Michael from Wollongong has won hearts after appearing on Netflix dating show Love on the Spectrum. Photo / Netflix
Michael from Wollongong has won hearts after appearing on Netflix dating show Love on the Spectrum. Photo / Netflix
Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for season 1 of Love on the Spectrum.
A 25-year-old guy from Wollongong has captured hearts of people around the globe.
Michael is one of the star's of a heartwarming Australian reality show called Love on the Spectrum that documents the complex world of dating when living with autism.
Autism spectrum disorder – also simply known as autism – is a persistent developmental disorder, characterised by symptoms evident from early childhood according to the Australian institute of Health and Welfare.
Love on the Spectrum originally aired back in November 2019 on ABC but has recently been added to streaming service Netflix where new viewers in the US and the UK have all fallen in love with Michael.
The hopeless romantic introduces himself as an "an A+ partner" and his biggest dream in life is "to become a husband". Aww.
Michael, who lives with Asperger's, has already picked out a ring for his future love and likes to dress to impress, going on his dates in a suit and bringing a rose to gift his lucky lady.
Michael from Wollongong has won hearts after appearing on Netflix dating show Love on the Spectrum. Photo / Netflix
Sadly, he doesn't meet his future wife during the documentary series, but in the last few days Twitter has blown up with affection for him.
Some describe him as the "type of person every man should aspire to be" while others said he was a "god among men" and threatened to "burn Twitter to the ground" if he doesn't meet the love of his life soon.
If you’re not completely smitten with Michael on Netflix’s Love on the Spectrum, you’re dead inside. pic.twitter.com/uBKXkfCEnr
As well as being incredibly heartwarming, Michael comes out with some cracking one-liners, at one point telling the camera he wanted to "look my absolute best … especially in the face".
Alongside Michael were 10 other hopeful romantics who all face moments of rejection, those all too familiar first date awkward silences and even experience love.
To help them on their quest for love, they are assisted by Jodi Rogers, a qualified sexologist and counsellor who has also spent over 10 years working for Autism Spectrum Australia.
Sexologist Jodi Rogers helps people on the spectrum find love. Photo / Netflix
On the show she helps guide the young adults through their emotions and feelings, giving advice such as how to greet a date for the first time and questions they can ask.
People who live with autism can find certain aspects of everyday life challenging, from reading social cues and making small talk to being able to understand another person's perspective – which can make the dating world even harder than it already is.
But despite the challenges, it's not impossible to meet someone, as the five-part series proves. Among the star's of the show are two couples, Thomas and Ruth who have married since filming ended, and Jimmy and Sharnae, who got engaged in front of the cameras.
