90 Day Fiance: Before The 90 Days Season 6, Episode 3 introduced a wild new couple.
Wild in terms of the impression that they’re making on viewers. Not their behavior, which is pretty un-wild.
Meanwhile, the already-introduced couples have been showing off mixed emotions, regret, excitement, denial, and more.
Take a look at our recap of the Sunday, June 18 episode. Next week, we’ll met another of this season’s couples.
Amanda Wilhelm and Razvan Ciocoi
It’s their first morning together. Amanda clearly enjoys Razvan waiting on her in bed, just as Razvan clearly enjoys showing off his super hot body for the cameras. We could be wrong, but it looks like TLCs editors applied some light censorship to his crotch. Speaking of covering things, apparently Amanda sleeps in socks? A lot of people on these shows just pretend to wear clothing to bed until the cameras leave, but SOCKS? She can do what she wants but it’s nightmare fuel for us, and Razvan seems weirded out, also.
No, they didn’t have sex last night
However, Amanda was very “horny,” according to Razvan. They didn’t just cuddle — she also sucked on his neck a lot and gave him a very visible hickey. Also he noted to the camera that her antics (of course) kept giving him an erection, with no relief in sight. Amanda joked that he could make use of the box of tissues and go into the bathroom with them, which shows that she’s not QUITE as sexually naive as she sounded the day before.
He checks in with her
There’s a bit of an edge to Amanda — where she almost sounds cranky or at least mildly annoyed while answering questions. Razvan understands that she is in a complex place, emotionally. So he checks in. But her emotional state will worsen as the day goes on.
Time for her first day out in Romania
But Amanda feels torn during the car ride. During a video call with her kids, Jr. spoke to Razvan, and blurted out that his father had passed away. Razvan handled this well — it’s something that the 3-year-old has brought up before. But Amanda already had doubts about leaving her kids behind for this trip, just 8 months after their father died. Is Jr. bringing that up a sign that he’s in emotional turmoil with her gone, or just a sign that he’s three years old?
Razvan tries to reassure her
He tells her that she’s a good mom, but also says that he thinks that Jr. is fine. It’s entirely possible that he’s right, but the words do sound kind of hollow. The same goes for when he tells her that coming there was the right call. We’re not saying that he’s being dishonest, we’re just saying that he’s not exactly a neutral party.
Should Amanda go back early?
Razvan very clearly does not like the idea of her not staying the full three weeks. At first, his reaction is a little too negative. He then admits that it would be okay … but he won’t pretend that his feelings wouldn’t be hurt if she left early. That’s totally fair.
A toast!
Amanda and Razvan drink wine while enjoying the beautiful city. They affirm their love for each other. Even then, Amanda is visibly distracted and not emotionally present. Razvan is about to tell her something that will get her attention, however.
“I have the interview”
Wait, what? Razvan blindsides Amanda, telling her that he has an interview soon for a tourist visa to the US. His hope is to come and visit her in America … possibly immediately after her visit to Romania comes to an end. Amanda does not light up with joy as he had hoped.
It’s too much, too quickly
You know how viewers have said that it seems like Amanda is moving too quickly, considering her emotional state so soon after her husband’s tragic death? Well, Amanda has had a lot of these same thoughts. The idea of Razvan coming to the US makes her want to slam on the breaks, because it’s too soon. She wants to find out if they’re compatible before she brings him into her children’s lives. Razvan suggests that may be he wait another month, but he’s fearful of the idea of waiting a year. Keep in mind that he and Amanda have known each other for all of four months. They love each other but are operating on different timetables, clearly.
Gino Palazzolo and Jasmine Pineda
Riding from the airport to Jasmine’s apartment, Gino talks about how Panama has become his second home. Jasmine then draws his attention to the “mountains,” by which she means her breasts. Gino does not take the bait.
They arrive
Jasmine attempts to tell Gino that this luxury apartment, which goes for $3,000 a month, is “worth every penny.” It very likely is.
It’s a nice, gorgeous apartment
The place is also furnished, which … will be relevant as the episode continues. A furnished place is a good choice for someone with limited furniture of their own, especially if they are planning to leave the country soon. Remember, Jasmine is hoping that the K-1 visa will come through in a matter of weeks.
Jasmine does not live here alone
It is a two-bedroom apartment because Jasmine lives there with her younger sister, Liz. We met Liz last season. She is lovely. It is unclear why she lives there, however. Either they’ll explain … or they won’t. But it’s great to see her. She’s a lovely person. And we sincerely hope that her walls and doors are thick enough to block out any and all sounds from either side of passion’s pendulum.
