Some 90 Day Fiance couples elicit praise. Others make us laugh. A few even stole our hearts along the way.
And then there are the cringey and awkward duos.
We’ve compiled a helpful list of some of the most cringe, wince-worthy pairings that this franchise has ever shown us.
First, we should lay down just a few ground rules, before anyone asks “but what about … ?”
One, we’re not including any couples who started off cringey but turned into fan-favorites. That’s just a two-person ugly duckling story.
Yes, they can still be together. But not in a way that gives 90 Day fans the warm and fuzzies.
Two, no horror stories. We don’t pretend to know exactly what goes on behind closed doors with every couple, and we’re not saying that everyone on this list is on the up and up.
But you won’t see Deavan and Jihoon, or Mark and Nikki, or Geoffrey and any woman unfortunate enough to meet him. Not on this list.
Mike Youngquist and Natalie Mordovtseva
Natalie is an over-the-top, larger-than-life personality who seems to live in her own dream world where she is perpetually acting out a one-woman play. And when other people don’t understand the rules of her little fantasy, she becomes irate or sulky without explanation. Mike learned this the hard way, but it’s not like he was going to win Partner of the Year, either. He spent a lot of time working away from home before and after the wedding. A wedding that he canceled the morning of, by the way, only to reschedule it for the last possible moment of her K-1 visa. These two did not fully understand each other and refused to communicate. They spent years after their split clinging to the memory of what they once had, but viewers would rather forget.
Paul Staehle and Karine Martins
What started off as a creepy and awkward relationship between the awkward Kentucky native and the barely-out-of-her-teens Brazilian bride-to-be made viewers recoil at every turn. Memorably, Paul once donned a condom under his swim suit while swimming, out of fear of the candiru asu. We’d count these two as a horror story for their drama in the US — multiple police calls, both of them losing custody, and more — but they keep getting back together. Paul running off awkwardly is infinitely GIF-worthy, and we will never forget when he took Karine on a romantic trip to a sewage processing plant.
Nicole Nafziger and Azan Tefou
Who among us can forgot Nicole, the young single mom, who sat there multiple times while Azan (real name Hassan M’Raouni) called her “lazy” and admitted that he was not really attracted to her. There was a fake “shop” that she told her family that he was going to open, but that was just a cover after she sent him thousands of dollars. Azan kept canceling trips that they planned to see each other. There was the time when Nicole got stuck in Morocco for five months (not even the only 90 Day cast member stuck overseas in 2020). Oh, and when Nicole claimed on social media that Azan couldn’t pay her back because Morocco doesn’t “allow” money to leave the country. If that sounds fake, it’s because it’s totally fake. Was Nicole lying to fans to cover for Azan, or was he just lying to her? Either way, they did break up, and we’re so happy for Nicole.
Angela Deem and Michael Ilesanmi
Obviously, many viewers focus — and rightly so — on how Angela is one of the most ill-behaved, unpleasant people imaginable. She is a toxic person on screen and off screen, and her actions are wholly unacceptable. All of that is true! But Angela and Michael are, as a couple, enough to make viewers recoil — and not just because of the yelling and screaming. There’s also straight-up cringe. Angela inviting the cameras to watch her get into the bathtub to watch Michael dance for her, declaring that her genitals are “on fire.” Michael wearing a pair of Donald Trump boxers just a couple of years before the same man banned US immigration from Michael’s country. Everything about them is either upsetting or deeply embarrassing.
Gino Palazzolo and Jasmine Pineda
There’s nothing wrong with being an awkward guy with obvious anxiety tells and a very specific preferred way of dressing. And there’s (mostly) nothing wrong about being passionate about what you want in life and from a partner. But when Gino and Jasmine get together, pretty much everything goes wrong. It probably doesn’t help that Gino struggles to express his emotions without nervous twitches, while Jasmine struggles to do anything but scream and cry when she feels strongly about something. And then there’s the toothbrush of it all. Forget Gino’s infamous hats — because that present remains one of the goofiest gifts that this show has ever featured.
Jorge Nava and Anfisa Arkhipchenko
Whether it was producer nudging or her own heart (or a little piece of both), Anfisa leaned into the gold digger label a little too hard. Especially since Jorge was not exactly fabulously wealthy. These two seemed to have nothing in common except for some bitter feelings, but they remained married … even after a split during which Jorge seemed to threaten to “expose” Anfisa for her past cam work. They only broke up after Jorge went to prison. The only real silver lining to these two is that they are separate success stories. Anfisa got her degree and is all about business, while Jorge got out of prison and his now a father.
Ben Rathbun and Mahogany Roca
Please, please make it stop. Remember when viewers (and everyone in Ben’s life) thought that Mahogany was a catfish? We miss those times, and not for dislike of Mahogany. She’s a bit strange, inviting him to places where she obviously does not live, but having seen Ben, it’s hard to blame her. Ben deserves applause for escaping a cult, but his pursuit of a potential ultra-young bride seems to give “you can leave the cult but the cult doesn’t leave you” vibes. His awkward pursuit of her when she didn’t want him to, his deciding to stand her up when her parents were visiting, and every cringey moment … no thanks. The guy acts like a deadbeat dad trying to bond with his adult daughter, but that is SO not what’s happening here.
