90 Day FIance: Happily Ever After? has begun its sixth season!
The infamous Angela returns, an ocean away from her husband, Michael.
That means that he cannot stop her from getting surgery over her objections.
Andrei finally wants a job … but his plan to get one has Elizabeth’s whole family up in arms.
Can he swallow his pride enough to work with the Potthasts?
Julia and Brandon are on a celebratory trip to Vegas.
But Julia is ready to move there right now — so long as she doesn’t have to return to the farm.
Kalani has a plan to fix her marriage to Asuelu by getting their own house.
This plan sounds like a last ditch effort … because it is. And things are about to become more complicated.
Finally, we catch up with Mike and Natalie half a year into their marriage.
Things seem good between them. Too good to last, in fact.
Angela Deem and Michael Ilesanmi
The episode begins with an almost unimaginable amount of footage of Angela’s feet, to most people’s horror but presumably there were a few viewers who were overjoyed. Angela was standing on a scale, speaking about how she has gained weight while processing the stress of the pandemic, being apart from Michael despite being married, and the passing of her mother.
She plans to do something about it
Angela has decided, as the announced at last year’s Tell All, to get a gastric sleeve surgery and liposuction for weight loss. It’s a major step with real risks, but she feels that it’s not just what she wants for her looks, but also for her health.
She has a lot on her (metaphorical) plate
She and Michael were, at this point, still waiting to hear back about the spousal visa. Notably, it was just days after they married that disgraced former president Donald Trump added Nigeria to his infamous travel ban. For 2020, Angela and Michael’s only hope was to receive a waiver, their chances of which were extremely slim.
Angela prepares her grandbabies
Speaking to her grandchildren outside, Angela talks about the surgery that she is going to undergo and acknowledges that there are some dangers. Kids rarely have a concept of what could go wrong in these situations.
Meanwhile, in Nigeria
Michael is nervous about one day becoming a father, which he and Angela still plan to do (though Angela will neither provide nor tote the egg), and relates Angela’s plans for weight loss surgery.
That is expensive
Michael’s family do not understand why Angela would get this surgery any more than Michael does, and wonder why she wouldn’t save that kind of money to hire a gestational carrier or surrogate.
Michael says that things will change
To hear him tell it, once he’s living with Angela in the US, things will be different than they are now.
But if Angela doesn’t give him a child …
Becoming a father is very important to Michael, so he emphasizes his desire to have a child. If not, he might seek a divorce.
Michael and Angela talk
Michael again expressing his reluctance and unhappiness about her surgeries is met with Angela being Angela. She just wants him to wish her well.
It’s not totally clear what the issue is
Michael says that he doesn’t like or believe in “it,” and it’s unclear if he’s unhappy about risky elective surgery, weight loss in general, or what.
Angela’s daughter has more practical concerns
Skyla notes that it’s hard to imagine Angela quitting the habits that she’ll have to quit for this surgery. One of them, of course, is smoking.
Angela has been smoking for most of her life
To hear her tell it, it sounds like she started in her early teens. (She’s not alone, and it’s shockingly not uncommon in rural areas; those kids are basically doomed for life) Angela claims that smoking helps her keep her cool (an obvious joke, since she has an explosive temper) and notably, there’s a chance that her incisions might not close properly with her smoking too close to the surgery.
Elizabeth Potthast and Andrei Castravet
Elizabeth and Andrei’s story this season begins with a photoshoot of Andrei in a suit beside an open house sign.
Some of the pics are a little goofy
Libby and her sister, Becky, laugh together at some of Andrei’s cheesy poses.
Andrei hasn’t changed … mostly
He still has a major ego and between that and some cultural differences, does not come across as especially friendly on camera.
But now, he has ambition
Andrei wants to start his own house-flipping company … which would likely be in direct competition with the Potthast family company that does the same thing. Hey, he did get his real estate license. Oh, but Andrei also wants to make it happen with help from what he hopes will be a $100,000 loan from Elizabeth’s dad, Chuck.
He sounds very confident
That is off-putting for Libby’s family, who are painfully aware of how much money Chuck has already spent supporting Elizabeth, Andrei, and their baby girl during Andrei’s extended stay-at-home-dad days. (Nothing wrong with stay-at-home parents, but viewers have the distinct impression that Andrei only chose that life when he was unable to get a job that met his standards from anyone other than Chuck)
So Andrei meets with Chuck
Sadly this is not the only uncomfortably public dining scene on this season. It’s very much during the pandemic and there’s just no reason to sit down at a restaurant, no matter how outdoors it is. Anyway, poor Chuck needs a hair makeover but if Andrei were my son-in-law, the same would be true of me.
