Catfish: The TV Show (2012– ) User Reviews (50)

More realistic than most people think

[FrederickWit · 7/10 · 14 July 2013]

Catfishing is one of those concepts that one can only truly understand if one has experienced it. And personally, I think that only people that have been catfished can truly understand this show and the people in it.

People here say that it seems fake, because there is no way that the people being catfished would be so stupid. But no, let me tell you that that point is completely realistic. No one seems to understand that when you feel so captivated by someone, you accept everything that they tell you and even become delusional. You start to believe all their excuses and even feel guilty about questioning their identity.

I am glad that they always try to get the other side of the story as well. We like to satanize catfishes and believe that they are just pure evil. But it really isn't always like that. No one understand how sad it is to be rejected by your appearance, how hard it is to have so much to say but no one to listen. People also seem to think that they go out of their way just to make their "evil catfishing plan" to work. But really, making a fake profile only takes minutes. Covering the holes with excuses is really easy as well, specially (as I said before) when the other person is so captivated that they begin to lose common sense. Most catfishes don't even have mean intentions, they just want someone to talk, but eventually things get out of hand. No one seems to remember how hard it is to come clean after lying for so long.

Some things (scenes) might be a little fabricated, but everything on TV is, and not only realities, also documentaries and news. And you know what? Even if the stories are indeed fake, I don't really care, because I know they can be real and I know much worse stories than the ones depicted here.

I really like this show, I am glad that MTV take this kind of risks to at least try to bring something different on air. I never thought that feeling awkward and cringing at the TV would be entertaining.

The Psychology of Anonymity

[atlasmb · 7/10 · 9 May 2014]

I see reviews on this site where posters say the show is "fake" without providing any proof. I see reviews where posters say you must be stupid if you are the victim of one of these scams.

The fact remains that people do sometimes invest their emotions in exclusively online relationships.

Online technology is so new and it brings new dimensions in relating to others. One of the most important aspects of online communication is the factor of anonymity. We have all seen the trolls that visit this site and others. We have witnessed the anti-social behavior of some gamers who use their anonymity to escape responsibility for their actions. It should be no surprise that bad behavior can manifest whenever anonymity is part of the formula.

"Catfish" has shown--unsurprisingly--that the victims are usually people who are emotionally needy, sometimes desperate. The world (real and virtual) is full of people who have trouble fitting in, who are dealing with emotional issues, who have a personal history that makes them vulnerable. They reach out. And sometimes they find an unscrupulous person.

"Catfish" has also shown that the perpetrators are also damaged people. The first episode of the second season was a prime example. The catfish was someone who had been bullied. She was striking out as a way to make herself feel better.

The human psychology is interesting. These cases serve as warnings for those who might become victims. And the show reminds us that behind all of those anonymous names and avatars exist real people. Every one of them has his own problems. Nev and Max, who are the on-camera hosts, do their best to inject humanity into the proceedings. Their objective is not to ridicule or belittle, unlike some other shows. They attempt to connect with and understand every victim and every catfish.

Surprisingly, the cases they get involved with are very diverse. The catfish might be a lonely person or a scammer. It might be an older lady or a person of an unexpected gender. I don't know how long they can mine this phenomenon, but so far it is entertaining and useful.

Mindless Entertainment

[zombiemockingbird · 6/10 · 20 February 2021]

Plain and simple, it's entertaining. I think a lot of the advice Neve gives to these people is actually good, valid guidance; but a lot of the time, I feel like they should be harder on the people who are particularly nasty and cruel. I honestly find it hard to believe people are as stupid as they are portrayed on this show. How could anyone with half a brain, text with someone for for up to ten years, never meet them, never video chat, and sometimes never even hear their voice, and really believe all the excuses, and accept them as real? These people are beyond idiotic. That aside, it's interesting to see the lengths people go to, creating false personas to lie to other people, and seeing this show, should make people learn to be smarter about who and what they believe. I like Nev and Max, but some of their remarks, along with their T-shirt political propaganda is inappropriate, Everyone is unequivocally entitled to their personal politics, and opinions; but using a TV show as a platform to express those personal views is unacceptable and disrespectful. EDIT: Wow. I just watched a Season 7 episode I hadn't seen before, and it was the weirdest most embarrassing thing I have ever seen. The girl who was supposedly being catfished was either on drugs or has some sort of mental disorder. It was awkward and painful to watch her slumped over mumbling with her hair covering her face, repeatedly leaving in the middle of a conversation to run outside or hide in the bathroom. Turns out SHE blew the catfish off when he tried to meet her before because she was pregnant and went into labor. Uhhh...okay, lied about that and the fact that she has a kid. Then when she meets the catfish, who is real, she's squatting on the ground, walking away mumbling, again with the hair over her face, tells the guy she has a kid (which he didn't know, because he supposedly doesn't like kids) and immediately asks him if he wants to be her godfather! Yikes. Then she takes off to go for a run. I actually found a blog of a person who talked to this girl's sister, and the sister said the whole thing was a fake story anyway, and they misrepresented a lot of the actual facts. Wow, just wow. I'm disgusted by the whole thing. Makes me wonder if ANY of these stories are real.

