UNIVERSITEIT GENT
FACULTEIT POLITIEKE EN SOCIALE WETENSCHAPPEN
The representation of online daters in reality TV An analysis of 'Catfish: The TV Show'
Wetenschappelijke verhandeling
aantal woorden: 26.152
ELISE VAN NEYGEN
MASTERPROEF COMMUNICATIEWETENSCHAPPEN afstudeerrichting FILM- EN TELEVISIESTUDIES
PROMOTOR: DR. SANDER DE RIDDER
COMMISSARIS: DR. FREDERIK DHAENENS
ACADEMIEJAAR 2014 – 2015
2
Inzagerecht in de masterproef (*)
Ondergetekende, VAN NEYGEN ELISE geeft hierbij toelating aan derden, niet- behorend tot de examencommissie, om haar proefschrift in te zien.
Datum en handtekening
17/08/2015
Deze toelating geeft aan derden tevens het recht om delen uit de scriptie/ masterproef te reproduceren of te citeren, uiteraard mits correcte bronvermelding.
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(*) Deze ondertekende toelating wordt in zoveel exemplaren opgemaakt als het aantal exemplaren van de scriptie/masterproef die moet worden ingediend. Het blad moet ingebonden worden samen met de scriptie onmiddellijk na de kaft.
3 Acknowledgements
Finishing this thesis was not an easy task. In fact, the hardest part was actually starting it. I know I'm not the most punctual student in the world so I would like to thank my mentor Sander De Ridder for helping me out even though I didn't always show the right amount of motivation. Once I got started and knew in which direction I wanted to work, everything started falling into place. Again, this probably should have happened a little sooner. But I finally did it and I hope this will be the end of my journey at the University of Ghent. I would also like to thank my parents for their unconditional support for everything. Also thanks to my sisters Pauline and Charlotte, my brother Michaël for their interest in my progress, during good and bad days. And thanks to all my friends who kept helping me even when I asked the same questions over and over again. At last I would like to say another thank you to my mother, my sister Charlotte and my friend Liesbeth for reading and correcting my thesis.
4 Abstract
This study examines the representation of online daters in reality TV. Previous research has broadened the view on reality TV formats and representation formation. It is known that certain aspects are able to influence representation. A qualitative sequence analysis of the reality series Catfish: The TV Show was performed using 9 episodes. The first and last episode of season 1, 2 and 3 was evaluated together with another randomly selected episode of each season. Some recurring themes and motives were examined to come to conclusions about representation of online daters in the particular reality TV show. Sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education, media literacy, religion and appearance were the more superficial themes being analyzed. Companionship, comfort after a life crisis, control over presentation and environment, freedom from commitment and stereotypical roles, online dating as adventure or fantasy were more in-depth recurring motives influencing representation. The representation refers to profile construction in online dating together with profile construction of online daters in people's minds. The study found that all these recurring elements are presented in a distinct way to form an entertaining program. Two types of online daters emerge from the study, both types being influenced by different themes and motives in their online presentation. The first type is the person deceiving and lying about various elements caused by contextual factors. The second type is the person being lied to, the more naïve individual not wanting to see the truth. This can also be influenced by contextual factors. Through this whole process it is important to critically examine the truth claims and authenticity produced by the reality TV format.
5 Table of Contents
Acknowledgements ...... 4
Abstract ...... 5
Introduction ...... 8
PART 1: Literature Review ...... 11 1. Reality TV ...... 12 1.1. Introduction ...... 12 1.2. Defining reality TV ...... 12 1.3. Documentary tradition and the docusoap ...... 15 1.4. Authenticity and truth claims in reality TV ...... 17 2. How are online daters represented in reality TV? ...... 20 2.1. Defining online daters, representation and stereotypes ...... 20 2.1.1. Online dating and dating sites ...... 20 2.1.2. Conceptualization and representation ...... 21 2.1.3. Stereotypes ...... 23 2.2. Representation in online dating ...... 24 2.2.1. Profile construction in online dating ...... 25 2.2.2. Profile construction of online daters ...... 27 2.2.2.1. Introduction ...... 27 2.2.2.2. Sexual orientation and gender ...... 28 2.2.2.3. Socioeconomic status ...... 28 2.2.2.4. Education ...... 29 2.2.2.5. Media literacy ...... 29 2.2.2.6. Religion / world view ...... 29 2.2.2.7. Appearance ...... 29 2.2.2.8. Companionship ...... 30 2.2.2.9. Comfort after a life crisis ...... 30 2.2.2.10. Control over presentation and environment ...... 31 2.2.2.11. Freedom from commitment and stereotypical roles ...... 31 2.2.2.12. Online dating as an adventure ...... 32 2.2.2.13. Online dating as a romantic fantasy ...... 32 2.2.3. Creating trust online ...... 33 3. Conclusion ...... 35
PART 2: Analysis of Catfish: The TV Show ...... 37 1. Catfish ...... 38
6 1.1. Documentary tradition ...... 38 1.2. Structure of the series ...... 40 1.3. Authenticity and truth claims ...... 42 1.4. Online deception ...... 43 2. Method ...... 45 2.1. Objective ...... 45 2.2. Sample ...... 45 2.3. Procedure ...... 46 2.4. Validity and reliability ...... 47 3. Results ...... 48 3.1. Introduction ...... 48 3.2. Sexual orientation and gender ...... 48 3.3. Socioeconomic status ...... 49 3.4. Education ...... 50 3.5. Media Literacy ...... 51 3.6. Religion/world view ...... 52 3.7. Appearance ...... 52 3.8. Companionship ...... 54 3.9. Comfort after a life crisis ...... 54 3.10. Control over presentation and environment ...... 56 3.11. Freedom from commitment and stereotypical roles ...... 57 3.12. Online dating as an adventure ...... 58 3.13. Online dating as a fantasy ...... 58 4. Discussion and conclusion ...... 59
Bibliography ...... 61
Appendix ...... 66 Appendix 1: List of episodes ...... 66 Appendix 2: Character descriptions ...... 68 Appendix 3: Sequence analysis ...... 71
7 Introduction
We are living in a time of rapidly evolving changes in all areas of life, especially technology. The introduction of new information and communication technologies is having an extensive impact on society. It is changing the ways in which people interact with one another, form relationships and the way people receive information about the world. Concepts like time, space and distance obtain new meaning. Boundaries are being broken and tested. Cultural and collective identities cross borders and produce complex forms of interaction and interdependency (Tubella, 2004). In the midst of all these developments, the growth of new formats in television and the Internet has started a debate on how mediated communication affects social relationships and representation (Hampton, 2004).
The first new phenomenon due to changing technologies and changing social environment that is relevant in this study is reality TV. Murray and Ouellette (2004) define reality TV as: 'An unabashedly commercial genre united less by aesthetic rules or certainties than by the fusion of popular entertainment with a self-conscious claim to the discourse of the real. This coupling, we contend, is what has made reality TV an important generic forum for a range of institutional and cultural developments that include the merger of marketing and "real-life" entertainment, the convergence of new technologies with programs and their promotion, and an acknowledgment of the manufactured artifice that coexists with truth claims.' (Murray & Ouellette, 2004, p. 2) Reality TV encompasses a variety of specialized formats or subcultures that provide viewers with "real" people in ordinary and extraordinary situations. This fixation on authentic personalities, situations and narratives is considered to be reality TV's main distinction from fictional television. Important for this paper is a closer look at the subgenre associated with the documentary tradition. This subgenre borrows elements from traditional documentaries; sometimes helping reality programs with their truth claims. According to Bignell (2005), programs situated in de area of reality TV show and conceal, reflect and distort the realities that they represent. As with online dating, deception is possible. Producers have the power to influence what will be shown on TV, which affects the way people view certain topics and communities. It establishes new relationships between reality and its representations.
The second relevant phenomenon in this paper is online dating. Online dating is the practice of searching for a romantic or sexual partner on the Internet, typically via a dedicated website. This definition can be expanded to include other forms of online communication platforms such as social network sites, discussion platforms and chat groups where strangers are brought together. Discussions about this type of relationship formation include concerns about participants' privacy and security, threats of identity theft as well as concerns about misrepresentation. The online community, often called virtual community, is a community where its members primarily interact through the Internet. Users have the opportunity to create an online self that may or may not be accurate in real life. Boyd and Ellison (2007) comment that online daters are strangers that have no prior relationship and lack a shared physical context. Two features of computer-mediated communication that can be concluded through the lack of a shared physical context are; reduced nonverbal cues and potentially asynchronous communication. This enables users to engage in "selective self-presentation" (Walther & Burgoon, 1992), which can lead to misrepresentation and deception. The mediated essence of online dating gives participants more opportunities to present themselves positively and deliberately. Online dating platforms include elements where people are able to misrepresent themselves.
As previously mentioned, both reality TV and online dating have a form of deception in common. In this study, the focus will be on representation and the possibility of misrepresentation. Delhaye (1995) explains how representations are formed. The process of conceptualization is described as a form of representation or as a mental process. Conceptualization is influenced by the images and texts in everyday reality. The interactions between mental and physical images people see around them construct meanings. Through associations and conceptualizations, people form representations about the world around them. Media, such as television, have a considerable influence on individuals in the process of conceptualization and representation. The representations, when used to categorize certain groups of people, can lead to stereotypes. Most of the time stereotypes have a negative connotation. They are generally used to categorize people according to certain characteristics. These generalizations can be made too fast and are often incorrect.
There has been a good deal of research on the realness, truth claims and authenticity of reality TV or on the self-presentation of online daters, possibly leading to misrepresentation. Most studies conclude that reality TV isn't as authentic as viewers might think and online daters are able to misrepresent themselves. Due to these deceptions and the representation they might put forward of a certain community or group of people, society can form an aberrant perception of these groups. This study focuses on the possible deceptions and mainly how online daters are portrayed in reality TV. The first part is a literature review that will focus on both reality TV and online dating. It is important to make an attempt at defining all terms before doing research. First, a definition of reality TV and a focus on one of the subgenres associated with traditional documentaries shall be given. A critical focus on authenticity and truth claims of reality TV and the documentary tradition is crucial to understand the possible problems with representations and the way people look at reality programs. The second part of the literature study lays a focus on online dating and representation. Online dating, online daters,
9 representation and stereotypes are explained from multiple perspectives and angles. At last, a focus on recurring themes and motives that can possibly lead to deceptions or misrepresentations in online dating is given. These can help with understanding the possibility of representing online daters in a specific way.
