It’s been hyped for what feels like months and now we’ve finally scored ourselves a front row seat to the TV event of the year – Davina Rankin and Dean Wells have brought Married at First Sight to an all-new low by not only swapping saucy texts and having clandestine drinks meetings, but making a pact to blindside their spouses on national TV with an unprecedented wife swap.
But while there has been plenty of outrage at Wells and Rankin’s lack of loyalty to their partners, there’s another issue we really haven’t addressed. And that’s Rankin’s bizarre decision to make a bee-line for Tracey Jewel – the woman whose heart 39-year-old Wells is about to publicly break – and not just make nice with her, but attempt to become her new best friend in a brazen attempt to get to know Australia’s currently most hated man better.
“I’ve got you babe,” she told an oblivious Jewel as she flipped her hair at Wells across the table prior to spiriting him away to a separate room where they pair made plans to ditch their partners – in case you’ve forgotten, because Rankin certainly has, she is currently “married” to lovable 29-year-old tradie Ryan Gallagher.
“I genuinely enjoy talking to you, probably out of everyone I feel like you and I are very similar.”
Is anyone else as outraged as I am that not only was girl code breached by chasing another woman’s husband, but the sisterhood well and truly went out the window with Rankin’s cringe-worthy attempt at false friendship for her own gain?
Certainly the experts are. Mel Schilling put it best when she pointed out that Rankin’s attempt at bonding with her love rival was underhanded at best. “It’s quite contrived, I see it as a clear manipulation,” Shilling said as her fellow experts spied on the disturbing footage which even saw the 26-year-old Instagram model tell single mum Jewel, 34, she should “do you” and not worry about protecting her relationship with Wells.
“She’s coaching Tracey to break up with Dean.”
Bizarrely, Rankin herself has written the whole underhanded affair to looking after number one. And I agree, we most certainly should be looking after ourselves first and foremost. But when that comes at the expense of another human being – and yes, I’m talking about Jewel mostly here but let’s also not forget that she just got Gallagher to tattoo her face on his arm as a mark of the marriage – I just can’t find any way to justify Rankin’s actions.
Don’t get me wrong, Wells isn’t off the hook here either, his actions are just as offensive. But at least he’s not buddying up to Gallagher whilst simultaneously stabbing him in the back. If theres’ any silver lining in this disgusting cloud it’s that no matter what happens next both Jewel and Gallagher have dodged a bullet. Once a cheater, always a cheater is the old saying and I have a feeling that rings true for the Married at First Sight villains of 2018.
This article originally appeared on WHO.
