90 Day Fiance continues with Season 8, Episode 6.
We see Natalie and Mike adjusting to their new normal, but Natalie feels frustrated as an isolated “housewife.”
Rebecca is so excited to welcome Zied to America.
Unfortunately for her, she’ll be chaperoned.
Tarik introduces Hazel to his friends, but the most important introduction is between Hazel and his daughter.
Yara says goodbye to Jovi under less than ideal circumstances, then learns a lot about his past.
Andrew feels powerless to help Amira, and has to be the one to tell her father.
Stephanie is frustrated after Ryan ignores her calls. When he does talk to her, however, things get even worse.
Mike Youngquist and Natalie Mordovtseva
Natalie has a lot of misgivings about things — her isolation in the woods, Mike’s lengthy commute to work and long hours, and the realities of rural life. But she is giving it her best show, insisting on doing the dishes when Mike tries to help on the grounds that he has had a long week.
She is also preparing breakfast
No french toast today — Natalie is chopping fruit for Mike, and peppering him with compliments for going on with her demands that he adjust his diet.
She loved the waterfall trip
To her, this was a gesture of Mike’s love for her, something that she seems uncertain of at other times.
But she is still uneasy
Natalie confesses that she still has not unpacked. Part of that is insecurity — Mike hasn’t given her the engagement ring yet. The other part is that she wants a place to put her clothes, and … well, they get into that in a bit.
Breakfast goes well
Natalie had previously asked Mike if he would agree to modify his diet. Natalie rarely drinks alcohol and doesn’t eat meat (except for seafood), while Mike enjoys steak, wine, and beer. She wanted him to try her diet for a week at a time, and it looks like he has agreed.
Yikes
Natalie is from Ukraine, where the culture is clearly different, as it is considered extremely rude to tell others anything that they “need” to do to change their bodies in most of the US. Natalie says that she needs to gain weight and Mike needs to lose some. We’re not sure why in either case.
Natalie needs one piece of furniture
She wants some sort of chest of drawers of her own. Notably, Mike has offered to let her hang her clothes, but it appears that — either because she is accustomed to her apartment in Ukraine or because of the language barrier — that she does not understand that she can hang blouses, not just dresses.
She doesn’t want to use Mike’s closet
He has a walk-in closet, but Natalie says that she’ll need her own space — because there is a funky smell in the closet. (Closets can be like that sometimes, because they have lots of fabric and are usually immersed in darkness). As a compromise, Mike gives her drawer space in an existing piece of furniture.
While Mike is at work …
Natalie reenacts Desperate Housewives, but without the arson and cheating and murder and stuff. She is at her most relatable here as she jokes about how much she hates cleaning.
She had to remove her nails
Natalie loved her long nails but had to remove them (they were fake nails) because rural life is so full of dirt. She and Julia Trubkina should compare notes.
The isolation is getting to her
Remember how Rebecca bought a game system for Zied? Where is Natalie’s equivalent of that for whatever hobby she has. She needs some entertainment.
Natalie’s mother calls
Nelia wants to know how things are going between Natalie and Mike. Nelia really likes Mike and has a good feeling about him.
Natalie presents a version of the truth
She tells her mother that everything is fine, basically because she doesn’t want her elderly mom to worry. In her version of events, Mike surprised her with the trip to see the waterfall.
Rebecca Parrott and Zied Hakimi
Rebecca is a nervous wreck, by her own admission, just hours before Zied arrives in the US for the first time. She puts on makeup and clearly a little on edge with butterflies in her stomach.
Rebecca isn’t going alone
Tiffany and Micah tell her under no uncertain circumstances that they are going with her. She tries to talk them out of it — suggesting that they take separate cars, at least — but no, they’re basically going to be chaperones to pick up Zied. It’s weird … and I’m like 85% certain that this was production’s meddling.
Zied arrives!
He and Rebecca embrace but do not kiss, since Rebecca’s companions are there to chaperone and Zied comes from a culture where that kind of PDA doesn’t take place in front of others.
They meet
Tiffany’s daughter and future son-in-law are nervous because Rebecca had an abusive ex, and they are leery of her repeating mistakes. They are cordial with Zied, but not overtly friendly.
Zied is so happy
Cheerfully, he films the skyline as they drive, wanting to send footage to his friends back home. He gushes that it’s “just like the movies,” which is adorable.
Zied is with Rebecca
Zied is not as expressive as a lot of stars, so he can come across as cold or indifferent, but his excitement spills through in this moment.
Look!! They’re so cute
They go out to dinner, still with their stern-faced chaperones, and you can tell that there are going to be some serious smooches when they are finally alone together.
Caleb has hard questions
He wants to know what Zied plans to do for work after the months and months of not being able to work that he has planned. Rebecca interjects that he has HVAC training (that’s great!), but it still feels like an interrogation.
Tarik Myers and Hazel Cagalitan
Hazel is still adjusting to life in America and life with Tarik … including how his idea of “clean” means “physically clean, not filthy or diseased.” He doesn’t mind clutter, while Hazel likes things tidy. However, that conversation leads to something very important
Ari sleeps in Tarik’s room
He described how, for years, he would put her to bed in her room but she’d come to his room to sleep. Honestly, that’s really sweet. I know that it’s weird to a lot of us, but for centuries if not millennia of human history, it was not unusual for entire families to share one bedroom.
Hazel is anxious to meet Ari
As much as she misses her own son, she is also eager to bond with Ari, and terrified that Tarik’s young autistic daughter might not like her. Tarik loves Hazel, but Ari comes first.
