The Most Uncomfortable 90 Day Fiance Moments

90 Day Fiance is the gift that keeps on giving when it comes to uncomfortable on-screen moments. Sure, TLC already kind of cornered that market with My Strange Addiction, but awkwardness knows no bounds when it comes to love between two people who met on the Internet and don't truly know each other. You thought dating was difficult on Tinder? Well, 90 Day Fiance has been putting that experience to shame since its 2014 premiere.

We could easily call 90 Day Fiance and its various spinoffs a case study on what happens when you feed into the stereotypes of Russian mail order brides, African Internet scammers, or pretty much any so-called green card marriage. But what the reality TV show has really depicted is the struggle of loving the idea of someone from a totally different culture that you don't actually know. Although a few couples have made it out of the series alive, with babies and the American dream, the majority have let us witness a downward spiral that typically ends in one partner trying to get the other deported. We bring you the most uncomfortable moments of the bunch.

Jesse Meester and Darcey Silva have dutifully earned their title as most explosive couple on any 90 Day Fiance spinoff — and that's a tall order. As fans have pointed out, it's pretty uncomfortable watching probable narcissists duke it out on screen (but hey, we aren't psychologists, so who are we to judge?). The shoe incident — when Jesse throws a fit because Darcey has the audacity to stand on his sneakers — is certainly vying for the couple's most hard-to-watch moment, but the steak bias ordeal from the night before really takes the cake (or the filet mignon).

An argument erupts during the couple's very first family dinner with Darcey's daughters, when she insists Jesse should cut the steak he's preparing on a "bias." After storming out, he proceeds to craft the most awkward reality TV dinner by sitting at the head of the table, feigning calmness, and claiming he isn't going to argue in front of the kids (which, you know, he already has). Darcey's eldest daughter eventually chimes in with, "Are you all serious? Both of you guys are acting like you're my age. Just grow up please." 

When a child is the sole voice of reason, you know it's bad.

Fans have pointed out that pretty much the entirety of Nicole Nafziger and Azan Tefou's relationship reads like an early aughts AOL phishing email sprung into real life. Let's just look at some of the alarm-raising things surrounding the couple's love story: the alleged ex-girlfriend who called Azan a "con artist," the rumors that Azan dumped Nicole after she couldn't give him any more money, their two canceled weddings and trips to Grenada and Morocco, and the fact that Azan's K-1 visa was denied. Even Nicole's own mother admits she doesn't trust Azan.

While all of that is incredibly awkward, the most painful-to-watch moments came when the American reality star, who has trouble accepting that Azan's Muslim culture doesn't allow for PDA, is criticized by her future hubby for being "big a little bit." Azan tries to force the plus-sized star to "go to [the] gym and ... to not be lazy." He even threatens to not come to America unless she tries to work on her fitness. The worst part? Azan claims to only be "55 percent" attracted to his future wife while she just stares into the camera with a glazed-over look. Yikes.

Anfisa Nava might just be the hero of 90 Day Fiancé, at least according to Reddit. You can't deny that the Russian-bred star has always been transparent about her intentions with Jorge Nava. Famed YouTuber pioneers H3H3 even labeled her "the honest gold digger." Indeed, she has no qualms about telling Jorge that she hates being married to him, which is pretty awkward because his smile makes it seem like that's actually an improvement from how she usually feels. Still, none of the couple's interactions have been more uncomfortable than one excruciatingly long silence during the show's 2016 tell-all special. 

Earlier that season, Anfisa scratches the word "idiot" into the driver's side door of Jorge's car, and though she has a lot of time to reflect before the tell-all, it doesn't appear like she achieved any clarity. The silence that launched millions of cringes across America occurrs when Anfisa is asked if she regrets keying her husband's car. She quickly replies, "No." After the host asks her why she doesn't regret the action, the reality star simply stares as the cameras pan to her co-stars for what feels like the longest stretch of silence in the history of television. Honestly TLC, we could have used a commercial break this time.

Leida Margaretha's American dream came to a swift halt when she found out she flew all the way from her Indonesian comforts to share a twin bed with her fiance in a trash-filled apartment in Wisconsin. It was clear that this 90 Day Fiance star, who was used to a life of luxury, struggled with her choice when she realized Eric Rosenbrook was flat-out broke. 

