Perfect Match is one of the messiest and most dramatic reality dating shows Netflix has produced. All nine episodes of season 2 took multiple turns and shocked the viewers with the unexpected twists, it has surely been a roller coaster witnessing the arguments, conflicts, and couple swaps.
Initially, episode 1 introduced six couples in the villa including Too Hot to Handle star Dominique Defoe and Bryton Constantin from Squid Game: The Challenge. The two instantly connected admitting they wanted to walk out of the villa as the Perfect Match season 2 winners.
Fans could sense the chemistry between the newly matched pair. Even though their relationship’s outcome seemed promising, Dominique and Bryton began arguing when as soon as they returned to their room. The couple was chatting about workouts and fitness which soon escalated to a verbal fight.
Bryton claimed that Pilates was a branch of yoga that isn’t considered an actual exercise, meanwhile, Dominique left the room uncomfortable with the toxic masculine energy Bryton gave off. The former wanted to part ways with her current match but that wasn’t possible as everyone else was already paired for the first compatibility challenge.
Recently Dominique posted a TikTok video to her official account explaining that the two weren’t only arguing about yoga, it was a more serious conversation about the LGBTQ community and women’s rights.
Dominique Defoe faced misogyny and homophobia while filming Perfect Match season 2
In a now-deleted Tiktok video, Defoe expressed that she was anxious and worried about being portrayed as an angry overreacting woman who only wants her 15 seconds of fame,. Defoe decided to stop caring about her perceived image as she couldn’t tolerate hate speech.
The Too Hot to Handle star was “standing up” for people in front of Bryton’s “hateful rhetoric.” It was an exhausting experience to constantly have arguments on homophobic and misogynistic topics as per the reality TV star’s claim.
After a few days, the Perfect Match cast member was interviewed on For the Record, Tudum by Netflix on June 14, 2024, where she opened up about her overall experience. Looking back at the compatibility challenge, Defoe shared how Bryton questioned her engineering qualifications when she advised him to apply basic physics during the task.
Frustrated by Bryton’s behavior, teary-eyed Defoe asked him to stop “talking down to her” and trying to take “control of the conversation.” She explained:
He was being patronizing and talking down to me, further confirming what I already knew. He cannot take advice because he finds it insulting to his manhood … I find that disgusting.”
The Too Hot to Handle star further shared that the physical spark with her match immediately died after he made fun of Dom for expressing his emotions which wasn’t a manly thing to do in his eyes. Especially when Bryton got to know about Dominique’s bisexuality, tensions arose. The two had different views regarding the LGBTQ community, and the former stated that the Squid Game: The Challenge contestant had no “self-awareness,” she shared:
It was time for Dominique to get a second chance at love in the Perfect Match villa. When Harry Jowsey and Elys Hutchinson won the first compatibility challenge and got to play matchmakers in the board room, they decided to set up a blind date for Dominique and Chris Hahn from Dated & Related. Dominique was hopeful that she and Chris would develop a stronger connection as a newly bonded couple. Bryton was upset at this decision and decided to leave the villa without talking to other love prospects.
Defoe expressed her disappointment in Chris’ reaction when he found out about her LGBTQ identity. At the wine bar, Chris asked whether she wanted to explore polygamy as an option, Dominique was offended by this question and clarified that she has always been in a monogamous relationship.
During her confessional interview, Defoe stated that if she was straight this wouldn’t be even a conversation. As per Defoe’s statements, the behind-the-scenes drama surrounding her identity was even worse when Chris “went around the house” discussing her sexuality and how that would paint him in a negative light. She opened up about the situation mentioning:
He was just another man who’s just completely insecure in his masculinity, because once he found out that I don’t use my sexuality as a way to attract men, now it’s a problem.”
The Perfect Match contestant wasn’t scared to leave the house when she realized there wasn’t a love match for her in the villa. Staying in the game only to win wasn’t her intention as she wished to find a long-term partner who was comfortable with her sexuality and had the same views as her, on the show. Dominique explained that despite being hopeful and excited to find someone compatible, she wasn’t afraid to leave the villa after the Chris-Bryton drama:
As much as I wanted to be here and fall in love, I’m not going to fake a connection because you obviously have an issue with my sexuality. I’m not going to compromise who I am and devalue myself by begging just so I can stay in this house. I would rather leave.”
When the show’s filming wrapped, Dominique pursued a romantic relationship with a woman outside the villa instead. However, she hasn’t revealed her partner’s identity but has talked about how they make her feel at home:
I’m constantly learning something new about myself. Being with them makes me a more expansive person. The life that we create for ourselves is capable of going obviously beyond just the same old heteronormative shit. It’s a really beautiful thing to experience love, and it’s exciting.”
The upcoming Perfect Match season 2 finale episode is set to air exclusively on Netflix on Friday, June 21, 2024, will reveal whether Bryton and Dominique are on speaking terms. Now that all eliminated constants are also a part of the show, it will be interesting to see whether the feud between Bryton and Dominique resolves. There also have been rumors surrounding the former, confronting Chris for his behavior in the reunion episode.