“I did my best not to show that I’m not excited too much with that news because she was so excited. I don’t want to make her upset,” he told the camera in a confessional.
“I have to tell her eventually that I really don’t want to go to the US.”
Later in the episode, Güven decided to surprise Garner with what many viewers have alleged is a rendition of the haka, which he attempted while wearing a durag: a cloth historically used to protect afro-textured hair and hairstyles and worn by Black people as a cultural signifier.
“You look so hot,” exclaimed Garner in the footage, who appeared to be wearing a wig.
In a piece-to-camera, Güven explained: “Role-playing is a thing that makes the relationship alive. We think that, both me and Shekinah.
“Right now, I’m with only one girl, but it seems like different girls.”
As he performed in front of her, Garner - seemingly uncomfortable - was shown sitting on a chair in the middle of the room and seeking comfort from their dog.
“She loves when I dance,” Güven said a shared confessional. “Every kind of dance, but this one was special.
“The dance was ... interesting,” Garner responded, to which he hit back: “I mean, you prefer me to make waltz or tango [sic]?”
“I prefer your strip-tease,” she joked.
The scene, which was later shared to 90 Day Fiancé's social media, attracted a largely negative response from viewers - particularly among those who claimed Güven had been attempting a haka.
“That is a poor attempt at the New Zealand haka, he should learn it properly and show NZ respect,” one commented on Facebook, with a second adding: “It’s an insult to the haka.”
“[He performed it] very, VERY poorly. And disrespectfully,” a third replied, while a fourth said: “That was the most cringiest haka I ever saw to be honest - Sarper’s haka was disrespect [sic].”
“Don’t ever disrespect another culture again. He’s so weird for that,” one viewer declared in the comments, with another weighing in: “Was that meant to be a haka? So cringe and honestly pretty disrespectful.”
Güven never claimed he had been attempting the haka in the episode.
It comes amid ongoing debate around the haka in professional rugby.
English rugby player Joe Marler courted controversy last week when he called for the All Blacks to “bin” the haka, which is traditionally performed by the team ahead of matches, while Daily Telegraph writer Oliver Brown criticised the ritual for disadvantaging the English side and other teams.
In 2021, the Telegraph’s Charles Richardson penned a column that questioned if the All Blacks’ pre-match routine was on borrowed time, claiming the haka had been “objectified and commercially exploited” by rugby.
In March 2021, footage of Pākehā pulling pūkana faces at an America’s Cup party went viral on social media, with viewers branding the behaviour a “shameful” example of “cultural appropriation”.
In the footage, a number of people could be seen pulling pūkana expressions at the camera and using a stick as a mock taiaha.
The footage, which was taken on a private yacht docked in Auckland, was initially shared by Belgian DJ Netsky - who later removed it and publicly apologised.
In September this year, a Guinness World Record for the largest haka was officially set at Auckland’s Eden Park, with more than 6500 participants recorded.
The Herald has reached out to Güven for comment.
