Catfish

Catfish (Courtesy Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Catfish: The TV Show is an American reality-based documentary television series airing on MTV about the truths and lies of online dating. The series is based on the 2010 film Catfish and is co-hosted by Nev Schulman and Max Joseph. It premiered on November 12, 2012. The show has been renewed for season 7, which premiered on January 3, 2018. In May 2018, filming of season 7 was suspended due to sexual misconduct allegations brought against Schulman until the suspension was lifted after the report of sexual misconduct was found to be "not credible". It was announced that Joseph would leave the show after 7 seasons.

Plot

On the Internet, a "catfish" is a person who creates fake personal profiles on social media sites using someone else's pictures and false biographical information to pretend to be someone other than themselves. These "catfish" usually intend to trick an unsuspecting person or more into falling in love with them. The term "catfish" is derived from the title of the previously-mentioned 2010 documentary, in which filmmaker Schulman discovers that the woman with whom he'd been carrying on an online relationship had not been honest in describing herself.

MTV and the Catfish film's producers, Schulman and Joseph, help people who are emotionally entangled with someone they have never met in real life. Each episode is an investigation into whether or not the other participant in the virtual relationship is legitimate or if they are, in fact, a "catfish". Some couples have been communicating for a few months"?others, for years.

Nev claims that he has received requests from people asking him for his help in determining whether or not their online-only lover is lying or truthful about their identity. In each episode the hosts help a different individual with a different story, travelling to wherever they live and using background checks and research to uncover the truth. Nev and Max contact the other person to arrange a first-ever meeting between the two virtual lovers, then document how both people are impacted. Schulman said at the Television Critics Association press tour in August 2012 that it's not all about pulling the rug out from under people, explaining:

Production

The show presents the "hopeful" as the one who initiates contact with Schulman and Joseph in an attempt to discover the true identity of their online romance, or the "catfish". Some of the show's casting calls do solicit stories from hopefuls, and casting director Michael Esposito explained in August 2015 that the show can receive more than a hundred applications a day.

A 2013 Hollywood.com report, however, explained that despite the broadcast show being structured as a search by the hopeful for true identity of the catfish, it is usually the catfish who make the first contact with MTV. Producers then proceed to gather information about the deception from the catfish and contact the hopeful afterwards. For legal reasons, all persons involved on the series sign contracts agreeing to appear on camera prior to the episode even entering production. In Season 3's Miranda and Camryn episode, the catfish did change their mind about meeting the hopeful, and only appeared via Skype.

The hosts are given no information about the catfish, and while the catfish has already agreed to appear on the show, they do not know when or how the hosts will be looking for them.

Nev Schulman explained more about the reverse-engineering in an August 2014 interview:

Reception

The film Catfish was criticized and its authenticity questioned. Executive producer Tom Forman stresses that the TV version won't just tell "stories of deception. We've also stumbled into some love stories. We found people who are exactly who they say they are. We are putting those on television, too. We find people who are willing to get past an initial deception and really do make a connection at the end "? in person and in real life. That's been really heartwarming. So I think, when we set out, we really don't know how it's going to end: good, bad, or in the middle somewhere".

International versions

Name	Host(s)	Channel	No. of seasons	Broadcast
Catfish Colombia	Diego Saenz, Sebastin Parra	MTV	2	-
Espas del Amor	Julio Csar Rodrguez (1-), Andrs Alemparte (1-), Csar Antonio Campos (3-), Marcelo Arismendi (1-2)	Chilevisin	3	-
Catfish Brasil	Ciro Sales, Ricardo Gadelha	MTV	2	-
Catfish Mexico	Chapu Garza, Jos Luis Badalt	MTV	1	-

Spin-offs

In January 2016, MTV began casting a proposed UK version of the show through online ads that do specifically target the catfish, not the hopeful: "Tired of keeping secrets from your online love? Come clean" and "Are you a secret Catfish? It's time to come clean". The project was cancelled, but Schulman has said he would like to make a pan-European version.

Series overview

See List of Catfish episodes for more information