90 Day Fiancé's Elizabeth And Andrei Discuss Love Games, Their Relationship, And More - Exclusive Interview
It's no secret that the 90 Day Fiancé empire has taken the reality television world by storm. The journeys that international couples go on — from their first introduction to their engagement to their marriage — make for TV that none of us can turn away from. The 90 Day Fiancé couples and their love stories not only bring the heat, the drama, and the passion, but they show the viewers watching at home that love cannot be defined by borders, countries, languages, or distance.
One such couple is Elizabeth and Andrei. Their journey on 90 Day Fiancé brought the drama, the tension, and — above all else — the love that so many of us crave while watching the show. They are 90 Day favorites, a couple that has survived and thrived together, and it's been a joy to watch their relationship and their family grow.
The List sat down with Elizabeth and Andrei to chat with them about their lives together, what quarantine has been like, what it was like to compete on the new 90 Day universe game show Love Games, and a whole bunch of other topics. So sit back and relax, because Elizabeth and Andrei reminisced about the day they met, what it's been like navigating their new roles as parents, and so much more.
What the early days of Elizabeth and Andrei's relationship were like
What has it been like to watch your love story unfold in such a public way?
Elizabeth: Well, when we first met in Ireland, honestly... I just, I loved our story, and I just thought it was something that maybe somebody could relate to and see that it's possible, long distance is possible. And you know, you shouldn't just weigh out that option because it is long distance and it's difficult. So I heard about the show, and I was like, "Oh my gosh, we need to... I need to submit us." And he was not wanting to do it at all. And I got him to do it, and now it's great. And we're sharing our love with everybody.
I've had so many people send me positive messages, being like, "Oh my gosh, you've been such a great example for me. I thought I wasn't able to go through with this relationship. And you gave me confidence," and all that. So those are the messages that I really like to receive and helps me feel better about everything that we've done.
Andrei: I think it was a hard... I think it was a hard decision for me to get in the public eye. But you know, after she convinced me and she told me about we're a unique experience, she says, "We'll have to share this." [I had] never been a public person, but once I started doing it, it felt good when people are positive towards us. That actually keeps us driven.
Elizabeth: We were, at one point, we were really down on ourselves because the whole Visa process itself took such a long time. Longer than our lawyer told us it would. And we got really down in the dirt, I guess I would say.
Andrei: Yeah, we were frustrated.
Elizabeth: And I was like, "Maybe I'll just come to Ireland, because this is so ridiculous. And so much time has come between us." And it's like, "Are we going to be able to overcome it?" You know, what's going to happen? So we just wanted to do it while it was fresh. And then he ended up getting approved, and here we are.
The long-distance relationship process is already difficult enough — was it hard to overcome?
Elizabeth: Yeah. Like having to justify your relationship being legitimate and things like that. It was just... It's really, really hard.
Elizabeth and Andrei spill about competing on 90 Day Fiancé: Love Games
What brought you to the show Love Games? Were there any standout moments for you while competing?
Andrei: Love Games was an awesome project that was a challenge, and it was a competition, and I love competing. I love competing. I'm a very... I'm very driven when I compete, and do everything. I like to make it happen.
Elizabeth: He's so competitive, it's insane. It's over the top. It's brought your spirit out. I think it's an interesting twist, too, just to be able to see the 90 Day couples and get to know them on a different level and see their competition. I think that's interesting. And it just keeps you on your toes. You're like, "Oh!"
Andrei: We had some challenges over here with our daughter, because she was always in our... When we were filming it from home, remotely. And Ellie was all the time on my back and...
Elizabeth: Yeah. [She] wanted to be a part of it.
Andrei: Specifically, it was hard... I mean, [it] made me a little frustrated sometimes.
Elizabeth: But that just gave me the energy and the boost that you needed to keep that going.
Andrei: You're just like... It's a bit like... When you just say like, "What was the question? We have a child over here!"
Did you feel like a harmonious team? Or did you get into some little spats here and there? The competition sounds very spirited!
Elizabeth: We've only ever done little get board games here and there. We've never done something so competitive. So for us, it was new as a couple. And there definitely were some arguments after the fact. And we're like, "Why did you say that? Why did you do this?" Or, "I didn't know that!" And it was just like... I think everyone's learning about each other through the process, and it makes it that much more fun.
Andrei: But I would say, we are very well balanced when we are working as a team. So even thought it was a pressure, we went... You're like, "We'll win, and we did well." You know, like we know a lot of stuff about each other.
Elizabeth: Trying to lean on each other –
Andrei: Yeah, and I got a high IQ, and that's helpful, right?
