90 Day Fiance Stars Who Are Unrecognizable Today
Once a participant enters the universe of "90 Day Fiancé," it's rare to see them ever fully exit. TLC's favorite reality show in the past few years has pulled together some of the most interesting characters ever seen on the small screen. And, much to the delight of the show's committed and wide fanbase, many of their most-liked and most-disliked contestants continue their associations with the program in some capacity or other, either as unforgettable alums or as revisitors in subsequent seasons. Interest in the show doesn't seem to ever dip, with Forbes ranking it among cable TV's top winners based on ratings in 2021. In its genre, "90 Day Fiancé," strengthened by a whole litter of offshoot spinoffs, appears to be leading the game.
It's no surprise, then, that curiosity about the show's past members hardly ceases. Even those like Paola Mayfield, who tenured during the show's very first season in 2014, enjoy a persistent fan following, and intrigue around their lives has endured long past their debut appearances. While many of the show's famous pairings — which are conceptualized around the procurement of K-1 visas — have eventually fizzled out, contestants have gone on to follow up on their fame individually by prolonging their screen presence or entirely transforming their lives. Here are some fan-favorite "90 Day Fiancé" stars who are unrecognizable today.
Colt Johnson
A lot has happened in Colt Johnson's life since his season 6 debut on "90 Day Fiancé." The reality TV star changed wives, lost weight, and suffered a major accident, among other things.
After his short-lived but memorable marriage to Larissa Dos Santos Lima, which was generously peppered with rough patches, Johnson directed all his affections toward Vanessa Guerra, and the couple eloped. Unsurprisingly for fans, Johnson and Guerra's relationship ran out of road soon enough, with the reason tracing back to Johnson's mother, Debbie, with whom the pair lived. In an appearance on "The Single Life" in early 2022, the couple revealed they had separated; Johnson expressed that Debbie had "some feelings or emotions, but she can't express them to me."
In an interview with Us Weekly, Johnson claimed to have "grown a lot" since first joining the TLC family. Over the years, his following has ballooned, contributed in part by his presence on the adult site OnlyFans, where he earned a little side cash when the pandemic hit. An Instagram update from his wife in 2023 revealed that Johnson had sustained injuries that bound him to a wheelchair and undergone multiple rounds of surgeries. Without getting into too many details, Guerra mentioned that the accident involved filming with a trampoline. The pair seem to be back together, though it is unclear whether or not they are intent on rejoining the reality series.
Yara Zaya
Fans of TLC's flagship "90 Day Fiancé" were immediately taken with Yara Zaya, who rose to fame in the show's eighth season. Her pairing with Jovi Dufren resulted in marriage and a child the couple share named Mylah. While her romantic storyline and family life take precedence among viewers, Zaya has established herself beyond the worlds of reality TV and domesticity. The screen personality runs a namesake apparel business and a cosmetics line called Boujee. The beauty icon has also been vocal about her support of cosmetic surgery, admitting to getting her nose and lips altered. "Yes, you need to love yourself the way you are. But if you can't accept something, it's OK to change it," she explained on the Season 8 tell-all.
Zaya was keenly tuned in to the crisis in her home country of Ukraine during the Russian aggression in 2022. Along with her husband, she reportedly undertook charity efforts by helping Ukrainian refugees who were streaming into Louisiana, where the pair resides. Talking to Newsweek, the duo revealed that several of Zaya's relatives were in Ukraine as war hung over the country and that the situation in their own house was tense. "Today it's safe, tomorrow, who knows," Zaya expressed. A major milestone in the couple's upcoming journey relates to their impending decision about having a second child.
Edward Allen Brown
A near-legend in meme circuits, Edward Allen Brown — or "Big Ed," as he is popularly known — is among the TLC family's most famous faces. To say that his stint with "90 Day Fiancé" has been dramatic would be a gross understatement. Between keeping audiences hooked with his inflammable personality and sharing a chaotic relationship with Rosemarie "Rose" Vega (aka the Filipino girl with the viral deadpan face), Ed remained firm on his position as a controversial participant on the reality show. After Rose walked out on Ed — who, the internet contended, was constantly disrespectful to her — he moved on to another paramour, Elizabeth Woods. The two got engaged in 2021.
The San Diego native lives with a health condition known as Klippel Feil Syndrome, which affects the growth of bones, thereby restricting movement around the neck. While he is a distinct presence on reality TV, Ed expressed that his appearance has attracted much negative attention: "People have body-shamed and bullied me to the point where it has made me cry," he told News24. The San Diego native hasn't let his struggles eclipse the healthy lifestyle he has turned to in recent times. He has dropped several pounds, and his Instagram is nothing short of a fitness journal as he documents his transformation into a fit, muscled specimen.
Angela Deem
Angela Deem is one of the most intriguing characters to have ever appeared on "90 Day Fiancé." Since 2018, when she first catapulted to reality TV fame, Deem has managed to keep the public interested in her life both on and off-screen. Her romance with Michael Ilesanmi was a high point for fans of her career-making show, though the question of their marriage was initially mired in more questions. Not only was it later confirmed that the couple had indeed tied the knot, but they had gotten along far enough in their relationship for Deem to consider divorce. "Right now, divorce is definitely on the table. ... I'm mentally exhausted and I'm very hurt," she said in a tell-all episode in early 2023.