They meet …
And it goes well! Autism exists on a spectrum, so some may have thought that Ari wouldn’t be up for hugging Hazel or anyone — some autistic folks aren’t comfortable with hugs. Ari clearly is, and the results are adorable.
This is so good!!
Hazel is nervous about being a step parent to Ari. Tarik is, too. Dating as a single parent is tough because you need someone who works with you AND with your kid.
Tarik introduces Hazel to more American food
This time, they’re eating barbecue. The US has four main types of barbecue, and they’re keeping things good and southern for Hazel’s first taste. Tarik’s way of enunciating cornbread clearly has Hazel entertained.
Tarik invites some friends over
While producers were clealy hoping for some sort of jealousy storyline with Tarik’s female group of friends, they are SO sweet with Hazel and she gets along well with them.
They also brought presents
Angela gives Hazel some clothes, which is such a sweet gesture. It also gets bittersweet as Hazel confesses to the camera that she has never before simply received a gift from a friend before, as they never had the extra money.
Hazel asks about his past
Even Tarik admits that he partied and stayed up to all hours when he was younger. Hazel does cry as conversation turns to her son, whom she misses. Tarik wants to be her “rock,” but he admits to the camera that he is nervous to reveal that he was even briefly in contact with Minty, as it will upset Hazel.
Jovi Dufren and Yara Zaya
It’s the morning of Jovi’s departure. He will be gone until, it sounds like, January 25 (of 2020). Yara has been in America for two weeks and he will be gone for twice that amount of time for his job. They are also still reeling from the conversation the night before.
Jovi has regrets
He regrets stirring up those old hurt feelings in Yara and upsetting her, especially the night before he leaves. He regrets his past mistakes — he had no idea at the time of her miscarriage that she would need to go in and have a procedure because of it. And now he has to leave her alone in New Orleans.
They are very sweet, even now
Yara jokes that she might “die” while he’s gone, possibly from eating too much American food and “exploding.”
Yara affirms that she’s not mad at Jovi
Having hurt feelings — from trauma, in this case — is not the same thing as being angry at someone associated with that memory, though there can be a lot of overlap. She bids Jovi farewell.
Yara isn’t completely alone
Sara, who has an AMAZING chaotic energy about her, explains why she wanted to spend the day with Yara and get their nails done. Translation: production wanted something to film while Jovi is gone.
Sara does not hold back
Again because of production, Sara tells Yara all about Jovi’s wild pass. He was friends with all of the strippers, apparently, and had sex with them. According to Yara, Jovi is fairly hung (she said this on Instagram), so congratulations to those strippers of course.
They also discuss Jovi’s ex
This unnamed woman apparently got so drunk that she wet the bed one time — though Sara assures Yara that it was not the bed that she currently occupies. Yara is amazed that anyone could be so drunk. (If you are that drunk, you need to stop drinking … possibly permanently)
Did Yara miss red flags?
She muses before the camera about whether or not she missed signs that Jovi is an out of control party boy. Translation? Producers asked her to think out loud and kept asking until she gave them something that they could use.
Andrew Kenton and Amira Lollysa
Andrew’s story is still fairly slow paced because Amira has been seized and placed in detention in Mexico City while Andrew remains alone at the hotel in Puerto Vallarta, unable to enjoy the beautiful view.
He calls his mom and sister
He tells them the catastrophic news about this very predictable but nonetheless awful situation.
He keeps trying to get Amira out
Honestly, Andrew filmed himself for basically all of this, and it looks like he took the request to walk people through his process too seriously, because it makes him look goofy and self-important even though he’s just trying to explain. He’s a ltitle awkward, but it doesn’t mean that he’s not worried about Amira.
He calls Amira’s dad
They have a very awkward conversation as Andrew updates Amira’s father, who already worried about this (terrible) plan and had doubts about Amira, on the situation. Not the best first impression with his possible future father-in-law.
Stephanie Davison and Ryan Carr
Stephanie repeatedly tries to call Ryan — by her count, about fourteen times — to no avail.
PAUSE
We have to talk about what Stephanie is wearing, because it looks like a wedding gown inspired couture crop top. I’m calling this look “cougarcore” and no one can stop me.
Is Cooper ready for “Daddy Ryan”
Stephanie prepares her beloved cat for “Daddy Ryan” to share the bed, as Cooper is accustomed to sharing the large house with only Stephanie.
Stephanie finally gets in touch with Ryan
He’s talking to her with a tone of such annoyance and hostility. He seems unaware that Belize’s borders haven’t reopened and frankly he sounds uninterested, going above and beyond to emphasize that he’s not fixated on living in the US. (If there was a plan to assure fans that he’s not just after a green card, he went overboard)
Rude, dude!
Stephanie obviously does not enjoy being spoken to that way. No one would.
He rants about how busy he is
He says that he works every day at the resort. He even tells Stephanie that he doesn’t need all of the gifts that she sends to him and his family, as he makes good money at the resort.
Awkward …
Stephanie and we in the audience know that Ryan’s job is fake, but he doesn’t. Stephanie pays his salary through her friend who runs the resort, and she does this to boost his self-esteem. Apparently, it worked too well.
It gets worse
Ryan complains about her recent calls, and also says that he’s not rushing to move to America, and then makes “crazy” noises in reference to Stephanie. All together, he essentially called her a crazy biyatch who needs to give him some space. He can break up with her if he wants, but that is an unacceptable way for one human being to speak to another. Stephanie, however, suggests that they should decide whether or not to break up in person rather than over the phone.