Absolute dumpster fire

[j57j · 5 October 2020]

In fairness, there were a few episodes early on that actually were interesting. Now it's just a combination of obvious clout chasers, product placement literally everywhere, and the show using people who appear to be genuinely ill.

They spend the opening of the episode "investigating" (in other words, searching the same internet that the "victims" presumably have access to). They speculate and brew some drama before setting up a meeting with the "catfish." The first encounter is usually more hostile so they take a break, then come back with something along the lines of...

"How did you get here? What made you do this? Tell us your deepest, darkest secrets. We care."

*catfish shares horrid story of woe and despair, usually accompanied by tears*

"Mmhmm, mhmm....terrible.... Ok well, bye!"

*Catfish crew leave, high-fiving each other about what good people they are.*

It has the train-wreck entertainment value of Jerry Springer, but unlike Springer, there's this really pompous, holier than thou attitude. They really seem to want to convince you that they "care" about these people they're exploiting.

What actually made me write a review was catching a few episodes of the latest season, where they've gone completely virtual. They're now making an entire television show of people literally just sitting at their computers arguing about ridiculous drama.

It's slightly hilarious, pretty sad, mildly creepy and extremely bizarre.

Finally, a decent MTV reality show!

[PrincessPeachx · 10/10 · 14 January 2013]

Catfish follows around Nev and his film crew, helping love struck people expose the true identities of their online flirtations. Some of the anonymous love interests turn out to be exactly who they are... but others aren't so lucky.

I've never watched the Catfish documentary which started the TV series, but now I'm tempted to. There's something so appealing about the whole anonymous relationship thing, since it's something that's become the norm in our culture and a whole new way of dating and courtship.

I like the way the show is set up. We learn not only about the main person looking for their online friend, but we get to learn about the person behind the profile, despite them remaining anonymous to us throughout the first 30 minutes of the show. The camera work is straight forward and inviting, we even see Nev's friend Max constantly recording everything!

The only issue I have with this show is, once you have seen the outcomes of a few episodes, you will know what to expect from the rest, which kind of takes away the shock value that makes this show seem so appealing.

Great, entertaining show. 8/10

We're Being Catfished!!

[myronlearn · 7/10 · 6 February 2020]

These two California cuckoo birds are catfishing everyone who takes this show seriously. I suppose it can be entertaining if you accept the fact that this is likely staged television. I read that Schulman was expelled from Sarah Lawrence College. That story is probably more interesting than this dreadful show is.

LOVE NEV AND KAMIE AS PARTNERS

[ldawk-61440 · 10/10 · 10 February 2022]

These two balance each other very well!! Nev and KAMIE. I like how graceful they are with some of these emotionally hurt people catfishing people all over the world. Their approach is professional direct but with compassion and that is good. KAMIE is a good balance for Nev when the other guy is out. She is a beautified inside me out and compliments NEV well by letting him take the lead to his show ans being a good sidekick as his partner should be!! Good casting on those two. As always we live NEV. Would love to know whatever happen to the lady who catfishes him and see NEV and KAMIE go and visit her and those boys s an update. Hoping she is doing better in her life!!!

Decent

[elsbridgefan1995 · 7/10 · 26 August 2020]

One of the ONLY watchable MTV shows. Not perfect but serviceable.

Good Drunk Watch

[GurmeyJenkins · 8/10 · 15 March 2021]

On Season 6 and it has been a ride, but if you could capitalize names, states, and city's when you introduce people and places that would be great...

Pretty Intriguing for MTV

[Sun_Lips · 7/10 · 21 August 2013]

It's no secret that MTV churns out reality television minus a good portion of the reality. Catfish: The TV Show is no exception. The show is pretty formulaic, especially as you get deeper into the second season. Nev & Max "check their email" to find a candidate (or victim) for the episode. They meet with the victim, who proclaims deep emotional feelings for their online significant other, but various red flags are present - They've never met in person, never video chatted, etc. Nev & Max do a dramatic "investigation" where they use basic Google searches to confirm suspicions and raise questions about the potential "catfish." They then call the potential catfish, initiate a meeting, and take the victim to meet their online love. The results vary; sometimes the online lover is a true "catfish" and turns out to be older, less attractive, or even the opposite gender of their assumed identity. Other times, the story is less complex and involves minor lies. The endings range from disastrous to fairy-tale. This scene-by- scene formula is present in every MTV reality show, particularly those that feature a different person each episode (16 & Pregnant comes to mind, along with older ones like Pimp My Ride.)