What juicy details did Elizabeth and Andrei reveal while competing on Love Games?
Were there any answers to Suki's questions that your spouse gave that just really surprised you?
Andrei: There were actually some hot questions about, you know...
Elizabeth: Sexy questions.
Andrei: Yeah, sexy questions. Yeah. Put you on the spot. I remember something like this... I don't remember what was the context, but it was something very personal. I was like, "Okay."
Elizabeth: Where other couples would get annoyed with each other. It's like, someone wanted to share something and not necessarily the other person would want to. So like, it definitely tests you. But I don't know. We're not really... We're not open to say sexual things. I don't know. We like to keep certain things private, too. But it was fun to play along, nevertheless.
So much of your relationship has been public, are there are aspects of it that you want to keep behind closed doors?
Elizabeth: For sure. Yeah. You don't want to... You don't want to reveal absolutely everything. There are just some things that are off limits, and it's good to have that balance because you need your boundaries.
There was some drama when your journey on 90 Days first aired. Was there any tension that was brought up through the questions that you answered on Love Games?
Andrei: I don't think the questions were actually aimed at storyline. You know, like what we did, like the history. I think most questions were actually aimed, like when you open a present. So like basically they would be like... Questions like, "Type of... What's your favorite position in bed?" That type of thing.
Elizabeth: Yeah. But in terms of... You're saying in terms of family issues and things we had to go through before. Yeah, I think we had to revisit some of that stuff that wasn't fun. And again, finding ourselves after the fact being like, "Well, like..." Just like going through it again and being like, "Well, why did someone just say this? Why did they say that?" I'm just like, "I don't know! That was like a few years ago. Like, can we just get past it?"
Having to live that, but it's like something to be expected. So we definitely had those little bumps in the road. And had to be like, "Well, why did you say that to my dad that one time?" Like, "He was being nice to you!" And it's just totally something you have to relive, for sure.
Why Elizabeth and Andrei signed up for 90 Day Fiancé: Love Games
Love Games was all caught on camera — you can return to what was said, right?
Andrei: Right.
Elizabeth: Yeah.
Each aspect of it.
Elizabeth: No denying it, for sure.
Andrei: I would say definitely it would have been better if we were in the same auditorium, we were in the same place with the other couples.
Elizabeth: The energy would be totally different.
Andrei: It would be different. But like the COVID situation is just like... It sucks, you know? It's just ... Remotely, it's always harder to do this.
Elizabeth: Yeah. But at the same time, it's cool to be able to do things remote. You're more comfortable, I think, in your own space. And you come up with different things. And you never know what's going to happen.
And you can wear sweatpants, which is always good.
Elizabeth: Exactly. You have a t-shirt on, but sweatpants.
Your lives together have obviously changed so much since we first met you on 90 Days, and you've gotten married and you have a daughter. So what made you both want to come back and compete on Love Games?
Andrei: We came back because we want to show that we love each other.
Elizabeth: That we really love each other.
Andrei: And we can... We can actually prove it.
Elizabeth: Show people.
Andrei: Yeah!
Elizabeth: Prove our love, furthermore. We're always up to the challenge of proving our love.
Andrei: Yeah. We're challengers, yeah. That's what we are.
Did Love Games give you an opportunity to show different elements of your love story that maybe we didn't get to see the first time?
Elizabeth: Yeah. For sure.
Andrei: Probably, yeah. Right.
Elizabeth: You know, like raunchy stuff or whatever. It's stuff that we find funny that [the] audience may not know about us. We're happy to share. And we think it's funny because obviously people go through that, and it's okay. You know, like if you fart in front of your spouse? It's okay. People fart! Like that's a natural, human thing.
Andrei: That's your favorite subject, huh?
Elizabeth: And it's just funny to us because everyone's like, "Oh, you fart in front of your husband?" They're like, "Ew, that's disgusting." It's like, "How can you not?" You're with each other 24/7!
What it was like for Elizabeth and Andrei to compete on Love Games during a pandemic
What it was like for you to interact with some of the other couples from the 90 Days universe? And if you've been able to keep in touch with any of them? Or if you have wanted to keep in touch with any of them?
Andrei: I don't think we keep in touch with various other couples. But it was nice to see other people.
Elizabeth: Just to see [a] silly side of them. It was good.
Andrei: See the other side of a TV. Because they're on TV, like on the other side of you, we had a couple of minutes to mingle and like, "Hey, what's going on?" And then like a couple of sentences can be exchanged before the contest starts, and it was pretty cool. I enjoyed the process.
Elizabeth: Yeah, to have the friendly banter. And for sure. Sometimes everything can be so serious if you're watching it. So it's good to see them being silly.