Andrei FINALLY wants a job!
Chuck is overjoyed at this revelation. We have all seen him beg Andrei to work for him. Sadly for Chuck, that’s not what Andrei means.
Actually he wants “maybe a hundred grand”
Andrei comes right out and asks Chuck for a six-figure loan to start his own business (which would likely compete directly with Chuck’s).
Um, what?
Chuck’s reaction was exactly right. However, he lets Andrei down easy, telling him that there may be opportunities in the future … if he comes to work for him now and learns the ropes of the job.
Andrei actually agrees, but …
Chuck notes that it’s a family business, and while it’s his decision, he’s going to talk to the other members of the company — his adult children — about it. Andrei doesn’t like that, because he knows how toxic his relationships are with Libby’s siblings.
Brandon Gibbs and Julia Trubkina
Brandon and Julia were happily married and a fan-favorite couple on Season 8 of 90 Day Fiance. Now they’re back, but with a little less wind in their sails as far as fans are concerned. Julia showed a judgmental dark side of herself at the Tell All that fans hope that she will grow out of. However, she and Brandon are still well liked and embarking upon their married lives together.
Farm life has not been fun for Julia
Though at the Tell All she revealed that her farm labors were intended to spare Brandon from his chores that he had to do on top of his full-time job, it was disgusting and miserable. Combined with Betty and Ron Gibbs’ disrespectful and inexcusable separate bedrooms mandate, and Julia’s introduction to America was less than ideal.
Yes, Brandon’s parents are back
Ron tells the camera that he thinks that Brandon has been a little too “submissive” to his wife’s wishes. Gee, wonder where he learned that?
Julia and Brandon are on a trip
Brandon got a new job and the two of them are celebrating with a Vegas trip. Why anyone would travel anywhere for fun, let alone to Vegas, during a pandemic remains a mystery to most of us, but we will acknowledge that from a purely reality TV perspective, it is a refreshing break from watching them sit around in the middle of nowhere.
Julia is so happy to be in civilization again
Vegas might not be to everyone’s tastes, but being in a city is a huge step up for her and for Brandon after their time in isolation, surrounded by dirt and livestock.
For Julia, it’s love at first sight
They’re on this romantic trip to Vegas with no intrusive parents, no rules, no farmwork, finally spending the time together that they should have been spending their whole 90 days.
Julia has a proposition
Brandon had promised that they would move out together after they were married (which they have not), ideally to a city, and Julia suggests why not move here to Vegas?
Brandon wants her to cool her jets
He will move out, but he wants a few paychecks first so that they can do so responsibly. Julia does note that she now has the documents that allow her to work, noting that if it takes too long, she’ll move out unilaterally. Neither of them want that. That said, Vegas is probably a long shot, since Brandon notes that he’d need to get a new license to work in that state. Julia would do better to set her sights on Richmond.
Kalani Faagata and Asuelu Pulaa
Kalani is touring a house, hoping to find a place that’s the right fit for a family of four — a place that can accommodate her two young children but that can also survive them. Notably, she asks if the quartz countertop is toddler-proof. Nothing is toddler-proof.
Asuelu is also, um, checking out the house
Like a scene from a ’90s comedy movie, Asuelu is shown jumping on a bed that he does not own. He is a grown man and a father of two, more than old enough to know that beds can break and that it’s bad manners to put your feet on a stranger’s bedding. Kalani apologizes on his behalf. Welcome to her life.
They are still recovering from past drama
The trip to Seattle was a fiasco. The fallout from the clash with Asuelu’s family was so bad. And Asuelu’s pandemic covidiocy — leaving the house to go play volleyball with friends when everyone was supposed to be on lockdown — could have, and arguably should have, ended their marriage.
So they hope that a new house will fix things
Does it sound unwise to buy a house in the hopes that it will magically make your marriage better? Yes. But that’s the plan.
It’s easy to see why Asuelu wants this
He wants independence. He doesn’t have the money for it, but he sees Kalani’s family (who correctly take her side) as a problem for their marriage.
Right now, they’re living with Kalani’s parents
It’s really sounding like Asuelu is dreaming that he’ll be able to just walk all over Kalani when they get a new place.
