I think by 'absolute-balderdash', he meant that there are so many other things that factor into relationships these days that it's impractical to really say scent plays that huge a role. I kind of agree with that, but at the same time, I can think of times where I've been attracted to another girls 'natural' smell.
I personally don't wear deodorant, mostly because I'm not a very strong smelling person... But this is kind of interesting, as it really contributes to the whole "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" theory. There's some girls that I'll be like "Man, she's really cute" and my friends will be like "Meh, she's alright.". Then other times my friend'll be like "I'd like to rump in her melon-patch" and I'm like "Not so much, myself.". Come to think of it, it's always seemed like my first-(male)cousin and I have had more similar tastes in girls than my other close-friends. Albeit, I can think of other people that have similar tastes to me, but the fact that someone so near in my gene-pool is similar makes sense. It also makes sense that there are some other people I know with similar tastes.
I'm not really sure about this theory... But it definitely makes sense, in theory.