Quite a few couples have shown up in the years since 90 Day Fiance first began. Some have been matches made in heaven, and others haven’t been so great.
We could probably argue about many 90 Day Fiance couples (and former couples) as the cringiest to appear on the show. We picked 10 that were just awkward, toxic, or completely unbalanced that make watching the show both highly entertaining and really, really cringey at the same time.
Karine and Paul
Paul and Karine may have finally called it quits for the last time. They have broken up and made up before, but this time, police arrived, and a CPS case opened up.
All of this came out as Paul and Karine appeared on Season of 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After. We barely even got into their story before drama broke out, and we have learned that the pair didn’t even make it to the Tell All taping.
It was reported months ago that Karine Martins is pregnant with their second child, something Paul teased in his many comments on social media over the past few months.
Paul initially sparked concern in 90 Day Fiance viewers when they learned he is a felon. He was arrested years ago on arson charges after lighting his own house on fire. Everything about Paul has been critiqued, from how he runs to how he handles (or can’t handle) a challenging situation.
While Paul definitely has his quirks and his demons, Karine is no saint. She has been accused many times of cheating on Paul to the point where he’s questioned their children’s paternity.
Right now, Paul and Karine are silent after their very contentious split. The pair filed restraining orders against each other, and Karine has gone silent on social media. Paul, however, fled the U.S. for Brazil, claiming he was going there to get their apartment ready for Karine.
Some believe Paul is waiting in Brazil for Karine rather than leaving her alone as she asked. Others think he may have found another woman while there. Either way, these two would be much better off leaving each other alone.
Danielle and Mohamed
Danielle Mullins and Mohamed Jbali are one of the 90 Day Fiance OGs, who helped to catapult the TLC series when it comes to ratings. That’s because their relationship was so bizarre and entertaining that it was almost impossible not to talk about them.
Mohamed moved to Ohio from Tunisia to be with Danielle when he was 26, and she was 41. It didn’t take long for both of them to realize that the other had told a string of lies. Mohamed said he had a job when he clearly did not, and Danielle was flat broke even though she told Mohamed that she was not.
Danielle also forgot to tell Mohamed about her history of arrests. It turned out that the 90 Day Fiance star had a record after being accused of credit card theft and forgery.
The wedding day should have been an indicator of where this relationship was headed when Mohamed refused to kiss his bride. There were problems in the bedroom, too, and Danielle was not happy that Mohamed wasn’t trying to have sex with her.
When pinned down about why he wouldn’t sleep with his wife at the Tell All, Mohamed admitted that he was put off by Danielle’s lack of hygiene and claimed she had an odor he couldn’t get over.
When Danielle and Mohamed returned to TLC for 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After?, we learned why they put the question mark in the title of the show. There absolutely was not a happily ever after for these two.
In fact, Mohamed ended up leaving Danielle and heading for Miami, but she was hot on his trail.
Danielle ended up finding Mohamed in Miami, and she came prepared. She had a binder full of evidence she had collected against Mohamed while trying to investigate his whereabouts, and she promised to get him deported after he left her.
Mohamed didn’t get deported and lived in Texas for a few years before taking on a new truck driving job. He and Danielle have reportedly mended fences and are working on their friendship. It doesn’t seem likely that they will get back together.
Mark and Nikki
Mark and Nikki were introduced on Season 3 of 90 Day Fiance, much to the shock of viewers. At the time, he was 58, and she was only 19. Viewers couldn’t believe it when they learned that Mark had four adult children who were older than Nikki.
It was even more disturbing to learn all of the things that Nikki had in common with Mark’s ex-wife. Both women are from Cebu, Philippines, and he brought them both over to America on K-1 visas.
When Nikki arrived in Baltimore, Maryland, to be with Mark, he gave her a car and taught her to drive it. That would have been a sweet gesture if not for the fact that Mark purchased the same make and model car for his ex-wife as well. 90 Day Fiance viewers couldn’t help but wonder if Mark was trying to replace his ex-wife with someone just like her.
Mark wouldn’t marry Nikki without a prenup, meaning that if she left him, she would be stuck with literally nothing. To further complicate things, he also refused to have more children, something she wanted.
