Truth

I'll go one step further. I think he should be commended for telling Mindy on Day 1 (or Day 2, whichever) that he wasn't attracted to her. I get that it seems kinda heartless, but if my MAFS spouse had ZERO attraction to me, I'd definitely prefer to know up front. He's got his issues, he's narcissistic, disingenuous, and definitely lacks self-awareness, but he's really not an evil person. Oh, and he was a really terrible selection for this particular tv show.

Right, content of character doesn't matter, it's all about skin color. I think some famous guy once quoted something like that.

Choosing not to comment is not only EASY, but it's common.

This is not about defending Brandon, it's about calling out bad behavior, regardless of who is doing it. Even supposing that Brandon is the worst person ever...IF Taylor's intent was to provoke a reaction out of Brandon and start trouble...and I believe that it was...then her behavior is appalling. It's almost as if she's obsessed with "one-upping" him in a battle of "who can be the most depraved". You're right though, Brandon should have ignored her, he has no reason whatsoever to give a rat's ass about her. But we all know that's not how he's wired, and Taylor knows it too. The fact that BOTH of them spent the night in jail speaks volumes.

Perhaps "upset" would have been a better word choice. As Meka criticized him, he was fidgeting in his chair, rapidly changing facial expressions, then shaking his head with his eyes closed. I perceived it as anger, but maybe it was a different set of emotions. Either way, it was at this point that he walked off while making some (presumably profane) comment that was bleeped out.

And I have the feeling that each of them is blissfully unaware.

LOL Taylor's account of the "bar incident was "Zachesque". (Or is it Michaelesque??)

I agree that Michael should have stuck with "no comment" or "I have nothing to add", but he made the choice to participate, and in retrospect it was a bad choice. Michael was sticking up for Brandon without much push-back, and then Meka jumped in and accused Michael of being Brandon's sycophant, suggesting that Michael won't criticize Brandon because he actually agrees with everything Brandon said and did. Honestly, it was a brutal and unrestrained onslaught from Meka, analogous to a decapitation. It was at this point that Michael became visibly angry, and left the room. He attempted to portray himself as a victim of unfairness, but in reality, he was simply being held accountable for his own words and actions. And as I mentioned previously...strange that Michael was significantly more upset over this, than repeatedly being called a liar for several months on national television.

Well, IMO, that's exactly what he did (even if it was a scheduled break). He stormed away cursing, went into a dressing room, and then whined like a baby at having to "answer for Brandon". Michael was not "forced" to speak for Brandon. The truth is, Michael was angry when he felt that Brandon was being attacked, so he spoke out to defend him. pathetically attempting to draw parallels between Brandon's childish behavior, and the behavior of his students. This was Michael's choice. He could have easily just said "I have nothing to add", but instead, he chose to engage. It seems strange that he was significantly more upset about this than he was about being called a liar numerous times on national television.

I tend to think Brandon simply lacks self-control...period. He doesn't "react"...he OVER-REACTS. It's not normal. It's severely anti-social.