Things got awkward in more ways than one on Season 5, Episode 3 of 90 Day Fiance: Before The 90 Days.
If you were too busy with the holiday season to catch the full episode, don’t worry.
We have a full recap for you.
Most eye-catching was Gino and Jasmine’s attempt at a first date … one that spun out of control at the very end.
In Turkey, after thirteen years of friendship, Caleb and Alina met for the first time.
We are finally introduced to Ella, an Idaho girl who is over the moon for her “Asian prince,” Johnny.
She already has fans divided, but we’re rooting for her happiness.
Kimberly arrives in Zanzibar and meets Usman in person for the first time … and she has some gifts for him.
Hamza introduces himself and his family in the final hours before Memphis arrives in Tunisia.
And while Mike packs for his trip to Colombia, Ximena introduces herself and her young sons.
Gino Palazzolo and Jasmine Pineda
Possibly the most can’t-miss couple of this season (so far) is already together in Panama and goes on their first-ever in-person date as a couple. They go out to dinner, where Gino orders a very typical burger like he would get in the U.S. … and Jasmine, who does not eat meat, compares him (to the camera) to a T Rex and does not seem to approve.
Jasmine gets a text
Most people either ignore a notification or check. Jasmine gets up behind Gino in a somewhat intimate stance and shows him her phone so that he can see her message. This is when he realizes that this is the level of access that Jasmine wants him to reciprocate. Sure enough, when he pulls out his phone to give her access, he sees a friend request on Instagram from someone he doesn’t know. Jasmine deletes the request for him.
But mostly, the date goes well
Gino will be paying the bill for the date, which is no big deal … until Jasmine decides to make it one.
Gino wants to leave a tip
While there is some nuance to the discussion of tipping (it’s not done at all in some countries, and its history in the United States actually stems from 19th Century racism), it’s still a good thing to do. Oddly, Gino suggests that a 15% tip is “good,” which is not true (20% or more unless the waiter personally and intentionally stabs you), but that’s not the issue on this particular date.
Jasmine tells him to not leave a tip
Specifically, she says that a lot of American tourists leave tips out of habit, so there’s now a space on bills for tips, but she says that people in Panama can’t afford to tip so Gino shouldn’t leave a tip.
She’s unfortunately not kidding
When Gino even slightly protests by talking about how good the service that they received was, Jasmine is openly fuming, accusing Gino of ruining things. She also later accuses him of having some sort of “thing” for either that specific waitress or waitresses in general.
The rage continues back in the hotel room
She demands that Gino give her some space, which is reasonable on its own, but the inexplicable origins of her fury are neither reasonable nor fair.
She closes the door
Jasmine spends time in a side room while Gino admits to the camera that this is about the time when he’d have taken one of his famous boner pills … if the date had gone better. Right now, he’s not getting the feeling that he’ll be having sex tonight.
Suddenly, things change
Gino is working on unpacking (or something) in the closet when Jasmine emerges in see-through blue lingerie that leaves almost nothing to the imagination. Gino is not initially aware of what she is wearing.
He quickly becomes aware
Gino is, very reasonably, stunned into near-silence by Jasmine’s incredible body and her lingerie. She is clearly in a friendly mood than she was just minutes earlier.
A MUCH friendlier mood
While Gino is happy to hear the magic words … what exactly changed while she was behind the door? Other than Jasmine’s outfit and attitude, that is.
Apparently she decided that she wanted to make peace
It doesn’t sound like Jasmine regretted being angry with Gino or insisting that he not leave a tip, but instead like she just decided that she didn’t want their relationship to fall apart over this … and that it would be a great time to have sex.
She’s super mega horny, folks
Jasmine describes herself as having a “beast” within her and hopes that Gino can appreciate that side of her … and keep up.
Viewers were then subjected to … this
We’re sure that making out on camera in a fully lit room while dressed, with production standing around your bed, is awkward. But it doesn’t have to be THIS awkward. Also, yes, Jasmine asked, but Gino again declined to remove his hat. We’re starting to get girl-with-the-green-ribbon vibes.
Caleb Greenwood and Alina Kasha
Alina waits anxiously at the airport. She and Caleb have been friends for 13 years but this meeting in Turkey will be their first time seeing each other face to face. This time, they’re more than friends, so they’re both anxious to see if their chemistry is as good in person as it was online.
Alina doesn’t realize that Caleb was delayed cleaning himself up to meet her
But they lock eyes and are so excited to meet.
They hug!
Remember, Alina and her friend Elijah (who is swiftly becoming a fan-favorite, btw) were talking-slash-joking about Caleb and his muscular arms and broad shoulders hugging her when they met. Those jokes came true.
It’s amazing to finally meet
It’s clear that producer questions are intended to make them both say awkward things (it’s their job, we get it), but Caleb doesn’t seem to slip up, merely admitting that seeing Alina in person is different — which he already knew.
