90 Day Fiance's Most Awkward Proposals

The 90 Day Fiancé franchise, including spin-offs like 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days and 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way, is almost always filled with tons of drama and plenty of awkward moments. And why wouldn't it be? The shows are all about new couples trying to create a life together as they get to know each other, adjust to each other's families and friends, manage language barriers, and work around cultural differences. The shows are known to feature explosive fights, cringe-worthy in-laws, disapproving friends, and strained relationships.

But some of the most awkward, and often most memorable, moments on the shows are often during the couples' proposals. While some 90 Day Fiancé proposals are sweet and romantic, many of these strange proposals might make viewers wonder if these couples should be together at all. Here are some of the weirdest proposals ever featured on 90 Day Fiancé.

90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way stars Corey Rathgeber and Evelin Villegas had a rocky relationship from the beginning. With Rathgeber finding out about Villegas' secret past romances from a friend and Rathgeber's culture shock moving to Villegas' hometown in Ecuador, their relationship became strained early on. But things got especially tense when Rathgeber asked Villegas to marry him. He popped the question after a romantic hot air balloon ride, but Villegas didn't seem happy with the proposal. She said, "Are you seriously doing this?" and then "I mean, it's a big question." Yeah, that probably wasn't the reaction he was expecting.

Rathgeber responded by saying he understood if she didn't want to marry him, but said that he wanted to "at least try."

Finally, Villegas said yes, but she later explained to the cameras, "Just because I say yes to the engagement doesn't mean that I'm completely ready to say yes to a wedding right away." 

Steven Frend and Olga Koshimbetova met when she was visiting the United States from Russia (via In Touch), but their fling soon turned into so much more when Koshimbetova found out she was pregnant. Soon after, Frend visited Koshimbetova in Russia, and this 90 Day Fiancé Season 6 couple endured plenty of tense moments, including Frend criticizing Koshimbetova for not being excited to see him in the weeks after giving birth and an argument over Frend potentially spreading germs to the baby.

In fact, it was after one such tense moment that Frend decided to propose. On one of Frend's last days in Russia, he admitted to Koshimbetova that he didn't apply for Koshimbetova's visa when he said he would. He even said that if he'd applied when he was supposed to, Koshimbetova would have been able to be in the U.S. a month earlier. It was an awkward moment, but Frend made it weirder when he then took out a ring and proposed. The proposal was simple, with Frend asking, "Will you marry me?" But it seemed like Frend only wanted to distract Koshimbetova from the fact that he lied.

Deavan Clegg and Jihoon Lee seemed so in love when they first appeared in Season 1 of 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way. They both seemed genuinely happy about Clegg's pregnancy as well, despite drama surrounding Clegg's older child, Drascilla, and concerns about Lee's conservative parents. So, with Clegg making plans to move to South Korea to be with Lee, there was only one thing for Lee left to do: propose.

While Lee had the right idea when it came to the proposal – putting a ring in a glass of ginger ale for a pregnant Clegg –  his execution of the event left room for improvement. When Clegg couldn't get her new ring out of the glass, Lee chugged the ginger ale and they knocked over other glasses in the process. Clegg, of course, said yes to Lee, and it ended up being a sweet moment, though still pretty awkward. Unfortunately, things ultimately wouldn't work out for the pair.

Darcey Silva and Jesse Meester may have had one of the most dramatic relationships in the history of 90 Day Fiancé. Between their dramatic fight over kitchen etiquette, an argument about throwing shoes, and a memorable disagreement during which Meester suggested that Silva drank too much, they filled Seasons 1 and 2 of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days with lots of arguments and plenty of drama. So it's probably a good thing the two, who were responsible for some of the most memorable moments on 90 Day Fiancé, never got engaged, even though Meester did (sort of) propose. 

At the end of Season 1, Meester took Silva inside a beautiful Dutch windmill. He found a secluded spot and told Silva, "You are incredible, and you've shown vulnerability. So baby, I got a little surprise for you." He then got down on one knee. This could have been a perfect proposal, but the Dutch hunk didn't end up asking Silva to marry him. Instead, he gave her a promise ring. Later, after the two broke up, that same ring sparked drama on social media when rumors of her selling the ring popped up (via Newsweek), something that Silva denied. It was an awkward "proposal" and an awkward breakup.

