Since its release in 2014, 90 Day Fiancé and its spin-offs like 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way have perfected its casting skills. In the beginning seasons, the series promoted more genuine love stories with authentic couples. Fan favorites like Alexei and Loren Brovarnik or Paola and Russ Mayfield earned their titles because their unconditional love was so clear to outsiders. While they occasionally had blowouts, they proved to overcome all odds. Then tumultuous couples like Danielle and Mohamed Jbali or Eric Rosenbrook and Leida Margaretha appeared in the franchise and their drama enthralled viewers. However, fans quickly grew tired of the turbulent outbursts and toxic relationships. This led to 90 Day Fiancé stars like Jasmine Pineda and Angela Deem being petitioned to be removed from the series because of their over-the-top demeanor.
While the series is in drastic need of a cast makeover, the show and its spin-offs still choose to promote destructive couples. Although The Other Way is more known for creating genuine connections with its unique role reversal, this season, the show is welcoming back Shekinah Garner and Sarper Güven. Sarper is a 44-year-old Turkish man who used a little black book to keep track of over 2000 sexual conquests. Shekinah is a single mom who believes her relationship is perfect compared to the other 90 Day Fiancé couples. This couple was certainly no fan favorite, but the couple has reappeared on the series with their relationship at a new level, suggesting they might be the most annoying relationship to appear on The Other Way spin-off.
90 Day Fiancé Star Sarper Has a Sexual History
If there’s one thing Sarper can’t deny, it’s that he’s a playboy and proud of it! When Sarper first appeared in The Other Way Season 5, Shekinah revealed the jaw-dropping news that her boyfriend had been with over 2500 women. Originally, she thought it was a typo and that he meant 250, but he didn’t. His true number was somewhere between 2500 and 3000. At the Tell All, he revealed that he kept a book full of Xs that he used to tally the women he slept with. Even though the majority of the cast members, Shekinah included, were disgusted by those numbers, Sarper thought it was harmless. He was so proud of his numbers that he appeared in The Single Life Season 4Tell All, to give Tyray Mollett advice on how to attract and date women. While it is the 21st century and “s**t shaming” is frowned upon, the majority of their segment annoyingly revolved around Sarper’s risqué relationship with women.
Shekinah wanted a new bed because she didn’t want to sleep on the same mattress Sarper had his past escapades in. Shekinah wouldn’t allow Sarper to train any female clients because she didn’t want him touching other women. Sarper’s behavior resulted in a child with another woman. He knew nothing about his child because he didn’t want to be involved before, but now he wanted a child with Shekinah. Most of all, though, Sarper’s commitment to being faithful caused him to count the days and hours since he was last intimate, as if it were an accomplishment that deserved to be celebrated. While his extreme and colorful sexual past makes for shocking TV, this part of their plot is far too over the top. It simply portrays Sarper more and more in a negative light. Plus, it’s the core part of their 90 Day Fiancé storyline, which was repetitive of their first appearance.
Sarper and Shekinah Are Both Controlling
Another major issue with this couple is their micro-managing behavior. When controlling stars like Jasmine and Angela gained fame for humiliating their counterparts, their toxic behavior horrified most viewers. Unable to fully discern between scripted reality TV and genuine relationship drama, these couples were blasted for their abusive behavior. Sadly, it appears that Shekinah and Sarper are on a similar path. In truth, both stars are controlling of the other, either making them the best or worst match of all. Sarper is a personal trainer and most of his clients are female. However, given his sexual history, Shekinah only wants him to work with male clients, cutting his income by 90%. Sarper also thinks his career in fitness is a good enough excuse for weighing and restricting his partner’s diet. However, Shekinah is in a similar boat. The Other Way Season 6 star is an aesthetician, but she also worked as an event co-host.
More specifically, her job was to boost the reputation of a party and improve the atmosphere by inviting more attractive people. In the series premiere of The Other Way, viewers learned that Sarper is equally jealous of Shekinah’s career and would prefer that she didn’t work. Another issue in this new season is Sarper’s involvement in Shekinah’s nose job. According to the previews, Shekinah wants a nose job and Sarper’s designing it because he has to wake up next to her face every day. While some jealousy is expected in a relationship, their actions are too restrictive and controlling. Not to mention, neither of them can make their full income potential because of the other’s insecurities, which is a huge red flag. While their dramatic behavior can certainly be enthralling, it can also set an inappropriate standard for future 90 Day Fiancé relationships.
90 Day Fiancé Star Shekinah Is Delusional
Another major concern for this couple is Shekinah’s delusional mindset. It’s one thing to believe the best in someone and have faith they can mature into a better person. It’s another to hold your partner to an unrealistic standard without accounting for any mishaps. With Sarper’s sordid history, it’s tough to believe he could scrap his bad boy persona quickly. Shekinah probably isn’t the first woman to try either, especially since Sarper admitted he’s had an issue being faithful in the past. This strongly suggests that Sarper’s change needs to come from within. His partner can’t pressure Sarper to change, or otherwise, it won’t stick. Of course, Shekinah, and viewers, want to believe that Sarper can change. However, to maintain that The Other Way Season 6 star would be faithful halfway across the world and not relapse is wishful, delusional thinking at best.
Additionally, at the Season 6 Tell All, Shekinah was convinced that her relationship had no problems and was perfect, especially compared to the rest of the cast. While couples like Kimberly and TJ Goswami had their fair share of turmoil, Shekinah and her other half were no better. Everyone in Shekinah’s life can see that Sarper is not a healthy match for her. Shekinah’s sister, Shariyah, only needed to be in the same room with Sarper for a few minutes before she could tell he wasn’t the right man for her sister. As Shekinah revealed more about her relationship to her friends in the recent season premiere, they expressed their concern about Sarper’s controlling behavior, especially regarding Shekinah’s career. Yet, the problematic Other Way star Shekinah was convinced she found her perfect match in none other than Sarper.
No couple, especially in the 90 Day Fiancé realm, is perfect. Even fan favorites like The Other Ways’ Jenny Slatten and Sumit Singh have had their fair share of troubles. However, two big distinctions that separate fan favorites from franchise villains are the authenticity of a problem and how they handle those concerns. Couples like Jenny and Sumit have issues relating more to their culture and extended families, which are more common in the franchise. They can also act maturely and leave those issues on the back burner if that provides an opportunity for the couple to reconnect or regroup. On the other hand, the problems for couples like Sarper and Shekinah revolve more around superficial and silly concerns, like nose jobs, work clientele, and being accessible at all times. Overall, Shekinah and Sarper appear to be a couple more after the TLC shock factor than genuine love and connection. They seem to care more about their reputation and boosting their fame. While there’s no denying Shekinah and Sarper have a connection, the duo certainly know how to stir the proverbial 90 Day Fiancé pot pretty well, making them one of the most annoying couples to appear on the series.