An uncomfortable argument eventually breaks out, stemming from Eric's child support payments (which Radar Online points out were less than $1,000 a month). The Indonesian star claims her parents paid the equivalent of $300,000 USD for her first wedding, yet she's forced to marry Eric in what looks to be a motel conference room. From the outside, the child support argument seems like a cultural difference. That's, in the very least, how Eric frames it. But according to Vice, it's simply not true. Indonesia has similar child support laws to America, so take that as you will. 

Either way, Leida breaks down and threatens to call off the wedding. "I feel like I'm forcing myself to get married with you because I don't want to leave this country," she finally admits. Telling your immigration sponsor boyfriend you only want a green card is crazy uncomfortable.

Somehow, Chantel Everett and Pedro Jimeno managed to out-awkward Jesse and Darcey in the 90 Day Fiance family dinner department. Their meal turns into an all-out brawl, but tensions are already uncomfortably high after Chantel's parents admit they hired a private investigator to look into whether or not Pedro's family were "body traffickers" who "harvested" their daughter for a green card. Obviously, Pedro is less than thrilled, and things quickly devolve when his sister, Nicole, comes to visit.

Pedro and Nicole are already on thin ice after showing up late to dinner. However, the entire meal is basically a set up: Chantel's parents reveal that they want to "get to the bottom" of Nicole's motives "to take advantage" of their daughter. The Everetts spend a few minutes exchanging fake pleasantries before poking the bear and asking how Nicole gets along with Chantel. The conversation erupts into a screaming match as the sisters-in-law accuse each other of lying, and Chantel's brother throws a punch at Pedro. 

At this point, dinner starts to resemble a WWE battle royal that ends with Chantel sobbing in a corner as her mother holds up a weft of extensions ripped from Nicole's scalp while screaming, "Pedro and Nicole are very bad for my family," in broken Spanish. Eerily enough, she looks directly at various cameras around the room. Was Chantel's mom expecting an Emmy or something?

Danielle Mullins and Mohamed Jbali pretty much set the 90 Day Fiance precedent for Nicole and Azan. According to Radar Online, the Ohio resident claimed in her annulment papers that Mohamed had multiple affairs and used a number of Facebook pages to "solicit money from various women." Of course, he denied this, but there's one rumor he didn't even bother squashing: he was not attracted to his wife. But why?

Throughout the show's run, it becomes very clear to fans that Mohamed is disgusted by Danielle. He doesn't even want to kiss her at their wedding, and she claims they only "consummated their marriage once" three months after tying the knot. In one of the most uncomfortable tell-all reunions to date, Mohamed admits the pair stopped being intimate when they "started facing a problem." The issue? A certain alleged odor. According to Danielle, her hubby told people that she smelled and urinated on him. Her co-stars audibly gasp during this revelation, as did pretty much everyone at home. It's so bad that the host cuts things off, saying, "You know what? I don't even want to know." Too bad none of us can turn back time and unhear it. Thanks, TLC!

If you thought nothing could be more awkward than 90 Day Fiance star Karine Martins finding out her future husband is a convicted arsonist who's violated a protective order granted to his ex, you'd unfortunately be wrong. In between donning a bulletproof vest to walk the streets of Karine's hometown and arguing strictly through a translation phone app, Paul Staehle still has time to make the general masses uncomfortable when he slips on a condom to go swimming with her.

In a previous uncomfortable clip, Paul admits he "wants to have some fun" with Karine before forcing her to take an STD and pregnancy test. Asking your future wife to take a pregnancy test because you don't believe she's not carrying someone else's baby is sure to put a damper on a good time, but the Brazilian beauty decides to take her fiance swimming anyway.

While Karine jumps right into the water, Paul has his apprehensions because his "travel doctor" warned him not to swim in anything untreated. There are allegedly "diseases," which Paul seemingly takes to mean STDs, though STDs don't really work that way. He then shows the cameras the sheath he's fashioned to protect his member from parasites, which is actually a semi-valid concern according to the CDC. The condom, though, has little medical explanation. But alright, you do you, Paul.