On the balcony …
After Jasmine shows Gino the view, she points out what an affluent location it is. In her mind, she’s trying to explain to Gino that she’s getting his money’s worth. After all, the hope is that she’ll be here for only one month, right? But in his mind, clearly, this is excessive — for her or for him. Gino tells the camera that he feels less interested in Jasmine because of her behavior, in terms of her spending habits and their fights.
Jasmine begs Gino to join her in bed
Eventually, she is able to pressure him to “try” the bed. He just had a very long flight, so he caves. He remains fully dressed … but Jasmine immediately joins him.
“You gonna feel it?”
Jasmine is excited to tell Gino that she is not wearing a bra, but he again does not take the bait. In fact, rather than touching her or encouraging her to touch him, he ends up turning over onto his stomach.
“Papi, do you want me?”
If you have to ask, Jasmine … you’re probably in a complex situation. Gino is clearly just trying to ignore Jasmine and the cameras alike. His discomfort is palpable.
Even Jasmine picks up on it
She asks Gino to start over with her, and they attempt a redo on their time together. But that sort of emotional reset is more easily said than done.
They make dinner together
Jasmine has it all planned out. It’s going to be entirely plant-based. She assigns Gino to peel the potatoes. Only she doesn’t seem to have a cutting board. Or a potato peeler. Or even a paring knife, which would be more appropriately sized for this task. So this leaves Gino without the “proper tools’ (he says this repeatedly), using an oversized knife to peel a potato above a plate.
And then he quits
Uncomfortable with the task but certainly MORE uncomfortable with how he and Jasmine were interacting, Gino leaves the task and returns to their room. He tells the camera that he doesn’t like when Jasmine orders him around, which is generally fair. But this was meal prep, which is usually a little different. He reminds us a little, in this moment, of a young adult who is trying to set boundaries with a parent, but is overcompensating and just picking random fights.
Oh good, Jasmine’s yelling
If you were worried that Gino was just being pouty in the face of Jasmine being totally reasonable, fear not. Jasmine began yelling and cursing about her dinner plans. She quickly begins to cry instead. One can understand her hurt feelings, but … it is truly painful to watch these two interact.
In his room, Gino rubs his forehead and his feet
Even for a guy who perpetually seems like he is short-circuiting, Gino seems deeply anxious. Our guess is that he felt overwhelmed in the kitchen and removed himself as much as he could. But with cameras, producers, and Jasmine’s yelling, he can only do so much.
Meanwhile, Jasmine’s feelings are hurt
When we saw a sneak peek of this scene, we hadn’t seen the context earlier. We’re not saying that she or Gino were reasonable during the dinner prep fight. But we can understand that she has just spent her entire day feeling intense rejection. Gino not wanting to openly grope her during the car ride was one thing, but he seemed to shrink away from her in their bed, and now he won’t make dinner with her.
It hurts
And, as Jasmine explains to the camera, this is more than just disappointment. Gino is mad, and she doesn’t know why. She doesn’t understand him or how his mind works. And that is clearly mutual. She feels bad that he is upset.
“I just want to make him happy”
While Jasmine laments her inability to please her fiance or even understand what he wants (or dislikes), Gino decides to leave their room and come make peace with her. Sometimes, you do just need a little break before you can resolve problems.
So … why is Jasmine crying?
Just as Jasmine did not understand why Gino was unhappy, he did not understand her. She explains that she felt sad that their dinner plans didn’t happen, that it made him angry, and that she didn’t understand why. Gino reiterated that he did not feel comfortable helping out without the right kitchen implements.
Jasmine explains her side
She tells Gino that she didn’t consider these kitchen essentials to be “essential” because she didn’t have certain things while growing up. Now, this is a conversation that they could have had before this and skipped the fight. But these two are prone to conflict. And also, let’s be realistic — this wasn’t really about the potatoes. They have major underlying issues.
Speaking of which …
After a long flight and all of the drama of the day, Gino just wants to go to bed. He remains fully dressed, but changes into a “sleeping hat” and goes to bed. Jasmine asks gentle questions and is supportive of him. Imagine if they’d both spoken about what they wanted to do in a calm, respectful manner way earlier than this. Well … they probably wouldn’t be returning for another season.
Meisha Johnson and Nicola Kanaan
Season 6, Episode 3 introduces Meisha. She is 43 years old, she is gorgeous, and she is an extremely devout Catholic. That last bit is seemingly the first thing that Meisha would like for anyone to know about her. We know that editors can be shady and present people a certain way, but Meisha’s social media gives the exact same impression. Her story is a bit unusual, making her a significant outlier among the planet’s 1.3 billion Catholics.
