90 Day Fiancé is an American Reality TV show by TLC.
It is based around the K-1 visa, which allows fiance(e)s of American citizens to enter the country and stay for 90 days to complete arrangements for the marriage. The show follows couples where one partner is just arriving in the United States, and tracks their journey to the altar...if they even make it that far. Common challenges include immigration, Culture Clash, disapproving family members, and more.
The show premiered in 2014 and has run nine seasons since. It has also spawned several spin-offs, most prominently:
- 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? and 90 Day Fiancé: What Now? follow up on some previously featured couples.
- 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days follows couples whose relationships online and are now meeting for the first time.
- 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way inverts the premise, where the American partner intends to move to their partner's country.
Tropes:
- Citizenship Marriage: A common assumption about the foreign fiance(e)s, such as Chantel and Pedro from season 4 and Blake and Jasmin from season seven, is that they are marrying their American partner for a green card.
- Culture Clash: The foreign fiances, being from other countries, occasionally have conflicting values with their American partner and their families. For example:
- Paola from season one freaked out her fiance Russ's conservative parents by coming downstairs in skimpy pajamas.
- The Other Way: Brittany was portrayed as a Hard-Drinking Party Girl who clashed with her traditionalist Muslim fiance.
- Fourth-Date Marriage: Some of the couples, such as season 4's Melanie and Devar and season 6's Colt and Larissa, got engaged within days of meeting each other. This naturally raises some eyebrows from concerned family members.
- Language Barrier: Anna (American) and Mursel (Turkish) from season 7 started a relationship online and didn't speak the other's language, relying on translator apps when they finally met in person.
- Long-Distance Relationship: The couples featured are comprised of an American and their partner from abroad, meaning much, if not all of their relationship has been across international lines. Several couples have to get used to being together physically.
- Obnoxious In-Laws: Sometimes the couples live with one partner's parent/s, which will almost always be an additional hurdle. The foreign spouse has to contend with skepticism and disapproval, if not outright bigotry, from them.
- Fernando and Carolina from season 3 faced racist comments against Carolina from Fernando's mother.
- Larissa from season 6 had several onscreen screaming matches with her future mother-in-law Debbie, whom she felt had an awkward relationship with Larissa's fiance Colt.
