90 Day Fiancé season 9 cast revealed

It's apparently really hard to find love in the United States. Otherwise, another season of 90 Day Fiancé — the original series that started TLC's reality TV juggernaut — would not be upon us.

Entertainment Weekly has an exclusive first look at the next batch of couples who have agreed to have all the ups and downs of their relationship journey filmed for season 9 (premiering April 17).

If you're new to the show, long-distance loves apply for a K-1 visa, which allows the engaged partner of a U.S. citizen to enter the United States. However, there's a catch: Once the fiancé arrives in the States, they only have 90 days to determine whether or not they want to marry. If they don't get hitched within the allotted time frame, the fiancé will be sent back to their home country. Game over.

While viewers can always count on cultural differences and strained family dynamics to complicate matters, current travel guidelines also present problems. Somehow it never gets old!

In the exclusive preview above, you'll see Ari and Bini, who have appeared on several seasons of 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way (a spin-off where an American moves to a foreign country in the name of love), are back. They've left Ethiopia to give their relationship one last try in... New Jersey.

Watch the trailer, then take a closer look at the seven couples featured in the upcoming season. Who do you think will actually tie the knot — and stay married for the long haul?

Kobe, 34 (Cameroon), and Emily, 29 (Salina, Kan.)

Emily left her small town for the bustling city of Xi'an, China, to teach English. While out clubbing one night, she met Kobe, and the connection was instant. Within two weeks, their one-night stand turned into an engagement, and a pregnancy followed soon after. When Emily returned to Kansas, they both assumed Kobe's visa would be quickly approved, but the pandemic delayed him by almost two years. During that time, Emily gave birth to their son and has been raising and supporting him on her own, while Kobe has not even had the chance to meet him yet. The pair is ready to reunite and become a family, but will their relationship be the same given all the physical, geographical, and familial changes since that fateful night out in China?

Bini, 31 (Ethiopia), and Ari, 30 (Princeton, N.J.)

Viewers first met Ari and Bini on 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way, and after several seasons of relationship hurdles, the couple is giving it one last try in the United States. The pair first met crossing the street in Ethiopia and the rest is history: Ari found out she was pregnant and moved to Ethiopia to be with Bini. But when their son, Avi, needed surgery, Ari moved back to New Jersey, and the distance, amplified by Bini's poor communication skills, strained their relationship. In spite of it all, Ari and Bini plan to wed, but will religion, family introductions, and Bini's past get in the way?

Kara, 29 (Charlottesville, Va.) and Guillermo, 23 (Venezuela)

Guillermo, a Venezuelan living in the Dominican Republic, caught Kara's eye while she was on a work trip there. The two kept in touch after she returned home, not thinking it was anything serious, but that all changed when Kara's job asked her to relocate to the Dominican Republic. Things escalated from there — Kara moved in with Guillermo upon her arrival, and an engagement quickly followed, raising eyebrows amongst Kara's skeptical family and friends. Due to the pandemic, Kara moved back home, and the two have been separated for nine months. With his visa approved, Guillermo is now set to move to Charlottesville, but will their whirlwind romance be able to survive Kara's partying habits and Guillermo's insecurities?

Shaeeda, 37 (Trinidad and Tobago), and Bilal, 42 (Kansas City, Mo.)

The sparks flew instantly when Bilal and Shaeeda finally met in person after connecting online months before: In fact, Bilal proposed after the two spent just one week together! Their lives couldn't be more different, as Bilal is a divorced father of two while Shaeeda still lives at home with her parents. Shaeeda is ready to start a family of her own with Bilal, but he isn't sure he wants any more children. On top of that, Bilal wants Shaeeda to sign a prenup, causing a further rift between the two. Will the pressures of moving to the United States, taking care of a family, and fostering a healthy relationship prevent them from walking down the aisle?

Miona, 23 (Serbia), and Jibri, 28 (Rapid City, S.D.)

It was a picture-perfect moment: Jibri noticed Miona in the audience of his band's show in North Serbia. They've been together ever since, and Jibri proposed during one of their trips around the world. Miona can't wait to move to the United States and envisions a lavish life in Los Angeles, but Jibri recently moved back to his family's home in South Dakota. Will Miona be able to accept a life with Jibiri in a small town, or will the strains of living with his family, combined with her jealousy, prove to be too much?

Mohamed, 25 (Egypt), and Yvette, 48 (Albuquerque, N.M.)

Despite a 23-year age gap, Mohamed slid into Yvette's DMs after noticing their shared love of fitness. The flirtation became an engagement when Yvette traveled to Egypt to meet Mohamed in person. At home, Yvette has a 12-year-old son with special needs, meaning Mohamed is going to be closer in age to his future stepson than to his wife if they say "I do." On top of that, the culture norms in the States are different from what Mohamed is used to, and he's not sure he's comfortable with the independent and carefree way Yvette lives her life. Will the realities of life together be too much for this couple's relationship to survive?

Patrick, 31 (Austin, Texas), and Thaís, 25 (Brazil)

When Patrick traveled to Brazil to reconnect with his father's side of the family, he decided to look for a Portuguese teacher on dating apps. Thaís swiped right and was more than happy to help him out. Patrick courted Thaís over several trips to Brazil, winning her heart, showering her with lavish gifts, and eventually proposing. Despite never having been to the United States, Thaís is excited to start a new life with Patrick, but will he be able to give her the extravagant life she's used to in Brazil? And will the deep emotional wounds Patrick sustained from his first divorce cause him to think twice about his pending nuptials?

Tune in for all the drama when 90 Day Fiancé season 9 premieres Sunday, April 17, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on TLC.

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