Viewers were finally introduced to Patrick Mendes on Sunday’s 90 Day Fiance episode.
Patrick is a successful security consultant now, but there was a time when he was one of the strongest lifters in the world and headed for the Olympics.
Those dreams were dashed when he tested positive for two controlled substances that are considered performance-enhancing drugs.
Patrick lost his dream and his first wife over what he now realizes was a mistake.
Patrick Mendes is one of 90 Day Fiance Season 9’s stars, head over heels in love with Brazilian fiancee Thais Ramone.
He is a dedicated fitness guy who loves to lift weights, having discovered from a young age that he was very good at it.
Patrick met his first-ever girlfriend at the gym, and she neded up also becoming his first wife.
Patrick envisioned a happy successful life as weightlifting spouses, but it was not to be.
In 2012, Patrick was the highest ranked American weightlifter in his weight class, coming off of placing 8th at the Pan Am Games.
Patrick was favored to medal in the super heavyweight division at the 2012 London Olympics.
But, as Patrick told viewers — albeit in an abbreviated version — he tested positive for human growth hormone in early 2012.
This meant a 2-year period of ineligibility to compete.
After accepting the ban, Patrick began competing for the Brazilian National Team. Pat’s father is from Brazil.
Patrick finished fourth at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, and everything seemed back on track.
Unfortunately, soon after those games, he tested positive for 4Chlorodehydromethyl testosterone, which is a steroid.
A second offense meant an eight-year ban, one that will not end until July of 2023.
Realistically, the combination of steroids and HGH is extremely common — among bodybuilders and actors as well as athletes.
Athletes, however, are much more likely to be tested than someone playing a superhero or someone modeling their muscles on Instagram.
We can’t say that what Patrick was doing wasn’t a violation of the rules, but it’s our understanding that the practice is difficult to avoid in the athletic world.
Patrick landed on his feet, however, finding himself single and with a new career.
He was in a position to invite his brother, John, to visit him.
Patrick even explained John’s extremely thick Massachusetts accent — John had lived there longer than Pat.
But it was in Brazil, apparently while trying to bond with his father, that Patrick met Thais randomly on a dating app.
Thais seemed too good to be true — absolutely gorgeous — and he has made more than a dozen trips back to see her.
Judging by the film quality of some of their flashbacks, some wonder if 90 Day Fiance filmed them in Brazil but had to scrap those plans … but that’s just a guess.
Weightlifting and performance-enhancing drugs aside, Patrick has a lot going for him.
He lives with his brother, and they hang out with their buddies.
Of course, this may change — or may not — when Thais comes to Texas to live with Pat.
Patrick speaks a lot of Portuguese, and is able to converse with Thais without issue from what we’ve seen.
Thais does not speak English fluently, but she is studying the language ahead of her move.
But she doesn’t need to understand the noise that Patrick’s brother and buddies make in the background to know that it’s not what she wants when she arrives.
Not unreasonably, Thais wants to live with Patrick — the man she loves — when she arrives, not with an entourage of bros.
Maybe that’s an unfair characterization of them, but it seems to be her impression, and it’s hard to argue with that so far.
Thais and John do not seem to like each other so far, and it’s not clear how long Patrick’s “creative” translations can keep things calm.
On a less reasonable note, however, Patrick constantly reports his location to Thais, keeping her updated on all of his movements.
He even took things so far as to give her access to his location data, so that even while he sleeps, she can know that he’s at home and not out partying.
That is extreme and a huge red flag, but Patrick hopes that this wild jealousy will die down once she moves to the US.
This has even impacted Patrick’s job selling home security services, where he is expected to train others.
Rather than continue to argue with Thais, he now simply no longer trains women — something that impacts him and likely these women.
So yes, we certainly hope that many things will change when Thais arrives … but we won’t hold our breath.