Meisha is a convert
Statistically, the vast majority of Catholics grew up as such. (The same is true of Protestants — there are a few faiths where most adherents converted, but religious beliefs are sometimes intergenerational and hardly questioned within families) However, over a decade ago, Meisha was vacuuming her living room when she had a vision of two suns and felt pressure and panic. This spiritual experience, she explains, led her to read the bible and, from there, to convert to Catholicism. She upended her life in doing so, leaving her somewhat glamorous TV journalism job and alienating certain friends and potential partners.
Meisha married young
She struck up a romance with a foreign exchange student. She ended up living in Scandanavia for a while. And she has two teenage daughters from that union. Yes, the fact that she is divorced will absolutely play into her story this season. Because she has now, for years, been in an entirely chaste long-distance relationship with a fellow devout Catholic.
Nicola is 46 years old
In Israel, Catholics are just a small minority of the population, so it seems that a lot of Nicola’s interactions with fellow Catholics take place online. Unlike Meisha, Nicola has been Catholic since he was little — even though he did not grow up in a Catholic household. Yes, there’s a lot going on with him and with Meisha.
Nicola lives with his mother
He admits that it isn’t easy sometimes, but shares that it is a cultural expectation. He has never married, so until he does, he lives with his mom. Nicola is super hardcore about Catholicism, but his mother is not. So when and how did this start? It wasn’t with vacuuming.
Grandma was a nun
Nicola explains that his grandmother was a nun. From the age of six, she taught him to pray as she did and imparted her beliefs upon him.
About 7 years ago, he and Meisha began talking
Apparently, Nicola reaching out at random when Meisha was still relatively new to Catholicism felt like perfect timing. They both credit their God’s intervention for their meeting. So, Meisha is planning to fly to Israel to meet Nicola for the first time. She wants to determine if he will be her future husband.
Meisha’s friends and family have concerns
She meets with her sister, Taylor. Taylor brings up that Nicola has never had a serious relationship — not in a long time – and has never had sex. While being a “virgin” is a social construct with no meaningful biological significance, it can be extremely important to certain individuals, institutions, and cultures. In this case, Taylor just worries about her sister’s happiness. This is a middle-aged man who doesn’t know how to be in a relationship, and if Meisha marries him, divorce won’t be an option.
Yes, Nicola is a 46-year-old virgin
She admires Nicola’s celibacy, but it also means that there is no way to find out of they are compatible ahead of marriage. Meisha resolves to simply gauge how affectionate he is in a very chaste way during her trip. Her sister worries that they are too different, and that both being devout Catholics is not enough.
There is a lot riding on this trip
She will only have a couple of weeks to determine if she’ll be deflowering Nicola in their marriage bed one day. Meisha doesn’t see herself walking away from this relationship, and doesn’t think that multiple trips will make a difference. Simply put, she believes that this is a divinely ordained relationship, and she is putting her trust in that.
This is how Nicola describes his family
We mention this because it is likely to come up later. However, HE mentions it so that he can introduce his friend, Wasim. Wasim is a fellow Catholic, and the two apparently call regularly to pray on their rosaries together.
Wasim isn’t sure what to make of all fo this
He knows that Nicola and Meisha talk all of the time online and over social media, but he’s unsure of how that will translate to real life.
“I mean, she is out of his league”
Wasim isn’t trying to insult his friend. He is just making an accurate assessment of literally everything about Meisha and Nicola. Nicola does not have money or a job and he lives with his mom. Meisha is not only a total hottie, but seemingly affluent. She also works for the Catholic church.
Also? Nicola has no idea what he’s doing
He has not touched or kissed a woman in 16 years, and he has never had sex. That means not knowing how to be a husband and a partner.
“I never expected I will be with a divorced one”
Nicole tells Wasim that he always imagined a more traditional pairing. Obviously, Catholic theology tells him that Meisha’s conversion to the church changed her very essence so that she is a virgin again. But her divorce does make her stand out, even for Nicola’s non-Catholic family members. Or it would …
“This is why I’m not telling my mother”
Nicola explains that his mother expects him to marry a virgin who can give him children. Even though she is not Catholic, these are cultural expectations. So he has opted to simply not tell his mom. Even though he lives with her. And even though Meisha will soon visit.
Meanwhile …
Meisha likes to put very Catholic collars onto her cat, who does not seem to enjoy them. She, however, enjoys holding up he cat to the camera for Nicola to say hello to their “baby.”
Red flag
People who get bent out of shape when someone refers to their dog or cat as their “baby” are sometimes expressing underlying resentments that can cause long-term relationships problems. Nicola also whines about Meisha having a cat on her bed.
