As 90 Day Fiancé’s Mahdi Al-Saadi and Stevi Nichole prepare for marriage, they are navigating some serious trust issues that could throw a wrench in their plans. Stevi, who hails from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, is an artist who s herself by teaching online English classes. She met Mahdi when he was one of her students, and the two fell in love despite cultural differences. Mahdi lived in Tehran, Iran, before making the move to Mississippi to marry Stevi.

Culture shock set in on Mahdi’s first night in America, when he and Stevi visited New Orleans after leaving the airport. Mahdi was overwhelmed by the freedom he witnessed in the United States. His bewilderment grew when he arrived at Stevi’s home and discovered she had a penchant for painting nude women. As Mahdi and Stevi’s wedding nears, he’s facing mounting doubts about whether she is hiding a big secret. And as viewers learn more about Stevi, it seems increasingly likely that she’s not being entirely honest with Madhi.

Mahdi Worries Stevi Is Hiding Her Bisexuality From Him

He’s Uncomfortable With Her Nude Paintings

Mahdi was taken aback by Stevi’s nude paintings because they were a stark contrast to his upbringing in Iran. He wasn’t accustomed to the American way of flaunting sexuality and body positivity. This was just one of the many culture shocks Mahdi was experiencing. He was raised in such a restrictive culture that he could never return to his home country simply because of his choice to appear on a television show.

Mahdi couldn’t understand Stevi’s fascination with the female body. He was startled when he met Stevi’s friend and learned she had modeled nude for Stevi in person. Mahdi started to suspect Stevi was bisexual, which was something that was forbidden in his culture. He seemed unsure of how to handle his anxiety, so he confronted Stevi with his suspicions.

She felt interrogated by his questions about her sexuality and refused to put a label on herself.

Unfortunately, Stevi didn’t appear entirely sympathetic to Mahdi’s position. She felt interrogated by his questions about her sexuality and refused to put a label on herself. Stevi didn’t seem to grasp that denying him a clear answer only made his concerns grow. While Stevi has a right to speak about her sexuality on her , her later actions suggest she may have a habit of avoiding the truth.

Stevi Didn’t Tell Her Family About Mahdi

She Has A Pattern Of Avoiding Confrontation

The conversation about Stevi’s sexuality isn’t the first time she’s been shown to dance around the truth on 90 Day Fiancé. As she prepared for Mahdi’s long-awaited arrival in the United States, she itted her family knew nothing about her relationship. Stevi was anxious to tell her father about her impending marriage, but she knew she was running out of time. Her father was shocked to learn Stevi was in a serious relationship that she’d kept hidden from him.

After Mahdi shared his concerns about Stevi’s sexuality with his friend, Saeed, Saeed confronted her in search of some clarification. He brought up Stevi’s reluctance to tell her family about Mahdi and asked if she was “trying to hide” him from her family. Saeed believed Stevi had a “habit of keeping a secret until the very last second, and that’s just to make everybody behave in the way she likes. That makes me think there are also other things that she’s hiding from [Mahdi].”

Stevi claimed that Mahdi’s visa process was approved faster than she expected, and she’d anticipated having more time to tell her family about him. But this doesn’t explain why she never told her family about Mahdi up until that point either. Stevi seems to avoid telling the truth until it’s necessary, which makes it understandable why Mahdi questions her honesty.

Stevi Said She Doesn’t Let People Into Her Life

She’s Not Accustomed To Open Communication

Stevi’s response to Saeed’s questioning didn’t offer a lot of confidence in her willingness to have an open line of communication. She insisted she had sacrificed just as much as Madhi had for their relationship, adding, “I don’t really let people close to me, ever.” This explains Stevi’s lack of honesty and suggests she’s not used to the level of openness marriage requires. She prefers to keep everybody at arm’s length, which isn’t conducive to having a healthy relationship.

Stevi doesn’t seem to appreciate that her standoffish behavior is causing Mahdi to doubt not only her honesty but also her commitment to him. She doesn’t feel she owes him or his loved ones any more information than she deems necessary. Unfortunately, while Stevi and Mahdi could have a bright future together, their chances could be dashed by her refusal to open up to him. As their window for getting married winds down, this might be one 90 Day Fiancé couple who never even makes it to the altar.