Loren & Alexei Brovarnik Talk After The 90 Days, Parenthood, & More - Exclusive Interview
"90 Day Fiancé" took over the reality television world in a very real way, and its domination over this sector of the entertainment industry is only growing stronger. On Monday, January 10, TLC is debuting two new "90 Day" spinoff series, and included among them is one focused exclusively on Loren and Alexei Brovarnik.
Titled "Loren & Alexei: After the 90 Days," viewers will follow this couple as their due date for their second child draws nearer, per Discovery. The series, centered on the expansion of the Brovarnik family, will feature personal growth for both Loren and Alexei as well as growth for the pair as a couple. Moreover, the reality series will feature "a scary trip to the NICU" as well as a "last-minute trip to Israel for Alexei," mommy-and-me classes, and more.
Thankfully we at The List had the chance to talk to Loren and Alexei about their journey from "90 Day Fiancé" to now, including details about the new series, parenthood during the pandemic, and the couple's goals for the future.
How After the 90 Days came to be
What can you both tell us about your new series "Loren & Alexei: After the 90 Days"?
Alexei: They can expect to see the behind the scenes of our lives, and they can expect to see some ups and downs.
Loren: All around.
Alexei: Some crying, some fighting, some loving.
Loren: Not so much loving.
Alexei: Not so much loving. Loving the babies, some babies, definitely babies.
Loren: And Alex living his best life.
Alexei: Yeah, you're living your best life also. Maybe some more of our parents and families and relationships that are there.
Loren: And just us.
Alexei: And us, yeah. Mostly us.
How did this series sort of form or come together?
Loren: Well, I got pregnant again, so there's that.
Alexei: And she always wanted her own series.
Loren: I was born. I literally came out of the womb saying, "Here I am, world. I'm ready to shine."
Alexei: And I think people started realizing that when it became more –
Loren: After they hated on me. After there was some hating, they were like, "Oh, okay." [Points to her baby, Asher] He doesn't like people hating on me.
Aw, that's so sweet.
Loren: He's a protector. Yeah, he can be on [camera]. He [was] born ready.
Alexei: Are you sure?
Loren: I think I'm sure.
I love that he's ready to be a star too.
Loren: Both my kids. Can you say, "Hi, Preston"?
Hi. [Laughs]
Loren: Say hello.
Alexei: Oh yeah, that's Asher.
Loren: This is Asher.
I have a nephew named Asher!
Loren: Such a great name. It's a beautiful name.
It is! Hi!
Alexei: We just get along, you know? It's just our lives.
Loren: When in quarantine, have babies, right?
Exactly. You just do that. [Laughs]
Loren: I was actually talking about this with somebody, that I feel like I'm so glad I had babies during quarantine because I got to adjust to being a mom at a slower pace. But on the flip side, I'm more scared to do things. I'm finally, after having my second kid, getting into a groove of loading him up into the car seat, taking out the stroller, being able to go places and feeling comfortable, because I wasn't forced to do it within three months and then having to go back to an office. So there's pros and cons to it. I'm terrified to go out in public with them.
Alexei: We don't know how to do it.
Loren: Not because I don't want to go out. Because I don't know how to do it.
That's totally understandable.
How the pandemic has affected their parenting
In terms of the series, how does parenting come into play in the series? What are the sort of arcs and themes that we see in the series?
Alexei: Well, we're parenting all the time in the series. You can see the balance and the –
Loren: And the disagreements.
Alexei: And the disagreements and the different roles and our routines and stuff. Like what we do, how we do. And everybody makes mistakes. Parenting is not easy, and we just try to follow our guts, I guess.
Loren: There's no right or wrong, honestly.
Alexei: Well, I think there is some wrong.
Loren: There's some wrong.
Alexei: There's some right, too, probably. But yeah, everybody's different, I think is what she's trying to say. Every baby and every parent, and what you feel is right for me may be not right for somebody else.
