The Untold Truth Of 90 Day Fiancé

TLC's "90 Day Fiancé" has been taking viewers inside the K-1 visa process since 2014. The premise — American brings foreign fiancé(e) to U.S. and, by law, must get married within 90 days for partner to receive green card — is ripe for reality TV, and the storyline potential is off the charts. There's the challenge of adapting to a new culture, awkward "Meet the Parents"-like drama, pre-wedding jitters and, inevitably, questions about the foreign partner's motives.

The show has been a ratings success for TLC, in case that wasn't obvious from the fact that it's constantly trending on Twitter and has produced multiple spin-offs, including "90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After?," "90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days," "90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way," and the digital "90 Day Fiancé: What Now?." Because people clearly can't get enough of the franchise, here's the untold truth of "90 Day Fiancé."

It started with a magazine feature. Reality TV producer Matt Sharp read a piece on U.S. men and women going abroad to find love and figured he had found his next reality show. The networks, however, weren't as pumped about the idea, so his team made the pitch more male-focused. Together they came up with the ultra macho-sounding "Bachelor Wars: Russia."

Sharp told the Reality Life podcast the plan was to pitch male networks a show that follows men looking for love in other countries and keeps tabs on if they were successful. When the networks again passed, it was back to the drawing board. They figured they had struck gold when they focused the idea around the 90-day K-1 visa, but that ended up being strike three with the networks.

Sharp gave up on the pitch until he ran into a TLC higher up, who asked if he had any good ideas. Once Sharp explained the 90-day premise, the higher up was hooked and offered to buy the idea on the spot. So everything worked out in the end for everyone. Well, except for the networks that passed on the idea. They're probably kicking themselves.

We're probably not bursting anyone's bubble when we say that much of what you see on reality TV is staged. Cast members are often nudged in certain directions for storyline purposes or asked to reshoot scenes. Most shows seem to do it, and "90 Day Fiancé" is allegedly no exception.

When someone on Instagram commented that the show makes Season 5's Luis Mendez look not so nice, Mendez responded, saying that the production does plenty of manipulating and that "it's fake more than real." Mendez might be exaggerating just how much is pre-planned, but it's not the only time the show has been accused of fakery.

David Toborowsky's pals Nikki Cooper and Chris Thieneman revealed on YouTube that some (but not all) scenes were pre-planned. That sleazy scene in Season 5 in which Thieneman asked Toborowsky's wife, Annie Suwan, for a massage? Thieneman claims the producers suggested he say it and then asked him to say it again multiple times so they would have more takes to work with. It kind of makes you question what other drama was stirred up by producers, doesn't it?

The storylines might not always be real, but by all accounts, the couples themselves are. By that we mean they weren't brought together by some casting director simply for the show. Season 4's Anfisa Nava said in a since-deleted Instagram post (via In Touch Weekly) that, contrary to what some might believe, the 90 days don't mark the time frame the couples have to decide if they like each other enough to get married. By the time the cameras start rolling, "you already know the person" and "decided you want to marry them," Nava said.

So how do the couples get in touch with the show? Executive producer Gabriela Tavakoli told Red Carpet Crash that "hundreds" apply via instructions given at the end of "90 Day Fiancé" episodes. And Matt Sharp said during the TCA press tour (via Deadline) that the show reaches out to some as well, including through immigration attorneys. "We don't put people together," Sharp said. "Everyone we feature on the show, they found themselves organically." Whether those couples fell in love organically, that's a different story.

Say what you want about the validity of the relationships on "90 Day Fiancé," but the majority of the couples are apparently still together. Yeah, we couldn't believe it either. As any reality TV fan can tell you, romances that get the reality TV treatment aren't known for their longevity. Think of "The Bachelor," "Newlyweds," or "Khloe & Lamar."

Executive producer Matt Sharp boasted in 2018, as reported by Deadline, "that out of every 25 couples on '90 Day Fiancé,' we've only had three divorces," Sharp stated, explaining that those numbers are actually better than the current divorce rate in America. "That's less than 10% and the current U.S. (divorce) rate is over 40%." We have to admit — that's pretty impressive.

He went on, "It's one of the reasons why people love this show, it's so unexpected." Who doesn't love when couples find lasting love?

The U.S. government doesn't just grant the foreign partner on the show citizenship after they walk down the aisle and cut the cake. The process to U.S. citizenship is a lengthy and complicated one. The 90-day visa allows the foreigner partner to enter the country and gives them three months to marry their fiance(e). Once married, they receive their green card with conditions, which can be renewed without conditions after two years. Contrary to what some might think, the green card doesn't automatically equal U.S. citizenship.