Kalani’s parents are onboard
According to Kalani, her parents are just so sick of hearing them fight all of the time that they want them to move out purely to get some peace and quiet. Pro-tip: if your toxic marriage is exhausting OTHER people, just get a divorce.
Kolini calls
Kalani’s sister Kolini is a fan favorite for more than just her stunning good looks. She tells Kalani that if this Buy A House gambit doesn’t work, Kolini already has Kalani’s “divorce party” planned. YES.
Mike Youngquist and Natalie Mordovtseva
These two are six months into their marriage, which makes this October of 2020. (That’s important … because it’s just a couple of months before their reported separation)
Things seem … good?
We haven’t seen these two so happy since, gosh, since Mike picked up Natalie from the airport in early Season 8 (but before she made weird comments about the flowers that he bought for her).
But things weren’t always good
As with each couple, we get a guided tour of their storyline, including the agonizing moment when Natalie tossed Mike’s ring into his suitcase in Ukraine.
And let’s not forget the canceled wedding
Natalie is still saddened when she thinks about their would-have-been wedding day, when Mike called it off the morning of. But now things are better, and Natalie and Mike have a romantic visit with each other in Seattle, getting out of Sequim for a bit for a change of scenery.
But there’s one thing on Natalie’s mind …
Mike claims that he can’t really wear a ring at his work, so he doesn’t wear one. Natalie feels that it’s important.
So they go shopping for a ring
Honestly, if we found out that Mike and Natalie’s marriage was actually a longform advertisement for Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The 10 Rings, we’d believe it. They have never had a season that did not involve some sort of Ring Drama.
They don’t go to a jewelry shop
Instead, they got a spiritual shop, smelling incense sticks along the way. Mike is in a super good mood as they do it, and clearly the business had agreed to film.
They get a very cheap ring …
There’s nothing wrong with saving some money, but … is that a hematite ring? Because hematite is notoriously brittle. Mike is not accustomed to wearing jewelry. That ring is going to break.
They talk about visiting his mom for Thanksgiving
Millions of Americans correctly avoided traveling for Thanksgiving, but again we see reality stars following what’s best for production. Natalie is nervous. She knows that she didn’t really impress Mike’s mom the first time around (they clashed over butter), and hopes to remedy things this time.
NEXT
On Season 6, Episode 2, Angela has her in-person consultation with her surgeon-to-be … a man who, we will admit, bears some superficial resemblance to Michael.
A fact that is not lost on Angela
She is extremely flirty with him. Angela has explained in interviews that she was nervous, trying to joke, and that she figured why not run with it and make Michael jealous … which sure is one way to look at life. But how will Michael feel when he watches this?
Angela gets bad news
She’s told that she will likely need skin reduction after her weight loss to remove excess skin. Contrary to what Julia seemed to think at the Tell All, there are just some things that only surgery can fix.
Meanwhile, Julia gets a letter
Ron and Betty call Brandon and Julia to tell them that Julia has received her invitation to interview for permanent residency.
This could make or break things
Saying one wrong thing can sometimes foil people’s chances, so Julia is understandably nervous.
Asuelu gets bad news
Kalani tells Asuelu that Kolini is coming to stay with them for a month because her current lease has run out. Kolini and Asuelu do not see eye to eye, so this should be fun.
And Tiffany Franco returns!
As always, the season isn’t introducing (or reintroducing) every couple at once, so Tiffany Franco and Ronald Smith’s story comes back next week.
It’s not all good, though
It looks like they were really put through the wringer, as Tiffany cries while admitting that she may need a divorce.
Conflict among the Potthast family
Chuck has clearly approached his adult children about adding Andrei to the business, and Charlie has raised some objections … firmly.
He says that Andrei needs to earn everyone’s trust
Chuck reminds him that he may have an issue with Andrei but he should think of his sister, too.
Charlie goes overboard
Becky has to ask Charlie to “chill the f–k out” as he complains about Andrei. So yes, that conflict is still going.
Mike hopes that Natalie will get along with Mike’s friends
He notes that she can be a little severe at times.
Natalie claps back
Her reply, that maybe she won’t be so unfriendly with friends who don’t send him naked pictures of themselves, is jaw-dropping and we are eager to hear what that’s all about. Is this the beginning of the end of their marriage, or is that something that’s coming later?