The last few seasons of 90 Day Fiancé and its various spin-offs have not gotten the best reviews from fans. However, some have been far worse than others. 90 Day Fiancé Season 9 was particularly tedious to viewers, who found the season to be long and boring. But the 90 Day Fiancé slump doesn’t just apply to the original series.
90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way Season 4 also received heavy criticism, mainly for having so many problematic cast members. Several factors caused the franchise to go downhill, which must be corrected to get the show back to where it once was.
Producers Are Casting Couples Viewers Don’t Want To See
One of the biggest issues is producers cannot seem to stop casting couples who fans have no interest in seeing. 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? Season 7 was a prime example of this, as it featured controversial couple Ed Brown and Liz Woods. Many viewers have been disturbed by Ed’s behavior and treatment toward women in the past. They’ve been very vocal about not wanting him on their television screens.
Angela Deem was another controversial cast member on Happily Ever After? Season 7, and while she does make for good television, many fans compare her to Ed. Angela had been physically aggressive toward her husband, Michael Ilesanmi, before, but reached a new low when she showed up to his house unannounced and tried to fight him. Many fans find Angela’s behavior to be toxic, and do not think that TLC should encourage such behavior.
It seems like producers have not learned their lesson yet. They recently announced Ed and Liz will return for the new spin-off, 90 Day: The Last Resort. They also decided to bring back Daniele Gates and Yohan Geronimo for The Other Way Season 5, after fans vocalized that they did not want to see more of them after The Other Way Season 4.
Storylines Are Starting To Feel Repetitive
Another flaw with recent seasons is the overwhelming similarities between storylines. It causes the couples to not come off as original. One storyline that has been recycled is the American woman struggling to adjust to her Middle Eastern partner’s strict Islamic culture. Viewers saw this with Brittany Banks and Yazan Abo Horiria, then again with Yve Arellano and Mohamed Abdelhamed, and most recently with Nicole Sherbiny and Mahmoud Elsherbiny.
Fans also noticed many similarities between the stories of Jenny Slatten and Sumit Singh, and Jen Boecher and Rishi Singh. Both Jenny and Jen moved to India on The Other Way to be with their respective partners, where they both dealt with some culture shock. Jenny and Jen both struggled to gain the acceptance of their partners families, which became the main source of conflict for both couples.
Usman Umar has also caused the franchise to feel repetitive. He was cast on back to back seasons of 90 Day Fiancé: Before The 90 Days, with two different women. Usman made his debut on Season 4 with his ex-wife Lisa Hamme, and later returned for Season 5 to explore a relationship with Kim Menzies, following his divorce. The two storylines were nearly identical, and many viewers were annoyed to have to watch Usman on their screens again.
Viewers Think Some Storylines Are Scripted
Many viewers agree that some couples cast on recent seasons just don’t feel authentic. Some even believe that several faked their relationship status just to get on the show. One of these couples is Jibri Bell and his wife Miona Bell, who have been accused of being clout chasers by fans. Rumors surfaced that Jibri and Miona had been married long before applying for the show, and that they lied about being married to be cast.
Another couple that was recently accused of being fraudulent was Nicole and Mahmoud. Viewers noticed several holes in their storyline on The Other Way Season 4. Fans noticed that Nicole and Mahmoud often came off as if they were acting, especially with some of their large and dramatic fights. Others speculated the two had originally wanted to get a divorce, but stayed together to be featured on the show.
When storylines come off as staged, they quickly become boring for viewers who are looking for authentic and fresh drama. If TLC wants to get the 90 Day Fiancé franchise back on track, they need to re-evaluate their current casting.
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