Catfish The TV Show

Premise of the Show

In today’s digital age, online dating has become a convenient way for singles to connect with one another. Often times, the sole interaction between two online daters is limited to computers and cell phones. These relationships develop over time (months or years) in the hopes that their connection will develop from a friendship into a serious relationship.

What is the Goal?

MTV has produced a reality television series, Catfish: The TV Show similar to the documentary, ‘Catfish’. ‘Catfishing’ is a term used for an internet dating hoax, when a person goes online and pretends to be someone they are not by creating fake social media profiles on websites such as Facebook and Twitter. These “catfish” post false information using someone else’s name, pictures, and other personal information with the intention of getting someone to fall in love with them.

The television show focuses on the lives of online daters who suspect that their love interest is not being completely honest with them. Thinking they are being lied to, online daters contact Nev Schulman (whom fell victim to the Catfishing scheme in the film). Using the internet and simple investigative skills, Nev Schulman guides viewers on a journey of discovering the truth for online daters that feel uncertain about the person they have been corresponding with.

Where Does Nev come In?

As seen in the film, Nev Schulman has experience in this department, as he was the victim of a “Catfish” when he discovered that his love interest, was a fictional person created by a woman who had multiple personalities. Nev began an online relationship with whom he thought was Megan, a 20-something musician and it turns out it was Angela, a 40-something married mother of three who invented this fictional person and life online. She not only faked her name, but she stole photos off of the Internet and sent them as if she were the person in the photos. Nev thought he was also corresponding with her family members on the telephone and online (which was later revealed to be all phony also).

Nev’s goal in this show is to uncover the truth and the deception of online relationships so other people don’t fall for a ‘catfish’ . The television show focuses on online daters who contact Nev in hopes that he can help them meet their love interest face to face. The common problem for the couples is usually distance and/or finances, which is where Nev comes in and arranges them to meet no matter what the circumstances may be. Nev Schulman doesn’t want anyone to go through what he did in the documentary.

In the first season of the hit MTV show, Catfish: The TV Show, all of the investigations turned out to involve some level of dishonesty. Most people used fake photos because they didn’t think anyone would correspond with them knowing what their real physical appearance looked like. This explains why no one used a webcam to validate that the people in the pictures and the voice go together. Without any type of video chat, the person you are corresponding with cannot be confirmed or denied…. unless you reach out to Nev Schulman or the SocialCatfish.com team for assistance.