Coming From America, Episode 4 just aired and there seems to be one common theme appearing. In Coming From America, four families moved from the US to test out life in Africa. This concept is similar to 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way, because families are traveling and living abroad. The major difference between the shows is how most families aren’t focused on finding love. Instead, they’re packing up their children and transitioning their careers, all while hoping for an authentic experience in Ghana.
As the Coming From America stars settle in Africa, they’re all discovering the age-old saying is right: the grass is always greener on the other side. When the families decided to move to Africa, they weren’t sure exactly what to expect, since most never left America. They hoped to connect spiritually with the “motherland” and live a happy and healthy life in Ghana. Unfortunately, though the families are realizing the images they created in their minds for themselves may not be what they’ll receive.
Coming From America, Families Are Realizing Life In Africa Isn’t Easy
When the families packed up their belongings and purchased their flights, they had no idea what to expect. They had a few plans and goals though, and as the season went on, they realized accomplishing those goals wasn’t going to be as easy as they had hoped. Single mom Julia Jovone-Davis keeps striking out with African men and still can’t find a nice place to open her business. Despite the Smiley family being the only ones to have a job in place, wife Elaine isn’t working and is still spending, adding more stress to their transition.
Then there’s the Kelly family, who appeared on America’s Got Talent Season 16. They seem to have the biggest hurdles to overcome: the parents, Gerald and Lamara, are having marital problems. They’re also a family of comedians and the sons and father work together to create some of the best stand-ups seen on America’s Got Talent. However, appealing to the African fan base has proven to be more difficult than they thought. For comedy to truly be funny, Gerald claims relatable type is crucial, but relating to life in Africa is tough for the Americans.
The Joneses Are Thinking About Going Back to America
Unfortunately, the three new couples aren’t the only ones facing turmoil. Ayo and Tony Jones were in Africa for two years before the three families arrived. The Jones family was a major inspiration to the Kelly family. As the Joneses experienced life in Africa, they would highlight the lessons and cultural differences on their blog. Those videos helped the Kelly’s prepare and get excited about living in Africa. As Lamara pointed out in her confessional, Ayo and Tony seemed to have the perfect marriage and the perfect life in Africa. From the outside, it seemed like they were perfect and had everything figured out.
However, the wives went to get drinks together, as the men did, and both of them learned the Joneses might be moving back to America. It turned out that Ayo wasn’t as excited about Africa anymore. She struggled to buy the basics like bras and food on a daily basis. Her kids were missing out on an “authentic” educational experience, and she wanted to spend more time with her mom. The news blew away the America’s Got Talent contestants. Considering how well put together the Joneses looked on the outside, they realized it was more of a facade. As a result, the Kellys believed if the Jones couldn’t make it, then neither could they.
Overall, since the show is new, neither the families nor the viewers know what to expect in Africa, which adds an interesting element to the series. While the families had some goals and ideas based on role models or their expat friends, they were still winging most of their experience. So it’s been interesting to watch the families try to progress in one direction, only to realize their experiences aren’t going to be anything like they planned. In the end, the purpose of this experiment was to see how well the families could fare abroad, and the results have been surprising thus far.
Coming From America airs Thursdays on HBO Max in the U.S.
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