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90 Day Fiance: The Other Way viewers are still reeling from Nicole and Mahmoud’s ugly public fight.
It was ugly. It was bitter. And frankly, the meanness escalated to the point where multiple fans took to social media to warn of red flags of something worse.
If hints and 90 Day spoilers are any indication, Nicole and Mahmoud are still tragically together.
But that doesn’t mean that the episode wasn’t a turning point. Maybe not for their marriage, but for viewers. Their story isn’t fun anymore.
Season 4, Episode 8 of 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way opened en media res, with Nicole Sherbiny storming off.
It was Mahmoud Elsherbiny who was saying what might as well be the franchise’s catchphrase at this point: “I’m all done. I’m done.”
This seemed inevitable … yet simultaneously came out of nowhere.
That is because it happened later in the day. Five hours earlier, this couple was singing a very different tune.
In fact, despite recent quarrels, they had found a peaceful way to operate.
What’s their secret? Well … it’s not exactly the key to a successful relationship.
Nicole explained to the camera that she and Mahmoud managed to coexist by simply … not talking about any of their problems.
Sometimes, this works with specific things in a couple’s life. For example, if one spouse has an annoying friend or unpleasant relative. But those aren’t their issues.
Nicole and Mahmoud have fundamental compatibility issues … almost all of which boil down to Nicole compromising her wardrobe to please Mahmoud, and him declaring that it’s still not good enough. The clothing-policing began within minutes of her arrival, and has not let up.
The two did have a nice time, as Mahmoud offered to teach Nicole — a Muslim convert — how he goes about praying.
Mahmoud explained and demonstrates, beginning with a cleansing wudu and then the prayer itself.
Nicole reflected in the voiceover about how it was nice to see this pleasant side of her husband again.
Mahmoud then suggested that they go out and do one of her favorite activities that day: swimming! Nicole, we learned, loves to swim.
There is one caveat: as his wife, Nicole doesn’t get to wear a standard swimsuit.
This is not the result of an Egyptian law. In fact, it’s normal to see standard swimwear, like one-pieces and bikinis, at the beach. This is all Mahmoud.
As Nicole explained later in the episode, she has some major feelings about the burkini.
However, at the moment, she just had a polite question to ask Mahmoud: should she wear something under it?
Instead of answering, Mahmoud looked angry, and he walked out of the room in a huff. When Nicole asked what was wrong, he denied that anything was off.
Nicole felt tearful over Mahmoud’s behavior.
Her interpretation? That he resents her for not knowing these things automatically, for being American, for not being Egyptian.
If so, that is irrational. And we remain confused as to why he would flirt with an American tourist in the first place if he wants a wife who wouldn’t have questions.
Mahmoud did not actually explain why he was unhappy.
But he told the cameras that he had hoped to avoid a fight with his wife, who later cried over his departure from the room.
Why … would there have been a fight? She asked how to wear something to make him happy, and he just refused to answer. He could have answered her question and they could have been on their way.
Nicole reminded Mahmoud of how much effort she has put into all of this for him.
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She changed her entire wardrobe, even though clothing is a huge source of expression for her. She also uprooted her entire life to live with him on another continent.
None of it ever seems to be good enough for Mahmoud, she pointed out.
After donning the burkini, Nicole’s misery was downright palpable. As was her discomfort.
She spoke to the camera about wearing a burkini for the first time, at Mahmoud’s insistence, shortly after marrying him.
Going to the beach at the Red Sea with him, only to see others in one-pieces and bikinis while she felt confined to something that she did not choose … that was not fun. No one should be forced to wear a specific type of swimwear, whether it’s a teeny bikini or a burkini.
Mahmoud was quick to praise Nicole as she wore the burkini. It reminded some viewers of a parent praising a small child in an effort to reinforce a behavior.
Nicole was really not in the mood to hear it.
She even suggested that she’d like to see Mahmoud wear something similar and see how comfortable he felt.
In an astounding moment of what felt like genuine empathy and a glimmer of understanding, Mahmoud admitted how much Nicole has changed.
“If I’m in your situation,” he admitted, he did not know if “I can do or not.”
He then asked Nicole if she minded if he stripped off his shirt to join her in the pool. She told him that she did mind, because he’s making her wear this. Mahmoud then ignored her, jumping into the water.
Though it reminded viewers of how un-seriously Mahmoud seems to take his wife, his torso did serve to explain why Nicole might put up with so much of this.
Later, when the cameras were not rolling, things took a turn for the worse.
Mahmoud’s passive aggressive jab, saying “like you care anyway,” was a final straw for Nicole.
“I just snapped,” she admitted.
Nicole stormed away, with Nicole chasing after her, demanding that she tell him what he did.
She told him that he knew what he did — citing that he has been “picking at” her since the moment that she arrived. Viewers have seen that for themselves.
Nicole repeatedly insisted that Mahmoud leave her alone. He refused, chasing her down the street and making a scene.
More than once, he grabbed her wrist.
Eventually, Mahmoud delivered an ultimatum: she goes home with him now, or they’re done.
“I don’t give a f–k,” Nicole replied. “Whatever you want. Just go.”
Left to her own devices, she felt unsure of how to move forward. At that point, what does “moving forward” even mean?
Does she return to Mahmoud’s home? Well, his mother’s home, where he lives? Does she get a hotel and send someone to collect her things while she buys a ticket?
Viewers knew how they wanted her to move forward. Especially after this display of aggressive, alarming behavior from Mahmoud.
It was enough to, for some segments of the infamously misogynistic 90 Day Fiance fandom, override a seemingly instinctual hatred of almost any woman on the show.
Grabbing a woman’s wrist to prevent her from walking away is not okay all by itself. But doing so in public, on camera? That’s a red flag that things could get much worse in private, if they are not already.
Previously, these two have drawn comparisons to other couples: Ariela and Biniyam. Brittany and Yazan. Deavan and Jihoon. Truthfully? They all have some parallels.
It looks like they’re still together. We cannot offer honest congratulations on that, because that does not seem healthy.
Fans aren’t having fun with their story anymore. Things turned ugly, and many of us will not forget it.
