What is “90 Day Fiancé”?
The TLC reality series “90 Day Fiancé” has become an American pop culture phenomenon, spawning thousands of memes and viral videos. The show follows couples who have either received or are in the process of obtaining a K-1 visa, which is granted to foreign fiancés of US citizens – once the visa is granted, the couples have three months to make the necessary wedding arrangements.
“90 Day Fiancé” premiered in January 2014, with the main series boasting over nine seasons in its catalogue. Some of its spin-offs are “90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After”, which documents the journey of each couple after marrying; “90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days”, which follows fledging online couples who are yet to decide to apply for the K-1 visa; and “90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way”, which sees the American partner move to their potential fiancé’s future country.
With a K-1 visa, foreign fiancés can live with their future spouses in the US while planning their big day. Both parties must sign documents stating their intent to marry, and the beneficiary of the visa must leave the US if the allocated three months pass without them tying the knot. The couples are often hindered by cultural differences, poor relationships with their fiancé’s family members, and language barriers.
Weight Loss Transformations
Anfisa Nava, Nicole Nafziger, Danielle Jbali, Ariela Weinberg, Asuelu Pulaa and Molly Hopkins are just some of the “90 Day” stars who have documented their weight loss transformations for the benefit of their fans. Although a few of the TLC celebrities have been aided by gastric bands and other procedures, most of them have lost weight via traditional methods, and credit their success to healthy meal plans and strict exercise routines.
Anfisa shared the secrets of her 26-pound weight loss, about 10kgs, in a May 2018 YouTube video. After moving to the US, the Russian TV personality gained 16 pounds in almost no time at all, claiming that her metabolism slowed down. Thanks to rigorous workout sessions and a no-carb diet, however, Anfisa was soon looking and feeling better than ever. Anfisa has also participated in bodybuilding competitions, and won a couple of medals in the novice category.
Fellow “90 Day” alum Nicole Nafziger was also inspired to adopt a healthier lifestyle after being criticized by her future husband Azan on various occasions. Azan was disappointed when he finally met Nicole face-to-face, and famously said that he was only 55% attracted to the blonde.
In the show, Nicole said: “I don’t think I need to change myself for a man for him to love me. Because if he loves me, he should love me for who I am.” Nevertheless, Nicole began her physical transformation shortly after filming those episodes. From getting a professional dye job and improving her make-up skills, to overhauling her unhealthy diet, the change in Nicole was definitely noticeable, with many wondering if she was doing it for Azan or herself.
Despite her not sharing the exact details of her weight loss plan, we know that Nicole follows the raw food advocate Ann Wigmore, and has posted some of her quotes on Instagram. Although the reality star still receives hate mail from shameless trolls, she is known not to fall into the trap, and prefers to maintain a dignified silence.
Meanwhile, Asuelu has attributed his weight loss to dancing, golf and volleyball, which are just some of the sports he loves anyway. The affable TV personality married Kalani Faagata in September 2018, and began shedding the pounds shortly afterwards with encouragement from his now wife.
In June 2022, Asuelu uploaded a TikTok post which displayed his new svelte physique, and captioned the video: “When people know that I’m single.” This led to rumors of a rift between himself and Kalani, but it’s unclear where their relationship currently stands. Whatever the case, Asuelu can’t stop showing-off his body these days, and is perhaps preparing himself for the single lifestyle, after claiming that Kalani didn’t want to communicate with him anymore.
In May 2020, Asuelu took part in a month-long push-up challenge to raise awareness for post-traumatic stress disorder. He shared his progress online, saying: “Let’s reach as many people as possible. Let’s hope by doing this we can build awareness for anyone who is suffering from a mental illness, you are not alone and we are here for you.”
Asuelu is also teaching his adorable sons, Oliver and Kennedy, to play volleyball, proving that you can have fun while instilling healthy habits. During the 2020 lockdowns, Asuelu and Kalani made sure to stay active by encouraging their sons to participate in physical activities, instead of letting them lounge around watching TV or playing games.
Ariela’s 50lb weight loss, over 20kgs, was a slow and steady process which began shortly after the arrival of her son, Aviel, in December 2019. The TLC star shared some fitness tips with her fans via Instagram, recommending weight training, not eating late at night, and breastfeeding in the case of new mothers.
Last but not least, Molly shed 40lbs while going through a turbulent period in her love life. Inspired by her failed relationship with Luis Mendez, Molly began putting in the work, and incorporated more health-conscious habits into her routine. Over time, fans noticed the result of her gradual weight loss and were noticeably impressed. Although Molly swears by a month-long detox tea program to help debloat and lose weight, netizens were skeptical, as the only time she mentioned the program in question was in a sponsored Instagram post, which included a discount code.
https://www.facebook.com/LiviRaeGA/posts/pfbid02cxKryLNRCQfRxaU5uTUhh1kU95r1y9zqmdgxmA1KFZ6FyQjAdFhiZ4in6FGKP3hul
Controversial Moments
There are many healthy and functional couples in the “90 Day” universe, who were genuinely in love and didn’t appear in the show to become famous. With that said, there are just as many participants who have proven themselves to be unsavory individuals, either through their on-screen actions or because of their sketchy pasts.
