Catfish: The TV Show

Catfish: The TV Show is an American reality-based docu-series television series airing on MTV about the truths and lies of online dating. The series is based on the 2010 film Catfish and is hosted by Nev Schulman. It premiered on November 12, 2012, with the third season premiering on May 7, 2014.

Plot
On the internet, a "catfish" is a person who creates fake personal profiles on social media sites—pretending to be someone more outwardly appealing than his/her true self, by using someone else's pictures and false biographical information. These "catfish" usually intend to trick an unsuspecting person or persons into falling in love with them. The term "catfish" is derived from the title of a 2010 documentary film, in which filmmaker Nev Schulman discovers that the woman he'd been carrying on an online relationship with had not been honest in describing herself. MTV and the Catfish film's producers, Schulman and his friend, filmmaker Max Joseph, help couples who have never met in real life. They want to know if the person they have had a seemingly deep emotional relationship with is legitimate or if they are, in fact, a "catfish". Some couples have been together 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 lover is lying or truthful about their identity. Each episode is a different couple with a different story; Nev travels to wherever they live and uses background checks and research to uncover the truth. He contacts the other person to arrange a first-ever meeting between the two lovers, then documents how the couple are impacted.[2][3] 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: Whether or not two people are totally lying to each other and it turns out to be a huge disaster, that's only the first part of the story. We then want to know why they are doing it, who they are, what they are feeling, what led them to this place, and why that resonates with thousands of other young people who have the same feelings, who don't have someone to talk to or don't know how to express themselves.