Photo: Instagram
Is he just a sleazy old rich guy hooking up with a young Brazilian model?
By Rebekah Kuschmider — Written on Nov 03, 2019
Fans of TLC's Sunday night flagship show 90 Day Fiancé are used to seeing some pretty odd couples. The show, which features Americans navigating the process of getting K1 visas to bring their foreign love interests to the United States is always a showcase of drama. However, not many seasons feature a line like “A lot of people may think I’m an old sleazy rich guy going after a beautiful young model from Brazil."
That's what Michael says when he introduces himself and his situation with his 23-year-old fiancé Juliana. To ramp the drama up even further, later in the intro clip, he has to explicitly say: "No, she is not a prostitute."
This couple, one of seven featured in the new season of the show, says they met on a yacht party in Croatia and decided to get engaged and pursue the K1 visa after Juliana couldn't get a tourist visa to visit the U.S. Now, they're trying to build a life together where they have to deal with cultural differences, age differences and Michael's ex-wife and two children.
Are Michael and Juliana from 90 Day Fiancé still together? Read on to find out.
1. Who is Michael?
Michael is a 41-year-old Connecticut resident who has the kind of friends who throw parties on yachts in Croatia. He's a financier and a divorced father of two kids under the age of twelve. He doesn't post much about his family on Instagram, however. His feed is all about wine and guitars. He even travels internationally to purchase fancy vintages of wine for his collection.
2. Who is Juliana?
Michael tells the audience that Juliana is a model, which usually raises some skepticism among fans. Most of the so-called models who appear on this show are actually Instagrammers who have a following but haven't worked as professional models. Juliana actually is a model. Her social media lists her different agents and she appears to have representation all over the world. The photos on her page are definitely professional quality and aren't just bikini selfies. In an interview with the New York Post, the 23-year-old native of Brazil notes that she had one short marriage but she doesn't seem to have any kids of her own.
Juliana is a professional model.
3. How did they meet?
The TLC bio for the couple says they met at a party on a yacht in Croatia, which conjures up images of rich men hiring beautiful women to frolic on the deck of a boat. The picture Juliana paints is is a bit more refined, however. She says they were seated across from each other at dinner. “When I saw his green eyes and smile, I just melted,” she tells The New York Post. “I really wanted to talk to him, but I couldn’t speak English at this time.”
4. No tourist visa
The couple managed to get to know each other despite the language difference and Juliana wanted to come to the U.S. for a visit. However, she was turned down for a tourist visa. When that happened, they decided the next logical step was to get engaged and apply for the K1 visa. That seems like a big step but to each their own.
They continued to see one another during the long application process by traveling together. “As we were going through the K-1 visa process, for almost a week per month we’d figure out a way to get together,” says Michael. “She was living in London for a bit so I’d visit her there, or I’d have business in Asia and she’d meet me there. We’d take special trips, Chile, Argentina, a special Bugatti driving trip.”
5. She's not a prostitute
Reality TV audiences are notoriously judgemental about May-December relationships like this and apparently so are immigration officials. The staff who interviewed Juliana for her visa wondered if there was some sort of sex work in the relationship between the model and her fiancé. “We were asked during Juliana’s visa interview in Rio de Janeiro if she had worked as a prostitute within the last 10 years,” Michael told the New York Post. “And, of course, the answer was no. She’s not a prostitute!”
6. Don't parent my kids
Juliana may not be a sex worker but she is a step-mother in training, a role which seems to be rubbing Michael's ex the wrong way. In a promo for the show, cameras show Juliana putting make-up on one of Michael's kids. Then it cuts to Michael's ex-wife saying to Juliana: "What I want from you is to not parent."
Juliana and Michael's ex-wife clash.
7. Settling down to real life
Michael is worried not just that the blended family situation will be hard to navigate but also that Juliana will be let down by a more regular life. Their relationship up until now has been all about fancy vacations together but once she gets to the U.S., it will be more "regular day-to-day life."
Juliana is excited. She has never been to America before and is really looking forward to it. “I’ve been to all the biggest cities in the world modeling,” she says. “But now I finally get to see the U.S. I can’t wait to see snow fall.”
The new season of 90 Day Finacé begins tonight.
Rebekah Kuschmider has been writing about celebrities, pop culture, entertainment, and politics since 2010. Her work has been seen at Ravishly, Babble, Scary Mommy, The Mid, Redbook online, and The Broad Side. She is the creator of the blog Stay at Home Pundit and she is a cohost of the weekly podcast The More Perfect Union.