Timothy Malcolm and Jeniffer Tarazona appeared in 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days. Tarazona was a beautiful Columbian model and stylish Malcolm struggled to impress her. Tarazona unfortunately wasn't too happy with Malcolm's grooming habits, once saying, "He may be gay, I don't know." And while Malcolm tried to make Tarazona happy, she was severely disappointed when it came to the promise ring he gave her.

At first, Tarazona loved the ring, saying, "It's beautiful." But when she asked where Malcolm got it, he said, "Well, that's a long story. I feel like there's something I should probably tell you just so you don't find out in the future." He then proceeded to tell her that he actually got the ring for his ex, Veronica, and she gave it back to him recently. Clearly, Tarazona was none too pleased. She looked and sounded completely annoyed when she said, "You're giving me a ring of your ex?" Yikes.

While plenty of 90 Day Fiancé proposals are awkward and may even feel forced, Zied Hakimi's proposal to Rebecca Parrott in Season 3 of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days was actually rather romantic. The proposal happened in the Sahara desert at sunset over a picnic of chocolates while surrounded by candles. Parrott said yes to Hakimi, and they sealed it with a kiss. But then Parrott ruined it when she started asking where Hakimi got the money for the ring.

Parrott said, "I just hope buying this didn't cause you any problems because you're not working right now." Hakimi tried to defend himself, pointing out that he didn't use the money he borrowed from Parrott to buy the ring and had instead got the money from his sister. But the moment was ruined. There's nothing that kills romance quite like reminding each other about your money troubles, after all. Parrott appeared to realize her mistake, admitting, "I feel bad forever, ever for saying anything negative."

While viewers expect the 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days proposals to happen on camera, the 90 Day Fiancé proposals have usually already happened before the camera crew starts filming. Unfortunately, the 90 Day Fiancé camera crew wasn't around to capture Colt Johnson's proposal to Larissa Dos Santos Lima, but when Johnson told the story of the proposal, it became clear that viewers probably wouldn't have wanted to see Johnson's proposal anyway. That is, unless they wanted to be subjected to what was likely a totally cringe-worthy moment.

Season 6 stars Johnson and Dos Santos Lima first met online. On the first episode of the sixth season, Johnson explained that he and Dos Santos Lima met up in Cancun, Mexico and spent only five days together before he proposed at an inopportune time. "As we were leaving for the airport," Johnson said, "I decided to propose to her and she said yes." We doubt Johnson had a ring on hand for that spontaneous moment. It sounds like the couple, who became one of the worst couples on 90 Day Fiancé, rushed into the relationship too quickly, and, after watching how their relationship unraveled in Season 4 of 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? it's clear that this couple may have hurried into things.

While an engagement should be a happy occasion, Hazel Cagalitan and Tarik Myers' proposal on 90 Day Fiancé was strained. The proposal got off to a weird start when Myers explained to the cameras that Cagalitan had told him the night before that her sister made plans for her to marry someone else. "It felt like she was pressuring me to propose to her," he said. But apparently what she said worked because Myers brought an engagement ring on their walk along the beach on the last day of his trip.

But the pressure to propose wasn't the only thing strange about this proposal. Before dropping to one knee, Myers played an original rap song he'd made for Cagalitan, explaining to the cameras, "What I want to happen is that Hazel thinks that I'm a good rapper." Though, from her expression, it didn't seem like he was successful. Finally, Myers pulled out the ring and Cagalitan surprisingly turned away from Myers, and she continued to look away during the proposal. It's not clear if she was acting shy, if she was embarrassed, or if she was just interested in something over her shoulder, but her reaction made this already-awkward proposal even more awkward.

In Season 2 of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days, Angela Deem went to Nigeria to meet Michael Ilesanmi. Despite Deem's accusations that Ilesanmi stole money from her (via Cosmopolitan) and Ilesanmi's friends not getting along with Deem, the two decided to get married. Unfortunately, Deem's proposal to Ilesanmi might have been one of the most awkward proposals in 90 Day Fiancé history.

Some might think it strange that Deem chose to propose to Ilesanmi, instead of Ilesanmi proposing to Deem, but the problem was more with how she chose to pop the question. She pulled out a ring wrapped in a small American flag out of her bra and presented it to Ilesanmi, as noted by In Touch. In a confessional afterwards, Ilesanmi shouted, "USA, here I come!" to the cameras, which ignited fan rumors that Ilesanmi was only with Deem for a green card. It was an awkward proposal and an awkward engagement.