Yeah, absolutely. What are some parenting challenges you guys have come into contact with, whether through the show or not in the show?
Loren: I think our challenges are actually just starting with Shai, because now he's older, and he's moving, he's on the go. He's a master manipulator and he knows it, and that's where Alex and I get into a lot of disagreements. Alex wants Shai, his boys, to be boys, and aggressive and out into the wilderness and barefoot. And I'm like, "No, where's the hand sanitizer?"
Alexei: The barefoot is a big deal. I don't know why they don't like people going outside barefoot.
Loren: Because of glass maybe, and tetanus. I don't know, just throwing those out there.
Alexei: There is the difference, you see.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected how you parent?
Loren: I'm definitely more cautious. I'm also more patient, and I know you're not going to believe me when I say that. Because I feel like I don't lose my temper, I just have no patience. But when it comes to kids –
Alexei: What are you talking about? Are we talking about the same thing here, or what?
Loren: When it comes to kids, I've learned to have patience, just overall in general. I know you don't believe me when I say that, but it's true. Alex thinks I sleep all day, so I have tons of patience.
Alexei: Yes, lots of rest.
Loren: The laundry does itself.
Right. And that's all you can do during the pandemic, right?
Alexei: Lots of laundry.
On filming and fan reception
How did, if at all, how did the pandemic affect shooting of the show?
Alexei: A lot of testing. A lot of testing.
Loren: We're regulars. They know us at the testing places.
Alexei: Scratching my big nose like there's no tomorrow. They think it's bigger, got to get deeper.
Loren: They have an extra long swab for Alex's nose.
Alexei: Yeah, so we've been testing just nonstop, and you lose somebody from production, all [of] a sudden there's different people and there's another different [person] and it just keeps ... Yeah, it's been weird.
Loren: Yeah. We're doing self-shooting too, so we feel like we're professional.
Alexei: Oh, yeah. Definitely lots of self-shooting too, because places have restrictions and don't allow people there. Yeah.
How long does it take to film a full season of a reality show like this?
Alexei: Well, for us we kind of developed with our –
Loren: Our life.
Alexei: Yeah, things, because –
Loren: I don't know. A few months?
Alexei: More than that. It started from Shai's birthday.
Loren: It would've been longer, but somebody wanted to get here earlier.
Alexei: What do you mean months? We started in April.
Loren: Okay.
Alexei: Okay. And now it's December. So it's not a few months.
Loren: It's January
Alexei: Now it's January.
Loren: Hashtag parent life right here.
Alexei: We went through December.
Loren: There is such [a] thing as dad brain too. There's mom brain and pregnancy brain.
Alexei: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I meant it took from April to December basically.
Loren: There is dad brain.
I definitely believe it. You guys remind me of my older sister and her husband so much, [and how] they're like with their two babies, I love it. How has the fan reception been for you guys as a couple, especially going into the new series, too?
Loren: Oh, people are really excited. I mean, I'm excited that they're excited because I didn't know what to expect, honestly.
Alexei: Yeah. I think a lot of people saw us at the beginning, in the original show, and then we kind of went behind the scenes and we did a lot of "Pillow Talk" and little things like –
Loren: That's when they started to like really like ...
Alexei: They like us and they don't see what we actually are. They only see the "Pillow Talk" show, where it's just we're sitting in bed and talking and interacting, but now they get to see our behind the scenes, and we're very thankful for all our followers and all the good comments, mostly good.
Loren: I feel like I'm giving a speech at an awards [ceremony], like I couldn't do it without them. We couldn't do it without them.
Alexei: For sure, because our followers like us, and we –
Loren: You're also hot, so ...
Alexei: Thank you.
Loren: You're welcome.
Loren and Alexei talk memorable fan interactions
Are there any specific fan moments or fan interactions that you guys always remember?