Larissa Dos Santos Lima didn't know what she was in for when she moved into what the Twitterverse has dubbed the "Bates Motel" to be with fiance Colt Johnson. It's not easy living with in-laws, especially ones that clearly don't like you. Debbie Johnson, among various indiscretions, has been known to leave her daughter-in-law stranded so that producers have to step in and give her a lift.

There's a whole lot about Coltee and Larissa's marriage that's uncomfortable — including the family BBQ blow-out where Colt refuses to stand up for his wife and Larissa's domestic violence arrests — but their sex life still takes the top spot. In the past, Larissa has stated that Colt is under the wrong impression if he thinks all Latina women "shake their boobies and walk around with big a**es." But that doesn't stop her from coming up with a creative way to ask for lip injections on 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After? 

"Colt should to pay for my lips injections because he has a hungry sexual drive and I will feel very confident and sexy after I fill in my lips," Larissa explains. "Do you want more b***jobs? I will feel motivated." Knowing their living situation, the cringe factor is too real.

Ever since Season 5 of 90 Day Fiance, it's seemed like David Toborowsky would do almost anything to not have a job. Chris Thieneman, who deserves the trophy for friend of the century, has continuously tried to make sure his best pal has the tools to get back on his feet, but it's more or less been futile. After what seems like months (or possibly years) of unemployment, the entrepreneur finally offers David a partnership in his restaurant — which David, of course, rejects. After that, he's essentially cut off from his cash cow.

While David has put his wife, Annie Suwan, through some less-than-ideal living situations, things get ultra-awkward when they're forced to move out of Thieneman's renovated firehouse and into what's essentially a storage unit. Who can really blame Annie for being mad about that? At least the rent is free, but it comes at a price: Annie can't shower for more than two minutes because the hot water heater is extremely small, there's no stove, and they can't open the window. Honestly, for a storage unit, a window seems like a luxury, but the whole thing is still pretty uncomfortable. Fans will be happy to know that, according to ScreenRant, this move was only temporary.

Ricardo "Ricky" Reyes was on 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days for a dramatic amount of time, but not for a long time. The TV star was living fast (he only had a short pre-planned vacation to Colombia), determined to find a fiancee before heading back to the States. Sometimes, you just have to have a backup plan ... but that doesn't mean the backup plan has to be happy about. 

Pretty much the entirety of Ricky's short appearance on the spinoff is awkward, especially since he's still married to his wife in Texas, according to Starcasm. He first seeks out a younger student named Melissa, who clearly isn't interested and basically ghosts him (a true Millennial). Ricky then moves onto his backup plan: Ximena Parra. He pretends like she's his number one, but the Colombian beauty eventually discovers that she's, indeed, his number two and confronts Ricky during a romantic dinner. Audiences cringed, but at least the tension of watching him lie to her for the entire season is finally broken. However, Starcasm suggests that the whole thing was a ruse and Melissa was a fake, which would make the couple's entire argument about her even more uncomfortable. Was it rehearsed? They're reality stars, not actors.

Angela Deem may have been hand-plucked from the Maury stage to cause a ruckus on 90 Day Fiance following two explosive appearances on the scandalous daytime talk show. Her interactions with her much younger fiance, Michael Ilesanmi, could have absolutely been at home on Maury Povich's long-running series or even the likes of Jerry Springer, so it shouldn't be too surprising that awkward moments were aplenty between these two. What else would you expect when you take a Donald Trump-loving American and throw her into Nigeria?

Though most of us were pretty sure that nothing could be more uncomfortable than Angela shopping for a traditional African outfit even though no store carries her size, the worst moment comes during the tell-all reunion when Michael has the apparent audacity to call her his "elder." Newsflash: she is his elder, and it's clear English isn't his first language, so maybe she could have given him a bit of a break? Instead, Angela screams at him, calls him an "idiot," and storms off set. There's pretty much nothing more uncomfortable than watching Angela be in denial about her own age.

