’90 Day Fiancé’: Andrei Castravet Says That ‘Men Have Balls’ in Moldova and Won’t Take ‘S*it’ From Elizabeth Potthast’s Family
90 Day Fiancé stars Andrei Castravet and Elizabeth Potthast Castravet have always clashed somewhat when it came to gender roles. But on the fifth season of TLC’s 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After, their cultural differences have come to the forefront more than ever—especially when it comes to Elizabeth’s family.
In a recent episode of 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After, Andrei and Elizabeth traveled to Andrei’s home country for their second wedding in Moldova and a baptism for their young daughter, Eleanor. While meeting up with Andrei’s longtime friends, Elizabeth opened up about exactly why her family didn’t care for her husband—and Andrei had a few harsh things to say about his wife’s sister, as well.
Elizabeth told her husband’s friends that her family thought he was ‘rude’ and ‘controlling’
After arriving in Moldova, Elizabeth and Andrei spent an evening having drinks at a local bar with Andrei’s friends, brother, and sister-in-law. Elizabeth sneaked off to have some alone time with the other women in the group.
“How is [it] to be a bride the second time?” Ina, Andrei’s sister-in-law, wanted to know.
While the 90 Day Fiancé star replied that she was “excited” about the upcoming nuptials, she admitted she was worried about Andrei’s relationship with her family. Elizabeth’s sister, Jenn, would be attending the wedding, and she wasn’t sure how her sister’s visit would turn out.
“Andrei and Jenn, they butt heads. They fight a lot,” Elizabeth told Ina and Loredana, one of Andrei’s friends.
The Moldovan women asked Elizabeth why her family wasn’t fond of her husband. Elizabeth responded bluntly, “They think that Andrei is controlling, and they think that he is rude and mean and lazy. He is rude, but I think that they just don’t understand him yet.”
Elizabeth asked Loredana if most Moldovan men were like Andrei. “Yeah, actually, yes,” Loredana admitted. “I think that they just want to show they’re strong, you know?”
Elizabeth worried that her sister wouldn’t get along with Andrei’s family
Elizabeth explained that she was especially concerned about Jenn’s arrival in Moldova because her sister’s behavior was so “outspoken.”
“Jenn is an American woman,” the 90 Day Fiancé star pointed out. “She’s loud and doesn’t care what anybody thinks.” Elizabeth worried that Jenn would speak her mind on any given subject and accidentally “offend” someone in Andrei’s family or close circle of friends.
And while Elizabeth said she could assimilate into Moldovan culture—at least for now—she wasn’t so sure about how the other women in her family would act.
“Moldovan women compared to American women are very, very different. They aren’t loud. They don’t really speak their mind,” the 90 Day Fiancé star said. “Honestly, I’m really scared, because I can bite my tongue, but I don’t think that my family will.”
Andrei told his wife that his family wouldn’t ‘take s*it’ from Elizabeth’s sister
On the way home from their evening with friends, Elizabeth opened up to Andrei about her concerns. “Jenn’s gonna be here,” she said warily, pointing out that Andrei knew the “type of person she was.” Andrei’s wife worried that Jenn would clash with Elizabeth’s in-laws.
By contrast, Andrei didn’t seem overly concerned. The 90 Day Fiancé star told his wife sarcastically, “She might sleep in the basement if she offends somebody here. And she’s gonna go the second day home, because it’s not America.”
Visibly annoyed, Elizabeth retorted, “I’m glad that you’re taking this so lightly.”
Andrei told Elizabeth in no uncertain terms that he expected Jenn to adhere to his cultural norms around gender, not the other way around. “Why are you worried about Jenn? Men here have balls, now, and they’re not gonna take s*it from her,” he said harshly.
“Great,” Elizabeth responded, rolling her eyes in frustration. “Exactly what I wanted to hear.”
Andrei told 90 Day Fiancé producers that he wasn’t expecting his relationship with his in-laws to improve anytime soon.
“I am planning to show Elizabeth’s family around because Elizabeth is my wife, and she asked me to,” he said reluctantly. “But I already see them getting in trouble with their stupid loud mouths. I’m just hoping for the best and expecting the worst from them.”
