The hit reality TV series “90 Day Fiancé” has always delivered high drama, which sometimes makes fans wonder: is the show real? Are the storylines fabricated? Are some conversations staged? Are scenes set up in advance, or are the couples genuine? Over the years, several cast members have spoken out about their experiences on the show and whether they consider it “reality TV.” Most recently, in April 2025, Sam Wilson and Citra Wilson (née Herani) seemed to confirm that, like other couples, they had to film the same airport greeting multiple times during Season 10.

In April 2025, TMZ reporter Charlie Cotton captured a new couple filming with TLC at LAX Airport. In the video, a man waves a Brazilian flag while his international fiancée runs to hug him, all under TV cameras. The couple then re-filmed the greeting three more times. “You’re kidding, they’re doing it a fourth time,” can be heard Charlie saying. Sam and Citra seemed to acknowledge the staged nature of such moments with a laughing emoji and comment: “HAHAHAHAHA we know that feeling.” TLC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Fans may remember Stephanie Matto from 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days (Season 4) and her appearances on The Single Life, Pillow Talk, and more. By 2024, Stephanie frequently shared what she called “secrets” from the show on TikTok. “One of the things people don’t realize is that all the conversations taking place on reality TV are conversations that are being pushed by producers,” Stephanie said in an April 2024 TikTok video. “If you think you are going to go into any date or any situation while filming a reality TV show and you’re going to get to talk about what you want to talk about, you are sadly mistaken. If they want you to talk about something that makes you super uncomfortable, and they most likely will, you’re going to be talking about that.”

While Deavan Clegg hasn’t been on screen for some time, she claimed that scenes are planned ahead by production. “Everything is planned out in advance. Any time we filmed at a location, it was booked and prepared by a location manager,” she shared via Instagram Stories in August 2023. “We would just show up. Same thing with restaurants or food. Everything was ordered in advance by producers. Or our orders were taken earlier in the day.” She also brought up a famous scene in Season 2 when she struggled during her move to South Korea and “accidentally” ordered bugs while lunching with her mom and kids. “All the locations had been hand-picked in advance [by producers]. We didn’t decide, ‘Oh, let’s go to the market today for food.’ No, it was, ‘OK, tomorrow we are planning on taking you to a fish market and you can act surprised and culture-shocked.’ They need to plan out scenes and get the permits and contracts for everyone.”

The 90 Day Fiancé U.K. alum Sean Kamki spilled details about his relationship with Victoria Halliday, saying they never intended to live in the U.K. as portrayed on-screen. “So, instead, we just tried to make crappy dramas for TV show, like ex-wife, divorce, bar fighting and cafe fighting. That was trash. A lot of episodes were removed. Especially the storyline that Victoria wasn’t allowed to enter Japan was removed. That’s why our story doesn’t make sense on the show.”

After appearing on 90 Day Fiancé and Happily Ever After? with her now-estranged husband Mike Youngquist, the Ukrainian native Natalie Mordovtseva returned for 90 Day: The Single Life. “I want to say about Michael. Some things are not true. Just TV show needed to connect why all of a sudden, he came back on the show,” Natalie explained in a leaked Cameo. “The truth is, he was refusing to shoot. When he could agree to shoot, they needed a reason to bring him back but me and Michael never stopped actually talking.”

After her divorce from Jihoon Lee in May 2022, Deavan Clegg said, “Season 1 … 96% of it was fake. I wasn’t seeking (honor/approval) when you saw us in Vegas, we were already married on paper. It wasn’t either of our ideas to get married but his parents insisted we make it work. I never moved to Korea in Season 1. We planned a 7-day trip because filming insisted we had to film in Korea for The Other Way. I was never going to move. We got cast for Season 2 and agreed to stay in Korea for filming … We knew if we didn’t finish the season and spoke out, we wouldn’t get paid.” She added, “We did everything for the show because he had debts and I had medical bills to pay. When I moved there, we never slept in the same bed, we faked it for YouTube and the show. We both had ended the relationship in November but decided to finish the season. We both knew we had to continue filming.”

Following an episode where her brother’s fiancée Ariela Weinberg got a drink thrown in her face, Mimi Shibre criticized TLC’s editing: “When they kiki with you just to go and edit the narrative … #anythingforviews I guess.”

The Before the 90 Days star Ben Rathbun defended the show’s authenticity: “It is very real. It has to be … no one would watch if it weren’t. If it’s not real, then it’s boring. So, yeah, they keep it real.”

On TikTok in August 2021, Erika Owens addressed whether the show was scripted: “Is it scripted?” “Nope, it’s real.”

When asked if anything was staged in December 2020, Danielle Jbali simply said: “Nope.”

Cassia Tavares said the couples are real but producers stage certain situations. For example, she was asked to take a pregnancy test on camera even though she wasn’t pregnant, which made editing portray her differently.

Ashley Martson said heavy editing occurs: “We know that they do editing and things, and we sign off on that so it is what it is.” Her husband Jay Smith added: “The Tinder incident … was staged because without drama you don’t have a show.”

Varya Malina denied a staged confrontation between herself, Geoffrey, and his fling Mary Wallace. “Neither Geoffrey nor Mary were [wearing microphones], and nobody [knew] what was coming. It was a total surprise for all of us — for me, for Geoffrey, for Mary, for the crew.”

Kalani Faagata explained editing can distort conversations: “First, the part where I say, ‘My dad didn’t want us to struggle so he wanted us with white guys.’ That is not what was said. Rule of thumb when watching reality TV: if you don’t see it being said, chances are it was spliced together.”

Deavan Clegg criticized editing that endangered her family. Anfisa Nava explained that couples are real, already involved in long-distance relationships before filming. Michael Jessen condemned misrepresentations of his life. Stephanie Woodcock revealed she was asked to act for dramatic scenes. Avery Warner reminded fans only 5% of the real story is shown. Kenneth Niedermeier refuted “acting” claims in his storyline with Armando Rubio. Andrew Kenton disputed misleading editing in his storyline with Amira. Rebecca Parrott confirmed scenes with visa suspense were real. Lana admitted some storylines were “90% scripted.” Stephanie Davison claimed her storyline was faked after breaking up with Ryan Carr. Paul Staehle revealed some international scenes were never aired in the U.S.

Bottom line: “90 Day Fiancé” blends real couples with manufactured drama, heavy editing, and staged scenes. Fans see only a fraction of the truth, but behind the cameras, many confessions reveal just how carefully the series crafts its storylines while still following real relationships.