Is MTV’s ‘Catfish’ Fake? Many people question how real the MTV hit television series really is.
Max Joseph, the Catfish investigator says the show is about “breaking through to people and getting them to see themselves and understand their decisions and their actions (Vulture).”
That is an interesting way to look at a modern day version of “Cheaters” but, regardless as to Max’s vision, how real are the stories on MTV’s Catfish?
The typical production process for MTV’s Catfish goes as follows. Someone submits a casting application answering questions such as “Do you have a secret or something to confess to your online partner? Have you made any fake online profiles?”.
Producers pass out waivers to appear on-camera before filming begins. Max and Nev meet the person who is telling the truth and are brought in to do their investigating. The couples meet and finally MTV provides them with a therapist (just in case something goes wrong)
But, again how real are the stories on Catfish? To answer your question, here are 4 reasons why MTV’s “Catfish” is real.
1. There is a lot of time investigating the two people during the casting process.
A majority of the time the liars are the first ones to get cast. Eisen argues that “it’s not always the case, but it probably happens more than people realize.” It occurred in season two episode “Mike & Kristen” where Kristen asked to meet Mike in person. Producers make sure that the couples are actually lying about their relationships and not playing a prank.
2. Nev and Max are kept in the dark and don’t know a single thing.
Producers get waivers from everyone filmed on camera ahead of time. That being said, producers do not let Nev and Max any information in order to help them track the “Catfish”.
Producers, of course, have mapped out the beginning and ending, but as far as getting from A to Z, Nev and Max do real legwork to connect the deceived with the deceiver.
It also takes Nev and Max a long time to figure everything out. A majority of the time Nev and Max spend a long time trying to figure things out and producers can’t help them.
3. Since more people try to catfish MTV, MTV has stepped their game up.
Since the show became more popular, people are trying harder and harder to fool MTV producers. But, in return producers are working harder to make sure that the relationships are real; something they did not have to do in the first season.
4. MTV sends real therapists to help the people after every episode.
MTV takes pride into what they are doing and want to make sure that it results in a positive experience for both people. That is why they have each person speak with a therapist.
“We want to make sure that a professional is there in case the person needs it,” Eisen said in the interview. “Fortunately we haven’t had any issues after the show has aired, but we need to make sure that people are taken care of if they need to be.”
However, the biggest concern about how real the show is will come down to the fact that producers know what the episode is going to look like before it begins filming. Every episode is not a journey with a camera but, a designed episode in which Nev and Max have no clue as to what’s going on.
Another concern about the legitimacy of Catfish is that production requires waivers to be signed before filming. By giving people the chance to sign a waiver you are allowing them to think what they are going to do, how they are going to react, and what they are going to say.
Regardless of those two issues, Catfish is an entertaining and real life look at online dating.
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