90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days premiere has unexpected 'MTV crossover'

TyRay smiling in 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days
TyRay on 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days (Image credit: TLC)

The 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days season 6 premiere episode struck many different chords for longtime viewers (literally as fans even were treated to an impromptu ukulele performance). Not only did they welcome back Gino and his many hats and seem to embrace newcomers to the 90 Day universe, Amanda and David, but the audience also got an unexpected "MTV crossover event" as it pertained to cast member TyRay. 

While Before the 90 Days is a TLC Original and MTV has no involvement in the production of the show, viewers couldn't help but draw contrasts between the TLC series and the popular MTV show, Catfish

It all started when Before the 90 Days introduced TyRay to viewers. In short, the 33-year-old lives in California where he takes care of his mother full-time. Unfortunately, she suffered a stroke and he wound up quitting his job to help her recuperate. Additionally, he mentioned that over the years he's struggled with his weight, which makes him a bit insecure when it comes to dating. 

Then he met 27-year-old Carmella from Barbados on a dating app. He described her as a mix between rappers Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. After chatting a bit on the platform, he and Carmella became an item and were together for four years. However, red flags began to appear when TyRay mentioned that the pair never met in person or even video-chatted throughout their entire relationship. TyRay was hoping to visit her in her country on this season of Before the 90 Days

Before producers let TyRay's journey to meeting Carmella get too far, they did some research and found out something alarming about TyRay's great love. In a heartbreaking moment, Before the 90 Days producer David shared with TyRay that TLC was able to speak with the person TyRay has been involved with over the past several years, and Carmela is not who she said she was. In fact, Carmela is actually a man. TyRay looked absolutely devastated by the news. 

To TyRay's credit, David did share with TyRay that TLC was willing not to air the footage; however, given it was in the episode, it's safe to assume TyRay gave producers consent to show what happened to him in his real life. 

The only thing missing was Catfish host Nev.  

90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days fans applaud show producers and pour out sympathy for TyRay

Viewers have taken to Twitter to express their gratitude for producers stepping in and informing TyRay that the person he fell in love with is not real. Fans also poured out their support for the new Before the 90 Days cast member. Take a look at just a few of the tweets that we found.  

See more
See more
See more
See more
See more
See more

New episodes of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days season 6 continue to air live on Sundays on TLC. Episodes also become available to stream on Max and Discovery Plus

Terrell Smith

Terrell Smith has a diverse writing background having penned material for a wide array of clients including the federal government and Bravo television personalities.  When he’s not writing as Terrell, he’s writing under his pseudonym Tavion Scott, creating scripts for his audio drama podcasts. Terrell is a huge fan of great storytelling when it comes to television and film. Some of his favorite shows include The CrownWandaVision, Abbot Elementary and Godfather of HarlemAnd a fun fact is he's completely dialed into the TLC 90 Day Fiancé universe.