watchingtvaddict

And Julia lived has lived in a foreign country before (Korea!) and has an apartment she rents out in her home country... I can see why she thinks Brandon is too reliant on his parents. It is completely understandable why Julia thinks Brandon should have more ambition. He also appears to have sold her a lie as IIRC he paid for all of their trips abroad (and paid for her parents too)... So, she is rightly confused that he is a total home body/ mama's boy.

I think Natalie was definitely able to entertain herself and make friends once she escaped "The Wood" with her very interesting Cooking Show on Youtube and her artsy photos on Instagram... but we as an audience didn't see it... I'm not saying Natalie is without fault, but I'd like to meet the person who can keep themselves thoroughly entertained in the middle of nowhere with no public transportation (we only ever saw Natalie and Mike driving the one car) and limited funds in a foreign country for 6+ months. IIRC Fernanda went to the gym every day. But, she didn't know how to drive so was mostly stuck at home. She also was a lot younger than Jon so I'm not sure he would have been happy with her interacting with age appropriate 19 year olds. That relationship had red flags ALL over it. Sharp Entertainment loves the "can't entertain themselves/ only here for the green card/ needy foreigner" storyline. We never see the foreign spouse make friends. Instead they always have to interact with a friend or family member who questions their motives...

Quick look at her page, it seems like this is bruising from under eye filler??? The screenshot is from a make up tutorial video.

Right, and if Natalie applied for benefits they would factor Mike’s income into her eligibility. If she doesn’t qualify because Mike makes too much she can sue Mike for support.

It’s annoying because Ronald SUCKS! But, Tiffany’s attitude and condescending nature makes a person root against her and minimize the suckiness of her partner. Tiffany we ALL KNOW Ronald isn’t a great partner or parent but you decided to marry and procreate with him knowing full well his issues. Same goes with Mike. Natalie is just a bag of red flags but he passively allowed her to move to the States and then (IMO) was super passive aggressive towards her trying to force her to break up with him as opposed to ending the relationship after their big fight in Ukraine.

Didn’t someone mention Natalie doesn’t have work authorization/ a green card yet? Their situation is a total mess and I wonder what led Natalie to go on anti depressants. Living with Mike in the middle of the wood must have been seriously tough. What’s the situation like in Ukraine? Is it better for her to stay in the States as opposed to going back to her mother? edit to add: if she doesn’t have work authorization I assume she wasn’t paid by Sharp and Mike is giving her access to the money she is owed. And if she is having issues with a Green Card, she might not be able to open a bank account in her name so all of her financial accounts are attached to Mike. (speaking from experience trying to open a bank account as a foreign national)

IIRC In their first season, Mike was billed as a Christmas Tree farmer. I believe they use the land for that purpose. In subsequent seasons, they moved away from that storyline and focused on Mike’s real job.

Like the dads who get bumped to first class on planes when flying solo with a toddler.

This episode was awful. Too many people yelling and cursing. I’m not against swearing but the Libby/Andre segments were unwatchable with all the bleeping. Tiffany is awful and condescending but Ronald is scary. When she had the argument with Ronald outside, I think she caused a scene so she had an excuse to go back so she could hang out with production. Looks like she sat down to a table with a bottle of alcohol and they had a little drinking session before they took her home. She’s probably upset she didn’t get her usual vacation in SA but instead has to play house with perpetually broke Ronald. side note: my dad has a similar set up to Ronald with all the security cameras around his property. He’s even sent me video of people casing his home.

I'm not talking about the "90 Days to get married". I'm talking about the foreign spouse waiting for the adjustment of status AFTER the marriage- where they don't have a social security number and don't have a work permit. I've been reading some forums for immigration and it seems like some immigrants aren't able to obtain driver's licenses or open bank accounts for several months because they don't have the paperwork showing they're legally in the country. Being dependent on your spouse for 6+ months (sometimes up to a year) with no knowledge of when the process will be complete sounds like a major stressor to me.

I thought the same thing! But, Tiffany did walk right into a building. So, I'm thinking she was either going inside to call an uber, talk to the production or have another chat with Pastor Uncle. My theory: Yara planned on becoming pregnant again. I'm thinking she knew she would be stuck in the States for several months waiting for her adjustment of status to come through- unable to work, and alone without Jovi for half the time. Jovi makes enough money, so, it's the perfect time to have a baby. She probably floated the idea to Jovi and he said a half hearted yes without thinking she'd actually fall pregnant. I also think they're doing 90 Day for Yara. It gives her a pet project to keep her active and instagram famous.

They're all so awful. I'm amazed they keep on signing up to the show and demonstrating what terrible people they are. I wish they'd just been a "one and done" couple.

