Weekend Wrap-up: More 90 Day, Cosplaying the Amish, Awful Additictions, & Ugly Houses
Weeks of January 26 and February 02, 2026: 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days, Suddenly Amish, My Strange Addiction, and Ugliest House in America
Yes, I watch reality TV. 🙈 Shame me. It’s a guilty pleasure, and I don’t have a lot of people to talk about these one-way trains 🚂 to crazy town that are TLC shows. Are they secretly scripted? Probably. Does it make them any less enjoyable? No.
Here I want to talk about the episodes that premiered the weeks of January 26 and February 02, 2026. I may discuss key points, entire episodes, partial episodes, or whatever my heart desires about these shows.
This weekend wrap-up will only focus on reality tv shows! Other shows I am watching that I won’t be discussing this week: The Hunting Party and Stumble.
Now onto the wrap-up! 🎁
This blog will contain spoilers, adult themes, and explicit language!
Reality Shows
90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days
This one is going to be different because I am just going to briefly discuss the couples and the key things that have happened so far. This will not be episode by episode.
What is it about:
Americans travel abroad to meet their online soulmates for the first time. Read more on TLC’s Website
Where to watch:
Sundays at 8/7c on TLC or drops on HBO Max the next day
Current Season: 8
Episodes: ** 9
The Couples
Americans listed first and the location is where they travel to where their partner lives.
Rick (52) and Trish (25) - Madagascar
Rick is from California, and he is in a relationship with Trish who is half is age.
Rick, Rick, Rick, he is an asshole. He is stringing Trish along and still not revealing her flew to COLUMBIA for sex. He isn’t honest about him wanting kids. Trish very clearly wants kids, but Rick does not want anymore. He won’t tell her the truth because he knows if she knows this she is going to leave him. She is blatantly clear that if he doesn’t want kids then she doesn’t see a future. She also hasn’t told her dad that Rick is OLDER THAN HER DAD.
On the last day or second to last day of their trip, he gives her a jungle outfit. Then he makes them go run around the jungle because he likes to roleplay. Trish straight up was like this is weird. 💀
On the LAST day of their very nice trips, he FINALLY confesses about flying to Columbia to go see his ex. Trish is upset, and I feel so bad for her. Rick makes a ton of excuses for cheating, and it is very pathetic. He also blames her because she didn’t respond as soon as he wanted. Trish NEEDS to break up with Rick. He waited to tell her because he wanted to have a strong bond with her first. SMH. 😒
Jovon (38) and Annalyn (38) - Philippines
Jovon is from Alabama, and he is MARRIED to Annalyn - a woman he has never met in person until now.
They fight on their honeymoon. They are not going to last. He is an asshole.
Laura (47) and Birkan (26) - Turkey
Laura is from Washington, and she is in a relationship with Birkan who is almost half her age.
They went to go make evil eyes, and Birkan basically tells her she needs to stop being friends with Michael. Obviously this leads to a fight between them.
She meets his friends, and they tell him that he needs to come clean to Laura. I like his friends. They go on a trip to Cesme, Turkey and wow it is very beautiful.
We find out Birkan is a gambler, and that he gambled some money that Laura sent him for Valentine’s Day. Laura doesn’t care if people gamble IF they have money which Birkan does NOT have. She doesn’t know if Birkan will actually go and find a job in the states. It’s especially concerning if he just relies on gambling because she is financially responsible for him in the states until he can get work. Birkan also says that he does NOT have a gambling addiction, but he does gamble basically every day. 🤨 That sounds like an addiction to me. He reveals his debts are from owning some business that eventually failed during covid. He says that none of his debts are from gambling which I do find a little hard to believe.
Lisa (51) and Daniel (39) - Nigeria
Lisa is from Pennsylvania, and she is in a relationship with Daniel.
