Catie Norse explains why she often tries to kiss her friends when she’s drunk, even though she’s engaged to Josh Atkins. On 90 Day Fiancé season 12, she attributes the urges to her OCD.
“I have intrusive thoughts as part of OCD,” she said in a confessional. “When I get drunk, I really want to make out with everyone I know, especially when I’m in a happy mood or in a really insecure, bad mood. I just get really into the moment and I think, ‘Wow, I think making out with this person is a great idea!’ That isn’t always exciting for Josh, especially since it’s been a little bit more frequent lately.”
She told a friend that her behavior comes from wanting “to feel wanted.” She admitted that even though she wants to stop, “when I drink, my brain has another plan for me.”
A Licensed Counselor Says That’s Not How OCD Works
That explanation prompted The Mirror US to ask an actual expert. Madeleine Thompson Smith, a licensed counselor, noted that OCD looks different for everyone. However, she was clear about Catie’s specific situation.
“Wanting to kiss strangers while drinking because you’re feeling happy would not be considered a typical symptom of OCD,” Smith said. “OCD isn’t a disorder that makes people lose control or act on random impulses. It’s a disorder centered on intrusive thoughts, uncertainty, and anxiety.”
Smith also raised a concern that goes beyond Catie herself. Showing this behavior as OCD on a popular show might mislead viewers. It could create a false image of the disorder and strengthen stereotypes about those who truly experience it.
That point deserves attention. People with OCD struggle with the stereotype that they have “quirky impulses.” A major TLC storyline that frames drunken advances as an OCD symptom only makes things worse. Smith can’t diagnose anyone via a TV screen, and viewers can’t either. Still, her explanation of what OCD is and isn’t is important, no matter what’s happening with Catie.
How The Couple Even Got Here
Catie and Josh’s origin story previews everything that followed. They met in Europe while Catie was on a drunk Tinder date with one of Josh’s friends. During that night, she made out with two people and tried to kiss two more, one of them being Josh. He walked her home, they kissed, she ran off, and somehow that turned into a relationship and an engagement.
In other words, Josh met this exact behavior on night one. The difference now is that he is the fiancé watching it happen instead of the stranger benefiting from it.
The Birthday Party That Broke The Pattern Of Excuses
The couple decided that no friends would kiss before Catie’s birthday party. The agreement lasted minutes.
Catie asked Josh if she could “kiss everyone,” and he said no. She then leaned on one visibly uncomfortable male friend asking for a kiss, moved on to her friend Ryan while in self-described “crazy mode,” and finished the night pursuing her friend Mark so persistently that he put his hand up to block her face. Mark reminded her she was in a “committed relationship.” Catie made out with his hand.
The Ryan situation added its own tension. Josh had previously cut Ryan off after an “inappropriate” night out, yet Catie kept the friendship and invited him. When Josh asked Catie how she’d feel if he stayed close with women he kissed, she said she’d feel “hurt and jealous.” But she couldn’t link that to her own situation.
The Morning After
In the latest episode, Josh tried to talk with a hungover Catie. She said, “I don’t remember what happened.” Catie blamed her drinking on birthday stress and Ryan’s visit.
Josh laid out his position in a confessional. “Last night was just one piece of sh*t after another. She let herself down, she let me down, it’s just embarrassing. I don’t want a relationship where ultimatums feel like the only thing left, but on the other hand, how much worse is it supposed to get before the real hard questions are the ones that you need to ask.”
When Catie worried about crossing her friends’ boundaries, Josh gave the reply of the episode: “But you’re crossing my boundaries.” Catie glossed right past it, returning instead to her fear of losing friends.
“I’ve definitely lost friends ’cause of things I’ve done when I’m drinking,” she admitted. “I’m really ashamed about it and it’s hard to talk about. I will be sad if anyone abandons me. I am worried all the time that I’ll lose Josh and I’m worried I’ll push him away by my actions.”
Fans Are Raising A Consent Question
Viewer reaction has moved past ordinary reality TV criticism into something more serious. Many fans noticed that Catie often chased men who seemed uncomfortable and said no. One Reddit user even said that if a man acted like this toward women in a bar, the police would have been called. Others questioned how she can worry about her friends’ boundaries while ignoring her fiancé’s.
The flood of “run” comments got heavy enough that Josh posted a since-deleted Instagram video asking fans to stop leaving them on his posts.
That gender flip argument is the one that sticks. Remove the reality TV angle and the birthday setting. The footage shows someone pushing physical advances on people who are saying no. No matter the label, the show has a weightier storyline than usual. Josh’s patience seems to be the only thing keeping it together.
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