90 Day Fiancé: Before The 90 Days season 5 has left some viewers disappointed with casting choices, especially since it features another evident catfish plot line in the form of Ben Rathbun and his mysterious Peruvian girlfriend Mahogany. The 90 Day Fiancé spin-off show is no stranger to catfish plot lines, as it has already featured three notable cases of online dating deception in various forms. Ben and Mahogany's lackluster plot line has led to franchise fans voicing their frustration over the lack of original casting on Before The 90 Days.
Divorced father of four Ben is determined to make things work with his online partner Mahogany despite the woman presenting every red flag possible. The alleged 24-year-old is less than half of Ben's age and refuses to video call him, though Ben believes that God brought them together. Unfortunately, Ben had his hopes shattered when he arrived in Peru against Mahogany's wishes and discovered that she was not waiting for him. If this plot line feels familiar to viewers, it's because it's happened before. Ben is being compared to both David Murphey and Caesar Mack, who pursued Lana and Maria Divine, respectively. Meanwhile, Yolanda Leak has also aired her own plot line that featured her being entirely catfished by a fraudulent faux-British man who went by "Williams."
In light of Ben's recent suspect courtship with Mahogany, some franchise fans have been expressing their frustration with catfishing plot lines in the franchise. While David's delusional and fervent pursuit of Lana left many Before The 90 Days viewers fully invested in his romance, the same type of storyline has fallen flat with Caesar and now Ben. Viewers have voiced that they are watching a very familiar storyline that involves delusional and desperate men being conned in various ways. For example, both Maria and Lana turned out to be real people, though they obviously weren't interested in the men pursuing them. Additionally, fans have uncovered photos of the real Mahogany, who may or may not be the woman Ben has been texting. However, she appears drastically different than the heavily filtered photos he has received.
While David's story was captivating albeit problematic, as the camera crew at TLC invasively tracked Lana down, continually featuring catfish plot lines takes away from the opportunity to feature genuine international couples. Since there is already a show dedicated to exposing catfishes, some Before The 90 Days viewers think it would be appropriate to cut the catfish couples from the 90 Day Fiancé franchise. Though some viewers are entertained by how delusional some cast members can be, others find it to cringe-worthy to watch people such as Yolanda and Ben be so obviously deceived. On the other hand, some viewers revel in the awkwardness and mystery surrounding the seemingly sketchy plot lines. Therefore, not all franchise fans request to have catfish couples removed from future content.
While the verdict remains uncertain as to whether or not Ben has been speaking to a woman named Mahogany, few fans are interested in seeing Ben and Mahogany's relationship even if it is real. Many Before The 90 Days viewers immediately thought Ben was off-putting, as he justified his relationship with someone so young by claiming it was what God wanted for him. Since Ben has already admitted to getting catfished before, many viewers were also disappointed in how naive the father is. At the same time, some viewers believe that Ben has it coming if he is deceived again since he ignored the advice of his friends and family. New episodes of 90 Day Fiancé: Before The 90 Days season 5 will reveal if Ben comes face-to-face with the person he has been texting or if he is entirely being duped.