In general, they need to be a green card holder for at least three years before applying for naturalization, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website. Also — and this is a big one — they have to have been "living in marital union with the U.S. citizen spouse" for those three years and up until "examination on the application."

There's a reason you haven't seen Mark Shoemaker on the "90 Day Fiancé" spinoffs. He was, uh, less than pleased with how he was portrayed on Season 3. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Shoemaker came off like an uptight jerk when he told then-fiancée Nikki to not touch his car windows? Starcasm reported that Shoemaker felt the portrayal was so unfair that he and Nikki sued Discovery Communications, TLC's parent company, and production company Sharp Entertainment.

Apparently the judge didn't feel the same way as Shoemaker, because Starcasm stated that the case was thrown out in 2017. It turns out the contracts that the couple signed gave the show the right to edit footage however it pleased.

Luis Mendez apparently didn't learn from Shoemaker's case, because he threatened to sue TLC in 2018 for the same reason. He wrote on Instagram that "immigrant people only are trash for TLC, I want to meet a lawyer in NYC to sue those b*****ds." From the looks of things, Mendez never went through with the lawsuit.

Couples under consideration for "90 Day Fiancé" are put through background checks, but that doesn't mean all who appear on the show have squeaky clean records. Far from it. Executive producer Matt Sharp told Reality Life: "We're obviously trying to do the right thing ... [during casting, but] everyone's got some sort of history." Sometimes that history comes up on the show, such as when Anfisa and Jorge Nava were having a hard time finding a place to rent due to the latter's criminal record. And other times it's fans or the media that uncover past charges.

Danielle Mullins admitted on Facebook to having been charged with fraud (via In Touch Weekly). "Yes, I used someone's credit card and it was a mistake," Mullins wrote. "Yes, in the beginning I was charged with [four] or [five] felonies." Starcasm reported that Molly Hopkins has a DUI on her record, among other run-ins with the law. Starcasm reported in a separate article that fellow Season 5 star Josh Batterson also has a record — he was also arrested but not charged with assault and disorderly conduct.

"90 Day Fiancé" must be a huge money-maker for TLC to keep greenlighting its spin-offs, but it appears the show isn't exactly spreading the wealth. Nikki Cooper — who appeared in multiple episodes in support of friend David Toborowsky — revealed on Facebook (via Reality Blurb) that cast members get $1,000 per episode and $2,500 for the "90 Day Fiancé: The Couples Tell All" special.

If you think that $1,000 number is low, consider that cast members without green cards don't get paid at all. That's right, zip, zero, nada. Matt Sharp told Reality Life "it would be illegal to pay someone" who doesn't hold a green card. Suddenly $1,000 per episode doesn't seem so bad, does it? And to be honest, that number isn't totally out of the norm. As an agent told Business Insider, "For those docu-ensembles, especially if they're nobodies, per episode it ranges from low-end, like $1,500 an episode, to $3,000 at the high end."

The couples might not be getting the biggest paychecks from TLC, but they've found other ways to benefit from the show. The "90 Day Fiancé" franchise is on a roll and has turned these once unknowns into D-List celebs, making them desirable to sponsors and helping them promote various projects.

"90 Day Fiancé" OGs Russ and Pao Mayfield, Season 4's Chantel Everett, and Season 5's Molly Hopkins have all shilled Teami's 30-day detox on Instagram. Loren Brovarnik of Season 3 has also promoted the healthy tea line on Instagram, as well as Fab Fit Fun subscription boxes and Pranamat therapeutic mats. Danielle Mullins, on the other hand, went in a different direction. She spoke on Facebook about taking portraits for autographs, which, according to In Touch Weekly, sold out shortly after the announcement.

Evelyn Cormier was already a musician when she appeared on Season 5, but she launched a Patreon page where fans could help fund her independent music career after appearing on the show. If you supported her with $1,000 or more a month for a year, Cormier said she and her band would come play your party or private event. That's way more than TLC paid her per episode!

If you've ever noticed that the women on the show sit a little odd during confessional interviews, you're not alone. One viewer asked Anfisa Nava on Instagram why the females are seated with both knees touching and raised up to around their chest. In other words, their feet don't appear to be touching the floor.

Nava claimed the unnatural sitting position wasn't their call. She responded that the "producers make all women on the show sit like this if you haven't noticed. I hate it. So uncomfortable. Please somebody tell @tlc that you don't like it."