The 90 Day Fiancé franchise is filled with fast engagements. Most of the couples featured have just three months together to plan a wedding and get married. Talk about fast-tracking a relationship! But what about fast-tracking the dating stage? When Season 7 star Robert Spring described how he proposed to Dominican Republic beauty Anny Francisco, he admitted that they spent a remarkably small amount of time together before he proposed (without a ring).

Spring explained that he was on a cruise and had just one day in the Dominican Republic. Spring recalled, "Anny and I only spent 8 hours together, but it was the best 8 hours in my life. So, right then and there I was like, I had to have this shorty." The proposal brought up a lot of questions. For example, if Spring was so in love, why not ditch the cruise and spend more time with Anny? And also, why would anyone agree to marry someone they'd only spent eight hours with?

Unfortunately, the cameras weren't filming when Spring popped the question, so 90 Day Fiancé fans won't get to witness this particularly strange 90 Day Fiancé proposal.

There are so many wonderful places to propose to a boyfriend or girlfriend. One could propose on the beach, on a boat, or at a fancy restaurant. Even proposing at home can be romantic. But when 90 Day Fiancé Season 7 star Sasha Larin proposed to Emily Larina, he chose a particularly unconventional location when he proposed in an elevator.

English teacher Larina met her personal trainer beau when she moved to Russia for a teaching job. Despite the language barrier between the two, Larina and Larin hit it off right away. Soon they were talking marriage. "One day we had gotten takeout for dinner," she said, "we were in the elevator, and he just looked at me and he said, 'Emily I want you to be my wife.'" Nothing says romance quite like small, confined spaces and carrying heavy take-out bags back to your apartment, right? And the fact that he didn't ask her to marry him, but rather stated a fact, made it even less romantic.

With 90 Day Fiancé couples living in different countries, sometimes often on the other side of the world, it's no wonder that many of these couples either met online or kept in contact with the aid of the internet. One couple from Season 7, Mursel Mistanoglu and Anna Campisi, met online. Campisi explained that Mistanoglu added her as a friend on Facebook before they fell in love.

While meeting online may be common practice, even the best online daters probably have to admit that proposing marriage should be done in person. But that's not how Mistanoglu did it. "He proposed to me on Facebook," Campisi explained, "He showed me a ring and asked if I would marry him. I said yes." While Campisi and Mistanoglu seemed to have a lot in common, and they did end up getting married by the end of the season, it was an unforgettably awkward way to propose.

Paul Staehle and Karine Martins had an awkward courtship in Season 1 of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days, mostly because they didn't speak the same language. They often communicated through their phones' translation apps. There were also big issues involving Staehle not trusting Martins, but, in the end, they decided that they wanted to be together. So, Staehle proposed to Martins on the beach. There was just one problem: The proposal was super awkward.

Staehle proposed on the beach where he laid out a large chain in the shape of a heart (which seems daunting) and spelled out "Karine will you marry me?" in English in the sand. But, of course, Martins couldn't read English, so she had to look up the translation online. The translation took a long time and even after the translation was finished, Martins didn't respond right away. When she did, she first said "no." Apparently, her rejection was a joke, and she said "yes" soon after. Still, even her acceptance wasn't enough to salvage this strange proposal.

Ricky Reyes and Ximena Parra from 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days Season 2 had a strange start to their relationship. In fact, they didn't even start out together. When Reyes first traveled to Colombia, he was there to see a woman named Melissa. But when things didn't work out with Melissa, Reyes reached out to another woman he'd been chatting with online: Parra.

And while Reyes and Parra seemed like a much better match than Reyes and Melissa, the ghost of his ex seemed to follow the couple around... even to Reyes and Parra's proposal. Not only did Reyes propose to Parra with the ring he bought for Melissa, but he even brought up his ex during the proposal. He told Parra, "You, for me, are a marvelous person. There was a reason why I [told you] about Melissa, because if I have a life with you, I have to tell you everything. Right? And I want to ask you, do you want to be my wife?" It was an awkward start to an engagement, but it apparently worked for Parra since she said yes. Unfortunately, their relationship wasn't meant to last though.