90 Day Fiancé is a franchise that strives to entertain its audience with stories about international couples navigating through a relationship, and it often succeeds. That's not to say, however, that the TLC series has successfully avoided accusations about scripting certain couples' storylines, and it looks like the show is facing such claims once again. This time it's Nicole and Mahmoud Sherbiny under the microscope after one eagle-eyed viewer spotted a notably terrible editing error that will almost definitely have even the most faithful fans questioning the legitimacy of the pair's storyline in The Other Way.
In 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way's latest episode, Mahmoud met up with his brother to hang out and discuss the idea of moving to the United States with Nicole. The two men played dominoes in a cafe that Mahmoud claimed was for "men only" as his brother went on to tell him how he'd hate life in the United States. It was a very tense and dramatic scene...
...Right up until a Redditor noticed someone with more than a passing resemblance to Nicole lurking in the background of the shot. Check out the clip below, in which 90 Day Fiancé viewers can see someone rocking a familiar hairdo peeking around the corner just a few seats away:
Did anyone see Nicole blurred in the back then not blurred and peeking? Lol from r/90DayFiance
As Mahmoud and his brother sat down, a woman who looked a lot like Nicole was seen in the background of the scene, with her face blurred in the same way as others in the establishment. Then, for whatever reason, her face popped up completely unblurred in the very next shot. And what's more, she was looking directly into the camera!
It doesn't seem like this is a case where 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way is going to point out that Nicole secretly snuck out and spied on this conversation supposedly happening in a place where her gender wasn't welcome. Instead, it seems like all involved just did a terrible job of hiding her in a scene she wasn't supposed to be in.
The most bizarre thing about this error is that Nicole could've been sitting anywhere in the cafe that wasn't in direct view of the cameras. The cafe wasn't exactly massive, but seemed big enough that Nicole could've been moved somewhere out of sight if they were trying to hide her from view. Or she could have just not been there to begin with. Or told her, "Hey, maybe don't turn around multiple times, and don't look down the barrell of the camera when you do."
So, why was Nicole hanging out in the background during a scene where she was at home while Mahmoud had a hard conversation with his brother? Unfortunately, we just don't have the answers here on what really went down. We don't even know for sure if this is Nicole! With that said, she must have a twin running around Egypt if that wasn't her.
Regardless of whether or not that is Nicole or some other woman in Egypt who happens to have the exact same look, it's still clearly not a cafe that is exclusive to men. Assuming that is Nicole, I get big ol' vibes that this conversation between Mahmoud and his brother was staged for dramatic purposes. After all, if Mahmoud was serious about having a frank conversation that might've hurt Nicole's feelings, why wouldn't he have just left her back at their home?
I can't help but feel a little more confident after seeing this possible error that 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way will end with an answer to whether Nicole and Mahmoud are still together, especially after seeing their posts on social media weeks before. Of course, this flub doesn't really tell us whether or not Mahmoud will attempt to live in the United States with Nicole or if they're going to remain together in Egypt. I just wish this increasingly aggravating couple would either get on the same page or go their separate ways.
All that to say, the potential deception in this scene has me wondering if things between Nicole and Mahmoud aren't quite as intense as they appear on 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way. Much like when viewers spotted editing errors in Big Ed Brown and Liz Woods' dramatic fight that indicated it was filmed a couple of times, it feels like we're getting a storyline that's at least partially guided by producers manufacturing scenes to heighten the drama. Obviously, they have to tell a story from start to finish, so scenes like the one with Mahmoud and his brother may make it easier to showcase how he feels about leaving Egypt.
90 Day Fiancé's Tiffany Franco once mentioned that producers suggest topics for cast members to discuss on camera, which could lead to scenes like the one seen above. So, while it seems like a lie that Nicole wasn't present at this cafe, it's possible viewers learned the real thoughts Mahmoud had about leaving Egypt.
Many cast members have come forward over the years and claimed 90 Day Fiancé faked or scripted parts of their storylines. Those who go back and watch those 90 Day Fiancé episodes on streaming may certainly recognize the trend where couples' fights that seem overtly ridiculous or illogical may be one of the storylines that was allegedly scripted. It doesn't always happen, but it's moments like the one above that should always keep viewers on alert for future fakery!
90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way airs on TLC on Sundays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Keep an eye out for any other weird moments in this season, especially when it comes to Nicole and Mahmoud.
