The fan-favorite couple gets real about where they stand today.
When it comes to 90 Day Fiancé couple Asuelu and Kalani's rocky relationship, it's still a work in progress. ET sat down with the two ahead of their appearance on the latest spinoff of the popular TLC franchise, Love Games, and they talked about where they currently stand following their emotional and tension-filled tell-all appearance that aired in September.
Asuelu and Kalani starred in season 5 of 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? after cameras already followed their love story after meeting in Samoa on 90 Day Fiancé season 6, but shocked fans with their big fights and serious issues while living in Utah with their two young sons. Kalani said she wanted to leave Asuelu after he didn't stick up for her when his mom and sister attacked her for not sending his mom money, and because he wasn't taking the coronavirus seriously and continuing to go out, putting their family at risk. Asuelu continued to be defensive on the tell-all, walking out when he was confronted with some of his bad behavior.
Despite a split appearing more than likely, 32-year-old Kalani and 25-year-old Asuelu are still together and tell ET's Melicia Johnson that they're continuing to work on their marriage.
"I think the pandemic was hard for all couples, and we already had a bunch of issues going into it, so I think we've just been trying our best, and that's just where we are," Kalani says. "I feel like it changes on a daily basis, like a lot of marriages."
"I think we're in an OK spot," she continues. "I wouldn't say we're in a great or perfect spot, but I think we're good. We're working, we're both putting in the effort. It's not horrible like it was, but it's not amazing. We're getting there."
Asuelu adds, "I would say we are getting to the right way. We are on the right track."
Still, Kalani doesn't rule out the two not ending up together.
"I just think that marriage is very hard and when you have a lot of other issues, like cultural issues and language issues and all of these things, it just makes it very complicated," she explains. "But for right now, we are trying our best and hopefully, that works out. But, I mean, you never really know."
Asuelu is also now taking the coronavirus pandemic much more seriously. He says he stopped his job at the Polynesian Entertainment Dance company because some of the members had COVID-19, though he still has a job working for a rideshare service.
"A lot of things changed," he says. "I stopped going out, hanging out with friends."
Kalani adds, "He's being a lot more cautious now, which is nice."
As for how he feels about how he was portrayed on season 5 of 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After?, during which another side of the usually happy-go-lucky Asuelu was shown -- at one point he called Kalani a "lying b**ch in front of her mother during a car ride -- he does have regrets. Asuelu calls the shocking fight in the car his "lowest point."
"I think that's not who I am," he notes of the season. "I watch it and I hate it, and I don't want to be that person, but you know, it's good. I learned, it's a good lesson. I learned from that, and growing up, and yeah, just [have] good change and just be a better person."
Kalani notes that the painful fights airing on television was actually beneficial to them in the end.
"It just made him be better because a lot of people attacked him, so it made him look at himself and say, 'Yeah, probably shouldn't talk like that or do things like that.' So, I think overall, it probably helped our relationship more than anything."
Kalani and Asuelu are now returning to the 90 Day Fiancé universe to compete in Love Games, which has fan-favorite couples from the franchise facing off against each other as they answer questions about their partner to prove just how much they really know about one another. Asuelu and Kalani say they had fun competing, and share that some of the questions were extremely intimate.
"Asuelu is very mum about anything sexual, so I feel like any sexual questions, he was [more] uncomfortable to answer than me, but it was fun hearing other people's answers too," Kalani says. "I was like, 'Wow, good for you.'"
The two later joke about what they learned from participating in the series.
"I think Love Games was a really nice challenge for most of the couples, because for me, I didn't know other things that my wife liked but after Love Games, man, I studied everything about you," Asuelu tells Kalani with a laugh. "Maybe if we go to another season or another challenge, we're gonna win, right, baby?"
Kalani disagrees.
"Being on Love Games made me realize we don't know anything about each other, really, other than like, 'Oh, what's your favorite color?'" she jokes. "Anything in depth we were just like. 'Uhhhh.' We need to work on that. We need to get to know each other better."
Love Games launches Feb. 14 on Discovery +.
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