The new season of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days begins on February 23. The hit TLC reality series follows Americans as they travel abroad to meet their long-distance love interests, usually for the first time ever. The smitten travelers usually hope to get engaged and begin the process of applying for K1 fiancé visa to bring their significant other to the US to get married.

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This season, one of the cast members if already stirring up plenty of drama, even before the show has aired. Geoffrey Paschel is a 41-year-old from Tennessee and his plan is to meet his 30-year-old girlfriend, Varya, who lives in Russia. TLC says he's getting over his divorce from his second wife and the tragic loss of his 13-month-old son in 2018. The new relationship is supposed to be a new start for him. 

But there is a lot about Paschel that TLC isn't showing in the promos, such as his recent arrest for domestic abuse or the fact that he has been in a years-long custody battle with his ex-wife who also says he was abusive, both of which we'll explore later in this article. Some fans have even wondered why TLC is going ahead with having him on the show, given his checkered past.

It also begs the question: Are Geoffrey and Varya from 90 Day Fiancé: Before The 90 Days still together? And does she know about his history? Read on for details. 

Who is Geoffrey Paschel?

Paschel is a 41-year-old man living in Tennessee. He says he is a landlord who owns different properties around the area but his Instagram account is loaded with photos from TV and movie sets. He tags himself as an actor and has been booking TV credits since 2017. He mentions being divorced twice and says he's had four children across those marriages, although his youngest son tragically died at 13 months old.

Paschel earlier this year. 

Who is Varya? 

Varya, who calls herself Varya Malina on Instagram, is a 30-year-old native of Russia. Her Instagram bio says she is a DJ for Radio Europa Plus, a Russian radio station. She is also a wedding planner. Most of her Instagram posts are in Russian but she does have one where she talks about herself in English. "Here’s a look at myself: 4 years ago, my hobby turned into a profession. At the moment I am in demand and pretty successful as a wedding planner. My voice is regularly broadcast on the air of one of the most popular radio stations — Europa Plus for 8 years. “Extreme” is an integral part of my life: Snowboarding, rock climbing, wakeboarding, flyboarding, bicycling, roller blading — have already been mastered, surfing and diving are next!" she wrote. "Craving for adventure, as well as courage and the need for a little crazy in my life pushed me to participate in an extremely popular reality show. It is about to hit the screens and the world will learn more about an aspect of my personality, the one that usually only my closest people are privy to. Do not miss «90 Day fiancé. Before the 90 days» on 23rd of February on TLC."

We can't help but notice that she doesn't mention being madly in love with Geoffrey Paschel here — just that she's going to be appearing on the show. 

A sneak peek of their story shared by Varya. 

What is Geoffrey Paschel not telling the TLC viewers? 

The storyline of a grieving father hoping to find love again is certainly the kind of thing reality audiences turn in to watch. But what Paschel neglects to mention is that he has at least two additional divorces behind him as well as the two he mentions on the show. The mother of his youngest children is allegedly his fourth wife and they split after she alleged abuse and fled with their children to her home country of Canada. Not only that, his third wife allegedly submitted affidavits in their divorce attesting to her own abuse at his hands. The third wife also alleges that he sold drugs and involved his children in that process. 

There was another wife, most likely his second one, who also has horrifying stories to tell about Paschel. They have two children together — most likely the two sons he publicly introduces on the show. His second wife was arrested after leaving one of the kids in a car when he was very young. When police investigated, they discovered drug paraphernalia and she was arrested for neglect and drug crimes in 2004. She was only allowed supervised visits with her kids following the arrest and Paschel had custody of them even though the woman alleged serious abuse by Paschel. He reportedly raped her repeatedly, physically assaulted her, and threatened to kill her on multiple occasions. The divorce ended with Paschel having custody of the kids and both mother and father having mutual restraining orders prohibiting them from interacting except at therapy appointments for the children. 

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Paschel is in current legal trouble as well.

As recently as spring 2019, Paschel was back under arrest for assaulting a woman. In June 2019, he was arrested for assaulting his girlfriend in Knoxville, Tennessee. He faces charges of aggravated kidnapping, domestic assault, interference with emergency calls and vandalism. "He repeatedly bashed/slammed my head into the hardwood floors of my home," she alleges. "He dragged me through the house by my hair and continued throwing my body into walls and furniture. I know this because of blood on my walls, furniture, etc."

She ultimately had to flee the house because he disabled her phone so she couldn't call 911 for help. She was treated for a concussion that night. In response, Paschel says she's making up the whole story to somehow sabotage the on-going custody case over their youngest child. He has a court date in this case coming up in March.

If he was dating someone in June 2019, when did he meet Varya?

That is a very good question and we just don't know. The best we can guess is that the show filmed sometime between the assault arrest and now. We don't know when he started talking to Varya online or whether he was cheating on someone else when he was looking on international dating sites. It's also not entirely clear if his divorce from his most recent wife is final or if he's still legally married. 

Are Geoffrey and Varya from 90 Day Fiancé: Before The 90 Days still together?

In the promos for the show, TLC gives a tantalizing glimpse of Paschel storming out of dinner after accusing Varya of not telling him the truth. He stands in the street and dramatically tells the cameras that he feels like he's failing himself by being too trusting in this relationship. 

Some fans who've learned about Paschel's past aren't happy that TLC seems to be forging ahead with having him on the show. "What does⁦ @TLC⁩ have to say about this?? Are you going to allow an abuser like Geoffrey Paschel on a show, only to have millions NOT tune in?? Or will you do the right thing and cut him out of the show? #90DayFiance," tweeted one fan. 

The new season of Before the 90 Days starts on February 23. 

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Rebekah Kuschmider has been writing about celebrities, pop culture, entertainment, and politics since 2010. She is the creator of the blog FeminXer and she is a cohost of the weekly podcast The More Perfect Union.