On to more pressing matters
Meisha had a meeting regarding her petition for an annulment. See, she has a secular divorce from her ex, but that’s not really meaningful from a Catholic perspective. Meisha tells him that it’s really hitting home that these folks will basically decide the course of their lives. If they don’t grant an annulment, then Meisha cannot have a Catholic wedding.
And that is the only option
In Nicola’s eyes, a Catholic wedding is the only option. A secular marriage is just paperwork (which is true enough) and thus, within Catholic theology, would “be sin” because it lacks the blessing of the Catholic church.
So it’s this or nothing
Nicola sounds confident that this will work. At least, he doesn’t seem willing to consider alternatives to an annulment.
Meet Morea and Svea
Morea is 19 years old. Svea is 17. They are Meisha’s daughters. Though they are helping her to pick some outfits for her trip to Israel, they have some concerns. Their limited conversations with Nicola have been all about his Catholic beliefs, which has left them wondering if he’s going to be judging or preaching to them. Meisha, though herself a devout Catholic, has clearly given them both space to be their own people. She honestly doesn’t know what Nicola would be like with them, in person. Perhaps this trip will help her to find out.
Riley and Violet
At home, Riley is packing for his trip to Vietnam. His friend, Alexa, will watch his precious dog and give him a ride. Riley packs a gift for Violet — a pearl necklace. It is, he tells the camera, her birthday.
During the ride, Riley tells Alexa some things
He shares that his hope is that he will not have to hire a private investigator. If Violet can lay his worries to rest, he won’t feel a need to. And he admits that Violet previously sent a bunch of weird texts to his dad. Riley only learned about that recently.
Alexa sees some red flags
She is worried about her friend and this relationship. To her, it sounds like Violet was being manipulative in an alarming way.
Riley takes his flight
In the airport, he runs into another American guy who was en route to his lady love in Vietnam.
Meanwhile …
Violet introduces herself to viewers for the first time. She shares a little biographical information at first.
Her erstwhile marriage shaped her
Violet was married for 15 years. As a result, she has become more assertive and independent.
She is a mother of two
Violet explains that she ended her marriage because her ex did not give her emotional support or contribute enough financially to support their daughters. Yeah, that would do it.
But dating is difficult
She says that some patriarchal BS seems to have a grip on a lot of men in Vietnam and that made dating a challenge. So she opened herself up to dating people from other countries. Different cultures can have their ups and downs.
Riley caught her attention
Violet loves dogs, so that worked in his favor. (On a scale from Nicola to Violet, how much of an animal-lover are you?)
Riley makes her laugh
Violet loves his sense of humor. Clearly, they have a great rapport … even though they had some bumps in the road along the way.
Violet tells her friends about the relationship
At her birthday get-together, she opens up about seeing an American. The relationship has been going on for a couple of years, but she never told them. Her family knows, but her friends did not. Violet praises Riley’s personality, his sense of humor, and how hard he works. But she admits that they have fought a lot. But she also suggests that she starts some of the fights.
The one problem?
Riley has major trust issues from his own past. This makes him a little obsessive about her fidelity. Violet feels tired of Riley’s past betrayals haunting her.
Tyray and “Carmella”
During his short segment, Tyray admits to his sister, Lashanti, that he still holds out hope that Carmella is real. He hasn’t blocked the account yet. There are years of rapport here. He says that maybe, for example, Carmella had a boyfriend who got a hold of her phone and lashed out over jealousy. That is … certainly possible. But very unlikely, especially considering the much more plausible explanation that production already gave him. Carmella is fictitious, and a man named Christian invented this person in order to get money.
Lashanti wants to help
She loves her brother so much and she wants to gently help him to open up to reality, but not in a way that will destroy him. So she starts by reverse image searching the photos of “Carmella.” Always a good idea (even though Google’s reverse image search function is now much worse than it used to be). However, these photos do not immediately show up. That doesn’t mean that they’re not in circulation. It just means that they’re not “popular” images and might be on sites that Google doesn’t index. For example, private OnlyFans pics.
There’s a new message from “Carmella”
Tyray previously walked away when he heared the man’s voice. So perhaps a text message will be easier to read. Production has one, and they bring it over. Tyray deserves to understand why someone played with his heart like this.
“At first, i twas a way to get money”
The catfisher admits that they “did start liking him.” But, the message continued, “I can’t be with him.” The catfisher, who goes by Christian, feels guilt for conning Tyray out of money and breaking his heart, but it sounds like the money was life-saving. That is … some truly heavy stuff.
Tyray is having complex feelings
He’s hung up on this, and trying to separate his lust for the Carmella photos from the rapport that he felt with this catfisher. He doesn’t have closure yet, but it sounds like he’s closer to putting denial behind him.