90 Day Fiancé Matches Fans Thought Would Never Work

The long-running TLC reality show "90 Day Fiancé" follows international couples who are often in long-distance relationships and have 90 days — the length of an "engagement visa" or the K-1 visa — to decide if they want to get married. The success of "90 Day Fiancé" has garnered several spinoffs, including "90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way" and "90 Day Fiancé: The Last Resort," the third season of which premiered in June 2026 and features certain couples undergoing therapy sessions at a retreat.

As many of the couples met online or while on vacation, they encounter situations that breed distrust, catfishing (Lowo, anyone?), or cheating (looking at you, Tim Clarkson), making the chances of a healthy marriage that much more difficult and unlikely. Although some cast members have claimed parts of the show are fake or scripted, much of the drama is real with long-lasting effects, causing fans to wonder how some matches have endured the test of time. We found out which low-key couples are succeeding despite the odds and which ones will be appearing on The Last Resort to fix their marriage.

Sumit Singh and Jenny Slatten, who have been featured on "90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way" since 2019, seemed to have the odds stacked against them from day one. The pair has a 30-year age difference, and Singh was using a fake Facebook profile under the name "Michael Jones" when he first connected with Slatten on the site. Most damning of all was that Singh was already in an arranged marriage when he and Slatten started speaking. 

In 2020, Singh underwent a messy legal battle to divorce his ex-wife, telling his parents in an episode of "The Other Way," "I listened to you and went through with an arranged marriage ... Then where did my happiness go?" (per Entertainment Tonight). At the time, Slatten supported him, saying, "Sumit and I are not done with each other. We're still in a relationship. He was married ... the marriage wasn't his choice. He didn't want to be married," per the International Business Times. Singh and Slatten married in 2021 in secret for fear his parents would disapprove, although they now live in India with them.

Singh and Slatten will appear on the upcoming "90 Day Fiancé: The Last Resort," and viewers are surprised they are still together. "Can someone break down the lore and make them make sense to me?" one Reddit post asked. "I feel absolutely zero chemistry between them." Another commenter reasoned, "For some reason, she loves him. And I think he does love her, too. It's just quite the mismatch of a relationship."

Steven Johnston, a Mormon from Utah, and Alina Shaimardanova, who is from Russia, were featured in season three of "90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way." They faced struggles in their relationship, most notably that Johnston was entertaining other women while purportedly devoted to Shaimardanova. "Probably about nine girls were sending me inappropriate messages and images ... I started responding back, you know, kind of encouraging that, and then I foolishly started sending pictures of myself," he admitted on a special episode of "90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way." Shaimardanova was upset: "When Steven asked me if he could date other girls, I just burst into tears because he's in relationship with me and he have to pay attention only on me," she said, per Entertainment Tonight.

Despite their trust issues, the pair married in 2021 and remain together, though fans of the show are more wary than happy for them. "Alina deserves better then and I'm certain she still deserves better now. [He's] a liar and a hypocrite," one commenter on Reddit wrote. "I'm actually shocked they're still together. Don't follow or keep up with them so I assumed they'd be over by now," another added.

Brandon Gibbs, of Virginia, and Julia Trubkina, from Russia, had their relationship chronicled in season eight of "90 Day Fiancé." They were married in 2020, moved to Gibbs' parents' farm in Virginia, and had their first child in October 2025 — but not before the couple fought over Trubkina's getting a fertility test and Gibbs' parents interfering in their relationship. "Brennan's parents always overstep," Trubkina said in an episode of "90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After?" "And now it's about fertility test."

Gibbs seemed to blame Trubkina for the rift between them and his parents, and he and Trubkina appeared on "90 Day Fiancé: The Last Resort" to repair their marriage issues. "During this therapy section, actually, we have a lot more of what we are going to share," Trubkina told Us Weekly. "We were like, 'OK, it's only one problem that we have.' No, we have a lot and not something like, 'We can fix this tomorrow. Everything will be perfect.' No, they are so deep."

Viewers of the show who are surprised that the couple is still together seemed torn on whether the blame lay with Gibbs or Trubkina: "Brandon is such a mama's boy it's embarrassing lol like dude you're about to be a father and you're still throwing your pregnant wife under the bus to keep mommy happy," one Redditor wrote. However, someone else countered, "[Julia] is reckless and toxic and blames [Brandon's] mother, yet she has never ever ever negotiated in a kind a loving way, or has she ever proposed mature guidelines for a relational interaction with [B's] fam that she would like, where everyone is happy!"

