Even though Mike Berk and Ximena Cuellar are over, it looks like the split was very recent.
They spent nearly a year engaged, following Mike seeking not only her approval, but that of her family.
Ximena is now claiming that her children never actually liked Mike, despite their on-camera statements.
Did production goad them to lie … or is Ximena just saying hurtful things because it’s over?
Even before Mike Berk took a flight to Colombia to meet Ximena Cuellar for the first time, he wanted to make a good impression.
He had been video chatting with (and spending a lot of money on) Ximena for a long time.
But for her kids, he wanted to come bearing gifts, so he stopped by a toy store to prepare for his journey.
Yeah, things were a little awkward at first when Mike tried to make a first impression.
Little by little, he worked to win over her family.
That included her dad, her sister, and her two young sons.
Mike knew that marrying Ximena, as he hoped, would also mean taking on a parenting role with her sons.
He became part of the family routine during his stay, except for his steamy vacation with Ximena.
And when it came time to propose, he was sure to include her sons in his speech.
Mike affirmed his love for Ximena’s sons as well as for her during his proposal.
Given the possibility that Ximena cannot have more children, this had an added layer of meaning.
And Mike had spoken to Ximena’s sons before popping the question, to see how they felt about a possible future with him in the picture.
To hear Ximena’s kids tell it (as Juan David is here), they were big fans of Mike.
They even encouraged him to return to Colombia for their mother and for them.
But according to one of Ximena’s latest claims, neither Juan David nor Harold Steven ever cared for Mike.
Amidst ditching her “Mike” tattoo and revealing her new man, Ximena also claimed that the affection for Mike was staged.
“My children don’t love Mike,” she claimed on social media, communicating in Spanish.
“It was a recording;” Ximena continued, accusing that “they asked them to say yes they love him.”
It is fairly normal for producers to prompt cast members to answer or even rephrase their answers to questions. That’s how reality TV works.
That’s not fakery — it’s how you get cohesive statements that viewers can follow and understand.
What Ximena seems to be alleging is that production asked her sons to give a fake answer, even if it was a little white lie.
There have been incidents of 90 Day Fiance fakery in the past, where production pushed just a little too hard to get the moment that they wanted.
These moments usually backfire, either because audiences could tell that something was off or because the truth leaks.
There’s a difference between rephrasing or re-recording a line and producers spoon-feeding a line to someone to stir the pot.
Usually, production does this to cause drama and make people look worse, not to make a family bond seem more authentic.
To be honest, the show could have gotten quite a reaction if Juan David had stepped away from a cute chat with Mike to say “I don’t really like the Tomato Guy.”
Even so, production could conveivably nudge things in one direction or another if they think that it will fit the storyline.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to trust or believe anything that Ximena says right now.
She has given multiple, conflicting statements over the past few weeks, either because she cannot keep her story straight or because she wants to make people guess what’s true.
Also, she just seems pissed off at Mike, albeit without explaining why, and could be lashing out angrily to hurt his feelings.
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