90 Day Fiancé is known for its diverse cast members, many of whom have exhibited troubled behavior over the years. With the sheer number of people in spin-offs throughout the franchise, there are many cast members to choose from when it comes to picking the worst of the worst. While some cast members are simply harmful in their relationships, others show poor behavior in all areas of their lives.
Viewers have been indulging in the messy lives of their favorite 90 Day Fiancé cast members since 2014, and with more and more spin-offs popping up, it’s clear the franchise isn’t slowing down any time soon. From the most famous villains, like 90 Day Fiancé‘s Big Ed Brown, to Angela Deem, there is a spectrum of the behavior exhibited on the show. Looking at the worst of the worst, here are the five most troubled 90 Day Fiancé cast members ranked.
5 90 Day Fiancé’s Leida Margaretha
Arguably half of one of the most controversial couples in franchise history, Leida Margaretha was first introduced to viewers during 90 Day Fiancé season 6. Though she seemed normal when she first appeared on the show, it quickly became clear that Leida had some issues with honesty and general possessiveness. When Leida first met Eric Rosenbrook, she claimed to be a model, an actress, a clinician, and several other careers she could not possibly do all at once. Leida became infamous for her tall tales and greedy nature, and ultimately, things got tricky when the police became involved.
Leida had some difficulties with her fiancé’s daughter, Tasha, who was a teenager when the couple got together. As tensions rose between the two, the Indonesian native decided to take matters into her own hands. Leida kicked Tasha out of Eric’s house, then got a restraining order against the teenager that prevented her from returning to the home. While it was expected that Eric would take his daughter’s side in the drama, it was surprising when he stood by Leida, the ultimate 90 Day Fiancé villain. The two have had scary domestic disputes that could have led to their demise as a couple and bodily harm to both, but they are still together.
4 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days’ Geoffrey Paschel
First introduced during 90 Day Fiancé: Before The 90 Days season 4, Geoffrey Paschel is one of the franchise’s most troubled individuals. Geoffrey was seemingly normal when he first joined the show, but, in 2020, when his past criminal record became public knowledge, he was booted from the series. Geoffrey was convicted of possession with intent to sell a controlled substance, as well as two federal drug trafficking charges before the show. Although he knew his past would become public fodder, he and his fiancé Varya Malina decided to participate in the show anyway.
After their appearance on 90 Day Fiancé, Geoffrey was sentenced to 18 years in prison, having been convicted of kidnapping and assaulting his ex-fiancé. Geoffrey has maintained his innocence throughout his legal troubles, even though he has been convicted of multiple crimes in the past. Though Geoffrey has been in prison since early 2022, Varya also still maintains his innocence and speaks frequently about him on her Instagram account. Between his criminal behavior and his inability to take responsibility for his actions, he’s clearly troubled.
3 90 Day Fiancé’s Mark Shoemaker
Mark Shoemaker, who was first introduced to the audience on 90 Day Fiancé season 3, was in his late 50s when he met his then-fiancé, Nikki. The Baltimore native met Nikki through an online dating service, and though Nikki was only 19 years old, Mark proposed to her very quickly despite their nearly 40-year age gap. Mark and Nikki’s families were unhappy with their relationship, and the couple felt it was truly them against the world, choosing to continue their engagement and eventually getting married.
One of Mark and Nikki’s biggest difficulties was that Mark’s daughter, who was only a year older than Nikki, felt incredibly uncomfortable with her father’s new wife. Regardless of the way their families felt, the couple did not seem to care. After some legal issues with 90 Day Fiancé and some trouble of their own in their relationship, Mark and Nikki eventually divorced, but Mark’s decision to marry a woman nearly 40 years his junior and ignoring the issues his daughter brought up, left a bad taste in fans’ mouths.
2 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way’s Deavan Clegg
Known franchise villain Deavan Clegg, who was introduced during 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way season 1, was not initially a troubled member of the franchise, but as things became more difficult in her life, the more problematic she became. Deavan moved to South Korea to pursue a relationship with Jihoon Lee, who had gotten her pregnant when the pair first met in the U.S. After giving birth to their son, Taeyang, tensions quickly rose for the poorly-matched couple when their baby was diagnosed with childhood cancer.
Under an immense amount of stress, Deavan became difficult to deal with for both Jihoon and the 90 Day Fiancé audience. Deavan’s attitude was impossible to forgive, especially when she blamed every issue on Jihoon. Her negative attitude and generally unpleasant demeanor rubbed people the wrong way and ultimately led to Deavan and Jihoon’s breakup. When the couple split, Deavan and Taeyang moved back to the U.S., and she decided to leave the franchise, though she still documents her life on Instagram and YouTube.
1 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days Paul Staehle
First introduced during 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days, Paul Staehle and his ex-Karine Staehle had a difficult relationship that was followed on several 90 Day Fiancé franchise shows. Paul, who met Karine on a dating app, traveled to Brazil to meet his future fiancé and confessed some of his past discretions, which included being charged with arson and serving a brief prison sentence. Even though she was put off by the admission, Karine agreed to marry Paul. The two were married in 2017 but split in 2021.
Not only has Paul been convicted of arson, but he also has domestic violence charges against him from previous relationships. Though it is unclear if there was violence towards Karine in the relationship, there has been evidence that Karine has been violent toward him. Paul and Karine welcomed two sons during their relationship, Ethan and Pierre, but the children were removed from their care and remain in the custody of CPS after continued monitoring of the ex-couples behavior. With Paul’s criminal past and selfish attitude, this 90 Day Fiancé alum is incredibly troubled.