Why 90 Day Fiancé: Before The 90 Days’ Ben Might Be The Latest Catfish Victim

Ben in 90 Day Fiancé: Before The 90 Days
(Image credit: TLC)

Warning! The following contains spoilers from the latest 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days episode “Burns and Betrayals.” Read at your own risk!

90 Day Fiancé: Before The 90 Days is always entertaining because it’s not always obvious if the couples will remain together by the end of the season, and occasionally, it’s possible one of the people isn’t even real. Catfish storylines have been a mainstay on the spinoff for quite some time, and once again, fans are left to debate on whether or not Ben Rathbun’s Peruvian girlfriend Mahogany Roca is a real person or not. 

Ben is a 52-year-old former youth pastor-turned-model who’s looking for love, and he thinks he’s found it in Mahogany, a 24-year-old who claims to love God just as much as his children she’s never met. It seems like the perfect situation for the divorcé, but there are already clues that indicate this situation is too good to be true. I don’t know anything with certainty, to be sure, but the red flags below definitely have me thinking Mahogany isn’t who she says she is

Mahogany And Ben Have Never Spoken On Video Chat

The number one red flag within this episode of 90 Day Fiancé: Before The 90 Days was Ben revealing Mahogany is too shy to speak on video chat, which understandably had Ben’s friends concerned. But Ben assured them it was okay, and that he had a video that proved she was who she said. Ben then played a video of Mahogany in which she waved to the camera, identified herself as Mahogany, and did little else. The video felt really generic, as if it was created it for the purpose of using it on multiple people. Had Mahogany called Ben by name in the video, or made any other specifically identifiable moves, I’d be less suspicious, but to me, that video alone is basically a reason to suspect she's a catfish.

Ben Was Catfished In The Past

I’d like to believe that after the first time someone falls for a catfish, they’re far less likely to be tricked again. I’m not so sure that’s the case with Ben, however, as he revealed in the episode that a man posing as a woman had indeed catfished him in the past. While things could obviously be perfectly innocent with Mahogany, it doesn’t seem Ben learned much from his prior experience, given how freely he's put all of his trust into the woman, which makes it feel all the more likely he’ll get catfished again. 

Ben Was Introduced Midseason

90 Day Fiancé: Before The 90 Days brought in Ben via a midseason introduction, which makes it seem to like there won't be a lot happening with his story. If he does meet up with a real-life Mahogany and they pursue a relationship, there’s not a lot of time left in the season to explore where things would go. If they don’t meet, however, or if it becomes obvious that Mahogany is a catfish, then the timing of his introduction makes sense. I’m hoping for Ben’s sake that I’m wrong, of course, but this feels like Yolanda’s catfish situation all over again. 

90 Day Fiancé: Before The 90 Days airs over at TLC on Sundays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Tune in to see if Mahogany and Ben are for real, and this is somehow another David and Lana situation!

Mick Joest
Content Producer

Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.