Speaking of different …
Alina shows Caleb how to fold her chair, and that’s after he helps by pushing her and his luggage. Alina is terrified that this is a bad first impression on Caleb, but honestly, he’s clearly exhausted, and the luggage is harder to handle than she and her chair are.
Caleb and Alina get along easily
They crack jokes, at one point Caleb suggesting that they could drive in tandem — him managing the wheel, Alina pushing the pedals. It’s cute, but it’s not necessarily the can’t-stop-touching-you passion that Alina would have liked to feel.
The hotel has stairs and no elevator
Caleb carries Alina up the stairs — and very easily — which she clearly appreciates.
Alina is not holding back any secrets
She does tell Caleb that Elijah spent the night there the night before. Caleb is, for obvious reasons, not insecure about that, instead joking that if Elijah gets a nightmare, they might wake up tonight with Elijah trying to join them like a child running to their parents.
Things get a bit hornier
Caleb shares that he cuddles platonically with friends, demonstrating with Alina — and while the move is not sexual, Alina’s thoughts clearly are. She jokingly asks if Caleb also makes out with his friends, which is an obvious indication to make out with her regardless of the answer. Either Caleb isn’t ready to make out on camera or he’s so tired that he didn’t catch the invitation, because he goes to clean up before bed.
It’s not how Alina pictured their first night
Alina doesn’t know it, but he’s not just tired from his flight — he feels gross and wants to clean himself off before passing out to catch up on sleep.
Ella Johnson and Johnny
Ella is a 29-year-old from Idaho, and Episode 3 is our first time “meeting” her. We won’t get a direct intro to Johnny until next week, but Ella already has a lot to say about herself and about him.
Pro tip: what the producers suggest is not always the best thing to do
Look, Ella probably mentioned that she had katanas and a practice dummy, and production was likely chomping at the bit to encourage her to demonstrate her sword skills for them in full costume. Why? Because they know how viewers will react.
Ella has a powerful interest in Asian cultures and entertainment
Even before that, Ella was drawn to fantasy stories as a child. While no one needs an excuse to be interested in, well, interesting books and TV and other media, in Ella’s case, she feels that it was a form of escapism.
Growing up was not easy
Ella struggled with her weight — or, more accurately, with cruel jabs and mistreatment based upon her weight from peers — from an extremely young age, and felt excluded and shamed.
She describes her perfect man
For trademark reasons, she probably can’t say who or what the show is, but she says that the man of her dreams would be based upon a “blueprint” from Anime — a man with red hair, green eyes, and a fox demon inside of him. Many people might initially think of Naruto, but in my humble opinion, she’s probably talking about Kurama from YuYu Hakusho.
But while her Anime dream husband isn’t real, Johnny is
She met Johnny through a dating app designed to connect white women with Asian men, and yes, that is so specific and sounds a lot like fetishization, a major concern for many viewers over Ella and Johnny’s storyline.
Ella says that this goes both ways
According to her, Johnny has an obsession with American culture, too. To Asian-Americans, that is not the same thing at all, but it probably seems like the same thing to Johnny because he lives in China.
We see them chat
Now, some viewers are already noting that Ella seems to touch up her photos before sending them his way, but it appears that he has a pretty good idea of what she looks like — because they have video chatted.
Ella hopes to one day marry Johnny
She grew up on a cattle ranch and hopes that they can take over running it together when they are married.
Her mom has concerns
Ella’s mother, Debbie, knows that her daughter has self esteem and body image issues, and worries that men use this to take advantage of her — including financially. She doesn’t know if that’s what’s up with Johnny, but she is worried and doesn’t want to see her daughter’s heart broken again.
Ella meets with friends
Korbie has been her best friend since high school and is there to support her journey as Ella prepares for Johnny to come visit her in Idaho.
By the way … Johnny has a son
Johnny’s son lives full-time with Johnny’s parents so that Johnny can travel for work, while the mother has been out of the picture for a long time. Ella says that she and Johnny’s young son have a good relationship (in that his son babbles words that she does not understand to her, but does so very excitedly when she’s on the phone) but she does see it as a potential red flag that Johnny is willing to leave his son for so much time.
Ella shares that she and Johnny have video chatted
She had never previously gone fully nude on video chat, but she did for Johnny, she tells her friends. He apparently loves her large breasts, and she has also used a vibrator. Her friends later talk about her vibrator collection, noting that it rivals her collection of dragon figurines. (There’s a Bad Dragon joke in there somewhere)
Kimberly Menzies and Usman Umar
Kimberly arrives in Zanzibar, which is where Usman’s next music video will be filmed. She is beyond excited. She also drops that she knows that she’ll be safe because she was in the military (she was a secretary in the Army at 19 during Desert Storm)
She has a very nice room at the hotel
It turns out that Kimberly got herself the honeymoon suite, which she will not be sharing with Usman … until such a time as he decides to join her in her room.
