My favorite show7th century eroticismtelevision right now is 90 Day Fiancé.
90 Day Fiancéis a reality show on TLC featuring a bunch of engaged couples in which one person lives in the United States and one person lives elsewhere. To be with their spouses-to-be, the people outside the U.S. apply for a K-1 visa, which stipulates that they have to get married within 90 days or else they have to leave the country. Most of the couples have barely spent any time together before deciding to get married.
It is fascinating.
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At this moment, we are in the seventh season of 90 Day Fiancéand the 10th episode of the current season comes out Jan. 12. If you've never seen a single moment of it before, you can start right there.
That's part of the beauty of 90 Day Fiancé: You can pick it up whenever you want. The first time I tuned in, I didn't even know what the show was. It was the middle of a random episode near the tail end of a random season, and despite that, it all made so much sense immediately. Since that night, any time I see this show is on when I'm looking for something to watch, I always watch.
I urge you to do that same.
The allure
Every moment of this show is great because the entire premise — people rushing into marriage with someone from another country — is inherently drama-inducing and relentlessly interesting.
Each season starts with a batch of couples who are already engaged and the one that isn't from the U.S. is either actively trying to get their K-1 visa, just got it, or is planning on getting it. As the episodes pan out, we see these lovers navigating their cultural differences, their compatibility issues, the very valid opinions of their friends and family members, and the dozens of red flags that pop up constantly.
You're basically watching several disaster-bound relationships slowly fall apart all at once and it's perfect entertainment.
Some people on the show seem delusional, some have clear ulterior motives other than love, and some clearly want something other than what's actually happening in real life. Oftentimes, the people on 90 Day Fiancéwant their other halves to be completely different than what they are, or want them to change in some major ways to fit their own lifestyles.
There are almost no couples where I watch them and think, "This is a good idea."
It often makes me feel very good about many of my own life choices and the way that I treat the people I love and the way they treat me. When I watch this show, it's hard not to think, "Wow, I am definitely doing better than these people."
You know, that classic reality TV feeling.
Beautiful disasters
While many reality shows put people in a bottle outside the realm of the real world, 90 Day Fiancébrings us into all aspects of these people's lives. We see them interact with their families and friends, which (for the most part) act as analogues to the viewers.
Almost all of the people on this show have friends and family who urge them to reconsider their choices, which is exactly what you'll find yourself doing while watching.
When I watch this show, I often feel the urge to reach through the screen, grab these people, look at them in the eye and say, "Stop."
But I can't, so I just keep watching, because I know the hits are just going to keep coming for these couples.
Some of the best moments are the big reveals that not everything is as it seems. Sometimes, it turns out that someone has several kids with several other women that they didn't really mention. Sometimes, someone neglects to mention that they're actually currently married to someone else.
Sometimes people just make really terrible decisions.
No matter what happens, you just know it's going to be something great.
Even without surprises, watching these people figure out their relationships is mesmerizing. The cultural differences create so much tension, and then add to the fact that some of the couple have vast age differences or don't really speak the same language.
That's right, some people only speak by using translators on their phones. And they're engaged. Wild.
Pillow Talk
While 90 Day Fiancéis fantastic by itself, one of my favorite aspects of the show is the spin-off called Pillow Talk. Pillow Talkfeatures people who were on previous seasons of the show that are watching new episodes of the show and commenting on what happens.
It's like watching the show with friends in the room, except the friends are people who you've watched and come to love on their own tumultuous journeys through love. Or maybe you don't know them, but boy are they entertaining anyway.
I like Pillow Talkso much, I'll watch episodes I've already seen again when they get the Pillow Talktreatment.
This show is just so easy to watch and get sucked into. It's classic comfort reality TV but I think it's so much better than other reality TV shows. There's nothing to win. Nobody walks away with a new house or more money. Nobody gets to showcase their talents to a large audience.
It's just people trying their best in a self-inflicted tumultuous situation.
The first five seasons of 90 Day Fiancé are now available to stream on Hulu. Seasons 6 and 7 are streaming on TLC.