We saw the most awkward dinner with Lisa and Daniel. The whole time he basically berates her that she isn’t eating it right. Then he accuses her of being drunk after she had ONE SIP of wine. He tells her to walk to see if she walks in a straight line. She goes “Okay, watch me walk, watch me walk” and walks straight out the door. When Daniel comes out to talk to her, he love bombs and gaslights her. What a wonderful man. ✨
Lisa BLATANTLY LIES to Daniel’s uncle about smoking, drinking, and her “lesbianism” as uncle refers to it. She does get the blessing to marry Daniel. She finally tells her daughter, Faith, about the proposal. If you don’t remember, Faith asked ONE thing of her mother: do NOT get engaged. Faith straight up told Lisa it is way too soon.
Lisa also takes off her wig which she has been wearing the whole trip. She did not tell Daniel she was going to do this. He was so pressed when she came downstairs, and he basically implied she was ugly without it. I thought she looked fine, and her short hair fit her pretty well. He did not talk to her much or compliment her at all until she put the wig back on which is something she points out. Like girl the 🚩 are right in front of you. RUN! 🏃♀️➡️
She goes to meet with his friends, and she asks them if he is scamming her. She also reveals that other women had reached out to her to tell her that Daniel was also talking to them. Daniel says he is just being friendly to these American women. Mhmm yeah sure buddy. OFC his friends say that he isn’t scamming Lisa. They also keep calling her Daniel’s “savior” since she has sent him so much money that now he has more than one pair of shoes and all this other stuff. It definitely feels very manipulative.
At the end of the episode, we see Lisa reach out to one of the women who contacted her, and she gets a very lengthy response back. So we shall see what she says. 👀
Aviva (26) and Stig (30) - Belize
Aviva is from Arizona, and she is in a relationship with Stig who is a rapper in Belize.
We haven’t really seen much of them. Guess there is no drama. 🤷♀️
Forrest (32) and Sheena (40) - Philippines
Forrest is from Oregon, and he is in a relationship with Sheena who is a vet in the Philippines.
Sheena is confronted because her parents house is super nice and her dad and sister seem pretty nice. Sheena has a break-down and confesses she lied about her parents “forcing” her to give them money. It was v awkward.
Unrelated to the show there are speculations and rumors that Forrest and Sheena had already met. Some photos from Christmas in 2023 or 2024 (I can’t remember) surfaced of Forrest and Sheena with her family. It’s weird to think about them all pretending they have never met in person and that surely Forrest’s mom would have already known about everything. So was it all an act? If so, Forrest’s mom is a good actress. I think maybe she didn’t know the extent. It is weird she is so pressed about the money when Forrest hasn’t really contributed much financially.
Emma (28) and Ziad (27) - Morocco
Emma is from California, and she is in a relationship with Ziad.
Not much going on with them. Emma is upset after meeting Ziad’s friends, and Ziad basically says his percentage of marrying her is 0%. Like wow thanks. He later raises it to 7%. Emma does reveal they have sex to NATIONAL TELEVISION even though sex before marriage isn’t “allowed” in his religion. They are about to go desert, so we will see what happens there. Keep in mind she still hasn’t told him she was with another man when she started talking to him.
Want to know more about each episode? If you want more of a recap episode by episode, I recommend checking out the following Youtube channels: My Thots and Boba Belly.
Suddenly Amish
What is it about:
The Amish community faces an existential crisis: young people are leaving the church, centuries of intermarriage have created genetic concerns, and the population is dwindling. Bishop Vernon has a radical solution that’s never been tried before: offer six outsiders the opportunity to join his community and become Amish. Read more on TLC’s Website
Where to watch:
Tuesdays at 10/9c on TLC or drops on HBO Max the next day
Episodes:
Episode 3️⃣
Title: Beauty is Fleeting
Episode Duration: 43 Minutes
Allen & Sarah’s House
It is 3 weeks until reckoning day. Matt has decided to leave especially after being chased off by James. Bishop Vernon says that James has the authority to kick Matt off his property, but he should of not chased him off with an axe. On top of that, James does NOT have the authority to kick someone out of the church. Kendra is upset that Matt left because she did think there might be a connection between them. Uh-oh rain may not be a good omen. Kendra goes and dances in the rain mid-breakdown.
