This week, TLC announced the new season of 90 Day: The Last Resort, set to premiere on December 2, 2024. However, the casting choices have left many fans scratching their heads. Several of the couples featured are no longer together and have already started dating other people, making the premise of couple therapy seem pointless. As a dedicated fan of the 90 Day Fiancé franchise, I can tolerate watching real couples with fake drama, but fake couples with fake drama ruin the show for me, and I’m sure many other fans would agree.
One of the most baffling casting decisions is the inclusion of Natalie and Josh. Their relationship has been widely regarded as fake since their appearance on The Single Life Season 3. Similarly, Gino and Jasmine, Rob and Sophie, and Biniyam and Ariela are no longer together. These couples are only still married because the foreign partners refuse to sign the divorce papers due to fears of deportation.
A reliable news source stated that TLC began filming for the second season of 90 Day: The Last Resort back in April 2024. However, in February 2024, Biniyam Shibre went live on TikTok, showing off his new girlfriend and kissing her in front of hundreds of viewers. This means TLC brought Biniyam and Ariela to couple therapy already knowing they were no longer a couple. Adding to the confusion, in a now-deleted Instagram post, Ariela responded to an Instagram user, claiming she was no longer with Biniyam and that he was a single man.
Further complicating matters, a Reddit user yesterday claimed that Biniyam and Ariela live together in her building. While this could be true, living together doesn’t necessarily mean they are together as a couple. Biniyam and Ariela have been struggling financially for years. The main reason they chose to return to the 90-Day Fiancé franchise is likely because they needed the money. It’s also practical for them to live under one roof since they can’t afford to live independently at this point in their lives. Plus, they probably wanted their son to grow up with both parents in the same home.
The decision to bring back such couples has left many fans feeling frustrated and disappointed. It ruins the show when viewers know the drama is manufactured and the relationships are fake. TLC should focus on real couples with real issues instead of bringing cast members who are fame-hungry or in desperate need of money, who will fake, say, and do anything to be on the show.
