Dave Thomas Hand is a 38-year-old builder and TikTok personality from Victoria, Australia. He goes by @dth_9 on Instagram, where he has 203,000 followers, and documents his life across travel, fitness, and his dog Willow.
At 6’6″ tall and covered in tattoos, he has acknowledged that people make assumptions about him before he opens his mouth. Those assumptions tend to be wrong. Dave describes himself as a big friendly giant — someone who looks like trouble and turns out to be one of the more emotionally grounded people in the room.
He is the only cast member on “Perfect Match” Season 4 coming from the Married at First Sight Australia franchise, which makes him one of the wilder cards in the villa.
What Is ‘Married at First Sight: Australia’?
For American audiences unfamiliar with the Australian version: MAFS Australia is a longer, messier, and considerably more dramatic format than its US counterpart. Couples are matched by experts, meet at the altar, and then live together through a series of weekly commitment ceremonies, retreats, and dinner parties — all while the experts push them to dig deeper.
The show airs on Channel 9 in Australia and streams internationally. It has a devoted global following and a reputation for producing some of the most unhinged reality television on the planet.
US fans can watch on Peacock.
Dave appeared on Season 12, which aired in 2025.
Dave Hand’s Time on ‘Married at First Sight: Australia’
Dave was matched with Jamie Marinos, a 27-year-old account manager whose own description of her dream man — someone who looks like they are “doing 20 to life in prison” but is soft on the inside — could have been written specifically for him. Fans clocked immediately that these two were well-suited on paper, and the first several weeks of their relationship reflected that. They backed each other, stayed through every commitment ceremony, and came across as one of the strongest pairings of their season.
Then Jamie told Dave she loved him, and Dave — by his own admission — shut down. He became emotionally withdrawn in a way that hurt her, and it showed. The experts pushed. The viewers gritted their teeth. Dave eventually came back around, and at Final Vows, he told Jamie she had become one of the closest people in his life and that he would show up no matter what. Jamie chose him. They left hand in hand as one of only two couples to make it to the end of the season.
It didn’t last. They split about a week before the reunion was filmed.
By April 2025, they were not on speaking terms. Jamie told an Australian radio host that watching the season back was difficult and that she had tried to maintain a friendship but found it hard given what she had experienced. Dave’s side of the split was quieter. Both have moved on.
The TikTok Tradie
Before MAFS and after it, Dave has built a following as the TikTok Tradie — a persona rooted in his actual trade work as a builder, filtered through the kind of self-deprecating, larrikin energy that travels well on social media. He posts fitness content, travel, and life updates with a dog named Willow as a recurring cast member. He is not a polished influencer type. That appears to be part of the appeal.
He announced his Perfect Match casting on Instagram with characteristic simplicity: “This one’s going to be fun.. 👀👀 It’s officially out… see you May 13.” He also shared a topless promo photo, which got the point across.
What to Expect on ‘Perfect Match’ Season 4
The trailer shows Dave paired with Sophie Willett from Love Is Blind UK during at least one challenge — a pairing that, on personality alone, has a lot of potential. Dave is calm and grounded where Sophie is fire and forward motion. Whether that translates into romantic chemistry or just good television remains to be seen.
Dave is also the show’s only Australian contestant, which in a villa full of Americans will either make him stand out in the best way or put him slightly outside the natural social clusters that tend to form. Given his size, his ease with people, and the fact that he has already survived one of the most emotionally demanding reality formats on television, the smart money is on him handling it just fine.
“Perfect Match” Season 4 premieres May 13, only on Netflix.
“Married at First Sight: Australia” is streaming on Peacock.
Read next:
- Full Cast List of ‘Perfect Match’ Season 4
- Which ‘Perfect Match’ Season 4 Couples Survived the First Major Test?
- The Most Shocking Moments on ‘Perfect Match’ Season 4 So Far
- ‘Perfect Match’ Season 4 Villains, Heroes & Chaos Agents: Where Every Cast Member Falls
- Where Every Couple Stands Before ‘Perfect Match’ Episode 6
For more “Perfect Match,” click here.
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