I've talked before about guilty pleasures regarding my viewing habits. I am hooked on the 90 Day Fiance series. Why would someone like me, with a lifetime love of learning, be interested in such 'rubbish,' as my grandmother used to say?!? The answer is simple--pure escapism coupled with weekly demonstrations of what NOT to do in a relationship.

Why should I be embarrassed to admit that I am one of the millions of reality TV watchers who tune into the franchise that has evolved into 15 spinoffs? The show is popular: it's been on the air since 2014. And the summer spinoff of Fiancé was the most-watched non-news cable TV shows last summer, drawing in 2.2 million watchers. I'm not the only fly on the wall.

The concept of Fiancé is that potential lovers from different countries meet each other and one applies for a K1 Visa, which allows the fiancees a whopping 90 days to get married. Landscapes of Mexico, India, Russia, Turkey, and more are featured. It's a travelogue filmed from many perspectives.

We get to see couples' arguments; trials with families from every corner of the world, and everyday issues you and I might face in relationships as well.

My two personal favorite couples, hands down, are Jenny, a southern Californian woman of a certain age who is about three decades older than husband Sumit, 32; and Kenny, 58, and Armando, 32, who overcame cultural differences and also the challenges posed by being a gay couple. Both newlywed couples seem incredibly sweet and nice. 

The love between Jenny & Sumit and Kenny & Armando is undeniable: they have faced hurdles galore. Sumit's parents were appalled that their son, who had already failed in an arranged marriage, would want to marry an older woman. To make things worse, Sumit got cold feet more than once. Even after Jenny and he had started the paperwork for their marriage license, he backpedaled, causing Jenny to nearly get on the next plane back to Palm Springs.

Kenny and Armando took lumps from their families, too. Armando wants biological children with his new hubby, but Kenny's grown triplet daughters expressed that it was late in the day for the mature property manager to start over again with babies, pointing out that he already shares 9-year-old Hannah, Armando's natural daughter, with his new husband. However, his son was more receptive to the new family expanding. But Kenny's girls were concerned he would have less time for grandson Carson and a new grandkid on the way. 

On a positive front, Kenny and Armando overcame reservations Armando's father had about gay marriage: he eventually accepted their choices and attended their wedding. More power to the dad who is self-actualized enough to understand and accept that love is love.

I hope producers will consider developing 90 Day Fiancé spinoffs for my personal favorites--Jenny & Sumit and Kenny & Armando!