Warning! The following contains spoilers for the 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? episode "Frankly, My Dear, I Don't Give A Damn." Stream it with an HBO Max subscription and read at your own risk!
We've known for quite a while that Jasmine Pineda and Gino Palazzolo were one of the latest 90 Day Fiancé couples to split after marriage, but that hasn't stopped it from becoming some of the most compelling drama in Happily Ever After? Season 9. That trend continued in the latest episode when Jasmine finally met Gino's girlfriend Natalie, but I can't help but question how it went down.
Weeks after Gino told his soon-to-be ex-wife he wanted a divorce, he invited Natalie to Michigan to attend his cousin's birthday party. Admittedly, it might be the lamest way to highlight the fun of living in the midwestern state, but what had me shaking my head is that his family decided to invite Jasmine for what became a heated event.
Jasmine's Arrival Went Exactly How We Expected It To
If it wasn't painfully apparent that Natalie walked into a setup after listening to the wild line of questioning Gino's cousin had for the two of them, it should've been when Jasmine was already hurling insults at Natalie the second she walked in the door. She called her a "stripper" and a "whore," and almost immediately, the two women started going at it. Natalie eventually walked out the door while Jasmine continued to scream "whore" as she exited.
In her confession, Jasmine stated she had no idea she would react that way, but I find that incredibly hard to believe. 90 Day Fiancé fans knew this was coming because Jasmine has a pretty extensive history of causing a scene in tense moments, especially when cameras are rolling. She's had knockdown dragouts with Gino, threatened Natalie Mordovtseva, and even threw down with Rob Warne when she was pregnant. In fairness, that last fight took place after the battle with Gino's girlfriend was filmed, but I think everyone, including Gino's family, knew how this was going to go.
Gino's Family Shouldn't Have Invited One Or The Other To The Party
Breakups are tough, and I get there are times where everyone has to come together as adults and be there for the greater good. That said, this wasn't one of those times. Jasmine and Gino are in the midst of starting a divorce, months after he kicked her out of their home for her relationship with Matt Branistareanu, and he just brought his new girlfriend to meet the family for the first time. If anyone was convinced inviting them both would go smoothly, I'd be shocked.
For that reason, I have to believe that 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? deliberately set this whole scene up specifically for entertainment value. In a rational world, either Jasmine would've opted not to go, or Gino would've decided he wouldn't attend. At the end of the day, we're talking about a random birthday dinner for an adult cousin. Not to call myself out too much here, but I can't remember the last time that I attended birthday festivities for any of my cousins' special days.
Part of me just wants to believe the whole thing was a scripted moment all 90 Day Fiancé participants were in on, because if not, I feel so bad for Natalie. She didn't ask to be pulled into any of this, and she didn't fly into Michigan on her dime to be called a "whore" in front of her boyfriend's entire family by his ex-wife. If my significant other set me up for something like that, I wouldn't be dating them anymore.
We'll see if Natalie feels the same way as new episodes of 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? continue on TLC on Sundays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Catch up now on HBO Max, or just rewatch the wild showdown that went on during the Palazzolo family gathering.
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