Loren: I have one I remember. I don't even know if you know this, but this was a few years ago already. I was going to Nashville with a few of my girlfriends for a bachelorette party, and at that point, people who knew of the show knew who we were, but it wasn't like what it is today. And I was getting off the plane and we were walking like from the plane to the airport, and this one lady was holding her kid and she goes, "Oh my God, it's Loren!" And she literally threw her kid to her friend, and was like, "Can I get a picture?" And my friends were like, what just happened? And I was like, sure. For me, that was my first real like, wait, this is bigger than I ever expected it. That, and when we went to the sushi place and people kept stopping us left and right. That was it.
Alexei: I had one with some crackheads and cops. I don't know if I can talk about that.
Loren: You have to tell that story.
Alexei: I'm not sure if they were crackheads or not.
Loren: They were living their best life, -ish.
Alexei: And I don't know if people know this, but I have a full time job and I go to work all the time, and I work hard. That's something the fans don't really know.
Loren: We've worked through this entire journey.
Alexei: Yeah. We both have 9-to-5s up until a couple months ago. And I went to get donuts for my team in the morning, and I was in the donut shop at like 7 a.m. and there [were] five or six police officers that were sitting there, and then two guys walked in that looked a little sketchy, I would say, and then one of them came, and I was standing away and the police officers were sitting off looking at me, and this guy came up to me and he's whispering in my ear like, "Are you the guy from the '90 Day Fiancé' show?" The cop's kind of looking at me like, what is this, what's going on? And I was like, "Yeah, that's me." "Oh cool." And he fist bumps me and yells to the other guy, "Hey yeah, that's him." And all the police officers were looking, what's going on here, and then when they were walking out, they were like, "Oh, you're famous huh? Whatever."
That is hilarious.
Alexei: They thought there was something going on there for a second.
That is such a funny interaction.
Loren: Crazy.
Loren and Alexei on their growth since 90 Day Fiancé
How was your experience different filming "90 Day Fiancé" versus filming this new series?
Loren: "90 Day Fiancé," I mean, we were still adjusting to each other, right? Like living together with my parents, starting a life together, and now, I mean, we're married. It was just six years. Crazy. And now you're going to see more vulnerability from us. You're going to see just a deeper look at us and our family, and then our extended family. So really Chateau de Brovarnik is welcoming you all.
Was it a lot easier to film this after you've already had that previous exposure and camera time on a different show?
Alexei: Yeah, we're definitely more professional. I would say we know how to act around cameras and how to ... I don't mean it in like how to act, but just like –
Loren: We're comfortable.
Alexei: You know, when a plane goes by, I know I need to wait for a second, otherwise I'm going to have to redo this because they're not going to hear and things like that, you know? And I know if the camera is not there and I'm walking in, I'm going to have to redo this.
Loren: Or if I'm angry, I can't slam the microphone down this time around. I have to hold onto it.
Alexei: You need to be aware of –
Loren: Yeah, mindful.
What are some challenges you faced in filming? Whether for this show, "90 Day Fiancé," or any of the other shows?
Loren: Well, we had to learn how to self-film, if that's what you mean, like logistically you mean? Or just emotionally?
Alexei: There's always challenges.
Loren: Alex has become a producer.
Oh, fun.
Loren: When we had our baby special with Shai, he was the camera guy, producer, the director. He was like, "Hey Dr. Sanchez, can you just wait to deliver this baby? Let me get a good angle."
Alexei: It was during April 2020; it was completely shut down. Everything.
Loren: Can you recut her again? [Laughs]
Alexei: And I was just like, I was filming everything, and I was trying to show that I learned from our amazing crews –
Loren: Go back in and come back out. Do that again. Funny.
Alexei: Yeah, I mean there's a lot of challenges all the time.
Loren: I think also, the challenges we've overcome are just like, that's made us who we are today honestly. Like we don't think about what other people think anymore. We just focus on us and our family. That is a challenge.
