Catfish: The TV Show
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 premiered on November 12, 2012. It is currently co-hosted by Nev Schulman and Kamie Crawford. Max Joseph served as a co-host for the first seven seasons of the show and his last episode aired on August 22, 2018. Crawford was a guest co-host in numerous episodes of season 7 and joined the main cast in the show's 8th season, alongside Schulman. On July 8, 2020, it was announced that the ninth season will premiere on August 5, 2020.
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".
Plot
On the internet, a "catfish" is someone who creates fake personal profiles on social sites using someone else's pictures and false biographical information to pretend to be someone else. 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 he or she is, 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 lovers are lying or truthful about their identities. In each episode, the hosts help a different person with a different story, travelling to his or her residence and using background checks and research to uncover the truth. Nev and Max contact the other person to arrange a first 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 his or her 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 the identity of the catfish, it is usually the catfish who makes 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 its 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, he or she does not know when or how the hosts will be looking for him or her.
Nev Schulman explained more about the reverse-engineering in an August 2014 interview:
Series overview
Spin-offs
There have been two spin-offs of the Catfish concept. The first, Catfish: Trolls, was hosted by celebrity artist Charlamagne tha God and featured online personalities confronting trolls who had been harassing them online. It aired for one three-episode season in the middle of 2018. The second spinoff, , is hosted by The Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay and celebrity rapper Travis Mills and features stories about people trying to find former friends or romantic partners after having been ghosted.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
| Country | Name | Host | Channel | No. of seasons | Broadcast |
| Catfish Colombia | Diego Saenz, Sebastián Parra | MTV | 2 | – | |
| Espías del Amor | Julio César Rodríguez, Andrés Alemparte, César Antonio Campos, Marcelo Arismendi | Chilevisión | 3 | – | |
| Catfish Brasil | Ciro Sales, Ricardo Gadelha | MTV | 3 | – | |
| Catfish Mexico | Chapu Garza, José Luis Badalt | MTV | 1 | – |
In January 2016, MTV began casting a proposed UK version of the show through online ads that specifically targeted 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.