Robert Springs and Anny Francisco are an unexpected "90 Day Fiancé" success story, getting engaged after just eight hours spent together in person. They were married during the season-seven finale in 2019. Although they faced skepticism from Springs' family about Francisco's motives during the show, Francisco insisted on "90 Day Fiancé": "It's not convenient relationship. It's love relationship because I'm doing everything for Robert because I love him." Along with Springs' five children from previous relationships, the couple added a daughter in 2020 and a son, Adriel, in 2021, but Adriel tragically died in April 2022. Francisco wrote in a tribute to him on Instagram, "Life is so hard and difficult. I never thought I would lose my son. He was a fighter ... his heart couldn't take it ... my heart is broken."

The couple seems stronger than ever in the wake of their loss, and Francisco gave birth to another son in November 2024. In May 2025, the couple posted a photo of him on Instagram and wrote, "Thank God for my healthy and beautiful baby, we didn't look for him, it was just a great gift from God as he told me in a dream." 

Fans of the show are happy for the couple despite initial wariness: "Although I wasn't a fan during their stint on [90 Day Fiancé], I have grown to love these nuts. Always lovingly bickering and Robert never fails to give words of wisdom ..." one Redditor wrote. "I was unsure about them on their season, but have grown to absolutely adore them. They are so cute and hilarious on 'Pillow Talk,'" added another poster. "I hope they're being supported and loved with their recent tragedy."

Olulowo "Lowo" Shodipe and Narkyia Lathan's relationship was chronicled during season four of "90 Day Fiancé" after they met in an online group for plus-size women. They got off to a rocky start after Shodipe told a series of lies: "He told me he was a Nigerian prince. He also told me he was living in Alabama, he had a son, and that his son's mother had passed away," Lathan said in one episode (via "90 Day Fiancé"), "I started to feel like a little suspicious, so I went into Inspector Gadget mode, [and] I found some really big lies." Lathan ended up finding another social media profile with a photo of Shodipe with his son's mother, who was still alive.

To those who are wondering if they are still together after their wedding in 2017 , the answer is yes — and they even welcomed a daughter in 2020. Surprised fans haven't forgotten Shodipe's initial deception: "I can't even believe they married ... Dude legit referred to himself as a Nigerian Prince. He was a walking, talking catfish dammit!" wrote one commenter on Reddit. "Their baby is so adorable!!!! I honestly can't believe they're still together, there's no way he's trustworthy," another added.

During season three of "90 Day Fiancé," Devar Walters and Melanie Bowers faced concerns about getting married on a quick timeline — Bowers' sister opposed the union — and Walters' drinking, and fans noticed. "Is anyone else disappointed by the turn this story has taken?" one post on Reddit notes. "I liked them as a couple but seeing him drunk and her so clearly distressed and embarrassed by his behavior is just so sad to me." After their wedding in 2015, they had a daughter in 2017 and starred in their own spinoff, "90 Day Journey: Melanie & Devar," in 2021.

The couple is an example of a rare success story from the "90 Day Fiancé" franchise. They now live together in the United States but travel frequently to Walters' home country, Jamaica. Fans of the show seem to agree that, despite how the couple was portrayed, their bond seems real. "Most shocking 90 day success story," a commenter wrote. Another replied, "They seemed genuine from the start ... It was her sisters that planted the seed that he may have arterial motives. I'm glad they're doing well! Cute couple who beat the odds."

Tim Clarkson and Melyza Zeta's off-and-on relationship was featured on season two of "90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way." Zeta, who is from Colombia, met Texas native Clarkson in college. They decided to date long-distance, and it was revealed that Clarkson had cheated on Zeta with a co-worker. They continued to deal with Clarkson's visa issues and his continued flirtation with other co-workers before revealing in 2021 on an episode of "90 Day Bares All" that they were engaged. "Putting a ring on it doesn't solve it all, but it's definitely a big step in the right direction, surely one that we wanted to take years ago," Zeta told People at the time.

Fans of the show were surprised and thought Zeta was making a mistake. "I would never be able to go back to someone that cheated on me," a YouTube comment. "If we broke up and had both different relationships and went back together, I wouldn't mind at all, but cheating? No, thanks." A Reddit commenter summed it up more succinctly: "What the actual hell??" Perhaps anticipating online backlash, Zeta kept her subsequent pregnancy a secret before revealing in December 2022 that they had had a daughter.

