What if we told you that a 51-year-old engineer from Michigan facedallthese hurdles and combatted them while being filmed?
Because she’s American, correct?But living in Panama?
Or do I have that wrong?
And lives in Panama.
And you’re divorced and going through this whole process.
So, kind of going back to the beginning, what motivated you to want to be on camera?
To share your love on camera like this?
Well actually, Jasmine is the one that applied for the show.
It was her and not me.
What did you say when she told you?
I was kind of surprised.
Like, “Oh really?
And I guess kind of at first I was kind of hesitant about the whole thing.
This could be pretty good.”
And so my interest level kept growing and growing.
What was it about the franchise that kind of captured your attention?
Your first wife was Brazilian, correct?
My first wife was Brazilian, and I brought her to USA on a fiance visa.
Very similar to the show.
This was similar territory for you.
But I kind of knew the process going in.
And so that was had my interest.
But I was watching “90 Day Fiance” before she even applied for us on the show.
I was a fan before that.
Was Gino nervous to be on camera for the first time?
So I mean, it was shocking.
But it happened, and it’s exciting.
And at first, I was a little bit, “I don’t know.”
Kind of, “Do I want to do this?”
Yeah, so it was hard at first.
It was my first time and so I was kind of like …
It was all new for me and I felt like kind of a rookie.
It was just all new to me and …
But it was a good learning experience and stuff.
It just took me a little time to get comfortable with it.
Having a camera follow you all the time.
Having a camera following me and stuff and just doing scenes and stuff on camera.
That was all new for me.
So I just, I kind of adapted to it pretty quickly, I think.
And became more comfortable with it.
But it took some time.
Did you find yourself trying to bring your most authentic self to the camera?
Or were you really aware of, “Oh, there’s a camera following me.
I should not say this or that, or behave like this?”
What was that like?
Well, I think it was a little more difficult in the beginning.
Right when I started, I was a little bit more nervous about it.
But then, I think I quickly adapted to it and I just was myself really.
I just was myself and just let it go and let it flow.
I just wanted to be myself, you know?
Real couples going through real issues.
What connected Gino and Jasmine initially?
I met Jasmine on a dating site.
Yes international section of it.
So then what was that initial part of your relationship like?
Just communicating via messaging?
Well so, to be honest, we kind of met by a miracle.
Because her ad that she had on the dating site, she did not even put up there.
Her friend put her ad up.
Her friend put her ad up, and she was like a few days away from deleting her ad.
And one thing led to another?
So I was able to connect with her, but she was close to deleting it.
What was that like before you came to the show?
Oh, so we video chatted and messaged each other for nine months or so prior to the show.
That’s a lot of time.
What was that like?
I don’t know.
We had a strong bond initially and stuff.
And we got to know each other pretty well over nine months.
So, I mean, it was …
I don’t know.
There wasn’t anything major.
For the most part, we got along.
And that’s great because it’s not just a relationship via messaging and videos.
It’s long distance.
It’s a time difference.
There are so many different components that can make a relationship hard even just from the onset.
So you kind of threw some hurdles at your new relationship from the get-go, it seems.
Yeah, so we had nine months of knowing each other prior to the show.
So, at least we got to know each other pretty good.
And so that was good.
What’s it been like kind of navigating that?
And, “Are you going to go meet someone?
You just met them online, you’re going to go meet them in a different country?
You don’t even really know them.”
They were concerned about my safety.
“Is this person setting you up?”
“Is this person real?”
Especially since they’ve seen you go through a divorce before.
I’m sure there was …
They wanted to guard you a little bit.
So my family [is] really cautious and concerned for my safety probably mostly.
I like to take risks!
And there’s an interesting timing element of it as well.
Because then, of course, we had a pandemic thrown in here, so …
It completely changed the dating game, for sure.
The pandemic, I’m glad you mentioned it.
I’m sure that was really helpful.
And that was huge because that was a hard time for everybody.
But we supported each other, and so that was nice.
That we always support each other and get through that pandemic together.
How’s life?"
It’s just, it’s the small things that make a big difference.
Oh yeah, absolutely.
So yeah, that was a huge bonus to support each other through the pandemic like that and stuff.
Because that was a hard time for everybody.
When were you able to meet for the first time in person?
Well, I actually had plans to meet her that the summer, the summer of 2020.
But the Panama International Airport got shut down because of the pandemic.
And they shut that down for a while, so I wasn’t able to go meet her.
The pandemic shut us down for a while on that one.
Your question was, when did I meet her or …
For the first time, in person.