There are bats in the house! 🦇 He believes the bats are a schlect prophecy aka a bad omen. They are going to have to move into James and Emma’s house for now, so now it is one big happy family.
James & Emma’s House
Esmeralda asks Emma about divorce and her stance on it. She says that if she gets married then she will never divorce her husband. Esmeralda makes a comment in her confessional that she guesses she will have to kill her husband if she wants to marry someone else.
Aaron has been feeling off without his hearing aids, but he is willing to accept the struggle. What in the stretching montage is this??
The New Combined House
It has been a week since they got there. Aaron and Judah are going to help James build a phone shanty which is a shack where they keep a landline phone. ☎️ This allows them to call family and loved ones, but it is placed far from the house so as not to cause a distraction. Kendra wants to call her mom because she is in a lot of emotional distress. Since the phone shanty isn’t built yet, James says she can’t call her. Kendra then decides she wants to go home, and James decides to let her use his phone that he got shunned for. He says he has a soft spot for Kendra, and he also recognizes that they can’t lose another person since they just lost Matt. That he still has… Honestly, I am surprised that James did lend her the phone and bend the rules. I still think he is a big hypocrite, but at least he is learning some compromise. He also comments that the Amish are very gossipy, and if they saw her with the phone or them hugging, they could gossip which could ruin he chances of getting back into good graces.
The women head off to the fabric store to get some fabric to make their own Amish clothes. Esmeralda is in a crop top with her cleavage front and center. She is hesitant about having to cover up. Sarah is sewing everyone’s dresses. Aside I need to learn how to sew like that to make cool stuff. 👗
18 Days until Reckoning Day
The men are now going to dress in Amish clothing. Aside I wonder if Matt got to keep the shoes he got at the store, or if they will get to keep there Amish clothes if they choose to leave?
A new character, Ella, is here to help with the girl’s clothing. I like the color of Billie Jo’s dress underneath her apron. I think Billie Jo might be the only person who I might could see choosing to stay Amish. The Amish don’t have mirrors.
Unmarried men must shave their facial hair. Only married men can have beards. Judah was never taught how to shave. He is not happy that he has to shave his beard and mustache. 🧔♂️ He is NOT willing to conform and shave his face.
The women are speaking in German about Esmeralda’s lashes. Ella does not want her to put her Amish clothing on as long as she has the lashes. Esmeralda thinks she is being picked on for her appearance, but girl you have already had this discussion. She still doesn’t want to take off her lashes and nails, so she will not be changing. Once again the Amish do NOT have lashes and fake nails! The women talk to Esmeralda about removing them, and they are actually super supportive and sweet. She is struggling with self-confidence, and she thinks that Emma and Ella are just being Amish mean-girls.
Judah has a big speech about why he didn’t shave. Esmeralda is upset that Judah got to change and still kept his beard. She is salty that she was singled out. Emma is annoyed that it looks bad on her and Ella. James makes a comment that maybe she came her for an experience and not to stay for the experience. I do agree with this perspective. Judah says that he will gladly put his English clothes back on since Esmeralda is being singled out. James says if Esmeralda leaves then he’ll leave right behind her.
Next time
Billie Jo goes on a date! Judah learns how to drive the buggy. Aaron gets some Amish hearing aids. Matt comes back!
Episode 4️⃣
Title: Love Your Neighbor
Episode Duration: 43 Minutes
The Episode
Esmeralda is still hung up on not removing her lashes and nails. I feel like this is drama that is just being created for a plotline. Kendra is trying to be supportive that even if Esmeralda does not have the lashes and nails she is still beautiful.
James is going to teach Judah how to drive the horse and buggy. The buggy does have a break! Learn something new everyday. ✨ Judah wants to customize his horse and buggy. Harley, the horse, was iconic. They didn’t want to break, didn’t want to stay on the right side of the road, and shit right in front of Judah.