Russ and Paola Mayfield are the OGs of "90 Day Fiancé," appearing on season one of the show in 2014 after meeting in Colombia when Russ's job took him there. They have been married for 12 years, having endured challenges such as a separation in 2021 and a miscarriage. However, it seems they have more work to do when it comes to repairing their marriage; they announced in May 2026 that they would appear on "90 Day Fiancé: The Last Resort." "It doesn't feel good to be in this position because we're trying to fix the issues that we have. 'Cause let's be honest, 12 years have come with a lot of ..." Paola said on "Entertainment Tonight" while explaining why they decided to come on "The Last Resort." "We've had a lot of highs and a lot of lows," Russ finished for her.

The news of their marital issues didn't come as a shock to fans. On a Reddit post commemorating the couple's 12-year anniversary, one commenter wrote, "I know everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, assumed they've been divorced for at least 10 years now." Another pointed to the disparity in how Russ and Paola talk about their relationship: "He makes sentimental posts about her & their marriage, and she makes posts about how hard her life is all the time. Weird they're still together, but their respective posts say it all."

On season three of "90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days," Rebecca Parrott and Zied Hakimi were introduced as Parrott traveled to Tunisia to meet Hakimi. They were already facing issues: Parrott is 22 years Hakimi's senior, and she has been married three times before and was using filters on her online photos when she first started talking to Hakimi. However, they still married in April 2020, which was chronicled on season eight of "90 Day Fiancé." The couple is appearing on season three of "The Last Resort" to address some concerns in their marriage. "We have issues with communication, where we get very frustrated. I think it's the cultural difference. It's the age difference. It's the language barrier," Parrott told "Entertainment Tonight".

Fans don't have much hope for the marriage. A Reddit post titled "Zied Hakimi has completely checked out of his marriage with Rebecca Parrott" has garnered over 100 comments, including "I have never seen two people who trust each other less. She basically stalks him every time he leaves the house. She is in denial that her relationship is completely gone and unsalvageable." Meanwhile, another person wrote, "Their relationship hasn't progressed or changed since the first time they met and got together. Zied is as checked out as ever and his disinterest in his wife is so palpable, you can feel it."

Eric Rosenbrook and Leida Margaretha have been married since 2018 after being featured in season six of "90 Day Fiancé" — and it's been all downhill since then. During the show, Margaretha clashed with Rosenbrook's daughter, Tasha, and later obtained a restraining order against her. The couple filed for divorce in February 2024, only to withdraw it a few days later. Additionally, in July 2025, their infant daughter, Alisa, passed away; however, the cause of death was ruled "non-accidental" (per TMZ), and criminal charges were not filed. Margaretha was then hit with 24 charges related to fraud in January 2026 after she allegedly withdrew funds from her ex-employer's bank account for her own use.

Though the couple has maintained a united front throughout the years, fans of the show have united against them. They were even named as one of the least favorite couples of the entire franchise. "The fact that they're still together is gross. Dude put her in front of his daughter in a bad way, can't come back from that," one person wrote on Reddit. "Leida and Eric are still married because they're both terrible people. We should all be thanking lucky stars that they found each other and won't be able to make others miserable," another agreed.

Another couple from the very first season of "90 Day Fiancé," Alan and Kirlyam Cox, are still together after 13 years. The couple garnered controversy due to how they met — Alan was on a mission trip in Kirlyam's native Brazil, and the two first met when she was 11 or 12 years old before reuniting and dating when she was an adult. "We will make it very, very clear, very clear, there was no romantic relation at all when I was on my mission ... we never said that," Alan explained in a joint video (via YouTube) with Kirlyam. Fan reaction was mixed: Some believed their love was genuine ("The most sane, mature and drama free couple I've seen so far on that 90 day show," one YouTube commenter wrote), while others found Alan sketchy ("He always seemed so creepy to me and I was hoping she would eventually leave him," a Reddit comment noted).

The Coxes now have two children, born in 2017 and 2021, and the family of four appears to be doing well. Some fans were mixed about their still being together, even within the same comment, with one person on Reddit writing, "Dude still gives me the creeps. But good for them." However, another added, "The 'controlling' husband thing seemed very producer driven and not at all accurate. I don't stan them or anything, but it bums me out how people keep trying to spread this story."