Andrei: Yeah. But we have always to remember that it's a competition.
Elizabeth: It's a competition. And it's like, "I'm going to laugh with you. But at the end of the day, I'm going to be competitive."
Before we get into the Love Games element of filming from home, how have you both been in quarantine?
Andrei: Quarantine sucks.
Elizabeth: Strangling each other. Honestly though, I'm not going to complain. Because for our state that we live in, it's a little bit more lax than other states.
Andrei: Now it is, but in the past it was completely –
Elizabeth: Well, yeah. Like in March, when everything first started happening, everyone was going crazy.
Andrei: June, it was. June, July.
Elizabeth: Yeah. That's when we were fighting the most. Because it's like, even if this person is your best friend, like there's no possible way to be with someone 24/7 without wanting to wring their neck. Like, there's just no way.
None of us need to be with our partners 24/7.
Elizabeth: No. Or even if it's like a best friend of yours, no matter a spouse. It's just like...
Andrei: It's hard. It's really hard to manage somebody in the house 24/7. You need your time alone, you need your isolation, you need to go somewhere. So how we handled it, we sometimes like... We were just... Somebody stayed at home, somebody went for a walk.
Elizabeth: Get in the car and just drive. Don't know where to go, but just go and drive.
Elizabeth and Andrei reveal how their families are doing amid the pandemic
Elizabeth, you reveal during Self-Quarantined that your dad's business was struggling a little bit. How is he doing, and how your family is doing?
Elizabeth: My dad is taking it one day at a time. It's still very much a struggle because years of having a business, and then one year just not being on track, I think it's going to take him a lot of time to compensate for that. But he's doing all that he can right now. He's in really good spirits. But he's working hard. My dad is such a hard worker. And I think it's actually better for him to be able to work from home. He can relax also, too. He's not a spring chicken anymore. He's getting up there.
So it's good now. It's better now. But I've been trying to tell him like, "Just don't stress out."
Andrei, you had some concerns about your parents, obviously, as they're older, you're so far away. How are they doing? How have you been able to stay in touch with them?
Andrei: Well, of course, thankful for the modern technology. It's much, much more easier because you talk every day. And that's what I do, actually. My father and my mother, I talk every day. And it makes me easier. Because even if I see them, let's say if I talk everyday, and I'll see them in a year, I still think that I didn't miss them so much because [it's] only a physical presence. But in general, if you see them, you actually know everything what's going on, and it's not so hard. But I really miss [going] home. That's for sure. Because it's been awhile. It's been awhile, and we couldn't travel. That sucks.
Elizabeth: It was scary, too. Because obviously they're older also. And they're in that age bracket, and they're worried and they're scared. And they took it one step at a day, and just went to the grocery store when they absolutely needed to. It was definitely really upsetting. And also, too, them not being able to really see their granddaughter as much. So it's just –
Andrei: It's depressing.
Elizabeth: It's very depressing.
Elizabeth and Andrei talk about quarantine life
Traveling is so limited right now. Knowing that you can't just hop on a plane and go [see your parents], if you want to or need to. That option isn't on the table right now.
Andrei: It is available for me as a citizen, I can go there. But it'll take a couple of weeks of quarantine here, after it would take a couple weeks of quarantine there, and after this, when you come back, we'll have to quarantine over here. Now over time, but you want to spend... I have to go there and just stay separate for two weeks in another place just to spend a couple of days. After it's like, what's the whole point?
Elizabeth: Definitely makes you appreciate things how they were before. Because before, we could just get on a plane and not have to worry about certain things. So hopefully, you know, if we see the light at the end of the tunnel with the pandemic, we can go and visit as much as we want. And not even think about it.
You are going to be on that plane, ready to go.
Elizabeth: Right.
Going back to Love Games, was the competition a high point in your quarantine experience? Was it a great thing to occupy your time? Did it get you out of the monotony of every day quarantine life? Or were you dreading it? Like, "Oh, I'm going to have to go and answer all of these personal questions."
Elizabeth: We were so ready to interact with anybody else.
Andrei: It was definitely a breath of fresh air. It was great.
Elizabeth: Yeah, for sure. And to see obviously familiar faces that are on TV. We don't really keep in touch with a lot of people, but it was good to see some familiar faces and get to know them on a different level. And yeah, just having that, adult interaction [was] exciting in itself.
Did Elizabeth and Andrei run into any technical problems during 90 Day Fiancé: Love Games?
What was it like filming exclusively at home? Did you run into any technical difficulties? Or was it smooth sailing?
