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90 Day Fiance is one of television’s hidden gems. It is truly a blend of drama, love, and unbelievable moments.

The show follows pairs of star-crossed lovers who have been dating from different countries. The couples have all applied for the K-1 visa which allows people who are planning to get married to spend 90 days together in the U.S. If they choose not to get married at the end of the 90 days, the person’s visa will expire and they will have to return to their country.

For couples who are in love, this is a great way for them to be together and get married. The problem comes in when certain people are just with their partner to obtain a visa and stay in the U.S.

In the past, the show has been criticized for being staged, among other things. So, how much of the show is actually real and what is the process  to get on the show?

How are the couples on 90 Day Fiance Chosen?

Some fans have wondered if the show finds couples who are dating internationally and then applies for the visa to get them over here. That is not the case.

On the Reality Life with Kate Casey podcast, executive producer Matt Sharp spoke about the selection proccess.

“These are people that are very much in the queue for a visa already,” he told the host.

He continued, revealing more about what they are looking for in couples each season.

“We always wanted this to be a super-authentic, warts and all, look at love in this amazing world, very raw, the producers we brought in…a lot of them came from the Teen Mom world,” Sharp said. “There’s an authenticity to that show, too. We wanted to do something that didn’t just show one side of love. We wanted to do a show where…it’s not black and white. There’s actually a debate on the couches of America. We’re not looking for villains or heroes; We’re looking for real people with interesting backgrounds and stories and potentially interesting situations.”

The show also doesn’t discriminate if you have a bit of a shady past.

“We have a big background vetting process for all the couples,” Sharp continued. “And we make case-by-case evaluations on couples as we look at them. We’re trying to obviously do the right thing. We try to be open-minded…everyone’s got some sort of history.” 

Does the cast get paid?

In many cases, reality television stars are paid to go on shows. But is the same true for this show that is supposed to be based on love?

“The Americans do receive a customary appearance fee,” Sharp said. However, he did not confirm how much the participants are paid.

Former cast member Nikki Cooper revealed on her Facebook that the Americans are paid $1,000 per episode.

The international stars, however, are not paid.

“Someone who is an international , that would be illegal to pay someone,” Sharp told Casey. “They would have to have a green card, which they do not.”

Some scenes are staged

While some portions of the show are organic, production does orchestrate some scenes to keep the series moving and the episodes interesting.

One of the most shocking scenes of season five was actually all the producers doing. The situation occurred when David Toborowsky and his fiance, Annie Suwan, were staying with Toborowsky’s friend, Chris Thieneman and Thieneman asked if Suwan would give him a Thai massage to thank him for allowing them to stay.

“The producer asked him to say it and Chris had to say it more than once because it didn’t come off as natural,” Thieneman’s wife, Cooper, wrote on Facebook. “We were fed our lines while sitting at the table, which is why no one reacted. WE ALL KNEW WHAT TO EXPECT.”

Read more: 

‘90 Day Fiance:’ Why Jonathan Rivera and Fernanda Flores Broke Up

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