One of the 90 Day Fiancé franchise's main storylines is based on the authenticity of the relationships. While 90 Day Fiancé produced many genuine couples, some stars and their relationships seemed suspicious and over the top. In the 10 years the 90 Day Fiancé franchise has been on the air, many couples, like Anna Campisi and Mursel Mistanoglu, were obviously in love. Although they had a few hurdles to overcome, like gaining the acceptance of their in-laws, their love prevailed. On the other hand, some 90 Day Fiancé couples just seemed to have all the odds against them.
Some had large age gaps that made their storyline dubious. Others had overly jealous personalities that made viewers question why stars would stay in tumultuous relationships. Meanwhile, a few stars showed all the signs of being a green card hunter, but their partners' rose-colored glasses shielded them from the truth. No matter how they earned their title, each of them left a lasting impression. So here's a roundup of the fakest couples in the franchise and how they earned their title.
90 Day Fiancé
TV-14
Reality
- Release Date
- January 12, 2014
- Cast
- Natalie Podiakova , Mike Youngquist , Azan Tefou , Yara Zaya , Jovi Dufren
- Main Genre
- Reality
- Seasons
- 10
10 Usman ‘Sojaboy’ Umar and Kim Menzies
'Before the 90 Days', Season 5
The relationship between Usman ‘Sojaboy’ Umar and Kim Menzies had red flags from the moment they appeared on-screen. The Nigerian rapper was married to Baby Girl Lisa Hamme the season before. However, he quickly moved on to Kim in 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days after Baby Girl, Lisa was let go from the series because she used a racial slur to refer to her husband. Despite the red flags, Usman seemed happy though.
The couple's almost 20-year age gap and Kim's jealous personality that interfered with his career didn't seem to bother the rapper. Believing their love story was enough, the couple appeared in multiple seasons. They considered getting married, having a second wife, and adopting his nephew. While they didn't seem like an authentic couple at first and their storyline seemed over the top, they did share some sort of connection for a little while. Ultimately, though, the two weren't compatible and broke off their engagement.
9 Ben Rathbun & Mahogany Roca
'Before the 90 Days', Season 5
Ben Rathbun and Mahogany Roca's storyline didn't make sense from the start. Ben was over 50 years old and an ex-pastor. Mahogany was in her 20s. They never video-chatted, and supposedly, they connected over their shared faith. Their time on screen was their chance to connect and see if marriage would be an option in the future. So, in Before the 90 Days Season 5, Ben flew to Peru to meet Mahogany, but she was acting more suspicious than ever. She was beginning to look more and more like a catfish, especially after she gave Ben the runaround.
After standing Ben up at the airport, Mahogany finally revealed herself, but parts of her storyline still didn't make sense. It was obvious that she sent Ben heavily edited selfies. Plus, after telling Ben she lived with her parents, she showed him a decorated apartment with a surfboard and random games that more resembled an AirBnB. Their storyline was all over the place, and it was difficult to tell if Mahogany, their storyline, or their entire relationship, was fake.
8 Lana & David Murphey
'Before the 90 Days', Season 4
When David Murphey and Lana first appeared in Before the 90 Days Season 4, viewers were convinced their storyline would be similar to Yolanda Leak or Tyray Mollett. David and Lana met on an international dating site and chatted for seven years. They made several attempts to meet up, but David was ghosted for years. He was even ghosted the first time he tried to meet Lana in the series, but she changed her mind at the last second.
Lana turned out to be a massive 90 Day Fiancé franchise surprise. However, while she might have proven to be real, her love wasn't. David would spend the rest of his trip trying to woo Lana. He would gift her a new phone and propose, to which she accepted both. However, when they parted and David appeared on the Tell All, he revealed that their relationship was on the fritz. Sadly, the two have been separated since.
7 Tyray Mollett & Carmella aka Christian
'Before the 90 Days', Season 6
While stars like Ben and David in the past were thought to be catfished but proved viewers wrong, the same cannot be said for stars like Tyray. In 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days Season 6, Tyray joined the series hoping to connect with his love interest Carmella. The couple had been in a relationship online for about four years, but he was ghosted every time they were supposed to meet.
With the help of the Before the 90 Days crew, Tyray discovers Carmella was actually a man called Christian. Christian was on the hunt for extra money and reached out to several Americans throughout the years. But the part that made the situation worse was listening to Christian admit in an audio clip that he watched Tyray, the “dumb” and “stupid American,” leave clothes and a phone for Carmella when they were supposed to meet up.
6 Yolanda Leak & Williams
'Before the 90 Days', Season 4
Sometimes stars mix up reality shows. This was the case for Yolanda, as she actually belonged on Catfish. Yolanda joined Before the 90 Days Season 4 with Williams, a man who claimed to be from Manchester, United Kingdom. Although the red flags were obvious to everyone, including her own kids, Yolanda refused to acknowledge the truth. For instance, as Yolanda's daughter pointed out, his first name was a last name. The couple never video chatted or met in person.
