Someone's Definitely Getting Their Heart Broken in 90 Day Fiancé: The Single Life

The Single Life might not reach the same levels of drama and tension as original recipe 90 Day Fiancé or its spin-offs Before the 90 Days and The Other Way, but one thing it shares with all of its sibling series is a strong sense of hope. Six* of the cast members — Chantel, Veronica, Tim, Natalie, Debbie, and Tyray — are eager to throw themselves back into the dating fray in Season 4. Their unbridled optimism is key this early in the season; if they believe they’re going to find the one, that makes their efforts much more compelling.

*Boston John has been MIA, but is due to finally make a proper appearance in next week’s episode. Compared to everyone else, though, he seems much more ambivalent about settling down.

Those high hopes could make rejection or a broken connection absolutely crushing for our daters, as “Tyray’s First Date” makes abundantly clear. Natalie is already pinning too many of her hopes on Josh, who can barely make time for apartment hunting, let alone laying the foundation for a long-lasting relationship. And that’s not a dig at him — he’s been transparent about wanting to ease into things. But Natalie, who was once on the 90-day schedule, thinks he’s going (or at least wants him) to set her up in her new life in Los Angeles.

They manage to have one normal video call and one affectionate car ride before things get rocky once more. Josh balks at being the guarantor for her apartment lease, which again, is totally reasonable. Aside from just being herself, it’s hard to see why Natalie thinks she can count on Josh so much. Maybe a future Tell All will reveal that he’s been giving her the hard sell off camera, but it seems more likely that she’s getting ahead of herself again — and setting herself up for some heartbreak down the line.

Veronica also seems to have a lot of hope for her newly exclusive relationship with Jamal. The situationship is no more, even though they’re still living in different states. You’d think the distance would mean a lot of texting and FaceTiming, but Jamal doesn’t believe in staying in touch while they’re apart (which is a fair amount). Everyone’s texting style is different — some people take days to respond to basic questions; others will recount their whole day, 10 words at a time — but Jamal seems averse to any method of communication aside from being “face to face.” Veronica says she doesn’t need to constantly text, but she’s concerned about the general lack of communication. This doesn’t bode well for two people living so far apart, especially when he already seems to be chalking it up to Veronica’s insecurity instead of a difference in communication styles. In a talking head, she admits she’s in greater danger of having her heart broken than he is.

But where Natalie and Veronica only face the potential for future disappointment, poor Tyray is stood up on his first date ever. After meeting Tiffany at a funeral and having a nice time chatting, Tyray asked her out to dinner in the premiere. She hinted that Tyray was her type, but when the hour of the dinner comes, he’s left sampling Riesling on his own. No explanation, no response to his calls (maybe she shares Jamal’s communication style). It’s a bummer to watch; even the server says she felt so bad, she wanted to sit down and have dinner with him.

It’s also just one of the perils of dating. Tyray’s lack of experience might have left him more vulnerable, but he can take some comfort in knowing that being stood up is common. Along with Chantel’s, Tyray’s storyline has the most potential to deliver highs and lows in Season 4. For his sake, let’s just hope there aren’t too many lows.

90 Day Fiancé: The Single Life airs Mondays at 8:00 PM ET on TLC, and is also available to stream on Max and Discovery+. Join the discussion about the show in our forums.

Danette Chavez is the Editor-in-Chief of Primetimer and its biggest fan of puns.