In order to specify the subject of this paper, an example will be given by the TV show Catfish. Catfish, an American reality-based series, aims to uncover the truths and lies of online daters. Because it's a reality format it is not always authentic. Reality TV norms can lead to stereotyping or misrepresentations of the online dater profile. By discussing the TV show, a conclusion will be formulated to answer the central question in this paper: How are online daters represented in reality TV?
10 PART 1: Literature Review
11 1. Reality TV
1.1. Introduction
Examples of reality TV can be found throughout the history of television but gained popularity in peak time television schedules during the 1990s. Hesmondhalgh (2002) mentions three main components in the development of popular factual television relating to three areas of media production: tabloid journalism, documentary television and popular entertainment. Tabloid journalism provided ingredients such as the interaction between ordinary people and celebrities, or information and entertainment. Documentary television contributed truth claims and authenticity. Popular entertainment added non-professional actors in entertainment programs from different contexts such as talk shows, game shows, sports and leisure programs.
An increasingly commercial media environment made it possible for a format such as reality TV to grow into popular production brand. This process of introduction didn't happen overnight but developed in different periods, whereby a new subgenre was introduced in each period. As described by Hill (2005, p. 24), the first period came in the late 1980s, introducing infotainment based upon the success of emergency and crime television. The second period came in the late 1990s and was based upon the success of observational documentaries, or docusoaps, and lifestyle or makeover programs. The third period, during the early 2000s, placed ordinary people under controlled environments creating the reality game shows. Most recent developments in reality TV come from different areas, developing variations of already existing formats and genres.
1.2. Defining reality TV
Reality TV is a category that includes a wide range of entertainment programs about real people. Reality TV, sometimes called popular factual television, is located in different domains. It can be situated between information and entertainment or documentary and drama. Originally, it was used as a category for law and order factual programs, containing on-scene footage of policemen on the job. There has been a rapid increase of television programming that promises to produce unscripted access to real people in ordinary or extraordinary situations. Murray and Ouellette (2004) mention that the access to the real is presented through dramatic uncertainty, voyeurism and popular pleasure. As a result, reality TV cannot be categorized under news, documentaries and other authorized information formats. The truth claims of the latter are explicitly tied to the goals and understanding of the public service tradition to provide viewers with educational information. Reality TV can be related more with entertainment.
Nowadays, reality TV has become the success story of television. Programs range from healthcare to hairdressing and from people to pets. Formats of reality TV are being sold and shown all over the world (Hill, 2005, p. 2). The current reality TV programs circulate ideologies, myths and templates for living that might be educational in nature but avoid the serious program aspects of being unpopular and unprofitable. These characteristics have historically differentiated serious factual formats from popular entertainment. Reality programming uses the real as a selling point, but distances itself from absolute authenticity and ethical concerns over the human subjects that define documentaries and factual programs. As previously mentioned, a convergence of different formats made the creation of reality TV possible. Most important was the merging of commercialism, unscripted television and popular entertainment. A variety of styles and techniques are associated with reality TV, distinguishing itself from other genres. Some of these characteristics are: the use of unprofessional actors, unscripted dialogues, hand-held cameras, surveillance footage and seeing events unfold as they are happening in front of the camera. However, during the past decade, the genre has evolved and can be related to many programs. Categorizing a program under one particular genre is becoming increasingly difficult since the boundaries of certain genres are blurring together creating hybrid genres (Dhoest, 2006, p. 67).
In conclusion, a general and explicit definition of reality TV is hard to describe. It is a commonly used term in everyday life, but without a consensus about the definition. According to Neale (2001, p. 3) there are numerous aspects, numerous meanings and numerous analytical uses of the genre within the academic community. One of the earliest debates of the genre is by Kilborn (1994), who points out that reality TV is a term that has become an inclusive phrase. He describes the term as: 'Involving the recording on the wing, and frequently with the help of lightweight video equipment, of events in the lives of individuals or groups, the attempt to stimulate such real-life events through various forms of dramatized reconstruction and the incorporation of this material, in suitably edited form, into an attractive packaged television program which can be promoted on the strength of its reality credentials' (Kilborn, 1994, p. 423).
Kilborn (1994) also states that reality TV is an attempt to simulate real life events. The most important aim is 'to highlight the quality of shared experience or lived reality' (Kilborn, 1994, p. 243). According to Nichols (1994) the real life experiences are those that present dangerous events or unusual situations. It can be concluded that in order to attract viewers, a higher sensational value is added. Bondebjerg (1996) highlights the blurred lines between fact and fiction. On the one hand, reality TV lays a focus on non-fiction by recording everyday life. On the other hand, techniques are used to dramatize the programs. Reality programs claim to represent reality and are seen as a window to the world. This claim is confirmed by the use of handheld cameras to capture everyday life in an authentic way (Cloots, 2011). But early debates by Nichols (1994), Corner (1995, 1996) and Kilborn (1994,
13 1998) raised important questions about actuality, the reality of factual television and the role of truth claims in reality TV.
Some scholars don't agree with the term reality TV because it is not a correct reproduction of reality. According to Doyle (2003, p. 135) the term reality-fiction is a more accurate description. The storytelling in a program defines how events will take place during the course of the program. However, even if it is not an accurate reproduction of reality, the reality element will always be an important part of defining the genre. One of the most important authors of reality is Baudrillard (1994). He regards the world as a hyper reality, where reality becomes a spectacle. The spectacle is called a simulation from which a new reality is created. Reality TV shows an imitation of reality without the original, creating its own reality. Television is a simulacrum, an imitation of reality. Here the producers, who use fictional techniques dramatizing events, create a hyper reality. Scholars in this case question if these types of programs can be regarded as realistic.
Referring to the criticism that reality TV is not a correct reproduction of reality, Biressi and Nunn (2005, p. 4) claim that reality TV has little to do with reality in general. According to them, reality TV is not an accurate reflection of reality but rather a revelation of private issues. Reality TV believes to show reality when in fact it is carefully constructed through various processes. In a program, only certain aspects of reality are shown, the parts being chosen by the producer. Television is not a pure reflection of society but a reality constructed from a certain point of view. Dowd (2006) comments that an important aspect of reality TV is the claim of authenticity and appearing to be real when in fact reality TV shows everything but reality. Academics point out that reality TV is developed during ordinary, but mostly extraordinary or abnormal situations. Participants are often directed or encouraged to perform and the viewers see an edited version of the events. These events are frequently manipulated with techniques to intensify the product (Orbe, 1998). Biressi and Nunn (2005) add that new digital technologies have made it easier to manipulate the reality through editing. By selecting and combining specific images, an impression of reality is presented which doesn’t necessarily correspond to the original situation. Camera angles, locations, filming perspectives and lighting can be adapted to create a specific atmosphere in the shaping of reality. As described by Ellis (2000): 'Production staff seized on the graphic and interpretative possibilities afforded by digital image manipulation to layer visual information with the aim of enhancing viewers’ understanding and ordering of the incoherent world – the ‘raw data of reality’ – into interpretative frameworks (...) The fact that the televisual image is used as a malleable object rather than a "picture of something" is an accepted aspect of televisual vocabulary' (Ellis, 2000, cited in: Biressi & Nunn, 2005, p. 33).
It can be determined that reality TV distinguishes itself from other genres by their specific claim on reality, truth and authenticity. The emphasis lies on the reconstruction of liveliness and spontaneous
14 events. The images that are shown often have technical imperfections, such as wobbly images while filming, a bad focus that is sometimes quickly restored or a bad quality of sound. These elements indicate the spontaneity of filming, adding a real experience to the viewer. This should give viewers the confidence and certainty that what they are watching is a reconstruction of real events. Even though reality TV has a high reality claim, we have to be aware that the programs are an output of technical processes. The biggest challenge might be to determine how far the representation and reality lie apart from each other (Neale, 2000). Most of the time it is hard for the audience to distinguish information from fiction and entertainment from reality (Hill, 2005, p. 2). Dowd (2006) sums up the claims of reality TV: 'it is assumed to be real or at least reality-based.' (Dowd, 2006, cited in: Orbe, 1998, p. 18).
1.3. Documentary tradition and the docusoap
Murray and Ouellette (2004, p. 3-4) divide reality TV in six subgenres: the gamedoc (Big Brother), dating programs (Joe Millionaire), make-over/lifestyle programs (Extreme Makeover), docusoaps (Catfish: the TV show), talent contests (American Idol) and law or order factual programs (Judge Judy). In this part the focus will be on the particular subgenre docusoap in prospect of discussing the program Catfish: the TV show. Corner (2002) locates reality TV within the framework of documentary, summarizing different types as documentary-lite. He is also careful to situate reality TV in relation to other genres, not only documentary. These genres ranging from soap operas, talk shows and game shows have influenced reality TV in a certain way. He suggests, 'thinking outside the box and beyond the documentary category can help us to understand the realities in factual and fictional television' (Corner, 2002a, p. 155).
In the nineties a competition between television networks and industries was present. The television industry began pushing boundaries of factual television to create new hybrid formats. These new formats were made to attract more audiences. As phrased by Hill (2005), 'The development of reality- programming is an example of how television cannibalizes itself in order to survive, drawing on existing genres to create successful hybrid programs, which in turn generate a new television genre' (Hill, 2005, p. 24). According to Corner (2002b) the popular factual genre sits between fact and fiction. He also notes 'the legacy of documentary is still at work in popular factual television, but in partial and revised form' (Corner, 2002b, p. 260). The partial and revised elements of reality TV that are borrowed from documentary formats are used to put factual elements in popular factual television. The entertaining elements of reality TV are borrowed from fictional genres such as soap operas.
Roscoe and Hight (2001) add that another perspective on documentary exists. They don't focus on the fact/fiction dichotomy but position documentary along a fact-fiction continuum with each text having
15 influences from both directions. As with reality TV, they don't see documentary as an accurate representation of reality: 'Documentary does not provide an unmediated view of the world, nor can it live up to its claims to be a mirror on society. Rather, like any fictional text, it is constructed with a view to producing certain versions of the social world. Even though we may agree that documentary representations are as constructed as fictional ones, the stance that documentary takes toward the social world is one that is grounded on a belief that it can access the real' (Roscoe & Hight, 2001, p. 8).