When Molly Hopkins brought home her brand new fiance, Luis Mendez, things pretty much imploded right from the start. There's the difficult age difference, the awkward conversation where Luis basically encourages Molly's teen daughter to be sexually active, and the fact that this 90 Day Fiance couple was actually secretly married the entire time. If that wasn't bad enough, Luis has a really strange gripe with Molly that made most of us sitting at home scratch our heads. 

The argument in question devolves very quickly into a contest about who is the holiest person in the couple. Luis claims Molly was "not comprehensible" and has mixed too many religious totems around the house. He also criticizes her for having a Buddha, but not a single Bible or anything that has to do with the Christian God. Luis then starts asking Molly if she knows about witchcraft. Molly, who was just trying to see if her husband was prepared to be a dad, is absolutely perplexed. "You're blaming an owl with a candle on the fact that you are an a**hole to my kids," she screams. Well, when you put it that way — talk about uncomfortable.

Initially, Larissa's relationship with Eric Nichols seemed healthier than her marriage. He did, after all, loan her $30,000 for plastic surgery — but not before asking for a signed contract with interest like all good boyfriends in it for the long haul. He didn't even complain too much when taking care of her in the days following the surgery. Nevertheless, this was doomed from the moment Colt somehow got involved and became the trigger for one of the most awkward arguments in the 90 Day extended universe.

When the pair first got together, Larissa leant Eric a cell phone, which he used to text other women (in the words of Ross Geller, they were on a break). When Larissa discovered the messages, she called one of the women up looking for answers (because of course she did) and found out that Eric had met up with Colt, where they bonded by making fun of her sex life. The only reason that woman knew was because Eric allegedly bragged about it. At the time, the woman claimed Eric was a stranger.

This was a horrifying revelation for Larissa considering her exes are grown men and not 15-year-old boys trying to look cool in the locker room. She subsequently confronted Eric in an explosive argument, telling the cameras "I find out that he was using the phone that I gave to him to trash me. It's not fair." No, it isn't, girl.

Big Ed's appearance during Season 4 of 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days spawned a bevy of memes, largely because it seemed like Ed's girlfriend, Rosemarie Vega couldn't stand him. Fans noticed her perpetual stink face, and you can't really blame her when she had to endure the company of a man who puts mayonnaise in his hair and has the audacity to ask her to shave her legs and take an STD test. Everything about Ed's appearance reeked of a man who's rarely left the United States, especially his conversation about Rosemarie's bad breath.

There's a nice way to approach certain subjects, but Ed took the road less traveled when telling his girlfriend that her breath wasn't up to snuff. He assumed the Filipino beauty didn't understand dental hygiene and presented mouthwash and toothpaste as a gift (flowers would've probably sufficed). "Your breath is not, um, pretty," he said, before backpedaling, "My concern is your health." If Rosemarie's eyeballs could've detached themselves, they would've rolled off the island and floated out to sea. Alas, they are affixed to her head. All she could do was tell Ed that she's well aware of the concept of dental hygiene and her issue is a stomach ulcer.

While the awkward pause between them belongs in the Louvre, some fans weren't so appreciative, like this Twitter user who called Ed "horrible," and this one, who tweeted that the whole scene was "PURE MADNESS!"

As viewers found out in Season 4 of 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days, Australia doesn't just have spider rain, huntsman spiders big enough to eat possums, and the most venomous marine animal on the planet (the box jellyfish, if you were wondering). It is also rife with toxic masculinity. When Avery Warner flew to Australia to spend time with her dating coach boyfriend, Ash Naeck, she learned all too well.

Ash had his fair share of cringey moments on and after the series, including lying to Avery about how his ex-wife was supportive of moving their young son to the United States, lying to Avery about sticking to their shared diet (which was the final straw), and lying to Avery about text messages during the tell-all. The worst, however, was when Avery sat in on Ash's shockingly sexist dating seminar.

The seminar was meant to help single women find the perfect partner, but devolved into a hypocritical mess where Ash claimed that women have so many thoughts in their brain at one time that they're always "going crazy." Coincidentally, the seminar went so poorly that he got flustered and had to excuse himself because his brain was "going too crazy." Avery was, rightly, horrified at what she heard and confronted her boyfriend, who was not receptive to her criticism. Their argument got so heated, Ash nearly fled in anger until a producer intervened. 

