Television Tuesday: Are We Even Supposed to Root for the Couples on, "90 Day Fiancé," Anymore?

"90 Day Fiancé," is a franchise that rivals the Marvel Cinematic Universe in its size and scope. The first season of the original series launched in January of 2014. The idea was to follow a couple where one lived in America and the other in a foreign country. Through the K-1 Visa process, the (potentially) future spouse was coming to the U.S., and they had 90 days (per the Visa) to either get married or leave the country voluntarily if the planned marriage did not happen. The show was a hit and spawned so, so many spin-offs. Over twelve years later, and you've got folks who are basically celebrities thanks to the show. Some couples appeared, and everyone forgot them, but other folks became fan favorites and famous (or infamous) for their behavior. We've got couples meeting before the 90-day process, those going, "The Other Way," people from the show who are currently without a spouse and living, "The Single Life," and the list goes on. Some couples are being followed on, "Happy Ever After?" and others are about ready to break up and at, "The Last Resort." Certain individuals got their own show, such as Darcy and Stacy or, "The Family Chantel." There was a short-lived cooking show, for goodness sake! It enjoy much of the franchise, but one little thing has been bugging me. I feel like there is this nagging question of whether, somewhere along the way, we weren't supposed to actually root for the couples anymore?

The earlier years of the 90 Day behemoth had some real characters, yes, but there were plenty of couples who seemed to deeply love each other and be relatively well-adjusted adults. Plenty of those, "Early," cast members are still together. Some couples have had children and are living their best lives. Even people who appeared on the show some years later often seem dedicated to trying to make their love work through patience, conversations, empathy, and otherwise being decent human beings--Kenny and Armondo are one of the first LGBTQ couples who first appeared on, "The Other Way," show (in 2020) and care about each other so much. Yet, as time has gone on, I would say that if we put it bluntly, shit's gone crazy. Yes, we've always had people like Angela Deem or good ol' Colt Johnson popping up in the 90-day Universe, but there were stable or at least stable-ish people too. Now, whenever a new couple enters the franchise on their own K-1 Visa journey, at least one person seems extremely problematic in some way, if not both individuals. 

Kobe and Emily, a rare later-series couple (debuted season 9) who are still happy.
Plus, BOTH seem like cool folks.

This latest season of the OG show (we're now in the middle of season 12) we have someone blaming OCD for a clear case of alcoholism (Catie), a business exec (Marrisa) who can't stop belittling the supposed new love of her life, a serial cheater (Shea), an amateur actor (Mido) who seems to be conning his future wife, someone whose dedication to Christinaity seems to give them their own God complex (Ashia), a couple who like to just constantly be petty at each other (Thomas & Paula), and Mallorie and Rașit who argue a ton about a guy friend she has as well as some money she's got in a trust. In previous seasons, that last couple would be considered rocky, but now, they seem the most stable and reasonable out of all the madness. If I'm watching a show about international love but screaming at the screen that almost everyone needs to break up, that's a problem. 

To the show's credit, sometimes the American is awful, and sometimes the foreign love is a monster...so hooray for proving terrible guys and gals can be found anywhere in the World? Seriously, though, the message of this show has morphed from, "Love knows no borders," to, "Look at these jerks from all around the World!" All of that said, I'm still watching a number of the shows and do enjoy both the happy couples and the messy ones. We just seem to get a lot more disasters of relationships to rubberneck than ones to support and cheer about. I mean, drama is going to get more attention than stability, so there ya go.

The Inexplicably Magnetic Toxicity of Colt from, "90 Day Fiance," on TLC

Colt Johnson has been on various iterations of, "90 Day Fiance," for years now. It started out as a show focused on people who had a potential spouse coming over from another country on a K-1 visa so they could get married and start their future spouse on a path to citizenship. Things quickly expanded to create an entire universe of 90-day shows focused on everything from a couples first meeting in person, to people moving to a foreign country, checking on couples and how they're doing, and following up on individuals whose relationships did not work out and are now looking for love again. What started out as a single idea turned into a multi-tentacled octopus of entertainment. Some of the spin-off shows are better than others, and some, "Cast members," are quite intriguing, while other folks are a bore who vanish after a single season. Colt first appeared in 2018 on the, "OG," franchise with Larissa. He almost comes across as sympathetic there, as Larissa was portrayed in an unflattering light when she came over from Brazil to become engaged to and then marry Colt. Colt often had his mother, Debbie, around and meddling in his life, which caused immense friction with Larissa. He and Larissa divorced within a year. Then things get weird.

