The90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After?Season 8 Tell Allhad a new format that might have given the series the refreshing change it needed. The Tell All is one of the most anticipated events of the90 Day Fiancéseries. The Tell All is essentially the cast reunion, hosted byShaun Robinson,who asks about all the dirty details of the couples’reality TVexperiences. About halfway through the series, the costars fly to New York City. In the City, they’ll go to a studio where they’ll get to meet each other, usually for the first time, to film the Tell All.This part of the series helps the cast and viewers understand more about the couples and their decisions throughout the season.
Usually, Shaun plays clips from the season and has a handful of questions ready so she can dive deep into the couple’s relationship. However, forHappily Ever After?Season 8, the Tell All added a new twist: the couples were going to live together in a mansion in between filming the Tell All. The couples were still filming in a studio, but instead of paying ways at the end of the day, all the couples lived under one roof. This new format has changed the Tell All expectations, making it even more addicting.Additionally, after years of the franchise promoting tumultuous and toxic relationships, this change might have been exactly what the franchise needed.
The New Happily Ever After? Tell All Format Prompts Stars to Interact in Person
In the previousHappily Ever After?Tell Alls, the starswould stay on their own as couples. They’d meet at the studio and after the day of filming, the couple would go to a hotel. This year, the series switched up and provided a massive mansion. Instead of going to a hotel, all the couples live under one roof in between the filming sessions for the Tell All. One of the mostinteresting aspects of this change is that the stars get to interact more in person. Before this change, the stars only interacted in the Tell All studio. Sometimes viewers would get a glimpse behind the scenes, but in most cases, those scenes were still in the studio. Those scenes would occur during their breaks, like while they ate. However, with the new Tell All mansion, the stars are out of the studio and in a fully stocked mansion filled with alcohol.
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This means the stars were able to interact with each other on a more personal level. Surprisingly, while there were some conflicts,manyHappily Ever After?couplesspent this time helping the other costars.Since many couples, likeGino PalazzoloandJasmine Pineda,were at a crossroads in their marriage, the married stars who were in a better place tried to help them find common ground. For instance, bothThais RamoneandSophie Sierratried to help Jasmine understand Gino, and how his libido is connected to his emotional health. Since most of the segments take place as couples and the previous Tell Alls kept the couples separate, watching them interact on a more wholesome level added an interesting dynamic to the otherwise tumultuous series.
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Opportunities to interact in person made the segment more interesting because it created more conflicts and increased the tension between the stars. Since the costars' interactions were limited at the traditional Tell Alls, conflicts and issues were either resolved or dropped quickly. However, with the new Tell All mansion,stars got to take their issues home and continue the argument late into the night — with an audience available to take sides.Take Sophie andRob Warne,for example.This duo has been hot and cold all season, with Sophie living with a close friend for the majority of their segment. No one could understand why a young, beautiful newlywed couple wasn’t living together, let alone being intimate.
However, any time the other stars tried to ask questions, the pair would break into a heated argument.They would both scream and point fingers at each other, claiming the other was a “manipulator.“It got so bad that, according to Jasmine, Sophie was ready to divorce Rob. Similarly,Angela DeemandMichael Ilesanmibrought their baggagehome on the second night. Angela’s compassion appeared to be at an all-time low as she charged up the stairs to terrorize her husband because of his disrespect over the years. In scenes where Shaun would normally deescalate the situation, fans watched the couples unload even more of their dirty laundry, adding even more drama to the addictive segment.
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90 Day Fiancé Stars Show a Different Side Because of the New Tell All Format
This fascinating new Tell All dynamic also led to another intriguing reveal. Living in a mansion in between filming sessionsallowed the viewers to see the stars in a new light, especially as they interacted with each other.For instance,Big Ed Brownhas been declared a franchise villain from the moment he askedRosemarie Vegato shave her legs and bought her a toothbrush. However, at the Tell All mansion, Big Ed helps the other stars in their relationships. He gave Gino advice on how important it is to not ignore his partner and even madeamends with his ex,Liz Woods. Not only did he change some viewers’ opinions, but Jasmine, who was not a fan of Big Ed, also became more open-minded towards the otherwise arrogant star.
Similarly, Jasmine is another star who doesn’t have the best reputation in the series. Most people took Gino’s side after watching Jasmine screaming her head off season after season. However,Jasmine showcased a more empathetic side of herself while she listened and connected with the other women at the Tell All. Overall, since the stars were in a more open and personal environment, they got to show a softer side that wouldn’t have otherwise been showcased on the series. While these small glimpses into the riotous stars' souls might not be enough to change the franchise forever, its certainly a good start.
Although this change was a great way to shine a different light on the series, there’s one potential issue. Over the years, the Tell All has gained a reputation for being the best part of the series. There is no “holding back” at the Tell All. As a result,stars like Angela enjoyputting on a bigger show at the studio, even if that means flashing the camera. Since the Tell All has massive production and lots of theatrics,sometimes it seems like the series relies on the reunion to keep its reputation going. Now having the stars live together adds even more value to Tell All but not the overall series. On the other hand, considering the Tell All house also gives stars more opportunities to redeem themselves and show more compassion, this change might be exactly what the series needed to improve its overall rating.
90 Day Fiancéand its spin-offs series air onTLC, and are available to stream onMax.
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90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? catches up with some of the most memorable couples from 90 Day Fiancé as they now face the next chapter in their marriages.