Esme finally decides to remove her nails and lashes, so she can now get dressed in Amish entire. Emma is understanding, and she is proud of Esme. I love Sparky, the dog, so much. He’s so cute omg. 😭
Forney, TX
We catch up with Matt who is back in Texas. He feels like he was robbed of having the Amish experience. Everyone has progressed through it, and Matt still wants to pursue it. He also says that he and Kendra have a bond. Matt is upset with James and thinks James is crazy. Matt feels like he has to face James if he wants to be in the Amish community.
Back to Lancaster, PA
Billie Jo reflects on how much work there is in the community. A woman who isn’t married is called an “Old Maid.” Aaron is irritated that his hearing is going in and out. He doesn’t really feel included. Allen senses that he is irritated, and he hopes that he is doing okay. Allen and Aaron go paint for some English folks. Aaron meets Jacob who he would be working for if he decided to stay English. 🖌️
The women are churning butter today. 🧈 They successfully made butter.
Aaron is having trouble hearing Jacob speaking to him. He can’t read lips when his back is turned. Aaron is trying to play matchmaker for Jacob and Billie Jo. Allen agrees that Jacob might be the man Billie Jo is looking for. We then see Aaron struggling with hearing producers ask him questions. James gives Aaron an Amish approved hearing aides. He stays up trying to adjust to these hearing aides, and he knows that these are not going to work. 🦻
Billie Jo is going on a date with Jacob! Aside Allen and Sarah talk about courting, and tbh I think they are super cute together. Jacob is a little awkward on the date. His go to word is “ok.” Plot twist: Jacob has some tattoos, and he has his nipples pierced! It was technically his first date, but he had a lot of fun. Billie Jo gives the date 3.5/5 stars, but she doesn’t know if there is a romantic connection.
We see Matt heading back to PA. Of course everyone is together and in the barn when Matt shows back up. Kendra ran to him, and she busted it on the way down. They have a very long embrace. James is PISSED. He is surprised that Matt came back.
“Kendra bolts for temptation and hurts herself. Is it an act of God, I don’t know.” - James
Matt wants to have a conversation with James. Emma points out that she thinks that they, that Amish, should have a discussion about it. They speak in their dialect. Allen thinks that they should give Matt a chance with the caveat that he can’t re-marry. Emma asks why James didn’t talk to them before making his decision to kick Matt out. Allen asks if it’s jealously for Kendra being interested in Matt. James denies it, but yeah I definitely think he does have a crush on Kendra.
Next Time They go to church. Kendra has a sling for her elbow. She and Matt go on a date, and they get fed up with James. He goes to track them down at a motel. James doesn’t want Matt taking away the Amish women.
Next Time
My Strange Addiction
What is it about:
The stories are hard to believe but the obsessions are even harder to quit. Read more on TLC’s Website
Where to watch:
Wednesdays at 9/8c on TLC or drops on HBO Max the next day
Current Season: 7
Episodes: 6? (There is no number 5 episode on HBO Max so not sure why - Hulu does show 6 episodes so IDK what is going on with HBO Max)
Episode 4️⃣
Title: Hot Glue Eater, Cardboard Consumption, Breastfeeding
Episode Duration: 43 Minutes
Jayden (20) - Antioch, IL - Addicted to eating hot glue 🍴🔌
She loves the scent of hot glue?? She consumes more than 8000 glue sticks annually which is enough to fill over 240 wine bottles. She started eating plastic at 2 years old. She eats both hot glue and glue sticks that have not been melted. She’s apparently been really constipated, and she gets stomach aches occasionally. She’s not really keeping it a secret per say, but she isn’t just telling people.
Her friend’s face when she tells them that she’s going to chew on hot glue is me fr. Her immediate family knows about her addiction, but she hasn’t told her grandma who now lives with them. She’s been eating glue sticks since she was 13! She goes to see a doctor with her grandmother who tells her that plastic does NOT break down in her body. The plastic she’s been consuming releases chemicals and could cause so many health issues. She is shocked that plastic is that bad for her. Like wow who would have thought?? She doesn’t want to stop, but she also doesn’t want to die.
