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“Golden Bachelor” Mel Owens and final rose recipient Peg Manson talk with USA TODAY’s Brian Alexander after the ABC show’s finale.
If you’ve been scrolling through TikTok this month, you may have come across a story called “The Danish Deception.”
The multi-part series chronicles the harrowing romantic entanglement at the heart of former “Bachelor” star Onyeka Ehie’s life, and its deception set the comments section (and TikTok’s Duets feature) on fire as countless users weighed in on the fairy tale-turned-nightmare love story.
In a series of direct-to-camera videos, some of which have garnered millions of views, Ehi, who appeared on Colton Underwood’s season of The Bachelor, told users she felt compelled to share her story to prove that “love is a powerful drug that clouds our judgment.”
The story chronicles the three-year romance between Ehie and a fake Danish royal Olympic athlete who was actually a fraudster, and unfolded in more than 20 parts on TikTok. Following Leesa Teesa’s popular video “Who TF Did I Marry,” Ehie’s “The Danish Deception” exposed the former reality star as the man she claimed was “the love of my life and the man I truly believed would be the father of my children.”
“I now believe he is the most despicable, two-faced, narcissistic villain I have ever met in my life,” she said.
An overview of Danish deception: Royal titles, Olympic handball, and gambling addiction
Ehie begins to explain how she and her ex-lover met on a trip to Croatia. Their affair continued on social media, and he started texting her and eventually flew her to Europe to enjoy a luxury holiday in the south of France. He immediately charmed her by telling her he was of royal blood and had competed in the Olympics, she claimed.
Emotions grew as the courtship continued, and he reportedly came to visit her in Dallas. Ehi said they married in a small ceremony at a courthouse just a few months after they started dating, and eventually decided to move to Texas to be with her. However, at first thinking it was a “partnership,” she began lending him money, but eventually felt burdened as the amount ballooned from $6,000 to $18,000, and when she ran out of cash, she began using credit cards for vacations.
While Ehie fuels the story with excitement and strong emotion, claiming he’s head over heels, Ehie’s timeline becomes dotted with requests from Ehie for additional funds to help a friend invest or pay someone back.
Things got even more intense when he encouraged her to quit her stable six-figure accounting job and return to real estate, and that he would support her financially. That promise went to waste when he said his funds were frozen by the Danish tax authorities, she said. Later that year, when she spent Christmas with his family, a close friend revealed that he had a gambling addiction, which he said he overcame ten years ago.
This gambling addiction comes into further focus later in the story after Mr. Ehie is suspected of relapsing and discovers that one of his friends had lent him $200,000 to fund an alleged cryptocurrency trade, which he never paid back. However, the love story gained momentum again when she felt that he was trying to break free from his gambling addiction and take responsibility.
But what followed was an eventful day of wire transfers, wedding planning and giving her access to her credit cards, where he allegedly withdrew another $7,000 to fuel her gambling addiction. A private investigator hired by Mr. Ehie’s friend also discovered that Mr. Ehie had lied about his Olympic medal and had not actually competed. She later learned from Ehie’s family that they too did not have a royal title, and the ex-girlfriend said they were still in a seven-year relationship when Ehie started dating him in 2022.
For viewers who made it to part 26, the final tab totaled tens of thousands, borrowed from Ehie, her family, and friends, and was never complete.
Danish deception relationship timeline
Ehie and his ex-girlfriend started dating in June 2022, but they ended their relationship by announcing an official divorce earlier this month.
Danish deception TikTok comments range from supportive to questionable
Reactions online were mixed, with some sympathizing with Ehie, who said she was blinded by love and taken advantage of.
“He was stealing money from your parents????????????!!!!!!!!” one user wrote in all caps. “It broke my heart.”
But some raised eyebrows at the number of trips the couple took while in astronomical debt. Some compared the story to Netflix’s “The Tinder Swindler,” and many commenters expressed frustration that she remained despite so many red flags.
“I can’t blame his family,” one user wrote after Ehie said she was trying not to feel “resentment” towards her ex-husband’s family. “His friends warned you and you chose to fix him up instead of cutting your losses.”
“I’m excited to move on,” Ehie said at the end of the series. “I want to thank you all for being here and giving your soul to everyone. This was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