While she charges her Nigerian husband with allegations of cheating, Deem hasn't stayed away from starting small fires herself. Ones that haven't been cake-throwing-level dramatic, but controversial nonetheless. A video she shared to commemorate Tina Turner in 2023 was heavily called out by netizens, who lambasted Deem for morphing herself into the music legend. Since her time on the show, the television personality has splurged on multiple beauty enhancement procedures, including Botox and breast augmentation. Deem's reality TV fame has opened up many financial avenues, the most noticeable being a number of branded partnerships online.
Larissa Dos Santos Lima
Without question, Larissa Dos Santos Lima has had one of the most tumultuous stints on TLC's "90 Day Fiancé." From getting into domestic altercations with ex-husband Colt Johnson to being fired by the network over her participation in an adult live stream in 2020, the Brazilian star has a ton of controversy attached to her name. Through her conflict-ridden track record, Lima underwent a deluge of changes in her avatar, turning to plastic surgery and other cosmetic procedures. The reality TV alumna, who is active on social media, is open with fans about her treatments — including a botched belly button reconstruction.
Lima's thousands-strong following isn't the only entity to be amazed by her transformation; her ex-partner Johnson is equally surprised. "I feel like every week there's a new surgery with her or something or another," he told Us Weekly, adding that he was unaware of Lima's "laundry list of things she wanted to change" when they were married. Though the former couple is estranged, fans were delightfully shocked to see Lima hanging out with Johnson's mother Debbie in 2023 (via Instagram), despite their notoriously fraught relations during her time on the show. While she offered no confirmation, Lima did hint at a return to "90 Day Fiancé" the same year in a YouTube video, prompting theories about her reunion with Debbie.
Natalie Mordovtseva
Like a true blue reality TV star, Natalie Mordovtseva knows how to keep audience interest piqued in her life. Since making her debut on the seventh season of "90 Day Fiancé," the Ukrainian beauty has rarely had a dull moment in the headlines. She ruffled feathers in 2023 with the suggestion that she was open to reuniting with her former husband Mike Youngquist, with whom she first appeared on the show, despite already pursuing a romance with Josh Weinstein. Mordovtseva and Youngquist broke up back in 2021, but the model gushed about him on Sarah Fraser's podcast: "Mike is a very good guy, he's very stable, and I don't want to be alone. You need someone to be around."
Despite parting ways with her, Youngquist seems to still very much be a part of Mordovtseva's complicated love life as she navigates it between him and Weinstein. On social media, the curly-haired diva has kept fans invested in her weight loss journey, even dishing out the odd piece of advice for healthier living. Mordovtseva is one of several "90 Day Fiancé" alums who turned to surgical beauty enhancements, but the experience apparently didn't leave her entirely satisfied. She told Us Weekly about getting work done on her lips, adding, "Honestly never again because they did, like, huge for me."
Anfisa Arkhipchenko
Anfisa Arkhipchenko may be long past her "90 Day Fiancé" height of glory, but the reality TV starlet has since swerved into other avenues to keep life exciting. The most noticeable transformation has been physical, with Arkhipchenko finding her ground as a fitness expert flaunting killer abs and muscles. Arkhipchenko's commitment to her physique landed her first place at a bodybuilding competition in Las Vegas in 2019, three years after fans first saw her on TLC. As Fox News reported, many netizens took issue with Arkhipchenko's decision to buff up, though it seems like the influencer doesn't let negativity bring her down. Over 800,000 followers are tuned in to her journey on Instagram, where she gives insight into her workout routines and sportswear collaborations.
After three years of marriage to Jorge Nava, her love interest from "90 Day Fiancé" with whom she shared a relationship dominated by his time in prison, Arkhipchenko parted ways with him in 2020. Near the end of her relationship with Nava, it was confirmed that Arkhipchenko was seeking romance in the arms of another lover, Leo Assaf. That said, Arkhipchenko made it known on her social media that she was the breadwinner between the couple and that she provided financially for her then-imprisoned husband. In the meantime, the Russian model also obtained a business degree from the University of California, graduating in 2022 with top honors. "It still felt surreal getting those gold and blue cords," she shared (via Instagram).
Paola Mayfield
One of the rarest and most beloved success stories to emerge from the unpredictable realm of "90 Day Fiancé" belongs to Paola Mayfield. The TLC alum is still going strong with Russ Mayfield, her partner from season 1 of the reality show. That said, all hasn't been smooth sailing in the pair's lives over their decade together. A tragic miscarriage diverted their plans to expand the family. "You don't want to think about it, but it's always there and now that," she expressed on TLC, as the couple prepared to welcome their first child, Axel. Post the birth of their son in 2019, Mayfield — who found fame as a wrestler and fitness coach — spoke to People about society's expectations from a mother: "I don't need to change who I am, because I was proud of who I was before I was a mom."
