agro_sydney 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.

atlasmb 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.

Des5984 I feel compelled to write a review about this television show as my work colleague had become engrossed. She then proceeded to burn the whole first series and insist I watch them. Eight hours or so of my life that I will never get back. In retaliation to the punishment, I had to endure, I have written my first review ( to stick it to my colleague ) lol. The premise of the show is good however that's where it stops. We are force-fed these ridiculous episodes featuring people ranging from surreal, desperate to pathetic and without shame. We are supposed to believe that these individuals lack any real foresight or acumen and they come across as rabbits caught in the headlights. The two hosts have a pseudo- homo erotic bromance going on which is further annoying. Speaking of the hosts, each episode they seemed to find it effortless to sort out the fact from fiction with regards to the online persona's and it smacks the question, why did the original people in the relationships not contemplate completing their own investigations? I believe that the whole show is scripted and may go as far saying that the "pawns" are on the payroll, a la Jerry Springer show. The hosts had an opportunity to actually oust these fake profile makers and try change the publics perceptions and attitudes towards online safety. We have advertisements over here claiming that in America, 1 in 3 marriages are from relationships started online, so it is big business. My question is surely the individuals involved must realise quite quickly or at least have a notion that something is amiss ( perhaps this is my Scottish cynicism ). What I do see from this show, and this is only my opinion, is that the hosts are obviously planting the online offenders and/or fabrication and sensationalising the events. When it is all revealed toward the end, the hosts are stand offish and not ruthless in their convictions when faced with things that are blatantly blatantly wrong. Must be making money though. Anyway rantover.com

graven420 i could not agree more with the other review i will leave it at that anything by Ariel Schulman is not worth watching and his brother sucks just as much i would honestly watch a blank screen over anything created by those two i hate directors that lie if they would be straight up then i wouldn't mind but they lie about everything the movie they made = fake this show = fake paranormal activity boring and a bunch of senseless angles i suggest if you don't feel like wasting your life then don't watch this. and this is something that gos out to the people stupid enough to believe fake profiles online its called a freaking webcam im sory but if someone your talking to says they don't have one or don't know how to use it then obviously they are full of crap and if they do provide you with a webcam then its as simple as getting them to write your name on paper to know that it is real if you fall for fakes your an idiot