Jesse Meester is another man who should probably remove himself from the public speaking circuit, but instead, he's living his best life all the way to the old folks home. After spending a couple seasons basically terrorizing Darcey (so much so that fans were concerned she was a victim of domestic abuse), the 90 Day star decided to become a motivational speaker. In a clip from 90 Day Fiance: What Now?, we find out that Jesse has become a hot commodity on the nursing home circuit, delivering seminars on none other than love — his qualifications being a highly volatile relationship that essentially burst into flames on national television.

As much as we'd love to be a fly on Jesse's booking agent's wall as the reality star claims to really connect with the elderly community, TLC did let us in on the seminar, in which the audience appears to be five minutes from falling asleep. The reactions to the scene on social media were a bit more volatile, with one user writing, "I know I almost wet myself when I saw #Jesse coaching the blind elderly people." And quite a few latched onto the easy joke that having to sit through Jesse's seminar amounted to "elder abuse." 

So, if this was all just an effort to revamp his sullied image, we're not sure he accomplished that mission. 

Darcey had a tough run with Tom Brooks, who became one of the most wanted super villains of the 90 Day extended universe after first appearing on Season 3 of Before the 90 Days. To this day, his hand-delivered breakup letter to Darcey has gone unread — and after their brutal breakup, it's hard to blame her.

It all went down when Darcey decided to meet up with Tom in New York City to discuss some photos she saw on social media of him with another woman. At the time, the pair's relationship was in a state of limbo, and it seemed like she was hoping their meetup would smooth things over. Instead, she snubbed his hug, and under a heavy dose of duress, Tom owned up to falling for someone else three weeks prior, blaming Darcey for the reason he went behind her back. "I met someone that loves me the way I wanted to be loved," he said, urging her "not to ruin the next one." 

If it wasn't bad enough that Tom claimed to love Darcey like a sister, he ended things with one final jab before Darcey (rightly) stormed off: "Did you put weight on?" Yes, he really said that, but it should be noted that Tom isn't the one with his own spin-off. As for his new relationship, Soap Dirt reported that Tom claimed, "It was just a fling," after it was revealed that his mysterious lover allegedly had a fiance. 

It's unclear why Debbie always seems to be right in the middle of Colt's relationship problems, but there she was getting her son's intimate text messages shoved in her face during a particularly cringey argument on Season 5 of 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After. It all went down when Colt's new Brazilian boo, Jess Caroline, discovered that when her boyfriend wasn't making her want sex "all the time," he was busy making other women (probably not) want sex all the time with his nude photos. Apparently, the 90 Day star is quite the prolific sexter.

Though the pair hashed it out at a cat café, Jess ultimately brought it up during an awkward hangout with Debbie, who was just trying to share a fruit platter with her son's girlfriend. "You're a really great actor ... eight girls. Not just me, but other girls ... Debbie, here, you want to see," she said while shoving a phone in Debbie's visibly horrified face. The former go-go dancer couldn't have run out of there fast enough.

Considering Colt's foray into OnlyFans, Debbie is probably used to it by now (we're picturing her like Kris Jenner a la "You're doing amazing, sweetie"). All in all, it's hard to tell what's worse: Colt sending nude photos to random women or Debbie almost catching a glance. Either way, our brains need a bleach bath. 

90 Day Fiance has gotten more unhinged as seasons progress. Case-in-point: self-proclaimed "cougar" Stephanie Davison and Harris, the third cousin of Stephanie's fiance, Ryan Carr. How are they involved? Just wait.

Stephanie found herself in a tumultuous situation after flying to Belize to start the K-1 process with Ryan. She gave him a ring to propose, but they ended up calling it quits after Stephanie revealed that she had hooked up with his cousin, Harris, who was conveniently there to comfort her after her break up. Having clearly zero intention of leaving Belize empty handed, Stephanie asked Harris to be her new 90 day fiance (and nearly exploded his brain by casually handing him $100 to spend on snacks, which is roughly equal to his bi-weekly paycheck).