Their favorite reality series to watch
Do you guys ever get compared to any of the other "90 Day" couples?
Alexei: I don't know. I don't think so. Honestly. I don't know. Probably not, because we would've known. Maybe no?
Loren: I feel like we're too old. We're too OG. We're just normal. We're normal people. I don't know what normal is.
Alexei: Abnormal.
There's no such thing. Well, speaking of reality shows, are there any other reality shows that you two would like to go on? Whether as a couple or individuals?
Loren: Yes. I would love to compete in "Dancing with the Stars."
Alexei: Yes. You've been saying that.
Loren: Because it's also a good workout. I would also love to be on "Below Deck" for a great getaway on a boat.
Yeah.
Alexei: Can go as a customers? Because you're not going to be part of the show.
Loren: What do you mean?
Alexei: I mean for a second. Yeah. We like "Below Deck."
Loren: And that would be a getaway.
Alexei: "Dancing with the Stars," I cannot dance.
Loren: That's why I want to go on it.
Alexei: To make a fool out of me?
Loren: No, I have no hand-eye coordination at all, whatsoever. I forget what day it is half the time. So to remember a dance move, that would be something else.
Well, what are your favorite reality shows to watch?
Alexei: [Loren] is mostly the reality person, but I think "Queer Eye" is probably her favorite.
Loren: I love "Queer Eye." I love "The Real Housewives." I love "Selling Sunset." I like to binge-watch shows also. I also, it wasn't a reality show, but I loved "Bridgerton," and after I watched it, I had an accent. I spoke with an accent for like a week.
Infectious. Which "Real Housewives" is your favorite?
Loren: "Beverly Hills," a million percent. I love, love, love them. Yes.
They share advice that all couples could benefit from
Sort of going back to "90 Day Fiancé," what is something that you guys are very proud of in your growth, whether individually or as a couple from your first appearance to now?
Loren: Individually, I'm going to mention the fact that I've been very open with my Tourette syndrome and then my postpartum [depression]. I want to use my platform for good, and a selfish reason, and talking about it helped me personally with dealing with it, and so that I'm really proud of. And now I'm not ashamed or I don't hide behind it anymore. I'm not scared to tick or worry what somebody says.
Alexei: Good. That was a good one. I can't beat that, so I'm just going to ...
Loren: No, I think, I think you definitely like opened up as a human being, like you blossomed. You're not like an onion. You don't have to peel you back anymore. You're good.
Alexei: So I'm more open now.
Loren: You're more open.
What are some of your favorite moments of growth as a couple?
Loren: Having babies together.
Alexei: It was like the obvious. I didn't want to say it, but –
Loren: I said it.
Alexei: I know you did.
Loren: We've learned so much about each other. We honestly, we're so busy. We're asleep by like 9 o'clock every night.
Alexei: But we still fight and we're still impulsive, and we're still not –
Loren: Perfect.
Alexei: Yeah. Like I was going to say, we learned to listen to each other more and stuff like that, but we still –
Loren: No, we understand each other a little bit better.
Alexei: We do. We understand, and that's what pisses me off even more because I don't know what you're doing. I mean we definitely grew as a couple. Yeah.
What's one piece of advice you would give to other couples that you think any couple could use that advice?
Loren: Well, I wish I could say happy wife, happy life, but in our house it's happy husband, happy life.
Alexei: No, it's not true. It needs to be both ways.
Loren: It's very, very true.
Alexei: Happy wife, happy life [is] only going to work for so long because you need to go both ways. I mean, happy pregnant wife, okay. Happy pregnant wife. After pregnancy, that's it. No more discounts.
Loren: No discounts. I've said this from the beginning and I will continue to say that commitment is key. You have to commit to everything you're doing as a couple.
Yeah, absolutely.
Loren and Alexei on their dream vacation spots
Similarly on the advice side of things, what advice would you give anyone who is interested in going on a show like "90 Day Fiancé"?