The docusoap emerged as an alternative for the classic documentary that was in need of a makeover. Docusoaps, also called fly-on-the-wall documentaries, soap-docs or reality-soaps, became renewed documentaries. They kept the documentary form but made it more consumer-friendly (Phillips, 1999, p. 23). The docusoap combines elements from the documentary with soap elements creating a hybrid television genre. Biressi and Nunn (2005) describe docusoaps as 'multi-part series, each episode featuring strong recurrent ‘characters’ engaged in everyday activities, whose stories are interleaved in soap opera style' (Biressi & Nunn, 2005, p. 64). This subgenre of reality programs shares the most textual and aesthetic characteristics with documentaries. Bruzzi (2000) explains that these programs combine textual and aesthetic elements of factual programs; such as handheld camerawork, a focus on everyday activities and unscripted plots together with elements of soap operas; such as short narrative sequences, plotline intercuts, cliffhangers and a focus on character personality. A camera crew follows a group of people for a certain amount of time while trying to register everything without intervention. Kilborn (1994) uses the term 'fly-on-the-wall' to clarify this type of programs.
As with documentaries, the docusoap wants to represent reality. But the shift from classic documentaries to more commercial docusoaps came with a great deal of criticism. Critics and viewers believe that documentaries are educational or informative, ethical, authentic, socially engaged and serve the public interest. Reality TV is commercial, popular, entertaining, sensational and manipulative. Even as they share similar features, documentary is traditionally seen as high-minded and educational, or at least informational. Observational documentaries tend to concentrate on everyday life. According to critics they are sometimes obsessed with the intimate as reality TV but observational documentaries do it for the greater good of society at large (Corner, 2002b, p. 264). Kilborn and Hibbard (2000) add that docusoaps don't concentrate on the context. They give little background information on the subjects and hardly any critical analysis. Docusoaps are seen solely as entertainment with no informational or educational aspect. They are regarded as a form of identification and recognition for audiences. According to De Meyer (2001, p. 16) the information in docusoaps can be found in the intense emotional experiences. A great deal of people loathes the subgenre. But an advantage can be the combination of pleasure with information, combining elements from television soaps and traditional documentaries.
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In spite of the criticism, docusoaps or documentary style reality programs are a very popular format and are watched by millions of viewers. Viewers can identify with characters, which increase the chances to keep watching and discussing the program with friends or family. It also increases the chance that the representation of some groups will become stereotypes if portrayed in a certain way. Nichols (2001, p. 24) points out that audiences previous experience with each format and the way certain aspects of the text are highlighted, can have an influence on how it is read and understood. A context can be manipulated to encourage a viewer to understand the meaning of a text in a particular way. Television industries have an impact on the manipulation of meaning. They have the strong ability to edit a program in a certain way, so they can sell it as a documentary or reality format. This depends on whether the focus is more on the educational/informational or entertainment/sensational aspect.
1.4. Authenticity and truth claims in reality TV
Reality TV as we know it today developed in a changing cultural, political, social and economic environment. In the late 1980s, networks faced financial troubles and the industry was forced to change its programming strategy. As Hill (2005) points out: 'The rise of reality TV came at a time when networks were looking for a quick fix solution to economic problems within the cultural studies. The deregulation of media industries contributed to the rise of reality TV, as it performed well in a competitive, multichannel environment. Also, the increased costs in the production of drama, sitcom and comedy ensured unscripted, popular factual programming became a viable option during the 1990s' (Hill, 2005, p. 39). Murray and Ouellette (2004, p. 7) add that more reality programs were produced because the formats are cheap to produce, easy to sell abroad and the use of regular people makes the hiring of actors or scriptwriters irrelevant.
Since the early days of reality TV, critics have regularly labeled the genre cheap, voyeuristic and sensational television. Biressi and Nunn (2005) state 'what we once trusted as ‘pictures of reality’ can be seamlessly and undiscernibly edited and modified. The rise of digital culture has fostered a broader skepticism towards factual media representations and their claims.' (Biressi & Nunn, 2005, p. 33). According to Clarke (2003), the popularity of reality TV has led to a blurring of boundaries between fact and fiction. It makes the analysis of the relationship with truth and authenticity even more urgent. A lot of reality programs have connections to the documentary tradition, using handheld cameras and lacking narration. Despite similarities with documentaries, critics have concerns about the impact of editing, reconstruction, prefab settings and producer mediation. Murray and Ouellette (2004, p. 5) claim that reality TV establishes new relationships between reality and its representation.
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Corner (2002a) refers to the factual entertainment as a 'postdocumentary culture'. In this culture, the traditional documentary realism is blended with genres based on artifice. Viewers, participants and producers are less devoted to the absolute truth and representational ethics and more interested in the relationship between reality and fiction. Although reality TV strives to be authentic, much of the viewers’ engagement depends on the awareness that the programs are constructed and may contain fictional elements. Reality TV promises insight into the lives of real people but withholds full access to it. Producers supply a multilayered viewing experience where cultural and social contexts determine what is real and what is not. Kilborn (2003, p. 83) focuses on the paradox about the reality of reality TV. The more entertaining a factual program is, the less viewers believe it to be real. Viewers are attracted to certain program formats because they feature real live stories in an entertaining manner. But they are also skeptical about the authenticity of some reality formats just because the stories are presented in an entertaining way.
Reality programs use people from diverse age, racial, geographic, class and sexual backgrounds, opening new possibilities and limitations for representational politics. Ordinary people participating in certain programs are often chosen because they are entertaining on the screen. Many of the participants in popular reality shows often get their fifteen minutes of fame or remain some sort of celebrity (getting an acting job, presenting shows or receiving articles in magazines). The celebrification of these real people leads to complications of authenticity because of the way the people have been constructed in a space between ordinary or extraordinary. Truth claims and authenticity are delicate terms created in an ongoing struggle between producers, participants and viewers (Murray & Ouellette, 2004, p. 8-9).
Couldry (2004) mentions that the real value is to make observers participants in the experience. Viewers find real life more exciting than a constructed life. As previously mentioned, docusoaps and 'postdocumentary' television culture have become increasingly popular although they are not a perfect representation of real life. Corner (2002b) confirms the statement using Big Brother as an example: 'Big Brother operates its claims to the real within a fully managed artificiality, in which almost everything that might be deemed to be true about what people do and say is necessarily and obviously predicated on the larger contrivance of them being there in front of the camera in the first place.' (Corner, 2002b, p. 256). Programs claim to be social reality and the frame through which we access and reconstruct reality. Specific norms of behavior are often promoted to attract viewers and make the program popular. Fetveit (2002) mentions that viewers put a great deal of trust in the ability of cameras to register real events as they happen. But the trust and authenticity of the images depends on the type of reality format and the way it is set up to capture the real peoples events. Ellis (2000) is convinced it is wrong
18 to suggest that viewers never question the authenticity of television news, documentaries or popular factual television.
Factual television is a primary window on the world, offering an opportunity to witness events as they are happening. Stories in reality programs are often dramatized and reconstructed but they still claim to be true. Diverse formats are generally constructed and framed according to personal, political and social interests. Viewers should be able to question and debate truth claims of documentaries and popular factual television. This is based on previous experiences or because of media literacy. Trust in reality programs is related to previous influences from documentaries or other factual programs. Viewers generally trust reality programs more when the footage is associated with news or investigative journalism. Important to point out here is that this can mostly be applied to certain types of traditional reality formats, such as crime and emergency programs. Recent types of reality TV are harder to associate with factual programs because they fail to include a certain educational or informational level. Essential in the debate about truthfulness in reality TV is the critical perspective of the viewer and their critical perspective on the real people in ordinary or extraordinary situations.
19 2. How are online daters represented in reality TV?
2.1. Defining online daters, representation and stereotypes
2.1.1. Online dating and dating sites Dating is the process of courting a partner with the potential intention of starting a relationship. Lawson and Leck (2006) mention that courting practices vary from culture to culture and have changed over time. Evolving communication technologies have historically shaped dating, expanding possibilities and making it freer. In the 1990s, the Internet became a popular platform for social encounters. People could interact with each other over greater distances, with less expense and in a short period of time. Theorists debated both positive and negative effects of the Internet on social relationships. Zuboff (1991) believed 'the Internet reduced face-to-face interaction and created an uncomfortable isolation' (Zuboff, 1991, pp. 479-482). Raney (2000, 11 May) on the other hand argued that online communication expands social interactions, his study supporting the statement that 'more than half of Internet users reported that e-mail was strengthening their family ties. And Internet users reported far more offline social contact than non-users.' (Raney, 2000, 11 May, p. G7). A huge number of people search for companionship or love on the Internet. Online dating has become a business targeting multiple audiences.
Through interviews, Close and Zinkhan (2004) tried to find a definition for online dating in general. From the interviews they defined E-daters, or electronic daters, as: 'One who utilizes an electronic (e.g. the Internet) exchange to seek a dating relationship with another, typically with someone they have not met. This exchange is often one-way. E-dating includes such activities as subscribing to a site, posting a personal ad or message, replying to messages and so forth.' (Close & Zinkhan, 2004, p. 153). Close and Zinkhan (2004) believe there is a need for a separate defining of non-traditional dating methods such as online or electronic dating. They give us two working definitions, the first is for an E- date, the second for E-dating. E(lectronic)-Date: 'The pre-set time to 'meet' in a chatroom or on a dating/singles website to instant message (IM), or the actual online social exchange. The initiation of an E- Date may result via a personal posting, a chat room conversation, an email, some other computer-mediated communication, or even from offline correspondence.' (Close & Zinkhan, 2004, p. 153) E(lectronic)-Dating: 'The process of contact, courtship, and subsequent emotional, psychological, or spiritual bonding/exchange at any level between persons via a singles, matchmaking, or online dating website.' (Close & Zinkhan, 2004, p. 153)
20 People form and maintain relationships on the Internet, not always seeking romance but also seeking friendship or companionship. Different online spaces provide different social opportunities. Ellison, Steinfield and Lampe (2007) mention that social network sites are mostly used by individuals to maintain already existing relationships or are used to get to know new friends. Other online platforms, such as online forums or chatrooms, also provide opportunities to communicate online with unfamiliar people. Individuals can form relationships on both specific online dating websites and various other online platforms. It is clear that online dating has become a mainstream and well-known method of searching for or meeting future romantic partners.
Mikyoung Kim, Kyoung-Nan and Mira (2009) explain that most Internet dating sites oblige their users to create a user profile. Demographic, socioeconomic, descriptions of physical appearance, photographs, relationship preferences and information about lifestyle and personality are described in great detail. The user profiles can be viewed by members of the sites and sometimes by other Internet users. These specific online dating sites attract people who want to obtain information about another person before dating. Sites can also be used to form a distorted image of oneself or for self-promotion. Other platforms, like chatrooms or forums, provide hardly any information about the person someone is talking to. On social network sites, the amount of information provided by people differs. Everyone has the opportunity to share the desired amount of information.
