On 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days, Mahogany Roca has done some sketchy things, but 90 Day Fiancé fans can pretty much all agree that her love interest Ben Rathbun is far more problematic. It’s true that Mahogany hasn’t been completely honest, but viewers are far more concerned with Ben and his deluded thought process. Though Mahogany has given Ben ample reason to bolt, he continues to pursue her, and that says a lot more about Ben than it does about Mahogany.
Ben’s visit to Peru to meet Mahogany in person has not gone the way he’d hoped. Initially he was thrilled to find out that she was an actual person and not a catfish, but it’s gone downhill from there. Mahogany’s parents weren’t on board with her relationship with Ben, and Ben was completely thrown when he found out Mahogany was two years younger than she said she was. On a recent episode, Ben’s worries increased when Mahogany refused to call him her boyfriend, and she pressed him for more details about his past. The previews for next week’s episode don’t look promising, and the couple may be on the verge of breaking up.
Mahogany has certainly gotten criticism about her behavior on the show. She’s been called out for her drastically altered photos and her lies, like telling Ben she was 24 or her that her weird AirBnb was her real home. Some fans think Mahogany led Ben on by saying “I love you” to him when they were dating long distance, but in person she maintains that they’re not even boyfriend and girlfriend yet. Mahogany was mostly just misleading, while many viewers see Ben’s behavior as more sinister and problematic. Many fans think Ben’s behavior is predatory because he’s deliberately going after young, foreign women. He loves to throw out excuses like "age is just a number" or commenting on Mahogany’s maturity, which leads viewers to call him, “desperate and pathetic.”
In a Reddit thread, one fan commented, “Ben is a creep and the fact he thinks God is sending girls the same age as his children to be his bride is beyond insane.” Mahogany has tried to set boundaries regarding their relationship but Ben has taken it as a personal affront because he feels so entitled to Mahogany’s attention. Ben came to Peru and Mahogany’s town even when she told him not to, and another commenter said Ben is “self absorbed and immature. He demands to get what he wants.” It’s reasonable that Mahogany would have concerns about Ben not taking ownership of the things he’s done wrong in the past, but Ben seems to think Mahogany’s relatively harmless lies are worse.
Though Mahogany isn’t completely innocent in this situation, 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days viewers agree that Ben is by far the worse of the two. Mahogany definitely could have been more upfront and honest, and she should absolutely lay off the photoshop. However, Ben’s behavior demonstrates a concerning lack of self awareness and respect for Mahogany’s agency as a person. For fans it’s easy to determine that Ben is the main source of trouble for the couple, and his behavior is hard to watch.
Source: Reddit