Though Harris agreed to follow her to America on a K-1 visa, it became clear that Stephanie had every right to worry about his baby mama, Emma, who'd been living with him for 14 years. In one of the cringiest confessionals in 90 Day history, Harris admitted that Stephanie was his big break as cameras panned to him kissing the mother of his children. "I have a lot of big dreams," he admitted (via ET), adding, "I never ever in my life, find someone that give me free money ... There's only one time in a history you get a good break like that." Meanwhile, Stephanie was smitten, claiming Harris was her "happily ever after."

Getting dumped is bad enough, but getting dumped on your wedding day in the middle of a global pandemic is a whole new level. Natalie Mordovtseva and Mike Youngquist have been at odds since the beginning of their relationship, but during Season 8 of 90 Day Fiance, it became clear that Mike hadn't ever forgiven his Ukrainian girlfriend for giving back her engagement ring, even though he flew her to rural Washington on a K-1 visa.

Towards the end of the season, it seemed like they had patched things up. As the novel coronavirus swept across the nation, the pair scheduled an intimate backyard ceremony, only for Mike to get cold feet the morning of their wedding — three days before Natalie's visa expired. Not only did she have to leave the country, but she couldn't even go home because Ukraine had closed its borders. 

It's hard to pin-point the cringiest part of Mike and Natalie's drawn-out breakup. Viewers watched as Natalie called the officiant to cancel (above), sobbing so much she could barely breathe. Mike had the audacity to ask for the ring back, which she refused. It was so bad that it even landed a shout-out on Chrissy Teigen's (now deleted) Twitter. "Last night's 90 days oh my godddd. 'No I not give ring back! I want to remember how miserable you make me' jaosksjzjshjsosozushsb it was the crab cake scones," she wrote (via Newsweek). Yikes.

It's hard not to feel a little bit sorry for Julia Trubkina, who left behind her busy city life in Russia to live with Brandon Gibbs on his parents' farm in Dinwiddie, Va. From the looks of it, she had no idea that she'd basically be treated like an indentured servant, forced to feed farm animals at the crack of dawn while her husband was away at work. Though the couple had plenty of cringey moments — like the pregnancy scare they really didn't need to tell Brandon's parents about — the worst came first. This awkward scene set the tone for the couple's journey throughout Season 8.

During the dinner scene, Brandon's mother Betty lays down the law: the pair are not permitted to share a room, even though they are betrothed. This was a fact Brandon conveniently left out, to which his father openly admitted, "He wasn't being honest. Shame on you." Things spiraled from there, with Betty insisting that the couple start using birth control, as Julia becomes visibly uncomfortable. Meanwhile, Brandon, who is a 27-year-old man about to become a husband, stays mostly silent.

Betty even takes the argument further, calling a gynecologist on Julia's behalf, even though Julia does not want to take medicine (not to mention that birth control has a myriad of very real side effects). The overall situation gets bad enough that later in the series, Julia threatens to go home.

Elizabeth Potthast's wedding in Moldova reads like a caricature of an American abroad — her father showing up to the airport in a flag-adorned U.S.A. hat and her brother, Charlie, complaining that he's not in Tampa. It's clear the family was hostile from the start, but things really take flight (or a nosedive, depending on if you like watching utterly insane drama) at the reception, a traditional Moldovan affair with dancers, singers, and an array of food and flowers.

The lavish nature of Libby and Andrei's reception caught Libby's family off guard, with her sister Jenn complaining in a confessional, "Andrei and Libby's wedding is over-the-top. ... It was going to kind of be low key and everything, and then we walk in and it's like, 'Oh, this is where the f**k all the money has gone that my dad has given them.'" 

Saying that to producers is one thing, but saying it to the couple at their wedding in front of all their guests is something else entirely. That's the route Charlie took when he got absolutely tanked, grabbed the microphone, pointed at his dad, and slurred, "He needs to stop paying for y'all bulls**t. ... Don't come to America and try to live off my dad." This prompted Andrei to whisper to Libby, "I'm going to f**k him up," as Jenn blithely smirked at her table. There was almost a brawl before Libby's dad smoothed it over.