‘Catfish’ Isn’t Fake, But the Producers Know a Lot Ahead of Time
It’s a well known secret that reality shows are often scripted, with producers orchestrating the drama behind the scenes. However, one Catfish insider recently revealed that the MTV reality show is all too real.
‘Catfish’ was based on a documentary about a fake online relationship
Catfish: The TV Show is based on a 2010 movie of the same name. Both the movie and the show center on the world of online dating. The documentary follows Nev Schulman as he discovers that he has been the victim of a catfish — a.k.a. someone pretending to be someone else online.
The reality show, much like the documentary, follows real people as they work to figure out if the person they’ve been talking to online is fact or fiction. Schulman serves as the host alongside Max Joseph.
Schulman and Joseph help someone new each episode, researching and doing background checks on the online romantic partner. They then reach out and propose an in-person meeting, which can end happily or in tears.
A lot of research goes into ‘Catfish’ beforehand, but the drama is completely real
Some have wondered if the drama seen in Catfish is manufactured for the audience in an effort to draw in viewers. However, a source claiming to be a member of the reality show’s crew has shared that everything that happens is completely real.
“Catfish isn’t fake,” the anonymous source claimed, according to Buzzfeed. “I worked on the show. The producers do their due diligence to make sure the situation’s safe and not fake before they film. If they didn’t [vet each catfish], they would waste time with people who didn’t exist, and [Nev and Kamie Crawford, who joined the show after Joseph left] would never be able to contact them.”
They continued, “Nev and Kamie don’t know anything and aren’t told anything. They have to find it organically.”
Some have accused the filmmakers behind the original documentary of faking the events of the movie
While the MTV show is seemingly all too real, some have wondered if the documentary it was based on was fact or fiction. Many questioned why the filmmakers, Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost, would have started documenting Schulman’s relationship from the beginning. Others have pointed out that it’s strange the directors wouldn’t do any online research before meeting the catfish, according to Movieline.
‘Catfish’ executive producer emphasizes that there are ‘love stories’ alongside the ‘stories of deception’
The show Catfish has dodged allegations like these, though — in part because they don’t always make episodes about people who have been duped by someone online.
According to Zap2It, the show’s executive producer, Tom Forman, stressed that the reality show is not just about “stories of deception,” saying, “We’ve also stumbled into some love stories. We found people who are exactly who they say they are.”
He continued, “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.”