Before I go down the rabbit hole of Colt's romantic life, let's discuss the man himself. He's a bit nerdy, known as a horndog, and doesn't seem that special, but he keeps drawing in women who he then does terribly wrong. When you watch him on television, you want to hate him, but he's just self-aware and funny enough that it's like the, "Heel," in a wrestling match or Jason in, "Friday the 13th." They're clearly villains, but they're just so fun to watch as they wreak havoc, and Colt has given us plenty of mayhem.

Once Colt was single, he started seeing another Brazilian woman named Jessica. She was a sweet redhead who really liked him, it appeared. He proceeded to cheat on her with a friend he knew locally, Vanessa. Eventually, he and Vanessa got married, had tons of relationship issues (mainly, his infidelity) and divorced. In 2025, we watched as Colt appeared on, "90 Day Fiance: The Hunt for Love," which put a bunch of people who had been on different iterations of the show in a resort to hook up with random folks or each other. Colt and someone else who had been on the show long ago and reappeared only recently-ish, Cortney, fell in love. He also got horribly injured on a slippery step and broke his leg. He moved in with Cortney, and as the latest season of, "The Single Life," has shown us, engaged in remote cheating by using his cellphone to engage in sexting other women--all while struggling to have sex with her and blaming his injury.

On the March 9th episode of, "The Single Life," we saw as Cortney confirmed Colt was lying to her and she kicked him out of her house--where he was currently living. When they met later to discuss how batshit insane everything has been, she pointed out how he is:

1. Injured/can't walk.

2. Homeless (she's letting him crash with her at her parents' house).

3. Jobless (besides this show, of course).

4. Has erectile dysfunction (at least with her) and can't get it up to even have sex...

...yet he is still cheating on her. Then the episode ends with her hesitating to actually leave him and maybe, just maybe, forgive this man and stay? Say what? How does Colt do this to all these women, or as a cast member named Tim once said during a show where they watch 90-day programs with us, "How does Colt get so much ass?"

Perhaps it is a case where Colt gives off an energy where women are like, "I can fix him!" Maybe it is how he is affable, intelligent, and smart enough with that intelligence to hide his slimy tendencies. After two failed marriages, no job, no home, and supposedly having a micropenis as some exes claim, you'd think a person such as Cortney would know better than to set a single foot near Colt...and yet, here we are in 2025 (when the show was filmed), and Colt is somehow irresistible to the ladies. He has some kind of magnetic toxicity, and despite being aware that he should know better than to act how he does...Colt always screws things up. Colt excels at making any bad situation he is in worse. He says he feels shame anytime he gets caught for his behavior, but he keeps doing it--and yes, us the audience, keep watching.

This brings up the age-old debate about reality shows and whether they do little more than encourage bad behavior. The worst individuals/villains/heels get all the airtime, and the fans gobble it up. Can you remember a boring lady from a, "Real Housewives," show, or when you think if castmembers do names such as Nene Leakes, Jen Shah, and so forth pop into your noggin? If you're not a diehard fan of, "Vanderpump Rules," name someone besides Tom Sandoval--Hell, even if you never watch the show or anywhere else he has appeared, you might know that name due to the usual news and jokes of popular culture! We've got an admittedly fun show all about the baddies of reality television called, "House of Villains," and I've seen zero desire online for a house of heroes. Are we enabling Colt by tuning in to his shenanigans? I, personally, think he would behave the way he does regardless of cameras being present sometimes in his life, but as long as the cameras are there, I want to witness what he gets up to! Oh no, does his magnetic toxicity affect us television viewers as well?

Since reality television became popular, those who scheme, backstab, cheat, and otherwise are deceptive are the people who get the most attention. From, "The Real World," and Puck to, "Survivor," and Richard Hatch in the, "Old," days to more recent stuff such as Plane Jane on the 16th season of, "RuPaul's Drag Race," and Monica Garcia in the fourth season of, "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City." I mean, one of my favorite reality television shows ever would be, "Big Brother," and Dan Gheeseling is generally thought of as being one of the best players ever because of how good a job he did outright lying and plotting how to screw others over (he struggled a bit on, "The Traitors," though, proving just becuase you excel at one game doesn't mean you will always be good at every single competition). 

We don't necessarily root for the bad guy/gal in reality television, scripted T.V., movies, games, or whatever, but we can all probably admit the scoundrel is fun to watch. Hence, Colt remains a presence of many, "90 Day," shows, and we find ourselves glued to our screens asking, "Jeez, what will he do next?" Tune into the latest episodes of, "90 Day Fiance: The Single Life," if you feel like you need to find out. Don't worry, I won't judge, I'll be right there with you (symbolically, that is, I will be on my own couch) watching too.