Jovi- Yara; Brandon-Julia; Mike- Nathalie and Ronald- Tiffany. These four couples are poster children on why I think you shouldn't marry someone you've only known online/ on vacation. All of these couples have seriously different expectations of their lives together now they are married. And they are finding incompatibilities. This wouldn't happen if they had got to know each other in a more traditional fashion. I think one of the fights between Mike and Natalie was really illuminating when Natalie felt Mike was neglecting her because he was never home. And he responded "I'M AT WORK!". I remember Fernanda and Jonathan had a similar fight. The K1 visa on top of it seems like a cruel burden to place on couples. They're living together for the first time. One of the couple has to work and the other is stuck at home (with no job, no friends, and sometimes no ability to drive for months on end).

I read the info too… for anyone interested The story goes something like: Natalie informed Trish she was a hostess in Ukraine. And Trish responded “like a hooker?”. I think that “like” is going to be very important in Trish’s continued denial. I can totally see her arguing “I never called you a hooker, Natalie! I was just asking you to explain your job!!!”

They were on and had a couples counseling session with Ronalds uncle. I’m not sure what was said in therapy but they both came out thinking Ronald was completely in the wrong. But, in a talking head the Uncle Pastor said something about how Tiffany needed to boost Ronald’s ego and not constantly tear him down/ criticize him. When confronted by that idea in the parking lot, Tiffany said she wasn’t criticizing him just stating “facts”. Ronald then got in a line that she isn’t raising two kids in her own because she lives with her mom. Then Tiffany stormed off somewhere.

We don't know for sure Mike has paid for everything when it comes to the visa. And you cannot discount the money they've made from the 90 Day franchise. Natalie might not be officially working but she is contributing financially by being on this show. I know people look at finances differently but for me, once you are married money is shared. Mike isn't supporting her- instead they are a single income household and this is a decision they made together when they decided to go down the K1 visa route. Mike doesn't deserve a cookie for financially supporting Natalie. He is doing what he is supposed to do! And he took on the responsibility when he sponsored her for the visa. If he couldn't afford to support her while she can't work, or didn't want to he could have withdrawn the petition. That is not to say Natalie isn't awful. But the imbalance in power between Mike and Natalie in the States really makes me dislike Mike more than Natalie.

1. A few posts up… There are some screenshots from Ronald stating Tiffany lied about the visa. This could mean Tiffany never applied for the visa and didn’t register the marriage. 2. I’m South African and know getting married to a foreign national takes some time. You have to interview at home affairs to obtain a marriage license (and they didn’t mention that in their story) also getting your marriage license in SA takes around a year… so, Tiffany and Ronald couldn’t apply for the CR1 visa until they got that piece of paper.

Yep! As awful as Ronald is... Tiffany decided to fly to see him multiple times, get married and have a kid. It didn't seem like Ronald had the funds or inclination to visit the States as a tourist. So, she could have let the holiday romance die a natural death.

I wonder if she'll go to the same doctor as Angela and have her journey documented on the show...

Never mind 😬

That was a rant and a half and fairly difficult to read. Sounds like Ronald is going to file for divorce in SA but he also mentions Tiffany lied about the visa. I wonder if that means she never filed a petition?

Polony is cheap and delicious! I used to eat it all the time when I was a kid. Fried polony and chips (fish and chips style chips... super soggy!) in a roll. You can check out variations of Gatsby's with different meats. Not just polony. https://www.capetownmagazine.com/gatsby-sandwich

Tiffany and Ronald are something else. I don't understand why they had such a hodge podge of groceries. We saw the whole chicken, but Ronald also purchased 3 or 4 braai packs (chicken packs of thighs, legs, wings etc.) Are they planning on having a party? I don't see the point in spending so much money at the store... they could have taken some of the items back if they went over. I wanted to cut Ronald some slack for not buying groceries before Tiffany arrived because she would've complained about what was in his fridge and pantry and said she wanted input into the food. But, she didn't appear to know what he bought while she was there with him! They are a train wreck of a couple and Daniel is a victim through all of this. It's really difficult to watch. Also, Ronald why didn't you rent a two bedroom apartment for the family? If you want them to stay Daniel should have his own space. He shouldn't sleep on the couch or be locked up in a panic room.

But she doesn't have to think up a new, different, creative jump in an innovative style just before her turn. She also didn't consistently leave things off the plate. She got herself together after the first course. I think if she had more time to plan her menu. (I'm not sure if chefs in past seasons were allowed to develop and practice new dishes for the finale.) But, if she had time to develop her ideas.the plating issues would probably disappear.