Kyle Sandilands defends Married At First Sight ‘villain’ Bryce Ruthven

Bryce Ruthven has become one of the most controversial grooms on this year’s season of Married At First Sight.

The 31-year-old has copped intense backlash and been labelled ‘toxic’ for ‘mistreating’ his wife Melissa Rawson on the show.

But on Tuesday, radio presenter Kyle Sandilands defended Bryce, saying the reality TV villain reminds him of his ‘younger self’.

‘I’ll tell you why I like Bryce because I see an early version of myself in him,’ he said on The Kyle and Jackie O Show.

‘[Someone who is] easily agitated, going overboard and standing up for myself but going too far.’

However, Kyle’s co-host Jackie O Henderson strongly disagreed.

‘Don’t say that on air. No, I don’t think he is [the younger version of you],’ she said. 

‘You might have had anger issues but you also had the other side of you which was very funny and charming.’

Kindred spirits: ‘I see an early version of myself in him,’ Kyle said on Tuesday. ‘Easily agitated, going overboard and standing up for myself but going too far.’ Bryce is pictured here on MAFS

‘You had all the good stuff that would sometimes outweigh the bad stuff, but Bryce has just been shown as someone who just does bad stuff,’ Jackie added.

So far on Married At First Sight, Bryce has humiliated Melissa for her physical appearance, showed little regard for her feelings during arguments, and admitted to ‘hooking up’ with a girl just two months before filming the show.

Many viewers are directing their frustrations towards producers, questioning why they allowed such a toxic relationship to develop.

Disagree: Kyle’s co-host Jackie O Henderson (pictured) strongly disagreed, saying: ‘No, I don’t think he is [the younger version of you]. You might have had anger issues but you also had the other side of you which was very funny and charming’

Tweets flooded in last week, after Melissa told the experts she felt ‘frightened’ and ‘scared’ to rock the boat in her relationship – even though Bryce had treated her with disrespect on multiple occasions.

Leading the backlash against producers was Gogglebox star Yvie Jones, who said she found Melissa’s words ‘troubling’ and felt that producers should intervene.

‘Where is the duty of care from producers to even put her in that position? And if pap shots are correct, they’re still together,’ she tweeted.

Australia’s most-hated husband: Bryce has become one of the most controversial grooms on this year’s season of Married At First Sight. The 31-year-old has copped intense backlash and been labelled ‘toxic’ for ‘mistreating’ his wife Melissa Rawson (right) on the show

She continued: ‘So are they sitting at home watching this together? Is he seeing her say this on TV, alone in their shared home? Is he gaslighting her right now?’

Another Twitter user wrote: ‘It makes me sick watching this insidious relationship unfold… The producers have created a f**king abhorrent narrative between Bryce and Melissa.’

‘Producers only care about the ratings!!’ another added.

Married At First Sight continues Tuesday at 7:30pm on Channel Nine 

‘Is he gaslighting her right now?’ Tweets flooded in last week, after Melissa told the experts she felt ‘frightened’ and ‘scared’ to rock the boat in her relationship with Bryce