Why Bilal's 'Prank' On Shaeeda Is Already A Big Red Flag | 90 Day Fiance
Season 9 of 90 Day Fiancé has only just begun, but there are already hints that cast member Bilal Hazziez will receive a villain edit and be chastised by fans.
The following contains spoilers for the premiere of 90 Day Fiancé Season 9. Please read at your own risk!
90 Day Fiancé Season 9 is here, with a mostly new cast of couples ready to show the franchise's fanbase their individual journeys through the K-1 visa process, and all the drama that comes with it.
Unfortunately, there were no major updates or big moments from returning couple Ariela Weinberg and Biniyam Shibre's relationship in the season premiere, though we were introduced to Bilal Hazziez.
Viewers may have strong feelings about Bilal, who devised a "prank" to put his fiancée Shaeeda to the test during her visit to the United States, and its red flag status grew with each detail he revealed.
Bilal explained during his introduction on 90 Day Fiancé (which will eventually be available to HBO Max subscribers once the streaming merger with Discovery+ is completed) that while he enjoys expensive items and lives comfortably, he never made his financial situation clear to Shaeeda.
In fact, he actively concealed it from her, to the point where he only had blank walls behind him during their Facetime calls so as not to reveal his opulent home. All of this led to his villainous revelation that he rented a service van as well as a small home for a one-night stay in order to fool Shaeeda into thinking he lives modestly during her first visit to the United States.
The prank, according to Bilal, was to pretend that he lived a simpler life than he actually did, and his reasoning was such that he thought it'd be funny to show her this set-up first, only to later reveal that he didn't live like that at all.
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He also mentioned that this would help determine whether Shaeeda was here for the right reasons and whether she is a "gold digger" or not. I think we can all agree that it's a strange coincidence that Bilal had this idea around the same time as the Joe Millionaire revival was airing on Fox, and it didn't exactly work out well for everyone involved.
After all sure, some 90 Day Fiancé fans may wonder if Bilal's ancillary motivation for spending tons of money on a quasi-initiation is his primary motivator. It's difficult to predict whether Shaeeda will be amused and agree that it's a prank, or whether she will be deeply offended by the whole thing and accuse him of guilt tripping on a grand scale.
It's difficult to say with certainty, but it appears that there is little upside to this stunt as a whole. The best-case scenario is that Shaeeda takes the whole thing in stride, not freaking out, while inwardly wondering what else this guy is capable of.
Otherwise, we might see her reveal that she is completely turned off by a more humble lifestyle, prompting her to leave him. In another case, Shaeeda may be unconcerned about his financial situation, but she will be hurt and betrayed that Bilal did not trust her enough to be honest about his lifestyle.
He must understand that after leaving everything familiar in order to live with a potential future spouse, no one wants the first thing they encounter to be deception. Even in the best of circumstances, playing a practical joke on someone who is moving from another country to start a new life feels rather cruel.
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But, as I previously stated, Shaeeda may take it in stride, and his idea may feel more like an inside joke than a televised "gotcha!" moment. I've seen enough 90 Day Fiancé to know that cast members can always outperform expectations, in both good and bad ways.
I'm also curious whether this is something the producers encouraged Bilal to do in order to quickly spice up the drama of their storyline, as former cast members have claimed that behind-the-scenes decisions have influenced how stories play out, rather than things being completely organic. If this was entirely Bilal's idea, it could already outdo pretty much everything the scandal-ridden cast of Before the 90 Days Season 5 did, which is a tall order.
Season 9 of 90 Day Fiancé airs on TLC on Sundays at 8:00 p.m. ET. This season has already gotten off to a hot start, and one can only hope that the sizzle continues with Ariela and Biniyam's story later in the season.