From New Jersey to Ethiopia to Kenya and right on back to the Garden State, viewers have followed current 90 Day Fiancé couple and former The Other Wayers Ariela Weinberg and Biniyam Shibre through gestation, tribulation, and relationship-saving relocations. As an unplanned pregnancy between a couple within the first three months of their relationship tends to do, Ari and Biniyam had as much to uncover about each other as they did on parenthood.
Despite changing locales numerous times over their ongoing three-year tenure, Ari and Biniyam never quite found a way to ditch the lies of omission and insecurities following them. From bris to baptism to unfinished bathrooms (and every other room in the apartment), their quarrels were memorable and almost always on the horizon.
Ex-Lives
Ari and Biniyam's second stint on 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way was home to one of the more unforgettable storylines in series history. Isolated and often alone with baby Aviel while Biniyam's off into the night, Ariela invites her ex-husband, Leandro, over for an extended stay. While Ari finds comfort and calm in his friendship and familiarity, Biniyam finds cause for concern.
As Ari is out getting her nails done before Leandro's arrival, Biniyam notices an excitement in her eyes, an upswing in her wardrobe, and an absence on her ring finger. "You don't wear it for the nail salon, or you don't wear it for Leandro?" Accident or not, Biniyam fetches her ring on foot and slides it back on before her polish sets. Bini's acts of pure territorial dominance that follow are anything but unexpected.
Missed Appointments
Though Ariela's mother Janice traveled with her on her initial move to Ethiopia, her father's only encounters with Biniyam were handheld. After the birth of baby Aviel, both grandparents flew in to meet their new grandchild and check in on the couple. Despite prior assurances, Bini's appointment with Dr. Weinberg would be short-lived.
As the newly arrived doctor opines on the kindness behind Biniyam's eyes, Ari's anger over Bini's broken promise lingers with severity. "I forgot, I didn't tell anybody," Biniyam admits to an inquisitive Janice. It's one thing to have to work. It's another altogether to miss meeting one's future father-in-law because it wasn't important enough to write down.
A Lonely Realization
Flying back to their initial entrance into Ethiopia, the then-pregnant Ari and her mother Janice arrive to a wildly underprepared Biniyam. From housing to income to overall access to hygiene, Bini's lack of foresight and overall irresponsibility was staggering. Fortunately for Ari, she had her mother there to help assuage Biniyam's ineptitude...until she didn't.
After Janice leaves for New Jersey, Ari's nerves and anxieties get the best of her. "I feel lost all the time when we're together," she admits. With an array of emotions pouring out of her, Ari decries, "I'm not looking forward to being alone with you. I'm not happy about it." The heaviness of having a child with a man she only had an outline of—paired with a language barrier muddling up his understanding of her emotions—proved too much process.
Barbershop Bombshell
Planned to perfection, Ari affirms Biniyam's worst fears in the safest of spaces. Snuggly wrapped in a salon cape at the barbershop, Biniyam can sense something is off with Ari. Jittery movements, shaky voice, and tears in her eyes, Ari fights her way through the admission that she's taking baby Aviel to the U.S. for hernia surgery. Having lost his only previous child in a similar fashion, Ari's news was overwhelming.
As Bini's "Please, don't go!" warrants Ari's "I'm supposed to leave in like a week. I have my ticket," Biniyam's thought process is unfiltered. From questioning whether or not this was Ari's ex-husband Leandro's doing to punching the barbershop chair and saying "I can't control myself," Biniyam's reaction is raw and rooted in traumatic history.
Who's Calling Baby?
Biniyam's inaccessibility is an ongoing issue for Ari in their relationship. Though he's quick to make himself difficult to contact by his fiance, he isn't quite as difficult to get ahold of by the other women hiding in the contacts in his phone. Ari and Bini's communicative discord comes to a head on the toilet.
While he's assembling a toilet seat, Ari lays into Biniyam over his social distance and snatches his phone. Stating that Bini's sister, Wish, planted seeds of possible infidelity, Ari admits to having gone through unnamed conversations in his phone, calling the numbers, and discovering women on the other side. "Hi, it's Baby's girlfriend. We just had a baby. Who the f--- are you?" she scoffs.
Panic Before Proposal
Despite their divergent religions, Ariela is all but accepting of Biniyam's Orthodox Christianity. With newborn Aviel in tow, Ari accompanies Biniyam to Timket, the Ethiopian celebration of the baptism of Christ. Loud, colorful, and overcrowded, Timket is a vibrant celebration of Christianity, but maybe not the best environment for a newborn.
As Biniyam joins the crowd of fellow Christians looking to be hosed off by holy water, Ari finds herself and baby Avi being swallowed by the moving mass. Shoulder to shoulder and being shoved without remorse, the overstimulation/discomfort was too much. Blissfully ignorant to Ari's internal/maternal panic attack, Bini offers,"It's holy water. I think her evil spirit is afraid of being cast out."
Prime Real Estate
Family planning/equal partnership isn't Biniyam's strong suit. "I want to see the apartment. If it's terrible, I'm gonna punch you in the face," Ari warned as they taxied over to the apartment Bini promised would be ready for her arrival. Her fears were quickly warranted.
With Biniyam ignoring her only requirement (plumbing), Ari gently offers, "I hate it. It's awful. I'm laughing, but inside I'm dying." Not to be outdone, Biniyam then takes Ari to his work-in-progress apartment that has no floors, loose wires, and random debris strewn everywhere. Despite claiming a 2-week turnaround, Ari and her mother promptly shut him down and move as a trio into Janice's hotel room.
Second-Guessing The Circumcision
Though more than amenable to Biniyam's religious beliefs in regard to their son, his incessancy over circumcision is an area of turmoil for Ariela. "It's nice to be able to give him a choice for his own body. Think about it. I'm cutting his penis. When he's older, what if he's like, 'Mom, I needed that. You took it away from me.'"
After watching baby Avi scream through his vaccines, the new mother couldn't bear to cause him any more pain. She scoops up her baby and walks out of the hospital, moments before his procedure. Emotionally distraught, Ari cries, "I'm thinking about the baby, you're thinking about your feelings." They would return a week later for the circumcision, but not without Ari's "I'll never forgive you for doing this" admission.
Private Training
After a surprise move to New Jersey, Ari sets Biniyam up at an MMA gym to follow his dreams of being a prizefighter. While MMA training does skew masculine, Biniyam's proves to be more runway ready.
Walking in on Biniyam and his training partner, Melissa, wrapped in what looks like a sensual pretzel, Ariela's jealousy immediately consumes her. Critical over the private grappling session, the last thing Ari wants is Biniyam moistening up the mats with a woman in full makeup. All Bini can do is exhale as Ari lays a barrage of backhanded compliments on Melissa, whose done nothing other than show up to train. "Equal rights, equal fights," she said.
Mombasa Or Nothing
A proponent of fight and flight, Biniyam's use of airplane mode to ignore Ari's attempts to contact him nearly ended their relationship. With Ari back in the states for Aviel's hernia surgery, Biniyam used his newfound freedom to run wild.
Ari's fury and requisite move to Mombasa ultimatum speaks for itself. "You have spent the last two months destroying your family. You don't get a say anymore. You have sacrificed nothing. God knows who you've f---ed and God knows what you've been doing. This is a chance for you to redeem yourself. This is your last f---ing chance. So wake up!" she screamed.