There are many90 Day Fiancécouples that seemed doomed but have actually formed solid relationships, but there are several that I’m surprised have made it this long.90 Day Fiancédebuted on TLC in 2014, and there have been 11 seasons of the OG show. Notable90 Day Fiancéseason 11 aired the90th network wedding.
The franchise has grown to be one of the biggest and longest-running reality TV in history. It is also crowned by spinoff likeBefore the 90 Days, which featured the likes of Big Ed Brown andAngela Deem, andThe Other Way, which gave viewers Shekinah Garner and Sarper Güven among other notorious couples.
Happily Ever After?season 9, which follows alumni couples, is currently airing, and is the second spinoff produced by the franchise.
The other notable spinoff that gives viewers a glimpse at new couples is90 Day Fiancé: Love in Paradise, which premiered in 2021. Other spinoffs following alums include90 Day: The Single Life,90 Day: Hunt For Love,90 Day: The Last Resort, and90 Day Diaries.
Throughout the years, I’ve noticed several couples who have deep struggles return to the franchise, and they’ve stuck out to me because I can’t figure out how they are still together.
8Jessica Parsons & Juan Daza
Juan Is Trapped
Jessica Parsons and Juan Daza were first featured inLove in Paradiseseason 3. The pair met when Jessica and her best friend Megan were guests on the cruise ship Juan was working on.
Jessica, a divorced mother of two from Torrington, Wyoming,got pregnant with Juan’s baby while he was still working on the ship. In90 Day Fiancéseason 11, Jessica brought Juan to America on the K-1 visa, and they married at the end of the season.
Myself and other90 Day Fiancéfans think that Jessica trapped Juan with her pregnancy.
Juan, who greatly enjoyed his cruise ship life, was very hesitant to settle down and be a father of three in a rural part of America with little opportunity. Moreover, both Juan and Jessica cheated on each other; Jessica emotionally and Juan physically.
I’ve thought that Juan had a resentful attitude towards Jessica, and for good reason, since he was shuffled into a life he never expected himself to lead. At the season 11 Tell All, Juan said he has flooded DMs, and he mentioned if it weren’t for his son (not Jessica) that he would still be working on cruise ships and living his best life, which is wholly problematic to me.
7Russ & Paola Mayfield
Paola Uses Public Platforms To Talk About Her Marriage
Russ and Paola are an OG couple, having been on90 Day Fiancéseason 1. However, in the last 11 years they’ve been married, several issues have arisen and Paola has said some nasty things about Russ online. Conservative Russ originally had a problem with how Paola dressed and her career aspirations as a model. But Paola carved her own path and made Russ get with her ideals.
Then, Paola was the breadwinner during the pandemic, which strained their relationship.Paola would made TikTok’s mocking her husband’s financial situation.Paola has also made X posts seemingly taking digs at Russ for shortcomings. The two do share a son together, Axel Mayfield, and they’ve been putting on a happy front in 2025.
But I think Paola can’t keep her feelings about her ill relationship with Russ private, and that she will inevitably bash him online again. They’re one of the longest-lasting couples, but they are very mismatched.
6Bilal Hazziez & Shaeeda Sween
Bilal Is A Gaslighter
Bilal Hazziez and Shaeeda Sween were featured in90 Day Fiancéseason 9 and then90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After?season 7. Viewers found Bilal annoying for the immature pranks he’d play on Shaeeda, his mansplaining to her, and his gaslighting tendencies.
Shaeeda, from Trinidad & Tobago, who is a traditional Muslim wife, follows what her husband says, and I always thought she should have checked Bilal and his demeanor because the way he talked to her made her look bad.Bilal and Shaeeda also went through five miscarriagesbefore she and Bilal welcomed their son, Ayaan, in 2024.
Bilal didn’t seem interested in being a father again, as he already raised kids. While I appreciate that Shaeeda is getting the life she wants with Bilal, I don’t think the way he treats her and the way he conducts himself in general is positive long-term for Shaeeda.
5Shekinah Garner & Sarper Güven
Always On & Off
Shekinah Garner and Sarper Güven appeared on several seasons ofThe Other Waybefore they got married in90 Day Fiancéseason 11. Sarper, who braggingly has slept with over 2,500 women, tamed his “bad boy” nature to settle down with Shekinah. Butthey have had nothing but communication problems, huge blow-ups, and misunderstandings. Shekinah’s family had been wary of Sarper as well.