After their season was over, Mark filed a lawsuit, claiming producers told him 90 Day Fiance was a documentary, and not dramatized. There won’t be any updates coming from TLC for this couple. They are believed to still be together.
Jorge and Anfisa
Where does one even start with Jorge Nava and Anfisa Arkhipchenko? This 90 Day Fiance couple was doomed from the start.
Jorge wanted a beautiful Russian bride, and that’s what he got with Anfisa. However, he had to make a lot of promises to get her to America and then to get her to marry him. Too bad, he overpromised.
She wanted designer clothes, shoes, and handbags, and he was living on a thrift store budget. Not only that, but Anfisa had a wild temper and would fly off the handle over the smallest things.
It was clear that Jorge was desperate to be with Anfisa. And she was willing to use that desperation to get what she wanted.
When Jorge was arrested for marijuana trafficking, it seemed Anfisa would stand by him, but she didn’t. As soon as he went to prison, Anfisa cut Jorge off. She refused to take his phone calls and even blocked his number. She never went to visit him at all.
Now that Jorge is out of prison and lost a significant amount of weight, he is doing better than ever. He’s even referred to his prison stint as a “blessing” because it showed him who Anfisa was, and now, the pair are estranged and working toward divorce.
Nicole and Azan
Nicole and Azan are another of 90 Day Fiance’s cringiest couples who have been around for quite some time. They made their debut on Season 4 of 90 Day Fiance and then returned for Seasons 3 and 4 of Happily Ever After?, even though the pair never married and Azan’s chances of getting to the U.S. seem slim.
Many rumors have surrounded Nicole and Azan, including one that won’t seem to go away. He has been accused of having a wife and kids in Morocco.
Part of the reason that Nicole and Azan are so cringey is due to her taking her daughter May to Morocco and then having her call Azan “dad.”
Another reason that 90 Day Fiance fans aren’t really big on this couple is that he made it clear during their debut season that he’s not all that attracted to Nicole. When they first met, he was surprised by how big she was, and then later, in a confessional, he revealed that he’s only “55 percent” attracted to her, sparking a whole slew of jokes and memes.
After spending five months in Morocco due to the coronavirus pandemic shutting down international travel, Nicole and Azan spent more time together than ever earlier this year. Don’t be surprised to see this pair back on 90 Day Fiance or one of the spinoffs. After all, Nicole is already teasing their return.
Jonathan and Fernanda
Jonathan Rivera and Fernanda Flores made a really good-looking couple on the surface, but as we learned more about them, it was clear they were not going to last.
This 90 Day Fiance couple met in a club in Mexico when she was only 17, and Jonathan was much older at 30. While there have been bigger age differences on the show, the cringe factor comes into play here because she was still underage.
It was only three months after they met when Jonathan popped the question, and by the time she was 19, the two were married and living together in America.
Jonathan’s mother never approved of the situation, and it turns out she may be right. After a tense season where Fernanda complained that Jonathan often worked long hours, then went out to socialize without her, leaving her at home, the pair had a contentious split.
Fernanda wasn’t a big fan of small-town life and longed to move to a big city so she could kick start a modeling career. He was a successful real estate agent and didn’t want to start over in a new area.
Fernanda ended up leaving Jonathan to live and work in Chicago. She claimed Jonathan was mentally, emotionally, and physically abusive to her.
He has since moved on with another woman and, ironically, also moved to Chicago.
Tania and Syngin
Tania and Syngin are proof that 90 days is not nearly long enough to decide if a couple should be married. Or at least not in their case.
They met in a bar in South Africa while he was bartending, and she was visiting another man. That should have been their first clue.
Now that Syngin has made his way to America, these two can’t seem to see eye-to-eye on anything. To top that off, Tania insists that she wants to start a family right away even though she admitted Syngin isn’t her soulmate.
That’s something he can’t seem to get over. Meanwhile, Tania can’t get over his heavy drinking and his need to keep his freedom. Syngin is a free spirit who wants to travel, explore, and who is still too busy growing up to start raising a family.
On Season 5 of Happily Ever After, Tania and Syngin fought about everything she doesn’t like about him. Mostly it’s been about his heavy drinking and inability to find a job. They have also butted heads over her need to start building a family and his revelation that he may not want kids.