Andrei: It was... I think it just was minor stuff. You know, like my internet and stuff like this. But we upgraded to another plan. And we sort it out. It's just minor problems, not a big deal.
Elizabeth: There's always technical difficulties, even when it's not from home. So those were frustrating, but very minor. It wasn't a big deal.
Andrei: Well, also you have a golden husband who can handle all of this stuff, right?
Elizabeth: You... Yup. This is my handyman. He figured it out.
How do you both feel in the aftermath of the show? Did it help air any frustrations between you? Are things better, worse, the same? How are you seeing yourself in new lights with each other, if at all?
Elizabeth: To be honest, beforehand, we would talk about it and be like, "All right, no hard feelings if somebody says something to get each other mad." But still, there's that frustration. But I think going into it, we kind of made that agreement as a team to just not let... Don't be offended if I say something or whatever. So we still had like little things.
Andrei: For my side, I'd say what we... I'm proud for how I did and how my wife did. And you know, it is what it is. And second of all, like all [these] challenges bring us more together. It's just like more –
Elizabeth: Yeah. Spending more time together. Even though we didn't want to to begin with. We wanted to get away from each other! It helped make light of a situation, for sure, I think is what you're asking. Make it a little bit more fun and just take your mind off of the current situation. Yeah. It was fun.
How Elizabeth and Andrei enjoyed working with Suki Krishnan on Love Games
Quarantine and the pandemic in general has felt so heavy for so many people. I was talking to Suki [Krishnan] about it, and she said how exciting it was to get to engage with all of you, to have that bright spot, because we're all looking for these little parts that we can look forward to.
Elizabeth: For sure. And I –
Andrei: She's from New York, right?
Elizabeth: Yeah, she's in New York. And I'd only see Suki on Find Love Live! And so I was like, "Oh, we get to meet her! She looks so much like so much fun!" And she was really cool to chat with and very down to earth, and we had a lot of fun with her.
Andrei: She knows more than I thought she knew.
Elizabeth: Yeah. Yeah. For sure!
The best and worst parts of Elizabeth and Andrei's 90 Day experience
Going back and looking at your journey on 90 Days, as a whole, what's been the best and worst parts about this journey and this experience you have shared together?
Andrei: My best part is the birth of my daughter. The worst part is separation for two years. Long distance.
Elizabeth: From your family?
Andrei: No. Long distance with her, and then with my family, of course. Yeah.
Elizabeth: Definitely our daughter. She is the light of my life.
Andrei: Each parent's... Every parent's life. And I think that's best part. The worst part is just like, you're just like far away and stuff.
Elizabeth: From your family.
Andrei: Yeah.
Elizabeth: I wish that we could see them more. But we always told each other, when we were on a distance, like, "If we can get through this, we'll be able to get through anything." Because this is so hard. The most difficult thing I think that I've ever had to do in my life. Like just, you love someone so much and you can't see them physically and touch them. And it was just really, really difficult. And after that, I think we grew stronger as a relationship. And then having Ellie, that was the highlight.
You threw such a challenge at your relationship so early on. Any hurdle that comes after the fact is like a breeze in comparison.
Elizabeth: For sure. But we talked about having kids. And we really discussed and communicated how we would raise her.
Andrei: All of the details.
Elizabeth: Even down to her name, we knew when we were dating. That helped a little bit more. Communication is key.
Andrei: We discussed our life before I came here in very, very strict details.
Elizabeth: Yeah. Because you're old. I mean, you have to have kids like now.
Andrei: I'm old? Okay.
Elizabeth: No, I'm kidding! No. In Moldova, typically people have kids younger. And his mom's like, "When are you going to have kids?"
Elizabeth and Andrei talk about parenting and their 90 Day Fiancé future
[On having children]
Elizabeth: You have to do it at your own pace. You don't want to be pressured.
Andrei: Whenever you want to do it, you do it. You know? And I think it's better to live a little bit of your life than to give that kind of commitment.
Elizabeth: I think for me, it a little bit easier, though. Because obviously I have a large family, and I was around tons of babies growing up, and then I also did nannying. But this was really your first experience with a baby. And he's done an outstanding job. You really like... Everyday he amazes me. And I'm like, "How does he know that?"
I'm sure it's such an amazing experience as well to see your spouse like that.
Elizabeth: It just makes you love each other in a different way.
Andrei: Yeah. [A] child definitely bonds you together.
Do you have any future plans for the 90 Day Fiancé franchise? Will we see you again?
Elizabeth: You'll have to wait and see.
You're going to leave us on a cliffhanger!
Andrei: There is a lot of things that we can show, but we'll just have to wait and see. And that's it.