Asuelu Pulaa's sister Tammy accused his wife, Kalani Faagata, of brainwashing Asuelu, nearly causing a brawl on the August 23 episode of 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? After squabbling over financial disagreements for the entire season, the conversation between Kalani and Asuelu's family got heated, especially since Asuelu wasn't there. These disagreements over money have been an issue for a while, and it all seemed to come to a head on the recent episode.
Differences between Samoan and American culture have seemed to define Kalani and Asuelu's marriage. Asuelu's family is used to a long tradition of the younger generation working to care for the elderly. For Asuelu's Samoan family, this is a matter of respecting their culture. It stresses these specific family bonds in which he is required to care for his mother and father financially. However, Kalani has not been on board with sending money to Asuelu's family. Kalani was raised in the States, but is actually half Samoan on her father's side. Given where she was raised, she may have a different view of money than her new husband's family.
These prevailing issues continued to emerge when Kalani tried to meet up with Asuelu's mother and sister, Lesina and Tammy, to settle their financial differences. Unfortunately, the women only ended up on worse terms after Tammy accused Kalani of brainwashing her brother. It began with Asuelu's absence from the meeting, so there was no one to possibly mediate such an encounter. "I just don't know why you feel entitled to me and my family's money," Kalani said. As is Samoan tradition, Tammy tried to go into detail about the money being of use to them and other family members back in Samoa. Lesina then backed up that statement, saying that Kalani's family was well off and able to help. But they didn't stop there. Next, Tammy and Lesina suggested that Kalani get a job. With Asuelu working a part-time job, and Kalani being a full-time stay-at-home mom, Asuelu's family was appalled at the small amount of money he did offer during the August 9th episode – a mere $100 as opposed to the expected $1000.
Two episodes later, Tammy and Lesina are still demanding money. At the implication of Kalani getting a new job, she noted that she would not leave her children to pay for other people. She also did not see the point in giving Asuelu's family "free money." Tensions began to rise as Asuelu's sister Tammy accused Kalani of knowing what would happen when she got pregnant and later married the 24-year old Samoan. Shocked and unable to believe what she was hearing, Kalani watched as Tammy's voice continued to rise. Later, Kalani took to the confessional, raving about how Tammy accused her of getting pregnant on purpose. Lesina then added more fuel to the fire when she said, "I'm sorry, Kalani. I don't care about the kids." She told her she wanted to take Asuelu back to their home in Samoa to perform his financial duties. Then, Tammy finished off the conversation by saying she believed Kalani brainwashed her brother and that they should consider a divorce.
Tammy was not fond of how Asuelu's contribution to his family changed when he and Kalani married. She attributed it to something Kalani had done to him. She felt that Kalani must have brainwashed him because he was not financially contributing as much as he should. After such an accusation, Kalani was done and attempted to leave. At that moment, Tammy lunged after her, only to be held back by her mother, Lesina. Kalani told Asuelu of the ill-fated meeting later on, stating she would have "dropped" his sister had she laid a finger on her. Asuelu seemed to side with his family. After conversing with her sister, Kolini, Kalani concluded that if the situation gets any worse she will decide to leave the marriage altogether.
90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? airs on Sundays at 8 pm on TLC.