Jumping straight from 90 Day Fiancé season 9 to the marital spinoff Happily Ever After? in August of 2022, Bilal Hazziez and Shaeeda Sween's presence seemed like a long shot. Rarely on the same page, the couple argued from the moment they met through their last interview on the Tell All. Despite, or maybe in spite of their discord, the couple is back and ready to share the next steps in their journey.
Through long-winded lectures and laconic retorts, Bilal and Shaeeda fought over everything from faux homes and prenups to silverware placement and fertility windows. Be it Shaeeda's sardonic barbs or Bilal's word salad, the couple's recurring and spirited conversations provided many memorable soundbites that succinctly sum up their relationship.
"You Know I Am Meticulous A Little Bit. I Am A Little OCD."
Bilal Understates The Obvious
While Bilal prefers to describe himself as "neat," compulsory is a more fitting descriptor. Meticulous in the way he lives, dresses, and practices his faith, his obsession over his squeaky clean, almost sterile lifestyle left little room for Shaeeda's decidedly different presence in the household.
Joking with his ex-wife Shahidah that he'd make Shaeeda sleep on the couch if she left her dirty socks on the floor before her arrival, Bilal's fears would find fruition and be tested again and again. Picking on Shaeeda for excess Wudu water, sloppily arranged silverware, and even dirty hands at the Tell All, Bilal's perfectionism was and is an ongoing issue.
"I'm Not Surprised It Took Bilal 7 Years To Find Love Again."
Shahidah Lovingly Chides Her Ex-Husband
As Bilal's ex-wife and the mother of his children, Shahidah knows Bilal more intimately than anyone else. She knows his quirks, she knows his desires, and as evidenced by her spearheading their separation, Shahidah knows how difficult of a partner Bilal can be.
Holding a healthy friendship while co-parenting and attending the same masjid, Shahidah has had a front-row seat for Bilal's near decade of longing. As she jokes about his "Facebook flexing" being disparate from his true person, her foreshadowing of Bilal and Shaeeda's future struggles came from a place of familiarity.
"I Have Never Argued So Much In My Life Ever With Anyone."
Bilal Complains About The Arguments He's Responsible For
Bilal and Shaeeda shared few moments of cohesion or harmony. While Bilal did show his romantic side on an unexpected gondola ride, a trip to Atlanta, and by building Shaeeda a yoga space in their home, every date was either prefaced with a ruse or followed with an ill-timed conversation that ruined the experience altogether.
Relationships are about amenability and acceptance. With Bilal long set in his ways as a successful single father, he ignored most of Shaeeda's asks and anxieties while making everything about himself and the life he's built.
"I Need To Be Sure Of When And If He's Gonna Have Kids..."
Shaeeda's Love Comes With A Caveat
"There's no way that I'm going to get married without having that conversation," she followed. Committing her heart and hand to a man she'd spent all of 7 days with in person, Shaeeda left her family in Trinidad and Tobago with the understanding that she'd be starting one of her own with Bilal. As Bilal continued to dodge the question of conception, her tone changed.
At vastly different points in their lives, Bilal saw Shaeeda as the cherry atop a perfect life, whereas she saw him as her true beginning. Spiraling to the point of becoming a part of their prenup, Shaeeda's desire for children wasn't some plan for permanence, but the lifelong goal of a woman fearful of her fertility the closer she gets to 40.
"I Want To Make Sure Shaeeda Truly Wants Me For Me."
Bilal States The Reason Behind His Games
While Bilal's plan to trick Shaeeda into thinking he had less money than he did was a disastrous way to start their relationship, the concept behind it was understandable. Self-made and a single father of two, he didn't want to marry someone who was in it for his finances and lose the empire he built to (another) divorce.
The problem with his plan is that he came off as dishonest and untrusting, all the while putting Shaeeda into an impossible situation. As a prenup became the make-or-break topic for their marriage, there's no question that despite his commitment, Bilal still has his concern's over his wife's intentions.
"Why Every Time We Have A Discussion You Give Me A Lecture?"
Shaeeda Has Enough Of Professor Bilal
Bilal and Shaeeda's arguments all shared one thing: a Bilal monologue. They argued in Bilal's dad's van, they argued in his childhood home, they argued in their home, they argued in Bilal's car on the way to Jummah, they argued on a Ferris Wheel in Atlanta, and without fail, Bilal used them all to "teach" instead of listen.
With the tone and certainty of a parent lecturing their child, Bilal redirected every concern and critique Shaeeda had, telling her how to act, feel, and behave in a setting only he was familiar with. As Shaeeda finally erupted on a grassy knoll in downtown Kansas City, it was as if she expressed viewers' annoyance over Bilal's patronizing with her own.
"I Love Shaeeda Very Much, But Love Isn't Blind."
Bilal Understands Their Relationship Needs Work
Protective over his heart and finances, Bilal's love for Shaeeda wasn't always obvious. Despite his million-dollar smile and curated image, Bilal was controlling and condescending, and almost seemed to resent Shaeeda for how casually untidy she was.
Despite their arguments and differences in opinion over whether hijab pins should be stuck into an expensive couch, the couple surprised viewers with an emotional wedding on the season finale. Acutely aware of the issues that plagued their first 90 days, Bilal's admission proves that while their relationship isn't perfect, their marriage is worth fighting for.
"I Think I Underestimated Who Bilal Is As A Person."
Shaeeda Secedes to Bilal's Stubbornness
During a pre-wedding pedicure with her sisters, Shaeeda admitted to agreeing to Bilal's prenuptial agreement, but with a few wrinkles of her own. While she was both dejected and ready to move forward, her sisters found Bilal's insistence comical, joking that they'd reference the prenup by playing Kanye West's "Gold Digger" at the wedding.
Shaeeda's testimonial was the result of spending three months arguing with an opinionated brick wall. Following with, "Bilal is the alpha male and doesn't back down" and alluding to how he refuses to bend, Shaeeda's words concisely summarized the shell shock of committing to a man that proved to be vastly different in person.
"Marriage Is Compromising, But Also Marriage Is A Business."
Bilal Defines Love In Legal Terms
Climbing his way up from sales associate to CEO, Bilal's ascent through the real estate ranks is his life's work. Grounded by his humble roots, he's not only aware of what it took for him to reach that level of success, but he's vehemently unwilling to lose what he's earned to divorce.
Informing Shaeeda while they were sitting on a Ferris wheel that he had a marriage contract drawn up, Bilal made the questionable decision to derail their date with legal documents. After Shaeeda said she wanted a love story with no prenup, Bilal offered that their relationship is a love story, but like Jay-Z, he's not just a businessman, he's a business, man.
"I Love Bilal, But Being Married To Him Won't Be Easy."
Shaeeda Feels The Weight Of Their Marriage
Shocking everyone with their nuptials, few moments during their tenure indicated that their relationship would end in marriage. The mind games, the head slaps, the prenup, the lecturing, the differing opinions on children; almost everything the couple did together screamed "red flag."
With the same issues plaguing their 90-day grace period now seeping into their marriage, Shaeeda offers an optimistic plea, "I want us to get along more. Less bickering. Less fighting. More in love." As unlikely as it may be, will they find fruition or fall apart on season 7 of Happily Ever After?