It’s time for Usman to arrive
Kimberly goes to the airport to pick him up, bringing a bouquet of roses (the driver advises her that this may not be perceived favorably) and her Usman shirt. It’s quite the look.
Usman is excited
He and Kimberly have not met in person, so today is a big day for him — despite his entourage’s misgivings
At last!
Usman excitedly calls out her name as she runs towards him
She’s over the moon
Yes, Kimberly does blurt out “I love him” during this, but she has a good excuse
Usman tells her that she looks about 31 years old
Considering that she is 50 years old in Earth Years, that is quite the compliment.
Just don’t call her “Super Fan”
Slam-T, despite warning from Usman to not do so, calls Kimberly a “Super Fan,” and she firmly tells him not to. It becomes a bit of a Thing, actually.
Then they get into in the car over who invited whom
To his credit, Usman does stick up for Kimberly, but it’s clear that there will be ongoing and recurring conflicts like this one as the people close to Usman feel that Kimberly is not good for his image as a “celebrity.”
Kimberly IS good for Usman in one way
She comes bearing gifts, surprising Usman with them. One is a Macbook Pro, as his had apparently broken. The other is a Playstation 5, which many Americans are still struggling to get due to scarcity (due to chip shortages and due to scalpers). That is quite the generous gift. She wants to make an impression in just two weeks, but is this the right way to win Usman’s heart?
Memphis and Hamza
Memphis is en route to Tunisia to see Hamza for the first time. Right now, she is in Paris, and anxious to meet him.
Hamza introduces himself
The Tunisian hottie has communication issues — a real language barrier — with Memphis, but he knows that he’s crazy about her.
She’s his type
Hamza considers rounder, curvier figures to be sexy, and he loves Memphis’ curves.
SOME Tunisians think that American women are “sluts”
Honestly, sometimes I’m in such a bubble that I forget that this could be meant as an insult, but in Hamza’s mind, he’s defending the reputation of American women. Mostly.
He likes how interesting Memphis is
He’s aware that she has had numerous exes and he says that it’s not ideal, but it’s clearly not a dealbreaker in his mind.
Hamza lives with family
His mother is actually divorced and his father is not in the picture. This puts his mother at a socially disadvantaged position in their culture. He also explains that it’s not unusual in Tunisia for a man his age to live with his family.
He does feel that his mother babies him a little
She doesn’t “let” him help her to clean his room. She cooks for him, does his laundry, and makes his bed.
Hamza is hoping that his mother can be open-minded
He hopes that she will be okay with Memphis spending her time in Tunisia sharing a room with him, but his mother (and sister) are opposed.
Is Hamza Brandon 2.0?
He’s not only not allowed to share a room with the woman he loves, but he lied to her about it before her arrival. Sounds like Brandon Gibbs and Julia Trubkina all over again. Fortunately, there are no indications that Hamza’s mother intends to force Memphis to “take care animal.”
Hamza worries that he’s abandoning his mother
But his hope is that he will be able to earn enough from working in America to financially support his mother. Right now, his mom can’t realistically apply to any jobs — no matter her qualifications, she is divorced.
Hamza and Memphis meet!
Though Memphis immediately recognizes that the language barrier is going to be more of a problem in person than she had considered, they are very happy to see each other.
Mike Berk and Ximena Cuellar
Mike packs his bags for his trip to Colombia. This is his first relationship in 20 years, and he wants to get this right. That means presents for Ximena’s young sons, for one thing.
And then there’s the ring
Mike has packed an engagement ring because he plans to propose to Ximena. He has already prepared his father and grandfather for the possibility that he might bring Ximena back with him and her sons.
Now, we get to hear Ximena introduce herself
She is a young single mom — we can all do the math on this and realize that she was high school aged when she became a mom.
And the father was a violent criminal … who was already behind bars
That is unthinkable. She was such a young girl at the time, and became impregnated by this incarcerated criminal. She loves her sons very much, but that is … such a way to start your life when you are still a child yourself.
Meeting Mike changed everything for her
Ximena gives a tour of her house and it’s a tour of things that Mike has provided. He gave her her couch, her dining room set, her refrigerator, her stove, numerous smaller kitchen appliances … it’s a lot, and it’s all nice. We don’t just mean “nice for a struggling single mom.” We mean that these are nice things by basically anyone’s standards.
Ximena’s family has concerns
She visits her father and her (very very young-looking) stepmother while practicing her skills at styling nails in the hopes of finding employment doing that. Her dad insists that he needs to approve of Mike. Ximena speaks about how important he already is to her and her sons. It will be interesting to see where this storyline goes, but we wish them both well.