Yahoo Finance 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days : Caleb and Alina Make a Plan to Meet After More Than 13 Years
Meet Caleb and Alina, whose whirlwind love story appears on the new season of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days.
In PEOPLE's exclusive clip from Sunday's season 5 premiere, fans are introduced to the two 27-year-olds ahead of their first official meeting in Turkey.
Caleb and Alina first connected on social media as teens but eventually lost touch. Thirteen years later, the two matched on a dating app as Caleb planned a trip to Russia, where Alina is from.
Though their original plan to meet didn't pan out, Caleb and Alina continued to communicate and developed a deeper connection. In the clip, Caleb says he is eager to meet the woman he has been chatting with over the past few years.
"I don't want to wait any longer to find out if Alina's and my connection is real in person," the Arizona-native admits in a confessional.
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The scene eventually shifts to Russia, where Alina dons a pearl-laden outfit and accessories in preparation for a photoshoot. She says she recently took interest in burlesque "because it shows that in different [bodies], you can still feel beautiful."
Alina was born with diastrophic dysplasia, a rare form of dwarfism. As a result of her condition, Alina is unable to walk or stand for long periods of time and often relies on a wheelchair for mobility.
"I don't think [a] disability is a problem," she says. "In many areas of my life, I try to do everything really."
Alina also performs with a band called BFF Band featuring two of her friends, including Elijah, a man she currently lives with that ultimately joins the couple's trip to Turkey.
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With Russia's borders closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the pair makes a plan to meet face-to-face for the first time in Turkey, where they'll spend two weeks with one another.
Alina says, "I miss you," to Caleb in a cellphone video shown on-screen. "I can't wait to hold you and touch you," she adds, "so be prepared, okay?"
Caleb touts the "deep emotional connection" he had already formed with Alina as a reason to easily "look past what other would people would say is a massive difference between us."
Season 5 of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days premieres Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on TLC.
