90 Day Fiancé: Signs That Bilal’s Prank On Shaeeda Was A Producer Idea
On the debut episode of 90 Day Fiancé season 9, new cast member Bilal Hazziez has been slammed by viewers for the misguided prank he intends to pull on his fiancé Shaeeda Sween, but there’s a chance that the prank was thought up by the show’s producers, not Bilal. Fans have been eager to finally see the new couples of season 9, and in the first episode every American cast member featured was preparing to welcome their international partners to the U.S.
While most of the American stars were doing things like cleaning and tidying up their homes in anticipation of their fiancé’s arrival, Bilal had a different plan. He intends to bring Shaeeda to a dilapidated house and pretend that it is their “home sweet home.” Bilal planned the prank to test Shaeeda to see if she is a gold digger, but most viewers instantly labeled it a terrible idea. Unfortunately, as seen in the next episode’s preview, Bilal does indeed go through with his prank, and Shaeeda doesn’t seem amused. However, there are several signs that the prank isn’t as straightforward as fans thought.
Bilal doesn’t strike viewers as a stupid person, but it doesn’t take a genius to realize his prank is a terrible idea. By pulling a pretend bait-and-switch, Bilal will be destroying Shaeeda’s first impression of her new home country, even if it’s only for a brief moment. He’s also planting the seeds of doubt and distrust in Shaeeda, so it would be very surprising for Bilal to have come up with the prank himself. New 90 Day Fiancé star Shaeeda also filed tons of paperwork with the embassy before she was able to leave Trinidad and Tobago. That paperwork includes the address where she’ll be living in the U.S.—Bilal’s home. Shaeeda is a social media savvy woman and it seems unlikely that she wouldn’t have Googled Bilal’s house at some point before her arrival, which would tip her off to the prank.
In the 90 Day Fiancé franchise, it’s not uncommon for producers to instigate drama. Fans already suspect season 9 has higher levels of producer intervention and manipulation than previous seasons. Viewers have complained that this season feels a little too finessed and is giving off soap opera vibes. If the biggest conflict between Shaeeda and Bilal in season 9 is about a prenup (yawn) or having kids (seen it before), then it wouldn’t be shocking that producers would seek to spice up the couple’s storyline. It’s possible that both Bilal and Shaeeda were in on the plan for increased drama, but if so, the couple and TLC should expect backlash and heavy criticism from viewers.
Of course, it’s entirely possible that the prank was, in reality, all Bilal’s idea. Bilal has proven that, while he’s smart enough to build a successful life for himself and his family, he sometimes lacks common sense. He proposed to Shaeeda after spending just one week in person with her, which strikes many viewers as dumb move. Bilal also claims his kids are incredibly important to him, yet his children have only talked to Shaeeda two times on video chat. The new 90 Day Fiancé season 9 American cast member has demonstrated bad judgment in the past, and Bilal may honestly not see how problematic the prank is.
Shaeeda definitely looked upset in the next 90 Day Fiancé episode preview, and there’s a chance that all producers did was sit back and watch the drama unfold on its own. Though production members often take steps to make the show more compelling, a lot of what happens is still the result of the cast’s (sometimes terrible) choices. Whether the prank was Bilal’s idea or producers’, it was still a bad idea.