Bargh, McKenna and Fitzsimons (2002) explain that individuals create profiles of themselves on Internet dating sites that contain information about their personality traits, physical appearance and demographic characteristics. Creating these profiles allows individuals to explore and re-create their identity, representing themselves in a different way. The Internet provides great anonymity compared to face-to-face interaction making it easier for individuals to present certain aspects of themselves that they would not always do in other situations. The increased level of anonymity may allow individuals to add positive characteristics they don't possess but would like to. Identities can be changed and distorted. Critical users are able to look at profiles with caution, but outsiders have the opportunity to create misrepresentations or stereotypes.
2.1.2. Conceptualization and representation Images are a big part of everyday life. They have an impact on how people view the world. On the one hand it refers to the physical object or the image people get to see, on the other hand it is the mental image people form through everyday life. Delhaye (1995) sees the process of conceptualization as a form of representation or mental process. Conceptualization is influenced by the images and texts in everyday reality. Through associations and conceptualizations people form representations about the world around them. Media, such as television, have a considerable influence on individuals in the process of conceptualization and representation. As previously mentioned, they give people a window
21 to the world, but at the same time they have the ability to influence representations and form stereotypical images.
Hall (1997) observes, 'Representation connects meaning and language to culture. Representation means using language to say something meaningful about, or to represent the world meaningfully, to other people.' (Hall, 1997, p. 15). Central to the conceptualization, according to Hall, are two systems of representation. The first makes it possible for people to give meaning to the world by bringing together objects, people, ideas, events and concepts already formed in our minds. The second system concerns the association between the concepts and signs represented in the language. Hall (1997) concludes 'the relation between things, concepts and signs lies at the heart of the production of meaning in language. The process which links these three elements together is what we call representation.' (Hall, 1997, p. 19). Individuals construct meanings with their own concepts and signs. He also adds that people with the same cultural background are more likely to interpret a message in the same way. Conceptualization is important in every aspect of someone's life. It creates identity, influences an individual’s consumption and regulates social behavior.
According to Hall (1997), the process of representation takes place when objects already have a clear meaning in someone's mind. One reality is liable to multiple representations according to cultural, social or economic factors. The representation of online daters or online dating in general can differ according to the medium or country where it is being represented. One of the fundamental questions in research on media content is if representations in the media are an accurate reflection of reality or a distorted one. Representation depends on the dominant groups in society. Those with a lot of authority are able to influence representations, creating an image of society consistent with their own (Verstraeten, 2004, p. 118). The way certain groups are represented can have an impact on how the rest of the population views them. The way people think about certain groups is determined by how they are seen by others, the way other people talk about certain groups and the way those groups are represented in the media. Representations can have substantial consequences for certain groups according to how they are represented, especially having a negative impact on groups represented in a distorted way.
People have to be aware that images are a social construction. They are only a possible reconstruction of reality and can't be compared with reality itself. As Van Breedam (2012) observes 'Reality is actually a dialectical relationship between an objective subject and a subjective interpretation.' (Van Breedam, 2012, p. 19). Furthermore, the images seen by people undergo a subjective interpretation, creating an own subjective reality. In addition to this, Pickering (2000) mentions representations and mental constructions. According to him representations are the result of a socialization process and not individual reflection. Collective representations are a prime component of individual representations
22 that are influenced and shaped by media. Smelik, Buikema and Meijer (1999) give the label conceptualization to the mental constructions that take place in people's minds. Because this process takes place in people's minds it is hard to find out exactly what influences individual representations. Smelik, Buikema and Meijer (1999) distinguish three levels of conceptualization. The first is materiality, the actual images that are also passed on by the media. The second level in the process is the effect of the actual images, namely the realization of mental images and the possible influence on behavior. On this level, stereotypical interpretations of for example online daters can lead to stereotypical behavior. The actual influencing is situated on the third level. On this level, there is a possibility to influence and change mental images, resulting in new actual material images. The formation of images is an interaction of mental images and social influences that can be changed through processes, creating a new conceptualization and representation of the world.
2.1.3. Stereotypes Research from different literature makes it clear that television programs are not always an accurate representation of reality. Minority groups are often not or barely represented and are generally presented in the same way. The portrayal of the people and their interactions happen according to a certain recognizable plan. After a while, the portrayal isn't consistent with reality making it a stereotype. It is a phenomenon often found in different media, such as television or books, but can also be found outside of media. Lippmann (1922) was one of the first theorists who used the word stereotype. He recognized stereotypes as mental images that can give us a distorted perception of reality. Although stereotype mostly has a negative connotation, Lippmann (1922) points out the benefit of being able to organize and understand the world quickly. This is a benefit that is still useful today. Schneider (2004) confirms that it is difficult to define the concept stereotype and that it does often have a negative connotation but can also be useful. The world is complex and it can be tough to know everything in detail. Stereotypes can therefore help generalize certain aspects of life, making it easier and quicker to understand the world. With knowledge of only a few characteristics and with the help of stereotypes a fuller image to understand a person or object is formed. Lippmann (1922) generally focused on troubles with thinking and not on the stereotypes as characteristics given to groups.
Stereotypes are often described as standardized and simplified images that are used to understand and organize the chaotic world around us. Stereotypical attributes are crucial to process big amounts of information. Spee, Lefever and Vanhoof (1999, p. 26) indicate that the need to categorize others increases the creation of stereotypes. They are a form of quick communication and help with the transfer of information. Stangor (2009), Ashmore and Del Boca (1981) define stereotypes as characteristics given to people because they belong to a certain social group. These groups are
23 generally distinguished, based on the characteristics given to them. Stereotypes can be seen as the characteristics thought of when confronted with a certain group.
Organizing the world and dividing it into categories is a natural process. Pickering (2001, p. 2-3) reports that a distinction has to be made between stereotypes and categories. Although they might sometimes seem to contain some common elements, they can't be classified as identical. Categories are not fixed and can be changed over time, helping people structure images of the world. Individuals interpret the world by associating objects, people, texts and events with classifications with images in already present in their mind. Stereotypes are used to organize information, but they are not flexible and try to maintain existing hierarchies. They are influenced by cultures and are a reflection of certain ideologies in society. Television networks that knowingly or unknowingly use stereotypes pass these on to viewers, with the possibility of unmediated people adopting these stereotypes without critical reflection. Stangor (2009) warns not to think too positively of stereotypes. There are more negative stereotypes than there are positive ones. Although there might sometimes be an element of truth in stereotypes and some characteristics applicable to members of the group, generalizing is always dangerous.
2.2. Representation in online dating
Modern society is shaped by constant changes, affecting various aspects of social life. One particular interest for researchers is the way individuals are able to create and re-create identities. Identities are shaped by perception of society along with someone's own self-characterization. Information about individuals forming and re-forming their identities has been found in offline and online areas (Tambyah, 1996). People post on websites, not only to learn about themselves but also to share characteristics of their identity with others. According to Markus and Nurius (1986, p. 957), someone’s identity is composed of many different ideas about the person they think they are. This is called self-conception and can be divided into two categories: now selves and possible selves. The first referring to how the people view himself/herself in the present time. The second referring to images of self hoped or feared to evolve into. The combination of both categories creates an individual's identity at one moment in time. Changes in life status or a desire for personal growth can trigger a reevaluation about a person's identity.
Identities are constantly created and recreated in a changing social environment. Internet dating sites, or other platforms, allow users to explore possible selves or identities. Frost and Ariely (2004) mention the popularity of Internet dating services lies in the ability to explore, create and re-create identities. Early on Noble and Walker (1997) already explored the reasons for posting a profile on Internet dating sites. Individuals did mention that searching for potential romantic partners was a
24 motivation but also mentioned another underlying motivation: the desire to learn more about themselves. The desire to experience the transition from one identity into another mostly lasts only for a limited period of time. Occasionally the creation of another identity and the use of that identity can last for years. Posting a certain profile may help individuals relieve stress from a difficult period in their life and after that period the created identity will disappear again. The posting of these profiles also helps individuals explore characteristics they don't possess but would like to. Anonymously creating profiles benefits this identity exploration that would not always be possible in an offline environment (Yurchisin, Watchravesringkan, & Brown McCabe, 2005).
2.2.1. Profile construction in online dating The quest for love has inspired people to devote much thought and effort in the process of constructing successful romantic encounters (Leone & Hawkins, 2006). These romantic encounters can be constructed in face-to-face situations or on online platforms. Essential to the success of online encounters is people's ability to present themselves as desirable partners (Metts, 1989). This is an activity that often involves the use of deception. Although there are specialized online dating sites, made to facilitate the process of meeting a partner online, other online platforms such as MySpace, Facebook, chat groups, etc. are also used to find potential dates. Despite its popularity Toma, Hancock and Ellison (2008) comment that online dating is often perceived as being overwhelmed with deception. This valid concern may derive from the separation between the self presented online and the embodied self. In the absence of direct physical contact, it is easy to misrepresent characteristics such as height and weight, manipulate photographs and exaggerate income or status.
Using the Internet to meet potential partners has presented individuals with new challenges regarding self-presentation and self-disclosure behaviors. As mentioned in the introduction, Walther and Burgoon (1992) comment that users of online platforms can engage in selective self-presentation due to the lack of a shared physical context. First, computer-mediated communication places a greater emphasis on verbal and linguistic cues that gives users a more flexible and selective foundation than in face-to face interaction. Second, the asynchronous nature of computer-mediated communication gives users more time to construct an online self. Messages can be sent at any chosen moment, which allows users to formulate carefully manufactured messages in line with their online personality. These two aspects give participants the opportunity to present themselves more positively and deliberately than in face-to face interaction.
Bargh et al. (2002) and McKenna et al. (2002) believe two aspects of the self are important to be considered when focusing on the development of relationships online. The two elements are the 'true' self and the 'actual' self. To define the 'true self' the theorists referred to Rogers' (1951) work and explained it as features that individuals possess and would like to but are not usually able to express.
25 Rogers (1951) developed a humanistic personality theory where the self is a central concept. He believed that the self developed further through interactions with each other. The 'true self' represents who people really are, their inner core. In contrast, referring to Higgins (1987), they defined the 'actual self' as features that individuals possess and express to others in social settings. Researches claim that individuals will disclose aspects of themselves not widely known to others only when they have developed trust and intimacy.
