90 Day Fiancé Season 9 brings a lot of new couples to the iconic TLC franchise and features the return of one couple that fans already know. Ariela Weinberg and Biniyam Shibre quickly became one of the franchise’s most buzzed-about couples following their debut on Season 2 of The Other Way and have found more popularity on successive spinoffs. Now their story continues in Season 9 (which features a largely new cast), and if you haven’t seen what all came before, you might feel a bit lost.
For those not looking to catch up on the past couple of seasons with a Discovery+ subscription, there are about nine key moments to remember for the full story of Ariela and Biniyam’s journey so far. Here are the major moments the 90 Day Fiancé couple’s journey so far, which features some highs and a few lows.
Ariela Moved To Ethiopia To Have Her Baby With Biniyam
Ariela met Biniyam while on a trip to Ethiopia, and after their time together, became pregnant. 90 Day Fiancé fans learned that their relationship started not long after Ariela left her husband at the time. Ariela’s mother was sad to see her daughter leave but ultimately supported her wishes and helped her get settled with Biniyam. Ariela held things together with her mother in town and even was okay with Biniyam working late nights and playing “butt bongos” at the club with his ex-girlfriend.
Ariela Grew Upset About Biniyam’s Living Situation And Family In Ethiopia
Once Ariela’s mother left, the reality of the situation sunk in. Living in Ethiopia wasn’t like living in the United States, and apparently, even small things like a toilet seat or fridge weren’t necessarily expected in the average home. Ariela wanted Biniyam to provide more, but his nightclub gig and side hustles weren’t lucrative enough to give them some of the nicer options for housing in Ethiopia. On top of that, Ariela wasn’t gelling well with Biniyam’s sisters, which will be a recurring theme in their stories. All of that, on top of being pregnant, led to tension between the two and some rough fights.
Ariela Unexpectedly Gave Birth Early
Ariela and Biniyam went to a hospital for what was believed to be a routine exam, only to learn that she’d give birth immediately. The baby was breech, and in order to prevent harm to the child or Ariela, she needed to deliver via C-section. Ariela immediately became upset because her birth plan went out the window, and Biniyam wasn’t pleased to learn about the C-section. According to his culture, a mother’s love with her child was better if it was a natural birth. Ultimately, everyone got on board with the plan, and Ariela gave birth to their baby boy Avi.
Ariela Left The Hospital To Prevent Avi’s Circumcision
Baby Avi was born, and almost immediately, tension resumed between Ariela and Biniyam. Ariela was upset that Biniyam didn’t purchase a car seat for Avi and made him walk home with the baby rather than ride in the taxi. She also didn’t appreciate when Biniyam arranged for a sheep sacrifice in her honor. Again, cultural differences made it hard for the two to connect, and it all built to a dramatic circumcision scene at the hospital. After expressing unease about the procedure, Ariela stopped the doctor as they took Avi back and left the hospital without performing the procedure. Avi did eventually get the procedure, though Ariela was never completely on board with it happening.
Biniyam Proposed To Ariela
Biniyam and Ariela certainly had their share of struggles before and after Avi’s birth, but through it all, they stayed together. Though it seemed like so much about the relationship was still in question (including her willingness to stay in Ethiopia), she got quite the surprise when Biniyam proposed to her in the midst of the Orthodox holiday Timkat, and she accepted. The two officially went on the road to marriage, thus explaining the appearance in 90 Day Fiancé Season 9.
Ariela’s Ex-Husband Came To Visit Them In Ethiopia
90 Day Fiancé mentioned Ariela’s ex early into her introduction, but it wasn’t until later that Leandro came into the story. We learned that Leandro and Ariela are still great friends and that she even stayed with him when she first got pregnant with Biniyam’s child. That news didn’t exactly sit well with Biniyam, who didn’t care for Leandro’s presence in his home or this new information. Ultimately, Leandro left without incident, but the whole time he spent with Ariela and her family remains the weirdest part of the couple’s storyline.
Ariela Left For The United States For Avi's Surgery
During a doctor’s visit for Avi, Ariela learned that he had a hernia that required surgery to fix. The surgery was possible to complete in Ethiopia, but Ariela felt that it was best with her ties back in the U.S. to take Avi to the States for the procedure and recovery. Biniyam didn’t agree and felt that if Ariela left, she’d never return to Ethiopia. It’s worth noting that’s what Biniyam’s last wife did, though Ariela assured him that this would be different. Despite some tension in the time leading up to the trip, Ariela eventually left with Avi for the United States.
Ariela Learned That Biniyam Had Parties In Their Home
Ariela knew Biniyam was worried about her leaving for the United States, so she found it weird that he was so hard to contact while she took Avi to his surgery, and in the weeks that he recovered. Ariela claimed Biniyam kept his phone off for hours and then learned from his sister Wish that Biniyam hosted parties in Ariela’s home. She then managed to find photos of the parties, including of Biniyam hanging out with women and people carrying on and partying in Avi’s room. Suffice to say, she was furious and began to question if returning to Ethiopia was even possible given what happened.
Biniyam And Ariela Agree To Relocate To Kenya With Plans To Live In The U.S.
It took a lot of compromise on both ends, but ultimately Ariela agreed to return to Africa provided they relocated to Kenya and worked towards moving to the United States. In the interim, that kept Ari away from their former home and the people that she believed were a bad influence on Biniyam. The two ultimately reconciled with the help of Ariela’s mother, and Biniyam began the process to try and move in the U.S.. 90 Day Fiancé fans learned in the tell-all special that he got the K-1 visa, and even spotted Biniyam in the United States performing at an MMA event, but it’s unknown if the couple lives there full time. I’m assuming that we’ll see some of that in 90 Day Fiancé Season 9, as well as some other major developments in their lives.
90 Day Fiancé Season 9 premieres over at TLC on Sunday, April 17 at 8:00 p.m. ET. No doubt the season will be a wild ride for some more than others, so be sure to keep tabs on this series as other returning shows make their way back to television.
