.”
Tyson conceded that he could have had a “bit more decorum” in some of his remarks on MAFS and insisted he is not a “controlling” person.
“Maybe not every woman, I don’t literally mean controlling, I don’t mean literally put a leash – I’m not that sort of guy,” he added.
“I don’t want my wife to feel like a dog or a slave, but I do like these traditional values.”
What did Tyson say on Married at First Sight?
During his audition, Tyson made it adamantly clear that he did not want to be matched with a “woke” woman with green hair, who identifies as a feminist, hates Donald Trump, and is overweight.
He also said he did not want to be with a woman with a “high body count”.
Fans also spotted an American flag in his garage.
If this wasn’t enough to infuriate viewers, he was not a fan of Steph’s ambition and drive, which he labelled as “masculine” energy. Instead, he said he wants to be with a “feminine” and “submissive” woman.
With his desire to start a family, he also said he would want his partner to stay at home with the children, telling his new TV bride that it was not hard to take care of a baby.
When asked if he would be interested in being a house husband, his response alarmed her.
“Hell no!” he said. “A house husband? You may as well ask me if I want to wear a skirt around the house.”
He then doubled down, insisting he’s the “man” of the relationship.
Following the episode on February 23, fans shared their outrage about casting him.
“It’s total rage bait,” one fan vented on Reddit. “MAFS producers really are a joke. I don’t think it’s justified to give this dude any airtime just because he will get them more TV ratings.”
“This is what MAFS is now, it is only about getting an online reaction,” another agreed.
“There are hundreds who apply for the show every season, and I think it would be safe to say a good chunk of them would be actual decent blokes looking for love. Yet they absolutely made a choice when casting this guy.”
For MAFS bride Alissa Faye, who attended his TV wedding, she was taken aback seeing it all unfold.
“It takes a strong woman to marry Tyson; he has a strong character and very particular values,” she told our sister publication WHO.
The Adelaide bride admitted that it was “hard to swallow” his comments about Stephanie, but she could be the key to their relationship potentially working.
“I feel like that’s what Tyson also needs, he needs a strong woman to ground him, even though he doesn’t think he does,” she continued.
At the time of publication, Tyson’s Instagram account was private.
Who Is Tyson Gordon from MAFS 2026?
Before his journey on reality TV and his career as a property investor, Tyson served six years in the army, which included a tour in Afghanistan.
The devout Christian said his experiences with the Australian Defence Force instilled discipline and structure in him, and if he had sons, he’d love them to pursue a career in the army.
When it comes to relationships, he sees himself as the sole provider and protector.
The groom was also previously married to a Mormon woman from Utah. Even though she moved to Australia, he cited her untidiness as one of the reasons why they didn’t work out.
Are Tyson and Steph from MAFS still together?
Even though their wedding just aired, there might be one telling clue that reveals their fate.
His Facebook page is currently public, and even though he has not posted anything since 2021, he has his relationship status set as single.
It might just be a matter of not using that account often, but it might be a major spoiler.