Goffman (1959) was interested in the way people presented themselves in daily face-to-face situations and argued for a dualistic image of the self. He described the self as a performer and as character. The self-as-performer is a social product, while the self-as-character represents an individuals' uniqueness. The self as a social product is the performer in outwardly social life, while the self-as-character is the inner self. Goffman believed that people have to present themselves to others as acceptable people so they can be diplomatic in the formation of an impression. He was particularly interested in distinguishing between spoken communication and nonverbal cues in face-to-face interaction. Goffman's theory has been applied to online presentation of self. Miller and Arnold (2001) claim that although the depth and amount of information about one's self-presentation might not seem immediately apparent online that nonetheless 'the problem of establishing and maintaining an acceptable self remains and there is a range of expressive resources available for this end' (Miller & Arnold, 2001, cited in Riva & Galimberti, 2001, p. 75).
Research of Gibbs, Ellison and Heino (2006) has investigated self-disclosure in the context of online dating relationships. Self-disclosure can be defined as any information about the self an individual reveals to another, and is a basic component in the development of close relationships. Online misrepresentation has real consequences according to the relational goals. Generally, online dating participants are searching for a long-term romantic partner. In some forms of computer-mediated communication contexts, such as chat rooms or online role-playing games, anonymity or aliases are expected. The anticipation of future face-to-face interaction in online dating provides motivation for reducing uncertainty about identity of potential romantic partners through self-disclosure (Gibbs et al., 2006).
According to a study of Walther, Slovacek and Tidwell (2001), users that anticipate future interaction with their online partners have been found to ask more personal questions and self-disclose more than those only seeking short-term interactions. Similarly, those seeking a long-term commitment are expected to engage more in intimate behavior and greater self-disclosure than those anticipating short- term communication. Whitty and Gavin (2001) believe an important distinction in online-to-offline relationships may be between the expectations of a face-to-face meeting and exclusive online interaction rather than just relating it to short-term versus long-term communication. The move from
26 an online relationship to an offline relationship is not always a mutual goal, which can result in a disappointment when an actual meeting takes place. Anticipated future interaction in a face-to-face situation can influence participant’s self-presentation and self-disclosure strategies. Those not seeking a long-term commitment or future face-to-face interaction can be expected to distort their personal information. Self-disclosure generally has a positive effect on relationship development although users can be quite reserved in the beginning of a relationship. Disclosure choices are shaped by the norms and expectations of society and users themselves. Individuals have the desire to 'present themselves as unique individuals within the constraints of a technical system that encourage[s] homogeneity, negotiating a desire to stand out with the need to blend in' (Gibbs, Ellison & Heino, 2006, p. 433).
Relational goals - short-term or long-term commitment - pressure online participants to reveal personal information both conform to social norms and their own desire to form romantic relationships and experience intimacy. A problem that can occur in this situation is the risk of sharing personal information with strangers and being honest but not having the confirmation that others are also being honest in their disclosures. There is always the possibility to avoid this situation by looking for offline confirmation potentially provided by third-party individuals or mutual friends. In constructing a profile and communicating with others online, online dating and interaction in general involves a continuous cycle of choosing the right amount of self-disclosure. Assessing others identity claims is also important in trying to reduce uncertainty (Gibbs, Ellison, & Lai, 2010).
On online dating sites, profiles are set up to reveal breadth and depth information. Breadth of self- disclosure refers to discussing a range of topics. These topics include information about one's family, career, hobbies and so forth. Depth refers to the more fundamental and unique elements of one's personality. In conclusion, individuals have to provide information about surface level aspects of themselves such as eye color, relationship status, height and weight, occupation and smoking habits. They are also given space to write more in depth about themselves describing their personality, what interests they have, what their view on life is and political preferences. In these situations individuals are already presented with information about others. It is not always possible to gradually get to know all the details and check for reciprocity. On all platforms, even specialized online dating sites, individuals have the advantage of having control over their self-presentation (Romm-Livermore & Setzekorn, 2008).
2.2.2. Profile construction of online daters
2.2.2.1. Introduction Representation can be influenced by certain general themes or motives. The themes and motives refer to elements impacting representation and reasons for online interactions. These can be represented in specific ways by producers, the people creating personals, media industries or society. The way certain
27 aspects are perceived by viewers can depend on their construction of society. Some general themes and motives will be described linking them to interaction in an online environment. Some elements can also be linked with each other in different situations. All elements listed below can be presented in such a way that the profile construction of online daters in individuals' minds is affected. They can be presented in such a way that different types of online dater profiles emerge.
2.2.2.2. Sexual orientation and gender Sexual orientation refers to the sex of whom a person is sexually and romantically attracted to. There are different categories of sexual orientation, the most common being heterosexual (attracted to the opposite sex). Other sexual orientations are homosexual or lesbian (attracted to the same sex) and bisexual (attracted to both sexes). Although these categories are widely used, some scholars mention that it is not always easy to define sexual orientation in these categories (Klein, 1993). Sexual orientation can have an impact on the way individuals are able to form relationships in an offline environment. Some individuals are not yet comfortable with their sexuality. Friends, family or the community they live in can judge them because of their sexuality. When this is the case, individuals can turn to an online environment where they are free of judgment, where they can hide their sexuality or where they can explore it.
Gender refers to the attitudes, feelings and behavior that a culture associates with a person's biological sex. When the behavior is appropriate with cultural expectations, it is seen as gender-normative. When the behavior is inappropriate, it is seen as gender non-conformity. People are expected to behave in a certain way, depending on the culture they live in. In most cultures, heteronormativity is still the most common sexual orientation.
2.2.2.3. Socioeconomic status Online dating can be seen as an adventure or escape from the offline world. People with financial problems or low financial support want to escape the stress and struggles of everyday life. Socioeconomic factors include education, financial status and occupation. Education will be mentioned in the following subsection. According to their financial situation people can be categorized in social classes. These social classes depend on the income and financial state of individuals. Lower social classes will have lower incomes and therefore have a greater chance to be more vulnerable. Lower classes generally have a lower educational level, giving them different perceptions of reality than other people. Individuals with less income are more vulnerable for having instable households, leading to situations of disintegration or not belonging. All these elements influence the presentation people have of the world. Individuals in certain situations seek an escape from their unfulfilling lives (Tondeur, Sinnaeve, van Houtte, & van Braak, 2010).
28 2.2.2.4. Education This element can be associated with media literacy. The amount of education people have received can result in a better understanding of the online world. It can result in the possibility to critically assess content provided by online platforms. Education can range from primary school to secondary school, going on to receive a higher education in college or university. Education not only refers to formal education but can also include adult education, extracurricular classes or the type of upbringing received at home including cultural or social status. This learning process has an impact on people’s lives and their understanding of society (Spring, 2000).
2.2.2.5. Media literacy Media literacy is the process of being able to analyze, evaluate, create and participate with messages and content provided in a variety of forms. These can range from print to video to Internet. It is the possibility of understanding the role of media in society as well as the essential skills to use and participate in the changing technological environment. A lot of individuals are able to use online platforms but might lack the critical assessment of the information they receive. They argue that giving people insight in the creation of content can help with analyzing, evaluating and creating content with a critical assessment (Vanwynsberghe & Verdegem, 2013). As users of content are becoming producers and consumers it is important for people to be aware of dangers.
2.2.2.6. Religion / world view Religion, worldview and the cultures associated with these two factors have an impact on representation. Norms and rules regulating cultures will affect how groups of people perceive for example sexual orientation or the use of Internet platforms. Some religions are stricter than others providing rules for presentation and perception. Religions have an impact on the representation of the world or the way certain people are identified (Minkov & Hofstede, 2014).
2.2.2.7. Appearance People can be self-conscious about their appearance. Some people find they are overweight or that they are not attractive. These individuals are able to go online and construct a personal they would want to be or look like. According to a study of Hancock and Ellison (2008) men want women to be youthful and physically attractive, which can also reflect their education, social status and career. Women, but also men, misrepresent themselves by lying about their age, weight or social status. In face-to-face interactions appearance can be a crucial factor in deciding whether or not a person will approach someone. Online, that factor can be hidden or misrepresented, using fake photographs or describing oneself completely different than their real image. People have the ability to go online and give an image of them that is too positive or deliberate.
29 2.2.2.8. Companionship Lonely people often report being dissatisfied with their relationships and regularly cynical, rejecting, bored and depressed. They have difficulty making friends, dating, engaging in conversation and getting involved in social activities. According to McAdams (1989) lonely people tend to be unresponsive to conversational partners or engage in minimal self-disclosure, making individuals feel dissatisfied with their relationships. Relationship dissatisfaction and difficulty with social behavior can lead to people participating in online relationships. A study of Lawson and Leck (2006) observed that regardless the age and marital status respondents taking part in the study all talked about needing emotional support, communication with someone and companionship. Individuals want to know that there is someone out there who cares about them and will listen to their problems. Individuals sometimes see their social lives as incomplete making them turn to online relationships where they can find people who are willing to talk, listen and support them.
Phlegar (1995) mentions that in online interactions, the intimacy component is usually the most important. In real-life relationships, the first element of attraction is physical while intimacy formation can be much slower. Online, there is no genuine possibility of physical attraction but the exchange of messages can form an intimate bond or connection. When searching for companionship online, some people bond over same interests, because they have the same thoughts about certain issues or because they can tell the person on the other side of the screen their worries about life. The basis for attraction in this case is not a physical one but an emotional one. Some people lack a person to confide in and therefore search online for support. Sometimes companionship online can turn into love online. Online, people tend to open up quicker or tell anonymous people their problems because they might not judge. When people start listening there is a form of intimacy and companionship that starts growing. As always the big problem with online relationships or companionship is the possibility of deception. Individuals are able to leave out information about their negative attributes and form a positive front. This positive projection doesn't always last though; many online interactions fall apart very quickly when unacceptable personality traits appear.
2.2.2.9. Comfort after a life crisis Different academics have found that the Internet is highly used by people seeking information but also social support during illnesses as cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, etc. People who use the Internet for online relationships and who use e-mail in particular when having a major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and complicated grief, report higher energy levels and a better quality of life after they started using new technologies (Vanderwerker & Prigerson, 2004). The study of Lawson and Leck (2006) showed that individuals went online to seek comfort after a life crisis, such as a divorce, the loss of a job, a death in the family, etc. Society lacks good support structures for people who experience life crises. These crises can lead to individuals trying to find comfort online.
30 Individuals don't want to be judged by friends and family during bad experiences and the online environment gives them a safe haven where true expressions are invisible. It also allows them to be a different person by choosing an adapted personality description. People are able to choose which aspects of themselves they will reveal to make sure they won't be judged.
