May 28, 2026

Mark & Nikki Shoemaker From ’90 Day Fiancé’ Season 3: Their Journey & Where They Are Now

Amanda Orlando

Of all the couples from “90 Day Fiancé” Season 3, Mark Shoemaker and Nikki Mediano were the most uncomfortable to watch — and the ones viewers most wanted to see end differently. A decade later, the story has reached its conclusion. Nikki Mediano is out, on her own, and building a life that belongs entirely to her.

How They Met

@beth52197
Nikki and Mark.#90dayfiance #90dayfianceoftiktok #fyp #tiktokstillhitscontest #90dayfiancé
♬ original sound – Beth521

Mark Shoemaker was 58 years old when he met Nikki Mediano on an international dating site. Nikki was 19 and living in Cebu City in the Philippines — the same city where Mark’s first wife had been from. He proposed to her just two days after they met, using a zip tie in place of an engagement ring.

The 39-year age gap was the most visible part of their story on screen, but it was not the only thing that made viewers uneasy. Mark’s behavior throughout the season — his controlling tendencies, his insistence that Nikki drive the same car his ex-wife had driven, his reluctance to have children with her, and the prenuptial agreement he required her to sign — painted a picture that was difficult to watch regardless of how the couple chose to present it.

Mark had four children from his first marriage, one of them older than Nikki. His kids were on camera expressing their discomfort. Nikki, for her part, was 19 years old in a foreign country trying to make a marriage work with someone nearly four decades her senior.

They married in 2015.

The Legal Battle With TLC

A year after the show aired, Mark and Nikki filed a suit together against Discovery Communications, Sharp Entertainment, and NBCUniversal. Their nine causes of action included fraudulent inducement, breach of contract, defamation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Their central argument was that producers had misled them into believing the show was a true documentary and then edited footage to deliberately misrepresent them and damage their reputations.

The court dismissed every claim in May 2017. The reason was straightforward — both of them had signed a release granting producers broad discretion to edit, alter, dub, and fictionalize footage in any manner, even if the results were embarrassing, humiliating, or hurtful to the participants. The release, the judge found, constituted the entire understanding between the parties, and they had knowingly and voluntarily signed it.

The case was dismissed with prejudice. The $1,000 per episode appearance fee Mark had received did not change the outcome.

What is notable in retrospect is that Nikki was a co-plaintiff — in 2016 she was still fighting alongside Mark, still trying to protect their shared reputation. By 2025, she had a restraining order against him and her own apartment.

The Slow Road Out

For years the updates on Mark and Nikki were minimal. They stayed largely off social media. Mark’s daughter Elise, who went no-contact with him in 2022, disclosed that her father was displeased with his portrayal on the show — but acknowledged that some of his behavior on screen did reflect reality. She described trying to convince herself she was okay with the situation while quietly losing her relationship with her father in the process.

Mark filed for divorce in 2022, but later told In Touch Weekly that they were not separating. The back and forth continued for years — divorce filings, withdrawals, public statements that contradicted legal records.

Where Things Stand Now

According to Maryland court records, Mark filed for absolute divorce on March 24, 2025. Nikki was served within a week and filed her answer the following day. A judgment of absolute divorce was granted on July 2, 2025. The case was closed the same day.

Three months later, in October 2025, Nikki filed a motion for restoration of her former name. The court granted it on October 31, 2025. She is now legally Nikki Rose Mediano again.

She did not just leave. She went back to court to take her name back.

Nikki’s Story

The part of this that matters most is the part that belongs to Nikki. She came to America at 19 years old, navigated a marriage that viewers could see was difficult from the outside, endured years of public scrutiny and internet commentary about her relationship, and eventually got out.

She is in her own home now. She is not in contact with him. Whatever comes next for her is hers to write — without cameras, without a 39-year age gap, and without a zip tie standing in for a ring.

Season 3 of 90 Day Fiancé has a 100 percent marriage rate. Not every marriage was what it appeared to be. Many viewers felt Nikki deserved better than the situation she entered at 19, and by 2025, she had finally gotten it.

90 Day Fiancé and its many spinoffs are streaming now on Max. New episodes air on TLC.

Entertainment GO Hub