For the first time?
So that was Christmas of 2020.
I bet that was a really special time.
It was cool to meet her.
We spoke for nine months.
We spoke for a long time.
Video chat, texting.
So, there was a lot of build up over the nine months.
And then we finally meet in person, and it was really cool.
I bet there was a sense of relief.
Just finally face to face.
Like, “Finally.”
And, “Here you really are.
This is what you really look like.
And this is who you really are.”
And that was really cool.
What was it about her that initially grabbed your attention when you first started dating?
Or when you saw her online profile?
Oh, you mean when I [had] seen her profile?
Well, the profile was kind of …
There wasn’t too much detail.
Maybe because her friend created it.
Her friend created her profile.
It was pretty basic.
And the things I read about her were positive in the profile, I know that.
Well, she’s a really caring person.
And she’s got a really fun personality.
She’s very fun.
She’s a passionate Latina.
She is super fun and [has] just a good personality.
And that’s what attracted me to her initially.
So, that’s what attracted me to her initially, you know?
Yeah, absolutely.And, that kind of compatible personality is always so needed.
Especially when you are just talking via text or video for so long.
Is Gino interested in starting a family?
What’s been one of your favorite things that you have done with her thus far?
One of my favorite things I’ve done that we’ve done together?
That’s really sweet.
And I know that you have shared that you are really hoping to have a family.
What has that been like for you kind of knowing that could potentially be on the horizon?
Well, I mean, I guess I’ll have to watch a show for that one.
[Laughs]
Yeah, I know.
I’m trying to get stuff out of you guys!
You’ll have to watch a show to see if … it turns out that way.
But kids is something that I would be interested in in my future.
I mean, I guess I could answer it that way for you.
I would be interested in having kids one day.
With the right person.
And I know that we talked a little bit about COVID.
Kind of talk me through a day in the life of filming.
And it was just an awesome experience overall.
I can say that.
And to share your love with potentially millions of people who are going to tune in and watch.
That must be kind of a wild thing to think about.
So, it’s been a rollercoaster.
I’ve actually done some research on that, and I was looking at that.
That’s pretty huge.
That’s pretty awesome.
It’s pretty wild.
Pretty awesome to think about it.
I mean, if you just think about the USA, that’s pretty awesome in itself.
But now, think about this being on in China or Japan, Europe, in South America.
That’s pretty awesome.
It definitely opens so many different kinds of doors.
Yeah, it does.
And it’s just really awesome to think about.
I didn’t really realize like how big the audience would be.
I’m thinking of like, I mean obviouslyBig Edcomes to mind.
I got to talk to him, which was really fun.
But Elizabeth and Andrei.
And then there’s the “90 Day” game show withSukithat was held over the summer.
Yeah, it makes it really exciting.
I’ve done a lot of research on them.
Like on a daily base.
What are they experiencing?
What are they doing, and how is it affecting their life?
How is the show affecting their life, I mean.
Current cast members and people that have already done the show.
So it’s all interesting.
Well you’re entering a really prominent community of people who all have such a unique shared experience really.
It’s like one big …
It’s like joining a family, kind of.
The “90 Day” family, right?
So it’s pretty cool.
I’m excited about it.
You’ve had an up and down international experience.
What would you tell people who are looking for something special themselves?
Well, I mean, I think me personally, I think the power of the internet is …
It can help you find someone, the power of the internet.
I would suggest people to use it to their advantage.
And take the risk.
Because it can pay off in the end.
High risk, high reward.
It can also go bad, but take a chance if you’re into international women.
Some people are, some people aren’t.
Some people are happy with meeting someone in the States here.
But I think using that dating site can really help you out finding someone.
Well, and it’s one of those things as well like you said …
And make a connection.
It could go wrong, right?
Give it a shot.
It’s not hard to do.
All you need is that small connection.
You know my answer on that one!
“90 Day Fiance!”
I mean, of course.
I mean, I watch all the “90 Day” shows.
I’m a big fan of the show.
Besides being a cast member, I love the show and watch it every day.
Well, I mean, most recently I like Jovi and Yara.
I mean, their story was cool.
They’re a pretty cool couple too.
Big Ed was interesting too.
He is such a character.
He’s so fun.
Yeah, thank you.
Yeah, no problem.
I live, eat, and sleep “90 Day.”
Is there anything that you want to share with me that I didn’t ask?
Anything that you think that we left out?
Are you feeling pretty good?
Did we cover everything?
I felt that was a good conversation.
To share some stuff, yeah.