Television Tuesday: TLC is Going a Little TOO Hard on Those 90 Day Fiance Shows

I love trashy reality television. Some shows keep me engaged and others eventually wear out their welcome. I eagerly tuned into, "The Bachelor/Bachelorette," for a handful of years until it became overly complicated with so many shows and a tedious formula ("Golden Bachelor," reignited my interest briefly, however). On the other hand, "Big Brother," manages to keep things fresh enough that I always check a new season out because some are fantastic even if others drag. I enjoy a lot of TLC programs and one franchise that has grown, grown, and grown would be, "90 Day Fiance." The initial idea was straightforward. We followed a couple as their future spouse arrived in America and had 90 days to get married as per a K-1 Visa. Then the spin-offs started. 

Some of the mamy 90 Day shows include, "Before the 90 Days," following couples meeting in person for the first time. "The Other Day," which was about the reverse situation where an American is going to live abroad. "Happily Ever After," and its focus on couples that got married. "Single Life," with cast members who did not find love and are now looking for a partner. "Family Chantel," which focused on Chantel and her insane family. "Pillow Talk," where cast members watch, "90 Day," shows and comment on them. The list goes on and I'm going to stop because there are 18 or so of these things creating a complex continuity where people might be on one show, shift to another, then another, and before you know it we've created an unstoppable machine that gets to the point where there is a spin-off featuring the cast doing a cooking show (it happened). You now are unable to tune into TLC without there being at least one new 90 Day-related program occurring that week, possibly a handful. I've got to ask, is this too much?

A chart from Reddit attempting to figure out how to watch everything 90 Day-related.

I used to try and watch almost any, "90 Day Fiance," type show. With so many programs these days, however, the brand feels diluted. I'm not going to criticize how real or fake the shows are, this is reality television and there are always questionably planned-out elements, one theorizes. I don't care too much if I'm entertained, but am I having fun with every show or am I just trying to check them all out so I know who the Hell a couple on, "The Last Resort," is that are trying to save their relationship because they were on two other 90 Day programs already I must've missed due to the sheer deluge of content? I want to watch reality television to relax, not try to keep track of nearly 20 shows and what is going on in them. At least some shows are relatively self-contained still besides some thematic links like, "Thousand Pound Sisters," and, 'Thousand Pound Best Friends," which, yes, are real shows I watch because I already told you I enjoy junk programming. My point is that TLC needs to show a little restraint with the 90 Day brand because you can have too much of a good thing and get sick of it--even deliciously trashy international couples.

HBO MAX and Discovery+ Will Not Be Merged After All

The big news for awhile was how HBO MAX would just go by, "Max," and was going to absorb Discovery+, turning them into one big service. Well, somebody crunched the numbers and even though HBO MAX/Max subscribers might like having some Discovery+ content, the folks who use Discovery+ have little interest in paying more money for a merged service (HBO MAX/Max costs a lot more than Discovery+). The plan to combine everything is officially scrapped. I guess there isn't a ton of crossover in people who watch prestige cable or DC superhero movie and junky reality television. I mean, I do that, but I'm a uniquely strange person.

HBO MAX/Max will still gain most or all of the content on Discovery+ but there will still be Discovery+ for people too if they're more interested in, "1,000 Pound Sisters," and, "MILF Manor," than scripted programming. Yes, those are actual reality shows I watch. Perhaps this is for the best. People who get Max can dip their toes into trashy reality T.V. and users of Discovery+ won't have to pay extra for movies or shows they have little interest in as opposed to the latest 90 Day Fiancé episode. Everyone wins, I suppose?

Television Show of the Year: Anything That Served as Good Mental Junk Food--2021 in Review

This is me.

2020 was a terrible year and 2021 was better but still immensely stressful. During the year I didn't want to watch too many television shows that were stressful or required a ton of my attention. I did view some programs that were like that, but I really dug the stuff that served as mental junk food. I loved just chilling with trashy reality television that I could watch weekly on cable shows or stream on various platforms. When life is stressful and hard sometimes you just need a dose of, "The Bachelor/Bachelorette/Bachelor in Paradise," or a baking show with a detective theme, maybe some people who are 600 pounds losing weight, all of that stuff. I was eager to decompress with, "Big Brother," as opposed to watching an intense drama or thriller-type program. It just was pleasant to have something related to, "90 Day Fiance," and its myriad spin-offs sometimes as opposed to something that had me on the edge of my seat when I just wanted to lay back on the couch.

Television Tuesday: There Can Never Be Enough, "90 Day Fiance," Content

"90 Day Fiance," is a show on TLC about couples with a unique dating situation. Namely, one is coming to America to be with their partner and they'll have 90 days to decide if they want to get married, or the foreign partner has to leave. This is how the K-1 Visa the show is centered on works. It sounds simple, but it has resulted in some very dramatic T.V. It also led to a ton of spin-offs.

