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Married at First Sight's Michael says we don't know the "whole story" behind his fight with Keller.

Last Wednesday’s episode of Married at First Sight is perhaps one of the most talked about in the show’s history.

It was the always-controversial dinner party episode, where all the couples (except for Crandy, whose absence was bizarrely not even mentioned) meet for the first time, and discuss the fairly unique experience of meeting and marrying a stranger on national television.

But things got heated when 30-year-old Gold Coast radio announcer Bella asked the other couples when they first became intimate.

Fan favourite Keller was initially insistent that he didn’t want to talk about his private sex life with others, but soon became aggressive, insinuating that Bella was promiscuous, and eventually making fun of her experimental partner, Michael, for running a fashion label.

Michael says Keller "lashed out" at Bella. Image via Channel 9.
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Michael hit back, saying he didn't think Keller had "as much life experience as what he's said," and commenting that it must be hard for Keller to get a job with tattoos all over his body.

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The argument went back and forth with both men exchanging harsh words, until Keller stood up and physically tried to fight Michael.

Since the show aired, a great deal of online abuse has been aimed at Michael and Bella, with viewers saying the couple pushed Keller to his limits.

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Now, Michael has spoken to Mamamia about the evening, Keller's behaviour, and the "hateful, personal" comments directed towards him and Bella in the episode's aftermath.

He says that when it comes to Keller, people aren't seeing the "whole story", and he believes the editing of the dinner party portrayed him unfairly.

"I wasn't too happy with it, to be honest," he reflects.

On the night, it had reached the point where Michael had "had enough" and was "defending everyone."

He says the show is portraying Keller as a "misunderstood victim," but that wasn't the truth of the situation as he experienced it.

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married at first sight dinner party
Keller tried to start a fight with Michael. Image via Channel 9.

"What people aren't seeing is that he pointed at my wife and slut shamed her, then made a mockery of my profession, and yeah, I bit back," he says.

"Bella was really upset at the dinner table ... I still don't think [Keller] has as much life experience as he thinks he does, because he lashed out when a woman asked him a question."

Michael is genuinely confused about how quick the Married at First Sight audience were to side with a man who became visibly angry towards a woman for asking him questions about his sex life.

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"He was attacking another female, who was my wife," he said. "How was that a good thing?"

"I don't see how Australians can say that's OK. It's the opposite of what we're trying to build in Australia."

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Michael says that in a culture where we strongly advocate against violence against women, it's surprising that when we see aggression — including of a verbal nature — towards a woman on national television, we're quick to dismiss it.

Indeed, the public's rhetoric surrounding the dinner party has been that Keller was simply defending his 'wife', and had been pushed to his limits by the conversation.

For Michael, it's confusing that "people are saying they wish there were more guys like Keller."

At the same time, Michael thinks the editing has gone some way towards giving people the wrong idea about him and Bella.

He knows that, as with any reality show, you get typecast, and the show wants him to look "materialistic, arrogant, superficial," although he insists "that's not who I am."

married at first sight bella and michael
Bella at the dinner party. Image via Channel 9.
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Bella, on the other hand, is meant to look "ditzy and blonde and sex-obsessed," and perhaps this characterisation meant people didn't take Keller's behaviour towards her quite so seriously.

Michael says Bella's questions, which she has since told The Daily Mail were actually encouraged by the producers, weren't meant to aggravate anyone. Asking the other couples' about being intimate has been "done on every other season," and it's never been an issue.

Ultimately, Michael says he did resolve the argument with Keller, but wants Australians to ask themselves one question:

"What would you do? If there was an angry male being rude to your wife, what would you do?"

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