By Raina Saha
Family or Fianc茅 season 4 aired episode 10 on June 28, 2025. Titled Christina and Lamar: ‘Til Dowry Do Us Part? it saw Christina and Lamar navigate their relationship while seeking approval from their families to get married. Despite the cultural differences and other issues, Lamar earned the blessings from Christina’s parents and thanked them for trusting him with their daughter. Christina and Lamar started dating in 2016, and their daughter, Aniyah, was born on October 24, 2019. The pair had initially envisioned a blissful marriage; however, they landed in a predicament when Christina’s Nigerian culture, Lamar’s traumatic past, and other conflicting factors started to meddle in their relationship. Lamar, in particular, went through a personal journey of healing and overcoming inhibitions while being part of Family or Fianc茅. He not only learned to respect and understand the Nigerian cultural practices, such as their dowry practice and big celebrations, but also healed from his past, where he had to deal with poverty and parents who were drug addicts.Christina’s parents were pleased with Lamar’s self-development. Consequently, they agreed to let him wed their daughter. Family or Fianc茅 star Lamar struggled to understand the concept of dowryIn one of the segments of the Family or Fianc茅 episode, while speaking to relationship expert Tracy McMillan, Lamar opened up about his “rough” childhood, revealing that he not only had to overcome “dirt” poverty but also the absence of his parents, who were addicts. He added that there was a time when he was on the verge of being taken away from his mother because she had been away for several days. Lamar noted that he was “scarred” by those experiences. However, his situation worsened after his mother passed away. Hearing that, Tracy explained that Lamar carried his trauma into his adulthood and relationship. It was why he disliked big family events and refrained from interacting with others, as it reminded him of what he missed as a child. Christina noted that his secluded nature did not sit well with her parents, who often took it as a sign of his displeasure. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostThe Family or Fianc茅 alum then stated his opinion on the practice of offering dowry in the Nigerian culture, saying that he could not understand why it was necessary. Christina, when asked by Tracy, explained:”It’s a respect thing. It took a lot of sacrifice, a lot of hard work to raise me. The dowry is just a token of appreciation.”In another segment of the Family or Fianc茅 episode, Lamar sat down with Christina’s parents and expressed his conflict with the dowry practice. Christina’s mother explained that Lamar needed to offer “everything that Christina loves.” Additionally, he had to give Jamaican yams and catfish to the parents. Apart from that, the Family or Fianc茅 male cast member had to offer $10,000 so the bride’s family could send it back to their village for other rituals. The amount did not sit well with Lamar, who felt it would financially restrict him from building a future for his daughter and Christina. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostLater in the Family or Fianc茅 episode, Lamar sat down with mental health expert Dr. Ally and opened up about his childhood, hoping to overcome his inhibitions. Depression and anger were his main issues that he said he needed to tackle. “I think fighting, never wanting to do therapy, and just not being open caused that problem to prolong maybe a decade longer than it needed,” he added.The OWN alum, while speaking to the cameras, confessed that he felt relieved and better after having the session. He called the experiment “amazing” and admitted having a clearer head than before. Eventually, with a renewed mindset and his willingness to evolve and be open-minded, Lamar earned Christina’s parents’ blessings to move ahead with the wedding.Family or Fianc茅 episodes can be streamed on OWN.