On 90 Day: The Single Life, this year’s biggest news story collided with the lives of multiple cast members.
Obviously, multiple members of the franchise are from Ukraine.
But North Carolina native Caesar Mack was actually in Ukraine early this year.
He was there as Russian troops massed at the border.
Thanks to the matchmaker, he had found a girlfriend, Alona.
Even as he departed Ukraine, the two of them discussed the looming Russian threat.
And fans, watching this on screen nine months later, have to ask: Is Alona still there? Is she safe?
In Ukraine
We wonder if, while filming Caesar Mack’s and Alona Sivriuk’s love story in Ukraine, production ever wondered if their footage might be some of the last major footage of buildings, roads, and landscapes before rockets and bombs changed city landscapes forever. Ukraine will rebuild one day, but it will not be the same. In a strange way, 90 Day: The Single Life preserved a vision of pre-war Ukraine that will never fully exist again.
But Caesar and Alona have other things on their minds. Mostly.
In his hotel room, Caesar is packing up his belongings. It’s time for him to head home. He may be leaving alone, but he’s no longer single.
After a couple of good dates, Alona Sivriuk is his girlfriend
As he says, she is waiting for him in the lobby. Actually, the timing of the cut from him saying that to us seeing her staring off into space while seated on the couch is genuinely very funny. Cracked me up.
They meet up in the lobby
“I have fears about leaving Alona today,” Caesar admits to the confessional camera. “We just got our relationship going. Now we’re gonna be 5,000 miles apart. It’s going to be a really big challenge.”
But he has a plan to keep the romance alive
Caesar tells the camera that he plans to not just keep in touch, but to video chat “every other day” in order to show her that he’s not just showering her with attention in person. In the car, he thanks her for riding with him to the airport. “I really want to be with you,” Alona replies.
As for the Russian question
Caesar notes that, at the time, some of the news sounded positive. We all remember those first few weeks of February. Many hoped that Vladimir Putin would be unwilling to start a war without provocation, despite his mad ambitions. In Europe, in particular, many news reports suggested that Russia’s show of force along the border was saber-rattling. Alona admits to not knowing what will happen. None of us did. Caesar may sound positive, but he’s worried to leave Alona behind.
At the airport
It’s time for them to say goodbye. The plan is for Caesar to return in two months, so that he will be there for Alona’s birthday — her first as his girlfriend. Obviously, there are entire parts of Ukraine that won’t exist by the time that her birthday comes around, and entire swathes of the country that are unsafe to live or visit, due to active bombing, Russian occupation, or the mines placed in people’s homes and cars to spread terror among the Ukrainian population.
Alona is sad to see him go
She fights back tearing up while talking to the cameras. Despite only going on a couple of real dates, it sounds like sparks have flown between the two of them.
But …
Just days ago, Caesar answered a question on the minds of many The Single Life viewers. Is Alona living with him, now? A rumor claimed that she might be living in the United States. However, Caesar shared that she is still in Ukraine. That may or may not mean anything about their relationship, so it’s not really a spoiler. A K-1 visa would be premature and also would never be ready by now, even if they’d been engaged back in February. Alona could have applied as a refugee, or she could have fled to another European country (more easily, too). We hope that she remains alive and well.