Do the producers want the women to show off their bodies? Or do they want the women to appear more feminine? After all, the men don't sit with their knees up during confessional interviews. Nava didn't give any explanation for the strange sitting position, so we can only make assumptions at this point.

Let's face it — these days, starring in a reality show is a guaranteed ticket to stardom. So, it's no surprise that a few of the "90 Day Fiancé" stars actually put themselves forward for other reality shows in the past.

In 2017, Molly Hopkins appeared in Season 5 of "90 Day Fiancé" along with Luis Mendez. However, reality TV fans may have recognized Hopkins from another show — in 2013, Hopkins was the star of "Double Divas," a Lifetime show about helping women find the perfect bras at LiviRae Lingerie, a lingerie store in Atlanta.

Season 8's Yara Zaya was another "90 Day Fiancé" star who was not new to the genre. She had previously appeared on a Ukrainian show called "Fashion to the People" when she was just 19 years old (via The Hollywood Gossip). And it seems Zaya may have always been interested in marrying someone from another country, as in an episode of "Fashion to the People," she said, "I love nightclubs very much. I also love rich men, foreigners preferably."

Did you ever notice how watching "90 Day Fiancé" can feel super intimate — almost like you're literally in the room with the couples? Well, as noted by Glamour, the producers and cameramen are careful to use certain filming tactics to achieve this precise effect.

As Matt Sharp, one of the show's producers, explained, they could have made a "slicker version" that felt more high quality. However, they decided to make it a little grittier. "We think at this point in nonfiction television, viewers have a detector in their chest," he said. "If something doesn't feel real or authentic, it goes off."

Executive producer Dan Adler explained that their approach was to be "flies on the wall." He explained that their technique involved staying behind the cast members. "We tell producers we don't want to ever see someone enter the room. If you see them enter, it feels produced. Be with them," he said.

Even though the producers of "90 Day Fiancé" claim that everything on the show is completely real, some cast members have claimed that, every now and then, the producers encourage them to do something for the cameras. Alla Fedoruk, for instance, revealed in a since-deleted Reddit comment that the producers asked her to get angry and throw a chair for part of a promo. "TLC made me do that, so they used it to promote the show but never came up with the story for it," she wrote (via InTouch Weekly). After all, dramatic fight scenes definitely draw in viewers, so it's easy to see why the producers may have asked her to amp up the drama for the sneak peek.

So, do they make fake promos on "90 Day Fiancé?" Well, apparently, some fans have claimed that other promos from the show included clips that never appeared on the actual show (via Screen Rant) — so it's definitely possible, though that hasn't been confirmed.

If you were looking for a sign that "90 Day Fiancé" was a smash hit, you would only need to look at the series' many spin-offs. It seems that viewers just can't get enough of "90 Day Fiancé."

As of 2021, there are no less than 18 spin off shows, according to TV Insider. These include "90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After?" and "90 Day Fiancé: What Now?" which are both essentially reunion shows that revisit older couples. There's also "90 Day Fiancé: Pillow Talk," which sees couples from the show watching and reacting to episodes that have aired. In "90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way," Americans get engaged to people from other countries and move away from home. "The Family Chantel" follows Chantel Everett and Pedro Jimeno after they became fan favorites in "90 Day Fiancé" and "90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After?" In 2020, TLC even launched "90 Day Fiancé: Self-Quarantined," which followed couples during the pandemic.

Even the producers are amazed by how many spin-offs have emerged. Alon Orstein of TLC told Glamour, "You want it to have spin-offs. You want it to have extensions. But no one predicted it would rise to this level."

The producers have always been very clear that the couples on "90 Day Fiancé" are real — they aren't playing matchmaker. But how do the producers settle upon a good couple who will provide drama, laughs, and loads of personality?

At first, it was hard finding suitable couples. As TLC exec Alon Orstein told Glamour, "For that first season, we didn't know who we were looking for outside of people who were engaging, had interesting backstories, were willing to be totally transparent and authentic." As the series continued, the producers worked harder to bring in couples with more interesting stories to showcase unique experiences. Orstein said, "We really endeavored to raise the bar in casting and to keep looking forward, to keep it fresh and tell different kinds of stories [in Season 2]."

As Orstein told E! News, another big consideration is finding couples who are in it "for the right reasons." He explained, "We just wanted to make sure that no one was trying to either get on the show for a lark or get on the show to advance their presence in some way, shape or form."