Mayfield, who has over a million followers on Instagram, treats fans to an array of changing avatars that range from flaming red hair to blonde bobs. The Colombian native embraced an athletic lifestyle for want of a passion besides her marriage, she told Sportskeeda. "I wanna be able to have people see me not just as this reality TV star but also as someone who has this talent," she said. In 2021, there were whispers of trouble in paradise for the Mayfields, who reportedly decided to take some time apart from their marriage. The break was brief, with the couple evidently back in love.
Tiffany Franco
Tiffany Franco was first introduced to fans of "90 Day Fiancé" in the context of her relationship with Ronald Smith, a dynamic that didn't fare too well after their season ended. Though the couple did welcome a child together, a daughter named Carley, their marriage witnessed several rough patches before completely dissolving in late 2022. The circumstances of Franco's breakup with Smith were far from amicable, with accusations of theft hanging over their doomed relationship, among other allegations. Reflecting on the subject of her sour situation with her ex-husband, Franco said in an interview with John Yates: "Sometimes we make mistakes and we pick the wrong people ... and it's never too late to walk away."
Franco, who is raising Carley as a single mom, also finds support in her son Daniel, whom she has from a previous marriage. The adolescent's wiser-than-his-years persona was a hit with fans who saw him on the reality show's spinoff, "The Single Life," offering his mother sage advice about her dating life. Between pursuing love and raising her children, Franco has blossomed as a popular makeup content creator on Instagram, where she has a thousands-strong audience. Another major transformation in her life came about via a vertical sleeve gastrectomy, a type of weight loss surgery. The alteration resulted in Franco making some fundamental changes to her diet — not to mention, her wardrobe as well. Gone are the days of Franco's signature off-shoulders; tie-ups, low-cuts, and button-downs are in!
Darcey Silva
One-half of reality TV's favorite twins, Darcey Silva was an instant hit when she debuted on "90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days" in 2017. In fact, the TLC show proved to be just a launching pad for Silva, whose massive popularity propelled her as the star of her own show on the network, "Darcey & Stacey." While her on-air romance with Jesse Meester didn't work out successfully, the mother of two sought to fulfill her love life in the namesake spinoff, which also gave her sister Stacey Silva and their family screen time. "I am at a stage in my life where I am happy with my life and I'm staying strong for me and my daughters and my family," she told Entertainment Weekly ahead of the show's debut in 2020. Silva's on-again-off-again relationship with Georgi Rusev formed a significant part of the reality show, which is in its third year of running.
Silva is open about having undergone multiple rounds of physical enhancement surgeries, which have been near-identical for her identical sister as well — from getting breast work done thrice to having their lips and noses altered. Physical transformations aren't the only point of similarity between the siblings, who reportedly share the same divorce dates, too. Though Silva and her sister have to endure online trolls targeting what seems to be a never-ending routine of cosmetic operations, she sees their twin transitions in an emotional light: "We bonded more, like, it was a whole experience," she told ET Online.
Rebecca Parrott
Rebecca Parrott is kicking and thriving after becoming a household name with a more than memorable appearance on TLC. Her relationship with Zied Hakimi — which got off to a rocky start on "90 Day Fiancé," what with cultural differences and an ex to whom she was still married — seems to be progressing happily, as updates on her social media would have us believe. Parrott has been going strong for three years with her younger partner, with whom she tied the knot in 2020. "Life since we've married has been incredible. We have fun every day, and we really are best friends," she told Brides.
A former private investigator who later moved her skills to the hospitality industry, Parrott built up a reputation as a bit of a "control freak" on the show, which kept public opinion about her divided. Following her reality TV stint, Parrott revamped her avatar, opting for chic hairstyles and glam makeup that she gives fans lavish glimpses into across her various social media channels. Parrott also went public with her decision to undergo fat reduction surgery, targeting areas of her body that she was uncomfortable with. Sono Bello, sharing Parrott's liposuction story, quoted her saying: "I love being curvy. But lately, I'm just not happy with the way I look. ... I just want a better version of myself."
Thaís Ramone
Thaís Ramone and her "90 Day Fiancé" hubby are very much still in love, a year after fans saw them first cross paths on the reality show. Much has happened since their run on season 9 of TLC's flagship program ended. Months into their marriage, Ramone and Patrick Mendes welcomed their first baby, a daughter named Aleesi. Until the day her daughter was born, Ramone kept followers hooked on her pregnancy journey, which she documented on social media. On the other side, the Brazilian model was equally active in getting her pregnancy weight off. She shared that she wasn't militant about how her body had changed and that "eating healthy will come back little by little" (via In Touch Weekly).
Ramone moved her base in the United States from Texas to Nevada with her husband, saying that the pair were more socially provided for in Las Vegas. "Here we have more people to support us. In Dallas I only have two friends and Patrick doesn't have anyone there. We have three friends pregnant here," Ramone, herself expecting at the time, told Vegas. Ramone has a colorful portfolio of past jobs, having tried her hand at everything from working at her father's company to performing at bars. She has since found her own footing as an entrepreneur with a namesake business that caters to a variety of needs, from haircare to bikinis.