2.2.2.10. Control over presentation and environment Online platforms, and the Internet in general, provide people with the possibility to present themselves in a way they think will attract potential partners. Contact between individuals is mediated without direct exposure. Clark (1998) notes that girls describe themselves as thinner and taller than they are in real life. Media literate people are generally aware of dangers on the Internet and of the possibilities of deception. Goffman (1967) reported early on that 'the surest way for a person to prevent threats to his face is to avoid contacts in which these threats are likely to occur' (Goffman, 1967, p. 15). An example from the study of Lawson and Leck (2006) is that of Jean, a 35-year-old woman. She mentioned that being overweight stopped interest in a person's personality based on appearance. In an online environment it is easier to hide appearances. 'Many of the women I met from my chat room were way overweight. It's easy to sit at home and talk online, say things, and be appealing. I mean it's safe. It's totally safe if you don't ever plan on ever meeting anyone [face to face]. If later on, you do meet them, maybe they will like you anyway. By that time, it's worth the risk.' (Lawson & Leck, 2006, p. 194)
Leck (2003) found that shy, anxious and socially awkward people used the Internet to facilitate social interaction. Online interaction requires different skills than necessary in face-to-face interaction. Rick, a 32-year-old-man said he liked using the Internet because 'I'm shy. That is why I went into a chat room. I can say things online that I can't say in person. I am so quiet. But, I can talk on the telephone too.' (Lawson & Leck, 2006, p. 195) Society has certain expectations of appearance and behavior making some individuals insecure. They might find themselves being bullied or at the edge of society. The fear for negative reactions makes individuals retreat to an online setting where they have more control over their environment. This cycle can get a negative twist when individuals who have been bullied before start using online platforms to take revenge and lead people on. The control over the environment gives them the satisfaction of being the higher authority. People don't often consider the consequences when engaging in online deception.
2.2.2.11. Freedom from commitment and stereotypical roles Clark (1998) found that 'power afforded through self-construction on the Internet does not translate into changed gender roles and expectations in the social world beyond cyberspace.' (Clark, 1998, pp. 160-169). Internet dating is appealing to some people, for example teenage girls, because they can be aggressive while staying sheltered. But at the same time they do not seem interested in pursuing further relationships with the people they talk to. Men and women can act as they wish without having
31 to commit to the person they are interacting with online. They are also able to feel emancipative by acting more aggressive than maybe would be the case in real life. Danet (1998) confirms this by suggesting that online interactions provide men and women with a mask: 'Men are curious about what it is like to be a woman or seek the attention that female presenting individuals typically receive. Women want to avoid being harassed sexually or feel free to be more assertive. As a result, some people are leading double or multiple lives online, even with different gender identities. Others are trying out what it might mean to be gender-free, neither male or female... Masquerading in this fashion promotes consciousness-raising about gender issues and might contribute to the long-term destabilization of the way we currently construct gender.' (Danet, 1998, p. 130)
Lawson and Leck (2006) found that even though most of the respondents in their study initially wanted freedom from commitment, they did spend a great deal of time talking to people online. Sometimes these individuals have a specific person they are tied to online and talk to more than anyone else. The study also found that after a certain amount of time people interacting online decided to meet face-to-face. Sometimes this resulted in increased involvement and sometimes individuals noticed they had little in common so stopped the relationship. Online daters seemed to want to get to know their partner better before continuing the relationship. Some people are reluctant to meet because they have been lying about their appearance or personality. In those cases commitment was likely not the intention when starting an online relationship.
2.2.2.12. Online dating as an adventure People have the need to experience adventure and excitement. According to Goffman (1967) only the possibility of having a new sexual partner gives individuals a thrill. Online dating allows some individuals to travel and meet their online partners. Some people go online actively seeking romance while others are looking for friendship. Either way, it can be seen as an adventure to find and meet a person who wouldn't usually cross someone's daily path. When getting involved online people can unexpectedly find a person who shares the same values. This can evolve when taking part in a debate or political discussion, investigating a common problem or just talking about same interests. Many people online cherish the value and attention they receive from the person they are talking to. Individuals are excited about the person who cares about the same issues or has the same sense of humor. These elements can build a basis of trust where individuals decide to meet or share exciting experiences.
2.2.2.13. Online dating as a romantic fantasy Some individuals see online dating as a sort of romantic fantasy where they can construct their ideal partners. Starting social interactions on the Internet begins with the construction of a social front. Even in real life interactions, people present themselves in a specific way but on the Internet there are more
32 possibilities of constructing a desired self. Someone can list their gender, age, use pictures (possibly edited), extra information and music on their profile to create a social front. These fronts are not always a reproduction of the actual personality traits individuals have. Sometimes they can appeal to people because they reflect their ideals. The study of Lawson and Leck (2006) found that the simplification of the perception of online daters made respondents build inaccurate pictures in their minds of the person they were interacting with. Even though most respondents built the picture while interacting for a long time, sometimes over a year, when finally meeting face-to-face the encounter was not as imagined. Joyce, a 40-year-old woman said: 'There is no real environment. So, people make a fake environment. It's an artificial sense of intimacy. Talk relationships are the drama people are missing in their lives. You can be anything you want to be. It's exciting like a first kiss.' (Lawson & Leck, 2006, p. 198)
After reading a message the receiver may begin to compose in their mind what they would like to say to the online partner or to anticipate what the person on the other end of the screen is likely to write back. In a way individuals carry an image around in their head. The image is subject to whatever a person's fantasy makes of it, which is what both individuals on either end of the screen are doing. The actual writing of the messages helps develop and increase a sense of attachment. Writing letters on an online platform gives people the opportunity to think about and edit what they are writing. This allows a person to put their best foot forward and appear as interesting, as amusing and as knowledgeable as they are able to be (Phlegar, 1995). A problem online daters face is the possibility that no magic will happen when people decide to finally meet face-to-face. The fantasy image created can be too great to maintain in real life, breaking the fantasy when a meeting takes place. This is a reason why some individuals are reluctant to meet with their online partner. Waskul and Lust (2004) explain that in real life people also take on certain characteristics in specific situations and different characteristics in others. In real life situations individuals construct a more genuine image of the person compared to online interactions. In online interactions, little information is available of the individual on the other side of the screen making it difficult to create a real image. Meeting for the first time can be a disappointment in a great deal of cases. Transforming a relationship from fantasy to reality is very difficult. In an online environment everything is perfect and romantic. When taking the interaction to an offline environment reality catches up, often revealing underlying truths.
2.2.3. Creating trust online When individuals get involved with someone on the Internet, they will try and establish their truthfulness. There are some general checks a person can do to find out more about the individual on the other side of the screen. It is possible to check out their real name and phone number through directory services. Multiple search engines are available to help establish true information. Image
33 search can help verify if the photographs being used are real or other online friends can be contacted for more information.
Although there are multiple ways to learn more about the people interacting online not everyone does a thorough search because they trust the person they are talking to. Online daters or people interacting in an online environment can be very good at building up trust when talking to another person. People lacking a good friendship network will be more willing to build online relationships and trusting the individuals they are talking to. Waskul (2003) mentioned that establishing close relationships on the Internet could be achieved by using creative methods to seem cool and trustworthy. Using certain languages, different ways of writing or using emoticons, abbreviations and unique spellings people filter out individuals who are in line with their ways. Individuals respond to cues about socioeconomic status, trustworthiness and attitude to create trust. The possibility of exchanging photographs and profile information can build a certain amount of trust. Online interaction can sometimes turn into love on one or both sides, which means meeting the person in a face-to-face situation. People who have invested in an online personal that is not a reconstruction of their real self know that their persona can eventually be destroyed.
Clark (1998) found that people often misrepresent their appearance to make it more flattening. The study of Lawson and Leck (2006) confirm this. Individuals often misrepresent gender, age, weight and marital status. Although people going online to find a potential partner are aware of the risks, they trust their intuition and search systems. Most people in the study continue to go online even after they have been lied to in previous online interactions. When people do decide to meet over the course of their interactions, they might self-disclose as much information as possible to build up trust so a meeting will eventually take place. The prospect of a face-to-face interaction can make people nervous and come clean about their lies, make the person disappear or wait to come clean during the meeting itself. Building trust can also be accomplished by phone calls or video chatting to confirm a person's existence.
34 3. Conclusion
The literature review has given more insight in the process of defining concepts like reality TV, online dating and representation. Starting off with reality TV, it is difficult to find an explicit definition. It is often viewed as a voyeuristic, cheap and entertaining medium. Although critics find it is not an educational format, it is a popular type of program watched by a great deal of people. In this paper an important subgenre is the documentary tradition or docusoap. Reality TV has some elements that can be associated with the documentary tradition. Some of these elements are also found in multiple definitions of reality TV. Characteristics include people playing themselves, without a script and with or without awareness of the camera. Entertainment is valued as a primary function where the subjects matter. Subjects are viewed in their daily activities or in extraordinary situations. The form and thematic content do not define the genre but the way in which the real can be reproduced. Reality TV has high truth and authenticity claims that are not confirmed by all academics. Dialogue is usually present although this is not a necessity, dependent on the type of reality format. Information and educational content can be present, but is not always a primary factor. A big point of critique on reality programs is their claims of being authentic and real. Producers have the technical abilities to represent reality subjectively or impact the representation through montage. There is also the question of realness and the ability of ordinary people to act normal in front of the camera. Producers have the ability to represent what is real, making it important for viewers to be aware of dangers. Spectators have to watch programs critically, questioning crucial elements in reality programs.
Online daters can be defined as people using an online environment such as dating sites, social networks, discussion platforms, chat rooms or other forums to find potential romantic partners. People can interact with each other online and be attracted through mutual interests or personalities. The danger here is the possibility of misrepresentation. People have the opportunity to create or recreate their identity online. Representations are images formed in people’s head and make it easier to understand the world around them. The danger exists when representations gain the form of stereotypes. Stereotypes generally have a negative connotation because they are a representation of certain people or groups of people who are defined in advance. These representations are a way to categorize the world, but give certain groups characteristics that will be assigned to the group as a whole. Individuals in these groups or containing these characteristics will be associated with the stereotype group without critical analysis or questioning.
To be able to analyze the representation of online daters in reality TV, there are some general themes and motives that can have an impact on the way people are represented or perceived by viewers. There are also some characteristics of online dating that can influence the profile construction or
35 representation. People creating online profiles have the ability to create a whole new individual online. Individuals can also re-create their own profile online, deciding how much information they will disclose. Most people in society are aware of possible dangers online. Media literate people have more knowledge of an online environment, have access to online profiles and therefore notice that they can be whomever they want on the Internet. The general themes and motives not only have an influence on profile construction on the Internet but also on the profile construction of online daters in people's minds.