The only steady and positive thing in their relationship is their sex life, which isn’t sustainable.
I’ve never seen Shekinah and Sarper on the same page, and I also fear that they are moving their relationship along to remain in the90 Day Fiancéspotlight, as Shekinah has been on reality TV before.
4Shawn Finch & Alliya de Batista
Shawn Is Attracted To Men
61-year-old Shawn Finch met 25-year-old Brazilian native Alliya de Batista on an international dating site whenAlliya identified as a male named Douglas.They originally appeared onLove in Paradiseseason 4. However, while together, Alliya began transitioning even though Shawn, who was married to a woman before, wanted to be with a man.
Shawn decided to support Alliya and brought her to America on the K-1 visa in90 Day Fiancéseason 11, and Alliya displayed many red flags. Alliya was two hours late for their wedding knowing that Shawn’s mom had broken her foot and was waiting on the wedding to end before she went to the hospital. Alliya was also extremely late to their engagement party.
I think Shawn is disillusioned and ignoring the fact that he and Alliya will never work out because she is not what he wants. In the same vein, I strongly feelAlliya is using Shawn for his money, status, and lifestyle.
3Tigerlily Taylor & Adnan Abdelfattah
Control & Differences
Tigerlily Taylor and Adnan Abdelfattah are another couple I feel have no business being together. 41-year-old Tigerlily is a double divorcee and met 22-year-old Adnan on social media. They were featured in90 Day Fiancé: The Other Wayseason 6 before their current run onHappily Ever After?season 9.
The pair only communicated for a few months before Tigerlily went to Adnan’s native Jordan tomeet him for the first time and marry him the same day.
I was not surprised when they ran into issues over Adnan, a Muslim man’s desire for control over Tigerlily’s style and behavior. Tigerlily has tried to be forceful with her opinions about not changing, but she gets bulldozed most of the time by Adnan, who seems to have the master plan for their lives.
Tigerlily and Adnan had their first child together, although Adnan wants five children, another issue that I don’t see boding well given Tigerlily’s age.
2Brandon Gibbs & Julia Trubkina
Julia Admitted To Cheating
Brandon Gibbs and Julia Trubkina’s original problem was living under Brandon’s parents' roof when Julia came to America in90 Day Fiancéseason 8. Since then, they’ve gone back and forth on wanting kids, what jobs they wanted for their futures, and where to settle down.
Then, when they were on90 Day: The Last Resortseason 2,Julia revealed she had cheated on Brandon, who was devastated. Furthermore, Brandon doesn’t agree with the way Julia dresses and acts. I am concerned by the serious nature of the differences in their life goals. Julia also endeavored to bring her parents from Russia to the USA without telling Brandon, even though it would change his life.
1Kara Bass & Guillermo Rojer
Kara Has Ulterior Motives
Kara and Guillermo were on90 Day Fiancéseason 9, and Kara did not gain many fans due to hercondescending and bossy nature. Not to mention, she was an admitted cheater, having cheated on a past boyfriend.
Now, Kara and Guillermo are onHappily Ever After?season 9, where Guillermo wants to pursue his pilot dreams and is trying to figure out how to make it work, while Kara keeps putting him down.
The couple is sleeping in separate beds, and rasing their son, Nico, jointly while maintaining a happy front in Nico’s presence. Kara is concerned that Guillermo isn’t interested in her Bachata singing career, but he just doesn’t like the kinds of people that attend her shows.
I’ve come to the conclusion thatKara is using Guillermoand the90 Day Fiancéto further her musical ambitions and time in the spotlight on TV. The foundation of Kara and Guillermo’s marriage is broken, and I don’t see them lasting much longer as their differences are stark and Kara’s attitude is poor.
90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After?season 9 airs Sundays at 8 p.m. EDT on TLC.
90 Day Fiancé
90 Day Fiancé is a reality TV franchise that follows couples who have 90 days to marry under a K-1 visa. It showcases their cultural clashes, relationship challenges, and wedding preparations. The franchise includes various spin-offs, focusing on different stages and aspects of the couples' lives and journeys.
