TLC’s 90 Day Fiancé debuted in 2014 and has been renewed through seven seasons at the network. The series has also inspired several spinoffs, including 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? , 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days , 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way , 90 Day Fiancé: Pillow Talk , and 90 Day Fiancé: Self-Quarantined . The franchise focuses on Americans who have fallen in love with partners living in other countries, and have either decided to bring them to the United States through the K-1 visa process or have plans of permanently relocating in the name of love.
Over the years, the franchise has gained a huge following for its unique storylines and constant supply of drama, and now, fans are being offered a peek at what happens behind-the-scenes, according to a report from E! News .
With each new season of the show, viewers seem to question its authenticity. Many think the network has begun paying actors to appear on the series to increase ratings, but that isn’t the case. TLC’s Senior Vice President of Production and Development, Alon Orstein , said the show is not staged or scripted at all.
Orstein explained that the show’s producers often work to set up times and places for conversation, but everything viewers see on their screen is genuine.
“It is authentic,” he said. “These are real people and it’s all about individuals looking for ‘the one.’”
When asked about the show’s screening process, the TLC representative said it’s a bit different for each couple. He said things can either progress quickly or become tedious, depending on how the network feels about the couple and their relationship.
“Sometimes it could be super short because we could interview someone that we really like and something is instantly happening,” Orstein said.
If TLC doesn’t believe the couple’s relationship is real, someone from the network will set up meetings with the family and friends to get more information about the hopefuls. The network also conducts background checks and social checks before agreeing to work with each potential cast member.
When it comes to keeping the cast and crew protected while filming in remote locations, Orstein said safety is the network’s highest priority and the show’s producers and security teams will do whatever they can to keep everyone out of harm. However, when it comes to cast members being catfished, he said production won’t be offering any warnings.
“[Production] tries not to interfere in the natural course of things outside of emergency situations,” he explained.
