Russ Mayfield wanted to get their anniversary right. On 90 Day: The Last Resort, he planned an archery date for his wife, Paola, a real departure from what she described as their usual routine of sitting and talking at home.
Paola was into it from the start. “This is the first time we did something special for our anniversary in years and I actually like the idea how thoughtful this is, because it’s something that you can get to do something, not just sitting and talking, like what we normally do at home,” she said.
Russ added a playful stake to it, telling her she would get a special gift if she hit the bullseye, and complimenting her as looking like a “princess warrior.”
The Gift That Missed The Mark
Then came the reveal. Before even unwrapping it, Paola half-joked, “Oh my God, Russ, please don’t be a necklace.”
It was a necklace.
Russ tried to give the gift meaning, explaining the symbolism behind it. “This has so much more than a necklace meaning. The swan is a symbol of love. When you have two swans together, they create a heart shape with their head and neck.”
Paola appreciated the sentiment but could not hide her disappointment. “Why did you do that, Mi Amor? You have gifted me necklaces quite often,” she said, pointing out this was far from the first time he had reached for the same type of gift.
She tried to keep the moment from souring further. “I don’t wanna ruin the moment, I appreciate you being thoughtful with the gift,” she said, before adding, “Ok, just put it on.” She then gave Russ his own gift, a watch, and made her disappointment plain in one line: “I wish you can just think about me and what I really like. Like what I did for you.”
Russ Felt Like He Could Never Win
Russ did not take the reaction well, and he said so directly.
“It’s always the same. No matter what I do, there’s always something wrong. I’m tired of being told that I am not meeting her expectations. She constantly terms me as a failure. It makes me feel like s**t,” he said.
That frustration did not stay contained to one evening. Days later, while relaxing in a jacuzzi with castmates Patrick and Thaís, the couple’s tension resurfaced. Patrick, never one to stay out of another couple’s business, told Russ that if he were in his shoes, he would have left long ago, while also calling him a real man for sticking by Paola.
The comment reignited the conversation, and it circled straight back to the necklace. What started as an attempt at a cordial conversation fell apart under raised emotions, and Russ finally snapped.
“You nitpick everything!” he yelled. “I’m tired of it.”
Paola broke down crying, telling him she did not want to keep living this way.
What’s Really Going On Underneath The Necklace
The gift itself was never really the issue. Russ and Paola joined The Last Resort after more than ten years together, hoping to work through long-standing problems with communication, financial pressure, and closeness. A repeated gift became a stand-in for a much bigger question Paola has been sitting with in therapy.
“We’ve been through therapy and we’ve been talking about what I want, what I need and the things that have been affecting me and my relationship and is he really even trying? I don’t know,” she said.
She also admitted the complicated reason she has stayed. “I don’t want to end up hurting Russ,” she said, but added she does not want to spend her life staying with someone out of guilt rather than genuine connection.
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