Warning! The following contains spoilers from the 90 Day: The Single Life episode "Natalie's Big Break." Read at your own risk!
Natalie Mordovtseva is back as part of the Season 4 cast of 90 Day: The Single Life, and as a longtime fan of the franchise, I think I've reached a breaking point. Now that the bombshell drama with Mike Youngquist has ended and she's firmly committed to Josh Weinstein, the storyline is getting annoying. That's mainly because every scene feels forced and constructed to get entertainment, and the interview was evidence of that.
Natalie needed a job once she was in Los Angeles, and Josh set her up with a relative that had an opening for a receptionist. It was a real opportunity to get a fresh start in a new town, and Natalie absolutely bombed the interview. Was it intentional? I'll get into that more below and explain why these types of scenes have made her stories unbearable for me to watch as a fan.
Natalie's Interview With Josh's Relative For A Job Was A Complete Farce
Over the years, I've developed a theory for 90 Day Fiancé. If a cast member does something in a situation that doesn't make sense considering the circumstances, it's probably being scripted for the show. If Natalie Mordovtseva really needed the money to afford her expensive apartment in Los Angeles that Josh co-signed, she wouldn't have spent that whole interview talking about Josh and denying she has any relevant experience for the job.
The reality is that Natalie's real job in that scene was to put on the most entertaining scene imaginable for the camera. In this case, it was looking oblivious to what having a receptionist job meant, and proceeding to pester the relative with questions about her boyfriend. In fairness, it's much more entertaining than filming a standard interview. Perhaps the TLC crew showed up to film it because they knew she'd intentionally bomb it, and it would be great for the episode.
As entertaining as it may be, it bothers me to no end that so much of Natalie's storylines in 90 Day: The Single Life feels like she's mainly doing whatever is most entertaining for the show rather than living her actual life. It reminds me of times cast members said the show is fake, and makes me feel like I'm wasting my time watching.
Natalie's Minor Role In A Horror Film Likely Will Not Fund Her Apartment In Los Angeles
Later in the episode, Natalie was introduced to Josh's film producer friend, who just so happened to have a role for her in a horror movie. The 90 Day Fiancé star was thrilled for the gig, and talked about how she "made it" in Los Angeles. Not to be the bearer of bad news, but I don't think even a one-off minor role in one of the best Horror movies of all time would fund a beach-side apartment long-term. As a former actress in Ukraine, Natalie should know this.
Neither Natalie nor her mother seems concerned about losing their apartment, despite Josh seeming non-committal about their future as a couple as he was when she dropped that big ultimatum the previous season. Given that and the short-term job security before Natalie is forced to search for another gig, I can't help but think her pay for participating in 90 Day Fiancé is what's really funding the apartment. It's fine if that's the case, but let's not pretend like she's reliant on Josh.
Also, let's not forget that Josh is close friends with the Potthast family, and has been pictured with Libby Castravet or seen out with her sisters many times. Natalie seemingly has no connection to that section of the 90 Day Fiancé cast, and yet she's dating someone who knows them personally? It's always struck me as a little fishy and led me to question the validity of this relationship, but that's an article for another time.
90 Day: The Single Life airs on TLC on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Now is the time to catch up with a Max subscription for those that didn't know it premiered, as this season is fun to watch in spite of my frustrations with Natalie's storyline.