Clearly, the show is not engineered exactly as it is presented, and there is plenty of speculation as to how genuine the narrative is. However, like the documentary, it manages to be very interesting. Despite the complete lack of intuition on the part of many victims, some of the people who appear on the show are relatable and enjoyable to watch. Nev Schulman is not the world's greatest host. Scenes exist that seem eerily robotic/scripted. The "investigation" portion of the show often borderlines on being a complete joke. But it's still thought- provoking and fun to watch.

There are plenty of issues to raise your eyebrows at, and the repetitiveness from episode to episode can be tiresome. But all in all, it makes for a delightful guilty pleasure.

Show was good until they made it suck

[upbeat1975 · 2/10 · 31 August 2021]

They do the same "investigative" strategies every time. It was interesting at first but then began to be repetitive nature. The SJW t-shirts they wear are not appropriate for the show. I don't care about their political beliefs and its just an annoying distraction on the show. Make better choices guys.

One of our guilty pleasures

[mickeyadamo · 10/10 · 24 April 2023]

The show is part of our inner circle for weekend drinks together. I am not super into reality shows but enjoy this one - partly due to understanding the behaviors of people and why they decide to act in a certain way, whether being the one catfished, or doing the catfishing. To spend so much time thinking about something that most often is not even real - to devote so much of ones life to it, why do people do that?

We all do it in some way, but what I like about this show is how it encapsulates that part of the human psyche, though focuses on the broader aspect of identifying truth - most often for closure.

Gotta admit though its so great when they try and play matchmaker, sooooo you think there is a future here? Um id think the success rate of couples who legitimately were brought together by the show has got to be sub 1%. But hey if youre saying theres a chance!!

Great show, and great concept! Keep it going!

A Show I can Relate to

[ToxicJug · 7/10 · 27 June 2021]

When I was in high-school, I accidently met a girl online while playing an internet role playing game titled IMVU. We ended up talking and eventually dating which eventually led to me driving out to meet her, she lived in Maryland while I lived in Pennsylvania. That experience makes Catfish all the more engaging for me to watch as I can Relate to alot of the emotions that are being felt by people that are going through these events! I've felt the nerves, I've felt the doubt, and I've felt the love that you can feel simply from talking to someone online. If you don't have this type of experience you may not understand or connect the show as much but it is definitely a great service to help these people get that little push towards meeting who they believe they are in love with and onto of that, makes for a great reality TV series.

Scripted and Disgustingly SJW heavy!

[arcanemirage-90173 · 1/10 · 4 September 2021]

The show started out good, but then went directly to obviously scripted. Not necessarily with the dialog, but with the scenes. Its obvious they both spend a lot of time with their crew, pre-planning how they want the scenes to look. One show, the guy that was the catfish, walked away with his mic clearly still attached. They all said goodbye and acted like they didn't even notice.

The other annoying this is the obnoxious SJW t-shirts they wear. You know they don't wear those outside of the show. Glad Max is gone from the show. His ridiculous political comments show just how childish he is. You should know this is not a platform for that. You want popularity for your show? Show some class and stop being ridiculous.

Manipulative trash

[Ripshin · 15 May 2020]

Seriously, how can you actually believe any of this scripted garbage?

I have been thirty-three years in the industry, and in the past twenty, have turned down every "reality show" inquiry as a crew person. Do you honestly believe that Nev (and whatever co-host) show up at some stranger's home, without a producer first obtaining an NDA/release form? You don't think that they carefully mold the scenario? PLEASE.

Notice that a van or two of crew people are ALREADY at each location.

True, they are likely not getting "location" permission to film at most of the sites (reality shows are VERY cheap).

By the way, they pay their crew at a miserly rate. I can make professionally in a DAY, what they offer for ten days.

It's "Jerry Springer" for the current age.

They take advantage of very unstable people, for your pleasure (?). These "victims" will have this on their backs, for life.

Oh, and Nev is a narcissist. MY GOD.

Love this Show but is it fake and scripted?