Her kids did a reverse image search that proved Williams' photos were fake. Plus, she received mysterious emails threatening to leak private photos she only sent to one person. It was obvious that Williams and their 90 Day Fiancé relationship were bogus. The bigger question was whether Yolanda knew the truth the whole time and whether it was part of a storyline or if she was really catfished.
5 Gaby Montoya, Abby Nunez, & Frankie Birdine
'Love In Paradise', Season 2
90 Day Fiancé doesn't normally showcase throuples, but the first triad to appear on the franchise seemed like a ploy for the series to increase ratings. Gaby Montoya and Abby Nunez were a lesbian and polyamorous couple. They'd been together for over 10 years and enjoyed engaging in the occasional threesome. That's how they met American Frankie Birdine. Except Abby and Frankie stayed in touch after he returned to America. Their relationship escalated, and they made plans to get engaged.
However, almost the entire storyline didn't make sense. Frankie was in love with Abby, but not Gaby. Abby always claimed Gaby was supposed to stay in the picture and go to America with her, but Frankie claimed that wasn't part of the plan. Ultimately, the Love In Paradise star ghosted the women and let them sort it out amongst each other. However, the problem seemed even more unbelievable when the entire situation seemed to be easily fixed with an apology and proposal, causing fans to wonder if the storyline was even real.
4 Hossein & Emma
'90 Day Fiancé UK', Season 1
While Hossein and Emma didn't have as big of an age gap as other couples in the franchise, their 11-year gap was nothing to sneeze at. Aside from their age difference, the couple had quite a few other red flags. For example, their 90 Day Fiancé UK Season 1 appearance wasn't their first time meeting. Six years prior, they met in Turkey, but their relationship didn't progress much further.
The couple also had drastically different interests. The older woman, Emma, was more likely to be found having a pint with friends. Meanwhile, Hossein loved to be in the gym and share social media posts. Much to viewers' surprise, the couple tied the knot by the end of the season. Hossein did answer a phone call mid-ceremony, causing a lot of wide-eyed glances. However, the duo still appear to be going strong despite their outlandish dynamic.
3 Luis Mendez & Molly Hopkins
'90 Day Fiancé', Season 5
Couples with large age gaps are often a red flag. Such was the case for Luis Mendez and Molly Hopkins. However, Molly was adamant that she had found the love of her life and the perfect male role model for her two daughters. Luis didn't return the sentiment, though. In fact, he quickly grew tired and suspicious of Molly's living habits. He couldn't understand how a single mom of two could have Buddhas and owl decorations, but not a single bible in sight.
Molly remained hopeful though, but the truth would soon come out. Luis really didn't want to be a step-father or live with Molly. At one point, their relationship became so volatile that Luis locked himself in a room and refused to come out. Molly thought she was losing her mind and going crazy, but Luis had just been manipulating her and playing with her mind all along. While the couple secretly married in their Season 5 appearance, their marriage also deteriorated that year.
2 Danielle & Mohamed Jbali
'90 Day Fiancé', Season 2
Danielle and Mohamed Jbali appeared much earlier in the series, back when stars and viewers were a little more ignorant of a scammer's red flags. Even so, the connection between Danielle and Mohamed never seemed authentic. Danielle was smitten and head over heels. However, it was clear through Mohamed's interactions with her that he didn't seem to share the same sentiment.
This was especially obvious on their wedding day when the Muslim man refused to kiss his new wife because he was observing a holiday. Unfortunately, viewers’ gut feelings were right. The duo didn't consummate their marriage, and within a few months, the 90 Day Fiancé couple was headed toward divorce. Danielle would later discover that Mohamed was cheating on her and that he was indeed a “user.”
1 Yve Arellano & Mohamed Abdelhamed
'90 Day Fiancé', Season 9
Nothing screams scammer more than a star blatantly stating they'll find a new sponsor, which is exactly what Mohammed Abdelhamed did. Mohamed appeared in 90 Day Fiancé Season 9 alongside Yvette ‘Yve’ Arellano and the red flags were glaring. The couple had a 23-year age gap and Mohamed exhibited controlling behavior that neither Yve nor her friends were fans of. But Yve maintained that they were in love, and she was willing to make sacrifices if it meant having her family together. The only thing she wanted was the wedding of her dreams.
Yet, no matter what she did, Mohamed was unhappy, unimpressed, and thought she was taking her sweet time. This led to the biggest red flag of them all. Since Mohamed thought Yve was taking too long in wedding planning, then he would find another sponsor. The 90 Day Fiancé stars hashed it out, and ultimately, she ignored the red flag. However, shortly after their wedding, Yve found out that Mohamed was texting another woman. It was clear Mohamed was in the relationship for the wrong reason, especially since the couple officially split up a little later.
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