Bringing a partner home to meet family can be an intimidating step in any serious relationship, but for “90 Day Fiancé” star Shawn Finch, introducing his fianceé, Alliya de Batista, to his mother wasn’t the thing he was most worried about—but rather the home in which he’d be doing the introduction.
In an exclusive clip from the forthcoming episode of the hit TLC dating show, celebrity hairstylist Finch, 63, takes Batista, 26, on a trip to officially meet his 87-year-old mother, Jeanne, at her home in Sonoma County, CA.
The special visit was a long time coming: de Batista first met Finch on a dating app in 2020 when she was living in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil as a biological man named Douglas.
The early years of their relationship, which were documented on “90 Day Fiancé: Love in Paradise,” were marked by Finch’s struggles to embrace de Batista’s gender transition and commit to monogamy.
In the current season of “90 Day Fiancé,” the long-distance duo tries to move forward with de Batista’s K1 visa so she can enter the United States for a 90-day period, during which she must officially get hitched to her American partner or be forced to return to her home country.
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As if that wasn’t enough pressure to place on the relationship, it was also recently revealed that Finch has yet to share the news of his relationship with de Batista with his three children, who he shares with his former spouse of 14 years.
Despite all those challenges as a couple, de Batista says Jeanne has always been a trusted advocate and confidante.
“I have been looking forward for this moment to meet Shawn’s mom for so long,” says de Batista. “Since the beginning of the relationship, she was being always supportive, and she respect me and the person that I am. And I just feel embraced by her. It’s like she is like a mom for me.”
While de Batista and Jeanne have been in close communication, this is their first time meeting in person, and they engage in a long hug as soon as de Batista enters the living room through a gridded screen and red front door.
“It’s very special. We are in contact for so long and talking and she always understand me,” notes de Batista before teasing Finch that, “We talk about you.”
The initial small talk is playful, with Jeanne introducing de Batista to her dog, Wookie, before mentioning her year-round “Christmas stuff” that is on display in the living room.
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The holiday decor includes a piano topped with a carpet of artificial snow, dozens of miniature flocked trees, and a ceramic village as well as a wreath adorned with various holiday ornaments.
Jeanne doesn’t seem embarrassed by the presence of her Christmas knickknacks. She even reminds de Batista that a “long time ago, we talked about Christmas stuff.”
At first, de Batista sounds accepting of the year-round holiday decor, while Finch is the one judging it all.
“It’s so nice,” says de Batista just before Finch chimes in that his mom’s place looks like “Christmas, Christmas, everywhere.”
In response to Finch’s critical comment, de Batista seizes the opportunity to tell Finch she thinks he has too much stuff, too.
“Shawn’s mom’s house [has] a lot of stuff, and I can notice now how similar you are guys,” reveals de Batista. “They have the same obsessions. They have collections of coffee cups, and they have the monks.”
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(TLC)
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Indeed, Finch’s Spanish-style West Hollywood home, which he opened up earlier this season, also has its fair share of collections. The 1927-built abode—with alleged connections to Charlie Chaplin—has a whole room dedicated to Hollywood memorabilia—in particular, artifacts related to Barbra Streisand.
But when de Batista calls out Finch’s house for being as full as Jeanne’s, Finch draws the line to defend his furnishings.
“Well, I think my mom has too much stuff, so I’ll agree with you that my mom has too much stuff, but I don’t think I have too much stuff because I have, like, a fourth of what my mom has,” says Finch.
Nevertheless, de Batista doesn’t let Finch off the hook. She pushes her point that if Finch feels overwhelmed by his mother’s cluttered decor, he should understand why she feels the same at his property.
“So you get that view, and it’s the view that I have of your house,” says de Batista.
Despite the maximalist nature of Finch’s mom’s house, its most appealing feature is quite simple: It’s the nonjudgmental and welcoming atmosphere.
“90 Day Fiancé” airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on TLC.