When they made their way back to South Africa to visit his family, Tania put on quite a show for his family and friends, leading them to question whether they were a good match or if they got married way too soon.
Now, the couple is rumored to be in a rocky situation, and it looks like divorce may be on the table.
Angela and Michael
Angela and Michael came in like a wrecking ball in Season 2 of 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days. They returned for Season 3 and then made their way to Season 6 of 90 Day Fiance. They also featured on Season 5 of Happily Ever After.
Angela met Michael on Facebook, and after some back and forth, she ended up going to visit him in Nigeria. The rest is history, and this couple ended up tying the knot in January 2020.
Most 90 Day Fiance fans tend to like Michael and even think he deserves a trip to America. That’s because Angela is a whole handful. She’s a chain-smoking, loud-mouthed, much older woman that regularly accuses Michael of cheating for ridiculous reasons.
Her tagline should be “I’m done,” because she said just that about a thousand times leading up to their wedding. She even blew up at Michael on the night before their wedding because he and his friends decided to visit a strip club with Angela and her best friend, Jojo. Even though she was there, Angela lost her mind when Michael dared look at anyone else.
Angela has proven herself to be very insecure, jealous, and crass. So much so that 90 Day Fiance fans have even petitioned to have her removed from the show. It looks like she’s here to stay though because, quite honestly, Angela’s over-the-top behavior brings the ratings.
Lisa and Usman
Lisa Hamme and Usman Umar also won the ire of 90 Day Fiance fans when they debuted on Season 4 of 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days.
They received comparisons to Angela and Michael for a few reasons. The first being that Lisa is also much older than Usman and because this is another American/Nigerian couple, even though he is from the other side of the country.
Lisa also has a very insecure, jealous streak, and she accused Usman over and over of cheating on her. She also showed how controlling she could be when she insisted he not use a model in one of his music videos for a song that was supposedly about her.
While Lisa and Usman put on a great show on-screen, most of their drama went down offscreen when Usman reportedly blocked Lisa while the two were still married. They fought nonstop as their season aired and then created one of the biggest scandals in 90 Day Fiance history when leaked footage from the Tell All showed Usman accusing Lisa of calling him the N-word during a recent fight.
That was enough to get them removed from B90 Strikes Back, a new 90 Day Fiance spinoff that showcased the cast watching their season back and then responding to criticism from the Pillow Talk cast and tweets from the audience.
There was plenty of drama after that as the two continued to bicker and fight. Things even got so bad that Lisa was accused of stealing thousands of dollars from Usman when she received a Cameo check for his work and told fans she would keep it. It’s not known if she ended up giving Usman his money or if that is still in limbo.
Deavan and Jihoon
Deavan Clegg and Jihoon Lee had a lot of potential in the 90 Day Fiance world. When they first hit our screens in Season 1 of The Other Way, they quickly gained popularity. After all, Deavan is very pretty and makes for an excellent reality TV star, and Jihoon is hilarious.
Their antics during Season 1 made Deavan and Jihoon one of the most popular couples, but things started to unravel around the time Season 2 began.
At this point, you can’t convince me Deavan went back to South Korea that second time to end things with Jihoon. After all, she brought her mom Elicia, who went out of her way to stoke every possible situation, causing even more drama than there already was.
Jihoon was constantly blamed for the failings in their relationship, from not earning enough money to picking the wrong apartment (even though Deavan picked it.) During a trip to the park, Deavan’s daughter Drascilla ran off, and Jihoon was screamed at for that too.
On Season 2, we saw more tears from both Deavan and Jihoon than ever, so it was pretty clear the end was near. Then, right before the show stopped for a midseason break, 90 Day Fiance fans learned that Deavan and Jihoon ended their relationship, and she had already moved on with another man.
As Deavan flaunted her new man holding her son and made claims that Jihoon wanted nothing to do with their toddler son, Taeyang, 90 Day Fiance fans began to turn on her. She was no longer the darling of TLC with a funny husband and two small children. Now, she’s a troublemaker that hops from man to man, drawing criticism for dragging her children along behind her.
Forgot Jenny and Sumit