90 Day Fiancé has everything you would expect from a reality show. A series about people applying for a fiancé visa in the United States and their American partners, it’s got tearful family fights, pregnancy scares, and dramatic breakups. Again, typical reality TV stuff.
The spinoff 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days, follows couples who met online but have not started the visa process—couples like Ed and Rose who have become viral internet memes since their season premiered in February 2020. You know, these ones:
Videos by VICE
The most popular video on the show’s YouTube channel features the climax of Ed and Rose’s relationship on the show. In what Ed imagined would be a romantic getaway, Rose, then 23, finally confronts her boyfriend, then 54, about why he waited until he was in the Philippines to tell her that he did not want any more children.
Uploaded in May 2020, the video now has over 11 million views and almost 30,000 comments. Uncountable are the reuploads, fan edits, and memes of the couple’s other scenes that are now all over the internet. There’s the cheesy “you’re my best view” banger and the cringey moment where Ed gifts Rose lingerie, only to give her a toothbrush, toothpaste, and mouthwash for her “not pretty” breath immediately after.
Some people would hate to go viral for something like this, but Rosemarie “Rose” Vega called it “a blessing.”
“That was God’s way for me to achieve the life I have today,” she told VICE.
Spoiler alert, Vega did not find love on 90 Day Fiancé, but she did gain throngs of fans. Many shared and reacted to clips of the show after watching her strong-willed character, outspoken nature, and characteristic facial expressions (Vega has an iconic cringe). And now she’s determined to turn her time under the spotlight into a full-blown career as a model, vlogger, and entrepreneur.
“People have a lot to look forward to from me,” she said. “Even I’m getting excited to find out what life has in store.”
In May, Vega went viral again for a makeover photoshoot fans called the “glow up of the century.”
“Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them,” a popular quote, reads the caption of one of Vega’s photos from the shoot. Whether or not her legs were shaved (the subject of one of her many awkward conversations with Ed), was the least of anybody’s concerns.
She started a YouTube channel to keep fans updated on her life after the show, and it now has around 730,000 subscribers.
For instance, some might remember scenes from Vega’s house and bedroom, which had a thin cushion on the floor in place of a bed, exposed electrical wires, a leaky roof, and no doors. In one of her vlogs, Vega shows that the house has since been renovated, and parts of it have been turned into a store with kitchen supplies, children’s toys, and other trinkets. Vega has also built and moved into a new home, and plans to build another one on a piece of farmland she bought.
In another video, she cheekily shows off a bottle of mouthwash in the bathroom, likely referencing that cursed conversation with Ed. On the show, Vega tells Ed that her breath was not a result of bad oral hygiene, but of a stomach ulcer. She said she’s all better now.
“My ulcer is doing OK now,” she told VICE. “I’m taking medicine, and it’s doing really well.”
While Vega seems comfortable under the spotlight, her family was not always happy about the attention. Since appearing on 90 Day Fiancé, Vega has been called an “attention seeker” and a “gold digger.”
“Some people’s perception of us is not nice,” she said. “My family was probably not used to [being publicly criticized].”
She said her family eventually got used to the attention because there was nothing left to do but to try and stay positive despite the negative comments.
A quick look online, however, shows that most people are on Vega’s side. They like her because she stood up for herself on the show and made the most of the fame that came after.
She maintains this attitude off-screen, saying that people in relationships should know to stay when it feels right and leave when it does not.
“The right person for them exists,” she said. “But they need to be strong.”
Vega herself has not given up on love. “I’m still open to dating but for now, family and opportunities come first.”
The relationship that made her famous may have failed, but Vega seems determined to succeed for as long as possible.
“I’m happy if people use me as a motivation to reach their dreams,” she said. “Like I’ve reached mine.”
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