TLC is under fire from 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way viewers who think the show is staged.
Although they claim to simply record footage of the cast engaging in day-to-day life, reality TV fans have often accused networks of scripting shows.
The 90 Day Fiance franchise follows couples who find international spouses-to-be and make major sacrifices in the name of love.
The show has become popular in recent years, earning the franchise several spinoffs, such as The Other Way.
Nicole and Mahmoud El Sherbiny were one of six couples to join the Season 4 cast. Nicole gave up her life in America to move to Egypt to live with her husband, Mahmoud.
So far this season, 90 Day Fiance viewers are watching Nicole struggle with the culture and rules, constantly butting heads with Mahmoud, who doesn’t seem to understand why she won’t just fall in line.
Nicole Sherbiny is spotted in a TLC editing faux pas during a 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way scene
During the most recent episode, Winds Do Not Blow As the Ships Wish, Mahmoud met up with his brother to discuss the fact that Nicole is unhappy in Egypt and wants them both to move back to the U.S.
In the scene, Mahmoud and his brother meet in a “men’s only” cafe to play dominoes and discuss a possible move to the U.S.
Although the cafe prohibited women per Mahmoud, one especially observant 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way viewer noticed there was a female in the cafe — and not just any female, but apparently Nicole.
Taking to Reddit, the viewer shared a clip from the segment, captioned, “Did anyone see Nicole blurred in the back then not blurred and peeking? Lol.”
In the clip, as Mahmoud walks into the cafe to greet his brother, a blonde female could be spotted in the background. The woman had the same hair color and short haircut as Nicole and seemingly smiled as she hid behind a wall while Mahmoud walked in.
90 Day Fiance viewers felt duped and took to the comments of the Reddit thread to sound off over the editing flub.
90 Day Fiance: The Other Way viewers sound off
“TLC frauding us again!” voiced one viewer, pointing out, “Apparently it wasn’t an all male cafe.”
Another disgruntled Redditor called the show “So staged” and gave kudos to the viewer for the “Great catch.”
Another viewer expressed feeling betrayed and said the editing went “too far this time” with their editing snafu.
“The whole thing is staged,” commented another critic, who felt that beefing up storylines “adds a whole new dimension” to Nicole and Mahmoud’s story.
Although there’s no concrete evidence that the blonde woman in the video was, in fact, Nicole, it does raise questions. Was the conversation between Mahmoud and his brother staged? Was the cafe really “men’s only?” Are Nicole and Mahmoud being dishonest about the issues within their marriage?
Is 90 Day Fiance scripted?
This isn’t the first time 90 Day Fiance viewers have wondered about the authenticity of the storylines. TLC viewers wondered whether 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After? couple Shaeeda Sween and Bilal Hazziez‘s storyline was made up just for the cameras. Although they often bickered on the show, Shaeeda and Bilal continued to post happy-go-lucky photos of themselves off-camera, causing viewers to speculate their arguments were faked.
During an earlier season of 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way, viewers questioned Ariela Weinberg and Biniyam Shibre‘s storyline as well. When Ariela’s ex-husband, Leandro, hand-delivered bras to her in front of Biniyam, 90 Day Fiance viewers felt it was done to add to the drama of the scene.
In support of the theory that the franchise is scripted, one of its alums, Stephanie Matto, admitted to Domenick Nati that the show is a “little bit manipulated.” Stephanie claimed that producers often suggest things for the cast to discuss or mention, which would obviously add to some of the otherwise mundane scenes.
Whether or not the show is scripted is up for debate. In the meantime, there’s still more to come from Season 4 of 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way, so eagle-eyed viewers should keep a watchful eye for future editing blunders.
90 Day Fiance: The Other Way airs on Sundays at 8/7c on TLC and Discovery+.