Big Ed Brown and Liz Woods
Like Angela, Ed is one of the most infamous villains of the franchise. But even if he weren’t a despicable person, his catastrophic haircut is the only thing that stopped him from his mayonnaise routine. He wants to be a lovable buffoon, and he only got the second half of that down. Meanwhile, Liz Woods is inexplicable. She keeps taking Ed back. Their breakups are in the double digits, and unfortunately, so are their reconciliations. It’s clownish. It’s also deeply sad.
Ashley Martson and Jay Smith
Speaking of people who broke up a lot of times and tragically got back together way too many times, Ashley and Jay’s story included breakups, a restraining order, and Jay spending almost an entire month locked up … only for the two to reconcile later that year, break up yet again, and then publicly get back together the following spring. That was, for the record, towards the end of their sordid journey. The problem? Among other things, Jay just constantly and unapologetically cheated on Ashley. Every. Single. Time.
“Baby Girl” Lisa Hamme and Usman “Sojaboy” Umar
What happens when you mix an Angela Deem knockoff and an egomaniacal clown? Not a long marriage, we can tell you that much. Lisa’s insecurities over Usman’s music career were laughable — not because they weren’t justified, but because either of them thought that this could work longer than it did. The most cringe thing about these two wasn’t their fault — it was a viral edit of her as Trump and him as Kanye, waking up together in bed. Well, that and the time that Usman revealed that Lisa called him the N-word. Of all of the Tell Alls to leak to the public unedited, that one did, and so editors couldn’t cover up Lisa’s racist slur. Usman moved on and stayed with the franchise, however.
Kimberly Menzies and Usman “Sojaboy” Umar
Miss Kim-bah-lee was adamant that she would not be Lisa 2.0, and she was right. She is a much better person. That didn’t mean that her relationship with Usman went that much better. It seemed to last longer, but they didn’t get married. All of the “yammy” in the world couldn’t fix the fact that she kept giving him gifts (even though he’s the “celebrity”) or that the interminable “second wife” discussion had viewers wanting to claw off their own faces. You think that that imagery is bad? Don’t forget all of the “yammy” talk. It got really old, really quickly.
Colt Johnson and Larissa Lima
Every moment of this 7-month marriage was a nightmare. Larissa fighting with her mother-in-law isn’t unique, but viewers noticed that Colt seemed to thrive off of it. Colt and Debbie’s codependence was understandable, but it could have spelled the end of his marriage all by itself. But Colt didn’t need Debbie’s help to sabotage his marriage. Coltee sent his dong pic out and secured Instagram side pieces during the marriage. Also, viewers got the impression that he got a kick out of winding up Larissa before sitting back and creepily watching the fireworks. Why do people think that? Well, he did it again.
Colt Johnson and Jess Caroline
Another relationship, another Brazilian beauty, the same old Colt. Once again, Jess clashed with Colt’s mom. And once again, Colt seemed to wind her up with weird behavior — but this time, he almost seemed equally focused on annoying his mother. Jess dodged a bullet, however, because she and Colt never made it down the aisle. Part of that was the women who reached out to her with evidence that Colt had been sending out dick pics during their relationship. Classic Coltee.
Colt Johnson and … Debbie Johnson
Not a romance, but every bit as dysfunctional as some of these couples have been. Debbie fed Colt, made him food, did his laundry, and more. In many ways, she enabled to the toxic manchild that he was. Meanwhile, Colt didn’t seem appreciative, hurting her feelings when he threw her under the bus on camera. It was not a healthy bond, and things grew worse when Colt married Vanessa Guerra. Debbie had to move on and find her own happily ever after … but it may have been too late to forge a healthy bond with her adult son.
Danielle Mullins and Mohamed Jbali
This Season 2 couple put 90 Day Fiance on the map, because their drama was bonkers. Both obviously using and manipulating each other without remorse or hesitation. Mohamed was a younger Tunisian man who clearly, clearly wanted an easy way to the US, where he continues to work and live to this day. But it wasn’t as easy as he’d hoped. Danielle, meanwhile, clearly wanted a younger man who would have sex with her. When Mohamed only boned her once — to consummate their marriage — she became furious, and eventually tried to have him deported. They did make nice, years later, but it was a trainwreck for a long time.
Ella Johnson and Johnny Chao
Even speaking as someone who really likes Ella and would love to see her find happiness (even if it’s not on TV), Ella and Johnny’s story was agonizing. Why? Because she felt so miserable. They had so many iterations of the same conversation with just a few changes — all boiling down to him refusing to visit and canceling plans at the last minute, and her trying to give him ultimatums but always seeming to extend the deadline. They did eventually break up — without ever having met in person. One day, the Kurama of her dreams will come along.
Emily Larina and Sasha Larin
Sasha (whose real name is Alexander) is a Russian and, though he’s a fitness hottie, he’s the kind of guy who brings the gym home with him. But even long before he was insulting random American foods and actively throwing away brand new, unopened foods that his sister-in-law bought (because he didn’t like them), the guy was trouble. How so? Well, he has a penchant for knocking up women before making any kind of commitment. Then, he impregnates a new woman and gets with her. More or less everyone likes Emily, but it’s despite her marriage to Sasha, not because of it.