CATFISH: THE REALITY TV SHOW THAT UNCOVERS ONLINE RELATIONSHIP LIARS

Is Jasmine being played Visit: BiggaBreakfast blogspot to watch a 10 minute peek of this week episode. which airs 11 p.m. Mondays on MTV.




Jasmine in a scene from MTV’s “Catfish: The TV Show”

*For every success story in the cyberworld of online dating, there are about 100 catastrophic fails – mostly stemming from folks who either lie, or use someone else’s photo in their online profile to give themselves more curb appeal.

Thanks to MTV, there’s a new reality series about these types of online deceivers and their potential victims.

“Catfish: The TV Show,” which premiered earlier this month, is based on the 2010 documentary “Catfish,” in which filmmaker Yaniv “Nev” Schulman followed the progression of his own online relationship, and ultimately, captured footage of himself falling victim to this very type of web chicanery.

A Brief Introduction to Nev

The term “catfish” refers to someone who sets up a fake online persona by using someone else’s pictures and information. Their motivation is to use social media sites like Facebook and Twitter and trick someone into falling in love with them – which is what happened to Nev in “Catfish.”

In the MTV series, Nev and his “Catfish” co-filmmaker Max Joseph help online couples who have never met in real life and want to know if the person they have had a relationship with and fallen in love with is actually just a “catfish.”

“The same way, in the film, the viewer goes on the story with us as we discover what’s going on, we are sort of the viewer because [Max and I] are discovering as it’s happening to us and telling a documentary story in a narrative sort of form.”



Nev Schulman (L) and Max Joseph

The casting process of course took place on the Internet. “We asked, ‘Have you formed a relationship with somebody out there? Has it become meaningful to you? And have you done everything but meet, and would you like to?’ And then we just started talking to the folks,” says the show’s producer Tom Forman. “It was a long process, and there were people who decided they wanted to do it. There were people we decided we didn’t feel comfortable putting on television even if they wanted it, and then there were a handful left that we felt really good about.”



In the most recent episode, which airing last night, a young mother named Jasmine has found comfort in a fellow single parent named Mike. Though she loves that he understands exactly what she’s going through, she’s confused about why he’s not really trying to meet her in person, despite living just 15 minutes away.

“I don’t have my son’s father around, and he can make me feel at home,” she says of Mike, who’s told her he’s a model scout that’s always on the go. “It’s about having someone that cares for you–loves you for who you are.”

Is Jasmine being played? Scroll down to watch a 10 minute sneak peek of this episode, airing Monday, Dec. 3, at 11 p.m. on MTV.

Meanwhile, have any of these online daters heard of Skype? Face time? Nev answers below

Get More:
Catfish: The TV Show, Full Episodes

CATFISH: THE TV SHOW TRAILER


Series premiered Monday November 12th at 11/10c on MTV.

Follow Us!
Nev: http://www.facebook.com/nevschulman, @nevschulman
Max: http://www.facebook.com/mjosephfilm, @maxjoseph

Is it any good?

Catfish cuts to the chase of the woes of virtual friendships: How do you know the person on the other end of the chat line is who he or she claims to be? And are you always true to yourself when you're online? It's an issue that drives families' Internet rules and many conversations between parents and their web-savvy tweens and teens, but is it one that really hits home with yours? If you're not sure -- and even if you think you are -- then this raw series is a great segue into a more concrete dialogue about the pleasures and dangers of befriending people online.

The show doesn't create drama or ignite controversy for sensationalism, but it does devote a lot of time to drawing out the emotions of its participants, so it's not always comfortable to watch. Sometimes the initial meetings are joyful confirmation of the two parties' deep affection; in other cases the outcomes aren't so happy, thanks to someone's dishonesty and the victim's sense of betrayal. It's impossible to watch these emotional confrontations and not feel for the one who's been duped, but the instigators' honesty about their motivations is a telling glimpse into the prevalence of this issue.

What families can talk about

Families can talk about the benefits of social media. How do sites like Facebook encourage relationships you might not otherwise have access to? Do you think they enrich your life? What is your main objective in using them?

Teens: How does the anonymity of the Internet allow you to be someone other than yourself? Do you ever find yourself doing this? How would you feel in the shoes of this show's victim? Of the guilty party?

Parents can use this series to lay the groundwork for their teens' Internet rules. What sites are they allowed to use? What oversight will you have? What should they do if they suspect someone is targeting them with misleading information?

The final section of this review of Catfish: The TV Show was written by Emily Ashby