She hasn’t eaten any glue since her appointment.
Terry (39) - Memphis, TN - Addicted to eating cardboard 🍴📦
His beard is so low on his face. It’s like a chin beard. He started eating cardboard when he was 6 years old. He sprinkles cardboard in his eggs… His family doesn’t know, and he lives with them. Aren’t they confused by all the boxes in the house?? Apparently he hides it at his house. He compares eating cardboard to a spiritual awakening. He has eaten over 15,000 boxes which is enough to cover 24 basketball courts. 😳
He likes plain brown box cardboard the best. He goes to a box plant called New Tech. The woman leading the tour hit him with the 🤔 face when he asked about the taste of the boxes. She compares cardboard to gluten free bread as her closest guess because she has never eaten it before lol. He’s helping out his Ex/baby mama, Trina, who is the only person who knows about his cardboard addiction, and she’s concerned about his health. He tells his mom about his addiction, and she is shocked and worried about getting him to stop. Aside She just has the giggles at lunch. She wants to have a family meeting to discuss it, but he is willing to seek help to stop eating it.
He met with a doctor who warned him of the dangers of eating cardboard, and he has cut back eating it as much.
Charlotte (39) - Philomath, OR - Addicted to breastfeeding 👩🍼🍼
Her children are 7 and 4, and she still breastfeeds them… out in public too. They are at the PARK. She has 1.5 and 2 year old breastmilk in her freezer. She kept doing it because of the benefits. She uses it for their ear infections and other ailments. She even puts it in her kids’ foods. Her husband, Brian, has been supportive mostly. She doesn’t have a cutoff age for when she would stop.
She goes to meet with a lactation consultant. I guess her kids don’t go to a physical school? There could be issues with her children’s coping methods according to the lactation consultant. She does not decide right now on a hard stop.
Her breastfeeding has slowed to once a day as her milk supply depletes, but she plans to continue as long as she can.
Episode 6️⃣
Title: Sponge Snacks, Eats Toenails, Extreme Sunbathing
Episode Duration: 43 Minutes
Ron (35) - Tustin, CA - Addicted to eating sponge 🍴🧽
We see him at the furniture store blatantly eating the yellow, furniture sponge that is on display! People are looking at him like WTF. Is that considered stealing? I guess he goes to buy it, and the salesperson tells him “I don’t want to sell this to you if it hurts your health.” He can’t morally let this guy buy sponge that he knows contains tons of chemicals and will hurt his health. Also that sponge was his only sample to show the mattress. It says that polyurethane foam is derived from petroleum, and it commonly contains toxic chemicals like formaldehyde and flame retardants. He likes a particular kind of sponge made 25 years ago. He started eating it when he was 8 years old! He is constantly eating it. He has already had health problems such as a blockage in his lower intestines. To stop himself from getting in that condition, he consumes a TON of fiber.
He just has sponge in clear containers sitting on his kitchen counter. He blends them up sometimes since you have to grind your teeth to eat it. The only person in his life who knows he eats sponge is his brother Dimitrius. His brother hates the fact that he eats it. They fight and hang up. Now we see him working with his friend Anthony, and he has to go to his car to eat sponge. Ron comes clean and tells Anthony about his addiction. Anthony is shocked and disgusted. He straight up tells him that it is disgusting, and he cannot support him eating this but he will help him get through it. Ron is down to go see an addiction specialist because of seeing Anthony’s worries and concern for him.
He goes to visit an addiction specialist. He gives him a teddy bear that he had in his office. 🐻 I love that the therapist has a mug that says “Dr. Freddy’s Tea Time.” He gives him a honey stick to try to replace his addiction since bears eat honey. 🍯 Ron pulls out a Ziploc bag of sponge. Ron wants his therapist to try a piece, so the therapist does! Ron is surprised, and he points out that none of his family would do this for him. Ron decides to leave his Ziploc bag as a first step. 👏
Ron is trying to quit eating sponge. His first step is attempting to spit it out after chewing.