[agro_sydney · 8/10 · 5 June 2017]

I had seen the original Catfish movie several years ago which I found mildly entertaining but for some reason I love this show. Nev and Max travel all over mainland USA tracking down and uniting internet friends,lovers and scammers. It is hard to believe there are so many naive and gullible people out there. Some episodes appear to be advertisements for MTV artists, budding rappers and sometimes even the occasional beautiful person to get on TV or have their 15 minutes of fame. Some of the episodes build tension as we wait to find out if the Catfish is "fair dinkum" (which means real in Australian slang).

I have since learned that the producers are in touch with the Catfish who agrees beforehand to appear on the show. Also casting calls are sent out to recruit Catfish and victims. Apparently Nev and Max are not told the identity of the Catfish and genuinely track them down.

Some scenes are obviously scripted and edited. Being Australian I like how we see lots of different places in America and different lifestyles, from red necks to the rich.

Same people over and over. "Johnny"

[kathy_strader · 7/10 · 29 March 2019]

They need to be sure if they've been on the show, and wanting to be on it again most likely their doing just for the fame of it , cause it's getting old seeing all the ones that r lying.

Loads of positives

[MAYESY-44 · 9/10 · 11 January 2021]

What a great show with great people involved and that is the reason this is a much loved show. Nev and Max were brilliant when they did it together and the show has done well to continue in the current climate.

Geographically Biased

[myronlearn · 7/10 · 31 August 2021]

This is a well done, real time detective show that pursues people who lie about their identities on the internet to people with whom they correspond. I find it hard to believe that so many trust people, especially love interests, and take at face value what they're told by someone they never met. Perhaps there's an abundance of very lonely people who will literally do anything to find the right mate.

My problem with the show is it's strong bias toward California. The majority of them lately take place in LaLa land. This is unfair to their many viewers in the 49 other states. Come on guys, enough already.

The hosts are adorable and good at what they do. MTV needs more geographic diversity with respect to 'The Catfish Show'.

The best help ever

[yessihoney · 10/10 · 22 May 2022]

I was with my girlfriend for four years. I used to trust and love her with all my heart until one of my friends told me he saw her in a hotel with another guy times without number. I didn't believe him in the first place but I later noticed she was hiding things for me, her two phones were locked with password and she would never unlock them for me. All this got me worried because I really loved her and so I explained the whole issue to my cousin and he promised to help me out. He said he would introduce me to an IT person but I told him I didn't believe in them anymore because I have been ripped off so many times but he said I should try and trust him on the IT expert he wanna get for me that he has used him many times before and he always get good results from him. He introduced me to ( SPYTECHTEA49 (@) gmailcom) and this guy really surprised me, he spoofed my girlfriend's phone retrieved info such as texts, emails, whatsapp and all her social media accounts. That was how I caught her cheating, when I confronted her with all the evidences she couldn't deny it that was how we broke up. If you are having similar issue get in touch with the hacker, I am sure he will help you. Reach him on ( SPYTECHTEAM49 (@) gmailcom).

Chappy Watched: Catfish - Movie + Seasons 1-3

[chappywatched · 7/10 · 10 May 2016]

I had heard of catfishing and what it meant but never really knew the story of how it all began.

This was a show I stumbled upon just flicking channels and decided to watch. After watching about three episodes on TV, I decided to watch the movie and then after watching the movie of Nev's story, I marathoned all three seasons.

Wow.

I'm just blown away by some of these stories. I've never been catfished and I can't understand why anyone waste all this time and energy into being this different person?

So after Catfish: The Movie explored Nev's story, he joins his brothers buddy Max, who was not in the film, to travel across America to help people in the same predicament as he was.

Nev and Max make a good team; they would have to with all the together time these two would have filming this and Nev seems to be the hopeless romantic of the pair while Max is the realist.

One thing that kind of annoyed me, they're always try to find some deeper meaning to the catfish. After dealing with the person who emailed them, they head off to talk to the catfisher and get their side. Most times there is a story but sometimes they try to dig to get one when sometimes, people are just assholes!

As the show started airing and word starting getting around, I started to wonder about the truthfulness of the stories in the later season; how much of it was really people in need or people just looking for their 15 minutes of fame.

I don't think you can have a 'relationship' with someone without having seen them, let alone one episode where a couple were 'engaged' without even meeting each other.

And that takes me to my next point: Webcam not working? Bullshit! Most modern computers with webcams, most modern phones come with cameras and even if they don't, webcams are dirt cheap to buy.

On the rare occasion, some of these people even brought gifts or sent money to the catfish! They were the moment where I just wanted to reach into the screen and shake these people.

I did like how, even being a MTV show, they still accepted gay and lesbian catfishes.

