Warning! The following contains spoilers for the latest 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way episode, called "I'm Not Your Baby." Read at your own risk!
Unless we're talking about the heartwarming story of Kenneth Niedermeier and Armando Rubio, Season 2 of 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way has been a real trainwreck. Nearly every couple is having some major issues, and it all seems to boil down to a misunderstanding of a loved one's culture. If there ever was a case study for why researching cultures is important when pursuing an international relationship, this is it.
Brittany Banks and Yazan Abo Horira are the perfect examples of this on just about every extreme level imaginable. By now it seems readily apparent that Brittany is not willing to compromise her American ideals and beliefs while living in Jordan, nor Yazan to defy his Muslim beliefs and his parents' wishes. And yet, Brittany went with him to his house to discuss marriage, and everyone involved seemed shocked that it ended in disaster? Imagine if she had revealed she was still married to another man!
Then there's Deaven Clegg and Jihoon Lee, who were on the verge of a split due to his explanation for why he lied about his finances and tricked her into moving to South Korea. I wouldn't blame Deaven for leaving him, especially after he explained he took part-time work to take more naps. Spoilers have indicated the two make it through this rough patch, but I'm not sure why Jihoon didn't expect a part-time job to support a wife and two children would not afford the type of life Deaven was expecting coming from America.
The flip side of that would be Ariela Danielle and her mother visiting Biniyam Shibre in Ethiopia, and then being appalled that the apartments he found don't have the modern accouterments of life in America. The two then bashed Biniyam (who looked truly apologetic he couldn't do better) for not having a timetable for improvements with the baby on the way. It was my understanding the decision to have the child in Ethiopia was Ariela's idea, and while I'm not saying that's a bad idea, it's not like Biniyam was the one who forced the issue in her coming over for that.
Finally, there's Sumit and Jenny Slatten who seem to be doing well in India minus Jenny's refusal to believe a divorce in the country is that difficult to finalize. I'm not claiming to be an expert myself, though a quick Google search will show settlements (which Sumit has done) are easier to work out than relying on the courts. Jenny doesn't seem to get that and continues to think the process is similar to how it goes in America.
90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way has taught me conflict can result from cultures clashing, but one would think these couples would've had some understanding or done some research on their lover's country before jumping so deep into these relationships, right? Major issues have been created from this lack of communication, and yet couples like Brittany and Yazan are talking about marriage happening over the weekend. Just think how much of this could've been avoided had they just been upfront or understood expectations from the jump!
90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way airs on TLC Mondays at 9:00 p.m. ET. Continue to stick with CinemaBlend to stay up to date with what's happening in the franchise, and for the latest news happening in television and movies.