Individuals have different motivations for misrepresentation online. Some are self-conscious and think that a picture of their real self will make people not want to get to know their personality. Some just want control over their environment to get revenge or just to be able to control someone. Others see online dating as an adventure or find that they have the possibility of creating a fantasy life online. This fantasy life can start on their side of the screen when they create a social front that is not a reconstruction of their actual self. Then they can find an ideal partner online and construct a perfect fantasy relationship in their head. People go online to find someone to communicate with, but this is not only to find a partner. Some are just looking for friendship or someone who cares. It is an ideal platform to be free of commitment. Interacting online doesn't mean there has to be a face-to-face meeting later on. Other general themes influencing representation or profile construction are sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education, media literacy, religion and appearance. The motives and themes impacting representation are intertwined and all have some association with each other in different circumstances.
36 PART 2: Analysis of Catfish: The TV Show
37 1. Catfish
Cat-fish[kat-fish] noun - a person who pretends to be someone they're not, using social media to create a false identity, particularly to pursue deceitful online romances.
'They used to tank cod from Alaska all the way to China. They'd keep them in vats in the ship. By the time the codfish reached China, the flesh was mush and tasteless. So this guy came up with the idea that if you put these cods in these big vats, put some catfish in with them and the catfish will keep the cod agile. And there are those people who are catfish in life. And they keep you on your toes. They keep you guessing, they keep you thinking, they keep you fresh. And I thank god for the catfish because we would be droll, boring and dull if we didn't have somebody nipping at our fin.' (Cited by Vince in the documentary Catfish, 2010)
1.1. Documentary tradition
Catfish: The TV Show is a spinoff of the popular documentary Catfish, which was released in 2010. This documentary is directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman and documents the story of Ariel's brother Nev who builds a romantic relationship with a young woman Megan that he met on the social network site Facebook. Following the documentary tradition, the events are not scripted and are filmed with handheld cameras. The viewer is confronted with the same questions as the directors and Nev, the leading character. As Corner (2001, p. 127) describes, there are two forms within documentary that rely on realism: observational realism and expositional realism. Observational realism refers to a set of conventions confirming that what we are watching is an ongoing and partly media-independent reality. This can be linked to Catfish through the cameras we can constantly see, but at the same time they seem hidden, exposing reality as it is happening. Expositional realism refers to claims of truth and accuracy that most documentaries rely on. Both forms of realism use techniques to convince the audience that they are observing real life such as handheld cameras, nonactors, the assurance of unscripted filming and the reproduction of social issues.
The important social issue, put in the spotlight in the documentary, is the possible dangers of online communication. As Toma, Hancock and Ellison (2008) observe, many individuals identify deception as the biggest disadvantage of online dating. It is commonly known that the anonymity of Internet allows people to create and re-create identities. As seen in Catfish, Angela creates multiple identities, maintaining them all herself. The quest for the truth is recorded quite random, as the viewer observes. The first images of the documentary film Nev, catching him in a natural setting at the table when he is
38 eating, using a handheld camera and immediately informing the viewer that they are watching a documentary. The first lines of the documentary are: Yaniv Schulman: If this is your documentary, you're doing a bad job. Ariel Schulman: Why? Yaniv Schulman: Because you're catching me when I don't want to talk about things. Ariel Schulman: How should we do it? Yaniv Schulman: Set it up, organize a time with me, put together some materials, emails, we'll get the Facebook conversations printed out and we'll really talk about it. These first lines inform the viewer that Ariel was filming without the knowledge of what Nev was going to say. Nev wants to make the documentary more scripted by talking about everything when he is ready and prepared. The viewer knows from the start that the documentary is authentic and the events are unexpected. These characteristics can be found throughout the whole film. When the directors and Nev go to Michigan to find Megan, the viewer is confronted with the unplanned journey. Nobody knows what will happen and all the events are captured as they are taking place. Henry and Ariel document the correspondence on the tiny digital camcorders that they always carry around (Gilbey, 2010, 20 November).
In line with the documentary, the TV series tries to follow the documentary tradition. It can be seen as a documentary style reality program, which is a popular format. In this specific context the program tries to find someone's online romance. The quest for love is lead by the two protagonists Nev and Max. They help ordinary people in an extraordinary situation. The people try and find an online romance, which is a topic accessible for the masses. Viewers are also able to identify with the characters if they have had the same sort of experiences. In other cases viewers watch the series as a form of entertainment because the story builds up towards a climax. Because of the reality TV format authenticity and truth claims the chance that the representation of some groups will become stereotypes if portrayed in a certain way increases.
Going back to the documentary tradition, the series uses portable cameras together with a film crew. Max mostly uses one of the portable cameras and the viewer is aware of this at all times. The film crew is not invisible as would be in a normal series but can sometimes be seen. This is to give the viewer the impression that everything is being filmed on the spot without narrative. The sometimes unstable filming with the portable cameras is evidence of real time filming. Max and Nev are sometimes clumsy and seem unaware of what to expect in the episode. There is also the use of nonactors who explain their online dating situation. Viewers get the impression the series is unscripted because of the real time filming and the unplanned visits to certain people. There is no extra lighting and the camera perspectives change during the episode. The montage uses moving images from the handheld cameras together with images captured by the film crew. As the viewer is aware of all the
39 cameras, the impression of reality is increased. Because it is a documentary style reality program, there are elements of entertainment to make sure the viewer keeps watching. Music helps to increase dramatic effects in specific situations, mostly when there are sad feelings or when there is tension building up towards the meeting with the online romance. The series has a relevant social subject impacting people everywhere. A great deal of the population uses the Internet without being aware of all the dangers.
1.2. Structure of the series
The structure of all episodes is fairly similar. To explain the construction a referral can be made to the three-act structure to which Syd Field (1984) made a notable contribution. Although the structure is mostly used for film analysis it is quite relevant for the structure of the series. Before explaining the structure it is important to notify that there are two recurring characters in the series. Yaniv 'Nev' Schulman is the protagonist who got catfished himself in the documentary version. He will be the mediator and protagonist together with his filmmaking buddy Max Joseph. They will be the 'investigators' in every episode (except for the occasional episode where Max is absent). Each new episode will reveal the Catfish story of different people. Nev and Max go on an adventure to help a person find their online romance. To make it easier when outlining the plot, the person Nev and Max help to find their online romance, shall be labeled as person A. The person on the other side of the screen that they are trying to track down shall be referred to as person B.
Figure 1: Three-act structure, Syd Field, 1984 Set up All episodes start off with Nev and Max in a hotel room somewhere across the country. At the beginning of every episode they are goofing around before they decide to get serious and pick a person A to help. They read the e-mail they received from person A containing information about person A and how he or she met person B online. Most of the time there are already some alarm bells going off because some of the information about the online relationship doesn't add up. At the end of the e-mail person A asks Nev and Max to help with finding their online partner. They want to know the truth and meet person B in real life. After reading the e-mail Nev phones person A. Some more information is
40 given and afterwards Nev and Max head off to help. So as shown in the image above, the first part of the episode is an introduction of the characters, the situation and the main problems in the story.
Plot point 1 Meeting with person A, generally in their hometown or at their house.
Confrontation Nev and Max meet with person A. When they arrive at the house, they sit down and talk about the romance. More information is given while the viewer already knows some of it from in the set up. After having a long talk, Nev and Max leave to do some research. They usually go back to the hotel and start investigating all the information they have about person B. They look up the phone number; check the name on Facebook, people search or Google; reverse image search the photographs that person B is using in their profile; contact other people who are friends with person B online; etc. After the investigation they have found some answers but the whole outcome has yet to be revealed. They go back to person A and reveal what they have found. Sometimes it's good news and person B seems to be real but most of the time the news is not so positive and the information they have received from their online romance is not so accurate. In the end, Nev calls person B and asks if it would be possible to meet. Generally, person B is reluctant to meet but eventually gives in. Then they all get ready and leave for the big confrontation.
Plot point 2 Meeting with person B, generally in their hometown or at their house.
Resolution Nev, Max, person A and occasionally someone else go to the meeting point where they will find out the truth behind the online relationship. Usually, person B is not who they have been pretending to be. Nev and Max are moderators in this situation and want to find out both sides of the story. At first there is an awkward moment where both sides don't know how to react. Depending on the situation there is anger or sadness. Nev and Max take person A away to recover from the initial shock or embarrassment. The next day, they try to resolve things by letting person B explain why he/she has deceived people online, or if person B was real why he/she didn't want to meet. After the second meeting, they all head back home. Nearly all episodes end with Nev and Max video chatting with both people. They find out how the meeting has affected both people's lives and what they have been doing since the confrontation.
41 1.3. Authenticity and truth claims
Although the film uses documentary characteristics and is generally classified as a documentary, some viewers believe Catfish to be a hoax. Gilby (2010, 20 November) mentioned that after the release of the film in January at the Sundance film festival, few people could pinpoint what exactly the film was. It appeared to be a documentary with Nev looking innocent enough as the unknowing leading character. But the twist in the story seemed to be too odd to be true. Even though the directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman denied the documentary being a fraud, the mystique around the film has only increased. Some people think the movie is one performed by actors, some people think the movie is influenced by the filmmakers and there are some who do think the movie is a documentary but also see it as a criticism towards Angela and the way she deceived everyone.
Perhaps the film's interest in deception made it difficult to view it without suspicion. Before it was released at the Sundance Film Festival, it was shown in private to several friends from the movie business. One documentary director wondered not if, but how much of it was staged. Ariel defended the movie, mentioning 'It was telling me that my brother's deepest experience had been faked. He'd been heartbroken. People have been watching reality TV for too long, knowing it is constructed, so even if it is named a documentary doesn't give you the same guarantee of truthfulness that it once did.' (Gilby, 2010, 20 November)
According to Andrew O'Hehir (2010, 14 October) the directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman have admitted that certain critical scenes and screen captures in the movie were re-created after the fact. This was because the idea to make a film about the troubled romance Nev was getting himself into, came relatively late. The directors do claim the story itself to be entirely true. Viewers don't know how much of the movie is modified or staged. Maybe everything is fictional, maybe they exaggerated and distorted real events, maybe they used real elements to create a reality TV style story. In line with Gilby (2010, 20 November), O'Hehir also mentions the fact that a story about false identity and self- delusion stimulates real-life hoaxes and works of fiction. If directors don't create clear boundaries, viewers can believe the story or movie to be a fake. Watching Catfish, spectators wonder why Nev doesn't check out some facts on the Internet when certain elements concerning Megan don't add up. It is important to consider the fact that Nev might have played along to create the movie. The documentary is quite probably a mixture of real events and staged scenes.