The soundtrack is pretty cool too with a mix of pop and alternative music, with the artist and track listed, in case you want to buy it.

It is a good show, eye opening, but good. Not something I would watch again though but I will watch more if and when it airs.

MTV once again proves Social Programming works in tv shows

[dubwize · 5/10 · 17 February 2018]

This show should be called: 99% of people online have no idea how to check a facebook profile.

Reverse image search tools and actually reading linked facebook profiles is about the extent of "Investigative research" that Max and Nev actually are capable of doing. This show proves 2 things, most people have no clue about the power of the internet, both to lure gullible people into fake relationships and it can be used to actually validate if a person is real or not.

The one thing great about the show and why it deserves 5 stars is the guys always seek a positive outcome and try to sort it all out to the best of their abilities.

The one thing annoying and downright artificial are the Social Justice Warrior T-shirts they wear. In particular is a pink one with the words "feminist." on it. I mean come on.... really? It is interesting on one level of social communication in the digital age and exemplifies how messed up it can get.

Conversely it is troubling that the TV show has a social agenda as MTV always has had and is duplicitous in the subtleness in which the show uses their stories as a vehicle to creating 'Societal norms" at a level that would make Edward Bernays proud.

Pros: Catfish shows clearly: How oblivious some people can be about their own actions and consequences. How unaware some people are about their "information" whether real or false shown publicly, and how vulnerable it makes them. How easy it is to convince some people of anything. Every Song used in the show titles the song name and song title. If anything this show provides a great case why Facebook should be banned as being destructive to people, community and society.

Cons: Max finally learns how to use the focus on his personal camera after 6 years making the series. Nev and Max show even they are gullible enough to be catfished themselves. Sometimes their T-shirts on the show oozes a stench of Social Justice Warrior, overly Pc Correct subtexts. The frequent use of MTV music to transition storyline through the filler footage and montages is used too much in some episodes. The entire idea of Catfish is one that is based on a foundational premise of people lying cheating and deceiving other people, by revealing how easy it is could give others ideas and make Catfish episodes an endless Tv show.

Goofy over-acted repetitious format overall yet stylized well, some episodes are worth a look, even though I suspect it's all scripted.

Fresh and different

[piercejeans · 8/10 · 15 September 2016]

Rarely does a new television show come along that pulls you through its episodes like a Michael Crichton thriller. Real life is certainly better than fiction in many cases. I never cease to be fully amazed at the twists of what and who is at the other end of a computer screen. Online people of any gender, race, creed, location and circumstance posing as anyone to an unsuspecting innocent seeking friendship or love and marriage. Nev and Max, the hosts, pick apart stories and hunt for the truth like Columbo searching for the murderer.

Seldom does any reality show on TV cause me belly laughs... or heart wrenching emotion... like Catfish... simply to cheer when the happy endings finally come for real, or catfish do or say things that absolutely come at you out of nowhere.

SPOILER: Favorite Catfish moment ever... after years of pursuing a man in the south who was a veteran, a slinky blonde finally meets him and spends time dating him during the filming. Everything is a Hollywood ending till the very end of the show... when they post that "What's her name moved south the next week to live with what's his name." Pause a couple seconds... new line... "After two days, she decided to move out and that they were not right for each other. They have decided not to stay in touch." I burst out laughing and laughed till I cried. Unbelievable. You just can't write this stuff.

Better than most sitcoms and crime drama shows on the networks.

Beware...shark below!

[LiquidPoetry1921 · 5/10 · 23 March 2017]

Although 'Catfish' was novel and fresh when it first hit the MTV airwaves, it is now old and tired and needs to be put on a shelf somewhere.

Why am I saying those harsh words? 'Catfish' has nothing new to offer. It's the same archaic formula used by the show's two 'trackers', Nev and Max, every single time ~ i.e., someone thinks their Internet love who looks like a) a supermodel or b) a male hunk, might be fake, as they haven't met after just chatting for over eight years (you think)? Enter the guys from 'Catfish' who do a reverse google search on the photos, and run the phone number to see if it's legit. Do you mean to tell me these potentially duped individuals couldn't come up with that on their own by now, after seeing 'Catfish' for FIVE years???

Having milked this 'Catfish' for all that's its worth, its time for it to go the way of another MTV show, 'Jersey Shore' ~ also kept WAY beyond its time! Must be something in the water at this network!

So Fake

[reynoldwhisler · 9 September 2020]

I used to like this show until the hosts started using it to push their democratic agenda down viewers throats, with the T-shirts they wear.

I seriously doubt that Nev ever wears any/most of these shirts outside of the house/studio, it's clearly just for SHOW.

SO FAKE