Is Matthew from ‘Love is Blind’ season 6 on the autism spectrum?

Love is Blind always offers up a fresh villain with each of its seasons, but few rear their heads as quickly as season 6’s Matthew. The love-seeker came across as demanding and brusque from his first moments on screen, and that attitude quickly soured most of the girls to him.

He still managed to cling to a few connections, despite his initially icy behavior, and over the first few episodes, Matthew was seriously considered by two girls — AD, who eventually made a match with Clay, and Amber, who left following revelations about Matthew’s behavior. The awkward and seemingly manipulative behavior displayed by Matthew was an instant conversation starter, but as the season has worn on people are starting to wonder if Matthew was really a villain, or just misunderstood.

Could Matthew Duliba be on the autism spectrum?

Matthew was heavily featured in early episodes of Love is Blind season 6, but he abruptly departed the pods following the second episode. After learning that Amber had left, following revelations about his behavior, Matthew followed her out. He even claimed that he was headed to “go get Amber,” but his actual success in that aim has yet to be determined.

While in the pods, Matthew was a standout largely due to his unconventional method of attempting a connection. Rather than chatting the ladies up during the first round of dating and aiming for something organic, Matthew came prepared. He asked the ladies to choose from a list of prewritten questions, took no questions himself, and blatantly walked away when he felt there was no connection.

When he finally did match with a few women, Matthew came across much better. His chats with AD were sweet and vulnerable, and he seemed to say all the right things. There was just one issue — he was saying all the same things, almost verbatim, to Amber. Rather than shoot his shot with the one girl he found the best connection with, Matthew worked to worm his way beneath two separate women’s defenses, and in the end he lost them both.

That behavior was initially flagged as manipulative, but some fans sense something else behind Matthew’s actions. In the wake of the season’s slow rollout, some viewers are proposing theories that Matthew may be on the autism spectrum, and that could be behind what appeared to be awkward communication. Particularly when paired with a bad edit — something we know is common in the world of Love is Blind — it might help to explain why Matthew responded to AD and Amber the way he did.

Speculating on something like this gets dicey fast, particularly when you’re talking about someone as initially unpopular as Matthew. He may be on the autism spectrum, but until Matthew says so himself we won’t be labeling him as anything other than what he’s put in front of us. He has yet to step up and address the season, or his participation on it, and he may never do so. It seems clear Matthew didn’t overly enjoy his time in the pods, and with all the pushback he got following the first few episodes, it’s no wonder he’s not keen to speak out.

If he does, and his status on the spectrum does come to light, it may prompt some people to reevaluate his time on the show, but that can’t happen until Matthew decides he wants to invite us into that corner of his life. If he never does so, that’s his decision. It’s never appropriate to make assumptions about someone’s health or medical background without their express approval, so until Matthew addresses the rumors we’re letting this particular theory lie.