Loren: Ooh. Have some thick skin.
Yeah.
Loren: And just don't get wrapped up in it. Like live your life.
Alexei: Don't think that you're something because you're something else.
I mean, that seems like good advice, right? Also, what are some of your goals? Both whether for career or personal? Both individually, and as a couple?
Alexei: Hmm. Well, we –
Loren: I don't think we're done with our family yet.
Alexei: Probably want to grow some more. It doesn't feel like it's complete yet.
Loren: Yes. I want to have my mommy makeover by the time I'm 40, well 38.
Alexei: She wants a makeover. I mean, we want a bigger place.
Loren: And we don't know where we want to settle. Whether that's in Florida, in America, we have no idea.
Alexei: We want to see where we want to ... Yeah, where we want to go.
Loren: We want to go back to Israel.
Alexei: We have a lot of things still to work on.
Well, what are some other places around the world that are sort of on your bucket list to see together?
Loren: I would love to go back to Greece and Italy. I want to go travel to Europe. I want to go to the French colony. I really want to go everywhere.
Alexei: Africa.
Loren: Africa. Yeah.
Loren: But not Maldives or stuff like that. No, I want to do, like, a safari.
Alexei: Yeah.
Loren: Oh my God. Could you imagine me with like one of those safari hats. Yeah, have fun. I'm not much of a hiker if you can't tell.
Alexei: Of course, [I've] got to see America too. I haven't seen almost [anything] here.
Loren: Yeah. We haven't been anywhere because yeah.
Alexei: We're stuck all the time.
Loren: We were working so hard, and then COVID happened. So we decided to pop out a couple of kids and now we can't really go travel without them.
Alexei: Just by the time we're able to like afford whatever things ... we start making babies now.
Yeah.
Loren: So yeah, no, we have a lot of things that we want to do. And honestly, right now I think one thing that we need to focus on is each other. I'll admit it, we've completely lost each other in having two kids under 2, and I think that's very normal.
Alexei: I completely –
Loren: You just came back into bed. What are you talking about?
Alexei: I just came back into bed. Yeah. I've been sleeping outside because I got to wake up in the morning, go to work.
Loren: And I'm nursing.
Alexei: And he has to nurse every couple hours. So yeah, the first couple months are tough. You got to adjust. Everything goes to the babies.
Yeah. You guys have definitely got this.
Loren: I know we have two, but I don't know how many more I can handle.
That's fair. [Laughs]
Loren and Alexei on challenges during filming
Well, speaking of the babies, did filming with children — did that provide any challenges during filming?
Alexei: I mean yes, but also yes. I mean you got to make sure that they're in a good place, and they're happy and they're running around and not crying.
Loren: They're so unpredictable.
Alexei: Yeah. Unpredictable. But it also is fun. Like it gives you more stuff to see, I guess. Or it's another –
Loren: We're boring. You and I are totally boring.
Alexei: We're boring. Yeah. Shai is the star. He's taking a nap right now, but –
Loren: He's exhausted.
Alexei: It's like another cast member.
Loren: He is, and I think now with both of them, it should be even more fun.
Alexei: Everybody wants to see them, not us.
Loren: I only birthed them and carried them, and sacrificed my entire body and hormones for them. No big deal.
Oh, that's so funny. And then I think this is my last question actually. Who is your favorite other "90 Day" couple, and why?
Alexei: That's a tough question. I don't know. Yeah. We like a lot of them, and we don't want to disappoint anybody or –
Loren: We're not going to single anybody out. We're equal opportunists over here.
Alexei: Equal opportunity market. Anyways, whoever is in it for the right reasons. We're all for it.
Loren: Yeah.
That's a very good diplomatic answer.
Loren: We hate politics too.
You can catch Loren and Alexei on the series premiere of TLC's "Loren & Alexei: After the 90 Days" on Monday, January 10, at 9:30 p.m. ET.