There are now programs following past couples title, "What Now?" shows about people going, "The other way," where an American moves, shows where we watch past participants watch an episode of the program and riff on it, and other random spin-offs focused on the most interesting/messy people the show has ever had. Oh, and a short series that checked-in how everyone was doing in quarantine. I also realize now I forgot, "Before the 90 Days," where Americans go to meet their possible future spouse they want to bring over for the first time in-person if they've communicated solely online or such. I'm probably forgetting another version of the show too, but I'll stop for the sake of your sanity if you're bewildered by all this.

Darcey Silva and her many failed relationships with foreign men has resulted in hours of programming.

All these, "90 Day Fiance," programs may sound excessive, but Samii and I can't get enough. They are like nice relaxing junk food for your brain to unwind with, and after all the stress this year has held for us that is something to seek-out and savor. The countless, "90 Day Fiance," programs are a treat for people who love trashy reality television, and hope to maybe learn something too (they are on, "The Learning Channel, after all). It's good stuff.

What Is Going On With This New Season of, "The Bachelorette," Pray Tell?

As readers of this blog know, trashy reality television is my guilty pleasure. I am a lover of all things, "Big Brother," "90 Day Fiance," "Mama June," and of course the series that never hesitates to ask if someone is here for the right reasons, "The Bachelor/Bachelorette." The show has been having a difficult time lately, however, what with COVID-19 delaying production of Clare Crawley's season, her season finally kicking-off in a, "Bubble," of sorts, and now...Clarie is gonna be fired? Some people say there is no way this is gonna happen, others say it already has and fan-favorite Tayshia Adams is ready to take-over. The truth is a mystery, but everyone has an opinion on what could be happening even if we don't know what actually is.

This is sounding like the craziest season of, "The Bachelorette," yet and it hasn't even aired a single episode. I'm pleased we are even getting a season considering the current state of the World, but whether things are going swimmingly or a huge mess seems to be the hotly debated topic right now.

2015 In Review/Television Tuesday--My Favorite Type of Show This Year

The "Reality" Continues

Last year I talked about how reality television on TLC was a guilty pleasure of mine. Well, this year I branched out a bit and enjoyed reality shows on other channels too. The thing is, my three favorites all were one type of show and shared a theme, somewhat.

Marriage-Themed Reality Television

Yes, that is Mama June and Sugar Bear.
They are in the cast for, "Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars

"90 Day Fiancé," "Married at First Sight," and, "Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars," all involve people either in the process of getting married, getting married to a stranger, or dealing with a horrifically broken marriage. I've discussed a previous season of, "Married at First Sight," and the new one has kicked-off recently. "90 Day Fiancé," just finished its season, and we also have what looks like might be the most epic, "Marriage Boot Camp," ever just started in the last few weeks of December (with the previous season bleeding into 2015 too) featuring among the cast none other than Mama June and Sugar Bear--apparently trying to work things out now that the, "Honey Boo Boo," money ain't flowing in anymore.

All these shows are of course different in how they tackle the theme of marriage, but the uniting factor is how it basically takes the symbolic idea of marriage as this kind of happy perfection and points out, "Hey, it ain't always flawless!" Whether it is strangers who volunteer to get married and then have to live with the consequences on, "Married at First Sight," where the metaphor of marrying a stranger can apply to a number of people, or couples with geographic and cultural differences trying to work through it on, "90 Day Fiancé," there is something oddly satisfying at seeing the myth of an easy marriage exposed as being a mere fantasy--real marriage takes work.

I really liked Kyle and Noon on, "90 Day Fiancé,"
they illustrated how when you're in love you may fight, but you never stop caring.

Nowhere else is the evidence of what happens when you don't work at your marriage more abundant than on, "Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars," where various couples who either came together because of reality television (those, "The Bachelor," shows), or two folk who happened to be on reality television, find out that just because they can try to portray one image on television that never means the marriage is that way too. There are the couples who are loud and scream and argue in front of everyone, but then there are those who try to act perfect and happy but are actually maybe the most dysfunctional--just like real-life!

Some people dislike these shows and say they make a mockery of marriage, etc. etc. My thoughts are there are plenty of people who made marriage look bad with their actions long before reality television (I love when someone whines about, "The sanctity," of marriage and is on their fourth wife), so if anything these shows portray marriage as the complex creature it is, warts and all. There is beauty and difficulty when two people get married, these reality television shows just help make that quite evident. That is why marriage-themed reality television was my favorite kind of T.V. this year.