Image credit: Warner Bros. Discovery/TLC
Paola and Russ Mayfield were one of the first couples America met when “90 Day Fiancé” premiered in 2014. Twelve years later, they are back on television — and this time, the question of whether they make it is genuinely on the table.
“90 Day: The Last Resort” Season 3 premieres June 1 on TLC, and Paola and Russ are among the six couples heading to a castle in England to try and save their marriage. The trailer already has fans talking.
Here is the full story of how they got here.
How They Started
Russ met Paola while working as an engineer in her home country of Colombia. She was 24, he was 27, and the connection was fast. When his work contract ended and he returned to Oklahoma, the distance made it clear that one of them was going to have to move. Paola came to the United States on a K-1 visa, and Season 1 of 90 Day Fiancé followed her adjustment to life in Tulsa — a small, conservative city that felt about as far from her world as possible.
The culture clash was immediate and real. Paola was outgoing, fashion-forward, and social in ways that made Russ’s family uncomfortable. His mother was particularly vocal about her concerns, and the tension between Paola and her in-laws became one of the show’s early defining storylines. Russ, caught between his family and his fiancée, was often criticized by viewers for not standing up for Paola strongly enough.
They married in a Mormon temple in 2013 and kept appearing on the franchise through multiple seasons of Happily Ever After, giving viewers a long-running look at a marriage that was never short on friction.
The Recurring Tension
Their relationship has always had a central fault line: Paola’s ambitions versus the life Russ had imagined. She pursued modeling, then fitness, then professional wrestling — each pivot requiring a lifestyle and schedule that did not fit neatly into the domestic picture Russ gravitated toward. Fans argued for years about whether he was unsupportive or whether she was unrealistic, and the show gave both sides enough material to work with.
They went through a rough patch during the COVID-19 pandemic, with separation rumors circulating widely. Both addressed the speculation publicly, emphasizing their commitment to their marriage and their son. They sought therapy and worked through it.
But the problems did not fully resolve — they evolved.
Where Things Stand Now
After nearly twelve years together, Paola and Russ have spent the past two years in emotional limbo, marked by strain, disconnection, and ongoing stress. Paola’s professional wrestling career took off with a new opportunity in Las Vegas, where she did not want Russ to move with her and their son Axel. But Russ refused to be left behind, causing more stress than ever. Though Russ is determined to repair the relationship, Paola remains skeptical as they consider whether to start fresh or if they are too far gone.
In the trailer, Paola reveals she went behind Russ’s back to speak with an attorney to see her options about getting divorced.
On Instagram, Paola has been building her wrestling profile steadily — posting promotional material for an ACW Baha Bash 3 appearance in Nassau in June and keeping her personal life mostly separate from her professional one. Her wrestling persona is fully realized, her following is growing, and she is clearly carving out an identity well beyond the show that made her famous.
Russ, meanwhile, describes himself on Instagram as a “Rambling Family Man” — his profile still listing 90 Day Fiancé Season 1 prominently, his feed a mix of family moments, road trips, and the couple’s son, Axel.
Two people who have genuinely grown in different directions, trying to figure out if there is still enough overlap to make it work.
What to Expect on ‘The Last Resort’
The couples will spend three weeks at Thornbury Castle in England, a historic estate once owned by King Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn, working through their issues with professional guidance. Given that Paola has already consulted a divorce attorney before cameras even started rolling, the stakes going into the castle are as high as they have ever been for these two.
Russ and Paola are the deepest cut of this cast, having appeared on the very first season of 90 Day Fiancé. Whether they walk out of Thornbury Castle together or not, they are one of the most watchable couples the franchise has ever produced — and Season 3 of The Last Resort looks like it might finally give their story the ending it has been building toward for twelve years.
90 Day: The Last Resort Season 3 premieres Monday June 1 at 8/7c on TLC and streams on Max.
Read next:
- ’90 Day: The Last Resort’ Season 3: Everything You Need to Know Before It Premieres
- Are Kirlyam & Alan Cox Still Together? Their 90 Day Fiancé Journey & Where They Are Now
- Are Louis & Aya Gattone Still Together? Their 90 Day Journey & Where They Are Now
Looking for more “90 Day Fiancé” stories? Browse additional relationship updates and cast coverage on our GO 90 Day Fiancé page.
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