Tarah (32) - Tehachapi, CA - Addicted to sunning her perineum ☀️🍑
The perineum is between your genitals and butthole. She spends two hours a day sunning herself which is the equivalent of an entire month each year. Gary is her current partner who she has been with for over a year. Gary thinks it is weird, and he does not want all the sun and solar radiation. Tarah wants Gary to sun with her. I don’t think Gary is her man then. Gary would stop supporting it if he had any negative health effect on Tarah. Pretty sure that much unprotected sun exposure is bad for you.
She likes the sun to hit all her private parts. She is literally sunning where she could probably be visible from the road. He asks her if she has had encounters with strangers, and she says one time someone snapped a photo of her. Now she tries to choose locations that are safe. She also has been sunburned a few times on her genitals.
Since filming, she has not changed her sunning practice, and she hopes soon Gary will join her.
Janet (33) - Hedgesville, WV - Addicted to eating toenails 🍴🦶
She is at the gym EATING HER TOENAILS. 🤢 She eats her nails everyday. She has been doing it for 26 years now. She eats over 60 clippings a week which is over 2 pounds a week since she started doing it. She collects them and saves them for later on. It keeps AMPLIFYING the sound of her biting her nails. She eats her daughters’ nails too OMG. 🤢 She also used to chew on her other daughters’ nails, but once the daughter got old enough she told her mom to stop. I’m sorry, but this one has got to be the nastiest. I did almost throw up. She also eats her friend’s nails. 😵💫 Her friend gives them to her, but she doesn’t know that she eats them. Janet says she eats them for a coping mechanism.
She goes to meet her friend, Kayla, at a restaurant to ask for her nails. Janet finally tells her the truth, and Kayla is creeped out. It makes her uncomfortable that her own friends wants to eat her nails. Janet starts EATING THEM AT THE TABLE. Kayla is like girl you’re out in public. I’d be embarrassed and disgusted too. Janet isn’t scared of catching bacteria and infection. She also has a chip on her veneers from biting her toe nails. Kayla wants her to go to the doctor and make sure she is healthy. Kayla cannot continue to give Janet her nails because she is worried for Janet’s health. Her daughters so desperately want her to stop eating her toe nails. She puts some on her CUPCAKE. 🧁
She has stopped eating her daughters’ toenails, but she continues to eat her own when she is stressed.
Ugliest House in America
What is it about:
Retta tours properties that were nominated based on gaudy designs and botched renovations. Read more on IMDB
Where to watch:
All episodes available on HBO Max
Current Season: 7
Episodes: 6
Duration: 154 Minutes
Brief Thoughts on the Winning House 🏠
The Mishmosh Hodgepodge house in Vershire, Vermont from the East Region is the house that won the makeover. I thought that the makeover overall was pretty good. I really liked the green on the outside, and I thought the inside looked a lot more open. The doors in the primary bedroom that led to the bathroom were a little weird. They were French doors that were entirely see through. Their bathroom was huge, but there wasn’t a wall on the shower. I do like the old nods to the previous house such as the monkey mirrors. I also really liked the kitchen. I do find it weird that I guess the other rooms didn’t need to be made over or weren’t in the budget. However, it is always like that. Allison Victoria definitely ran with the tree theme, but I think that it wasn’t too crazy. I loved the mural in the “hobbit hole” area under the stairs.
I think this house was a good winner, but it never feels like it is the ugliest house per say. It all depends on which house can best utilize the 150k for the maximum amount of renovations. 💰 Overall, it’s a fun season to watch and I love Retta’s commentary.
If you want to read more and see photos, check out this article.
I am eager to hear your thoughts if you are watching any of these shows!
Happy watching! 📺🍿