Jay Smith and Ashley Martson were a season six couple of the main series, with many viewers doubted Jay’s intentions from the jump. The attractive Jamaican displayed plenty of red flags, but they weren’t enough to deter Ashley, who had fallen head over heels in love.
A day after ‘eloping’ to Las Vegas, Jay and Ashley’s honeymoon period came to an abrupt end when she caught him trying to hook up with other women via Tinder. Ashley was heartbroken, and although Jay tried to act remorsefully, the audience saw right through him. Many sided with Ashley as she had genuine feelings for her womanizing husband, whereas others thought that she was naïve for expecting anything more.
#90DayFiance's Anfisa Nava is using body building to "fill the void" after her husband Jorge Nava's prison sentencing. https://t.co/dhvf5FTW3A pic.twitter.com/RPRZmQebHW
— E! News (@enews) December 11, 2018
Anfisa and Jorge’s relationship was also a trainwreck, but one that slowly and torturously dragged on throughout various seasons. Stuck in a seemingly endless loop of explosive fights, the couple provided viewers with many memorable moments and quotes. Anfisa was also lambasted online after punching Jorge during a meeting with an attorney, with many viewers questioning why she hadn’t been kicked off the show for her display of domestic violence.
Anfisa and Jorge met online, and she soon left Moscow behind for Los Angeles. Dysfunction and mayhem ensued, and Jorge was even arrested in 2018 for transporting hundreds of pounds of marijuana in his vehicle. Charged with possession of drugs with the intention to sell, Jorge was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, but celebrated an early release in May 2020.
Shortly after his release, Jorge and Anfisa announced their divorce, which was probably for the best. Many considered that the relationship was doomed to fail from the beginning: Anfisa admitted that she only approached Jorge because he was rich, whereas he was only interested in her good looks.
As one of the biggest stars in the “90 Day” universe, Darcey Silva has had her fair share of heartbreaks. Her relationship with Jesse was particularly volatile, and tensions reached boiling point when Darcey tried to show Jesse the correct way to cut a steak. Jesse stormed out in front of Darcey’s daughters, and refused to come back inside, preferring to play the victim.
The next day, Jesse and Darcey began arguing again, and he accused her of throwing shoes at him before threatening to call the police. Viewers heaved a sigh of relief when Darcey and Jesse finally called it quits, and she soon introduced the audience to her new love interest, an Englishman named Tom – as it happens, Tom and Darcey’s relationship didn’t work out either.
Lisa Hamme was one of the few “90 Day” stars to be kicked off the show. Her relationship with Usman Umar was criticized from the beginning, because of the glaring age gap and cultural differences between the two; when they broke up, Lisa took to Instagram to claim that Usman had used her to gain exposure for his music career, and obtain a green card.
After using racist and homophobic slurs such as the n-word on social media in spring 2020, Lisa was fired by TLC. She tried to justify her actions saying that she could use the n-word as she’d grown up in the hood. Many believe that Lisa was fired in response to racial tensions in the US following the widely publicized death of George Floyd. Whatever the case, she hasn’t been on TV since.
Fake Allegations
The “90 Day” franchise is known for some hilariously absurd characters and situations. Like every reality show under the sun, the TLC series has been accused many times over the years of having scripted elements – it doesn’t help that many cast members themselves have come forward to share their stories about what’s real and what’s not.
Larissa Dos Santos Lima is one of the best-known “90 Day” cast members. During her last season on “Happily Ever After?”, the brunette beauty reconciled with her ex-boyfriend Eric Nichols, who agreed to loan Larissa the $70,000 she wanted for plastic surgery; interestingly, the couple broke up shortly after Larissa’s contract with TLC was terminated.
Fans asked Larissa if she’d repay Eric the $70,000, to which she revealed that he hadn’t paid at all. Larissa claims that she paid for her plastic surgery herself with her TLC paycheck and side gig money, but that the network thought it would be a more interesting storyline if Eric agreed to loan the five-figure sum. As TLC and Eric haven’t shared their side of the story, we’ll probably never know the truth.
Annie and David Toborowsky are one of the most famous couples in “90 Day”, as their age gap and wildly different lifestyles were a hot topic of discussion from day one. These days, the husband-and-wife duo have an online cooking show and also make frequent appearances in the commentary show “Pillow Talk”, having managed to carve out their own lane in the reality TV world.
Fans will remember that during season one, David was short on cash and had to ask his married friends, Chris and Nikki, to let him and Annie stay at their home while they saved up. Chris and Nikki agreed, but Chris asked for massages from Annie in return for the favor, which many thought was a strange and sleazy request.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CkvtZxhudcP/
Chris and Nikki later defended themselves via Facebook – according to the couple, the producers fed them lines for the scene, and filmed it multiple times because Chris couldn’t deliver the line naturally. Chris claims that he felt uncomfortable saying the line, but did so for his friend’s sake, knowing how hard David was working to get back on his feet.
As mentioned, Jay and Ashley’s short-lived union turned sour when he was caught arranging to hook up with random women on Tinder. When Jay’s TLC contract was up, he decided to set the record straight with a tell-all interview in which he confessed that the infamous Tinder incident was scripted. Apparently, Ashley was in on the scene, and agreed to do it because she knew it hadn’t really happened.
Jay didn’t exactly explain why he’d agreed to film such a scene, but he admitted that he regretted being part of “90 Day”, due to the damage it had done to his reputation.
Leave a Comment