They Said It Would Never Last: 5 90 Day Fiancé Couples Who Proved Every Fan Wrong

Every season, 90 Day Fiancé fans play the same game. The new couples appear, the red flags get circled, and the predictions roll in: the age gap is too big, the family hates him, she is only here for the green card, he will be gone by the Tell All. And every season, some of those predictions age terribly. So let’s settle one of the fandom’s oldest arguments: the couples everybody swore would crash, who are still standing years later.

David & Annie: The Joke That Became the Gold Standard

When David Toborowsky met Annie Suwan in a Thailand karaoke bar, fans were brutal. He was 48, broke, and fresh off a divorce; she was 24. The dowry negotiations — and yes, the water buffalo — became instant memes, and viewers gave the marriage six months, tops. David and Annie married in November 2017. Eight years later, they are arguably the most beloved couple in the entire franchise, and according to reports, they welcomed their first child together, daughter Minthira, in March 2025. The couple nobody took seriously became the standard everybody else gets measured against.

Loren & Alexei: Too Boring to Last, Apparently

Loren Goldstone met Alexei Brovarnik on a Birthright trip to Israel, and the skeptics wrote them off for the opposite reason: no fireworks, no chaos, nothing to watch. Loren and Alexei married in 2015 — with a second celebration in Israel in 2016 — and have since welcomed three children. A full decade on, the couple fans called boring has quietly outlasted nearly every dramatic romance the franchise has ever produced. Maybe boring was the point.

Andrei & Elizabeth: The Family War That Didn’t End Them

Andrei Castravet arrived from Moldova with a temper, no job, and a father-in-law whose wallet — and opinions — came attached to everything. Fans were certain Elizabeth Potthast would eventually have to choose: her family or her husband. Instead, the two married in 2017, built a life in Tampa, and welcomed two children. The Potthast family dinners are still televised chaos. The marriage, somehow, is not.

Russ & Paola: Season 1’s Original Long Shot

Go all the way back to Season 1. Russ Mayfield’s Oklahoma family worried Paola was a model looking for a ticket; Paola worried Russ would never really leave Oklahoma. They married in 2013 anyway, survived a very public rough patch — including a reported break and couples therapy in 2021 — and are still together, raising their son Axel, born in 2019. Twelve years in, the franchise’s original “she’ll never stay” couple is, in fact, still here.

Patrick & Thaís: The Late Entry Nobody Believed

Patrick Mendes carried a cheating scandal and a mountain of fan suspicion into his season, and plenty of viewers filed Thaís Ramone under “vacation romance.” They married in 2022, welcomed daughter Aleesi later that year, and have stayed almost entirely out of the split headlines ever since — which, in this franchise, is its own kind of plot twist.

The Flip Side: Couples Fans Believed In

Fair is fair: the fandom’s crystal ball shatters in the other direction too. Fans adored Rose Vega and were sure Big Ed was the entire problem — that relationship still imploded mid-season. Memphis and Hamza looked like a sweet underdog story, and split after their daughter arrived, according to reports. Predicting 90 Day couples, it turns out, is a game almost nobody wins.

So now it’s your turn to confess. Which couple did YOU get completely wrong? Are you Team “I always knew David and Annie were the real deal” — or are you still stunned they’re the franchise’s biggest success story? And which breakup blindsided you the most? Drop your confession in the comments, and defend your pick.

Fan-made article. Not affiliated with TLC.