The question of authenticity can be related to the series as well. According to a cast member, it is not the catfishee (the person being catfished) that reaches out to Nev for help. Almost always, the person catfishing reaches out for help. Other claims of false elements include the agreements of participants to meet in person prior to filming and the research that has been done in advance. However, according
42 to the producers, Nev and Max are unaware of the whole story. Their research can take days to complete but producers do their own trial investigation to get some idea of how long it might take. In conclusion, there is a difference in the series compared to the documentary. People have been contacted in advance and asked if they are willing to participate. Even the structure of filming and montage differs because in the series the e-mail being read in the beginning of the episode is not authentic. Nearly every element has been investigated in advance. Individuals get cast and not all shots are eventually shown. Truth claims and authenticity components of reality TV are not completely present when critically examining the series (Martin, 2014, 21 May).
1.4. Online deception
Henry Joost explains about the deception of Angela in the documentary that 'Facebook is a medium for communication and Angela figured out how to turn it into a medium for interactive storytelling' (Gilby, 2010, 20 November). Everybody has the urge to exaggerate plus-points of oneself, conceal their flaws or miss-sell themself in a certain way. Even in offline environment people can't claim to be innocent of false advertising. In the documentary, Angela does this in an extreme way, creating multiple personalities and identities. All of them had become friends with Nev on Facebook, exchanging photos, posts and pokes. Angela invented all of them, giving each of them a personality and distinctive voice. To make it all seem real, these made up people posted messages on each other’s wall and played online games. Angela went to the extreme to live a fantasy life outside of her own. Nev was her naïve victim, falling in love with one of her fictional characters Megan.
As seen in the literature review, media can influence representations people have about certain groups. Catfish, the documentary, makes it possible for individuals to form a representation in their heads about online romances and the people involved in them. After watching the movie, two types of people emerge. Nev, the naïve youngster, allowed himself to be seduced by Angela Wesselman- Pierce, a middle-aged woman who invented multiple identities online to get away from her socially isolated life.
The first type of person is the naïve character. Mentioning Nev as naïve is due to the fact that viewers are already aware of possible deceptions when he is not. When they speak on the phone and Nev mentions that Megan her voice is not at all what he expected, he should have thought more thoroughly about it. As with a great deal of people looking for love online, the fantasy that it could be real makes them continue. As Arvidsson (2006) confirms: 'Dating sites are places where the powers of fantasy are stimulated. All users present themselves as potential partners to romance, friendship or erotic adventure.' (Arvidsson, 2006, p. 678). On dating sites or other online platforms, individuals have the means to leave blank spaces about their identity to stimulate fantasy and curiosity. People can never
43 know the exact person they are talking to or writing with, but some don't mind. That gives them the power to fantasize about the ideal partner they might be talking to. The ability to defer reality is the ability to keep the fantasy alive and postpone the potential disappointment.
The second type of person in this movie is the deceiving one who invents lie after lie. Using the documentary as an example, Henry Joost comments about Angela that 'When you meet her, you don't get the impression she's unstable. She has problems, she has an active imagination. But it's not like she doesn't know the difference between fantasy and reality.' (Gilby, 2010, 20 November). In an interview she does confess to having been diagnosed as schizophrenic. Even though she might not seem schizophrenic in the movie or while the directors have talked to her, she did lie about having cancer and a great deal of other matters. Angela also mentions she is not the one being exposed, but the director and Nev are being exploited. Coming from an apparently controlling and delusional person, it seems logic that she sees it that way.
The pattern of a naïve individual looking for their online romance and the person who deceives can be found in Catfish: The TV Show. As seen in the literature review, there are certain general motives and themes influencing a person to construct a deceiving profile. These elements influence representation in online profiles and profile construction in people's minds. The TV Show combines these personalities to give an image of online dating profiles. Every episode contains a deceiving person and a person accepting the lies.
44 2. Method
2.1. Objective
This paper tries to analyze the representation of online daters in reality TV. Research on both subjects has been done but the focus in previous research lies more on the subjects on separate accounts. To find an answer to the central question how online daters are represented in reality TV, an analysis of Catfish: The TV Show will be executed. As seen in the first part of this analysis the TV Show is a spin-off of the documentary. A deeper insight in the documentary was useful to have an overview of how the TV series came to be. Using general themes and motives impacting the use of online platforms for interaction, an image can be formed of how a profile of online daters is created and eventually how they are represented in reality TV.
2.2. Sample
Because the analysis of the program is qualitative and the use of segmentation is required, it is impossible to involve all episodes in the analysis. Although there are four finished seasons, only the first three shall be used in the analysis. This is because the last season was not yet fully available when the sequence analysis was being made. From every season, three episodes shall be used. Each episode has the same structure but uses different people, so it has a different content. The first and last episode of every season will be used together with another randomly selected episode from each season. To choose the random episode, a random choice tool was used on the text filter website (www.textfixer.com/tools/random-choice.php). All episodes where inserted in the tool and a random choice was made. To sum up, the episodes used are listed below:
Season 1 Episode 1: Sunny and Jamison - air date 12 November 2012 Episode 8: Tyler and Amanda - air date 14 January 2013 Episode 11: Mike and Felicia - air date 18 February 2013 Season 2 Episode 1: Cassie and Steve - air date 25 June 2013 Episode 9: Artis and Jess - air date 27 August 2013 Episode 15: Mike and Caroline - air date 15 October 2013 Season 3 Episode 1: Craig and Zoe - air date 7 May 2014 Episode 5: Tracie and Sammie - air date 4 June 2014 Episode 10: Bianca and Brogan - air date 9 July 2014
45 2.3. Procedure
To answer the central question a sequence analysis of some episodes will be conducted to give us more insight in the series. This shall be done based on the model of Van Kempen (1995). He describes the buildup of films based on four central elements: the story elements, filmic elements, context and the viewer/critic. The way in which individuals interpret a movie or TV series depends on multiple factors. Some of these factors can be: where the show is watched (at home, in the cinema, with/without friends or family), previous knowledge about the genre, ability to watch the show with a critical perspective and previous interaction with the movie (information through campaigns or through gossip). Society and culture also have an impact in how programs are viewed and interpreted giving each individual a unique view on the world. A film or series is constructed combining the story and filmic elements. The story elements contain information about the story, characters and their behavior, time and place, dialogues, etc. These elements can be found by examining the following questions: who (characters), where (location), what (dialogues, behavior), when (time), with what (objects) and why (motives). Together all the elements form a dynamic entity creating a plot. Through the plot a viewer constructs a story by chronologically reconstructing the plot. Filmic elements can also help with the construction of the story. These elements are, according to Van Kempen (1995, p. 87), mainly images and sound. The images can be influenced by the use of camera techniques (angle or distance), colour or lighting. The use of sound consists of music, special sound effects and dialogues. All elements together create the movie or series and make it a unity liable for interpretation. The filmic elements have already briefly been discussed in the subsection documentary tradition of Catfish. To analyze films Van Kempen (1995) gives us various methods. The method important for this study is the segment or sequence analysis. A sequence or segment is 'A unit of film structure made up of one or more scenes or shots that combine to form a larger unit' (Cook, 2004, p. 939). Bordwell and Thompson (2013) explain that: 'As a movie progresses from beginning to middle to end, it can be helpful to describe this development in detail as a plot segmentation. Segmentation is a division of the film into structural units based on narrative time and space. It provides an overview of the film’s structure.'
This method for analysis makes it possible to form conclusions about a film or series. As seen in the sample, it is impossible to include all episodes in the analysis but a qualitative analysis of the chosen sample should give us some insight. The sequence analysis can be found in appendix 3. What must be added here is that the choice of division into sequences is a personal one. The information provided in the sequences is also a personal choice with not all dialogues completely added. Each sequence will contain the following information: 1. Sequence number 2. Duration (Time at beginning and end of the sequence)
46 3. Who? (Characters) 4. Where? (Place of the events) 5. What? (Content of the segment, including dialogue/motives/behavior) Based on the sequence analysis an answer shall be formulated to the central question: How are online daters represented in reality TV? To find the answer an analysis will be conducted with the aid of the recurring themes and motives previously discussed in the literature review. Another crucial element to conduct the analysis is the character descriptions that can be found in appendix 2. This gives us insight in what types of people are chosen to participate in the series and helps with the profile construction.
2.4. Validity and reliability
Although a qualitative approach is used to analyze the series more thoroughly doesn't mean the method is only positive. Some disadvantages are that the results can't be seen as 100% reliable as some results are based on subjective interpretations. First of all, the sequence analysis is a personal choice together with the subdivisions according to Van Kempen (1995). Second, the chosen motives and themes examined are recurring ones in multiple episodes. These are general elements used to analyze each episode, but other themes and motives can be used or found in different episodes. Third, not all episodes are thoroughly analyzed. As seen previously, the structure of the programs is generally the same. Only the content changes in each episode, namely a different story with different people. This same structure makes it easier to come to general conclusions and to analyze episodes knowing when important information will be revealed.
47 3. Results
3.1. Introduction
There are some recurring themes and motives in the series that have been previously discussed in the literature review. These can have an impact on profile construction online and in people's minds. The way in which elements are portrayed impacts profile construction and conceptualization. Relating these themes and motives to the series gives an image of online daters, possibly in a distorted way. Analyzing the elements and relating them to certain episodes can lead to a conclusion about the portrayal of specific online personals.
3.2. Sexual orientation and gender
Sexual orientation is generally divided into heterosexuals, homosexuals and bisexuals. The sexuality of people in the episodes can have an impact on their relationships. The way in which certain sexualities are portrayed, can also have an impact on the profile construction. Homosexuals or lesbians living in small towns aren't conforming to the norms and rules of the bible or society they live in. They are the outcasts of the towns, especially when there aren't a lot of other homosexuals or lesbians in the area. These people go online searching for people to relate to. Individuals in certain episodes pretend to be the opposite sex so they can get someone to like them for their personality, not their looks. Or pretending to be the opposite sex enables them talk to same sex people. This is good for their fantasies but leads on the person on the other side of the screen as they think they are talking to someone who is heterosexual. In this situation, meeting face-to-face is difficult because the person lying will be exposed directly. The person pretending to be the opposite sex usually doesn’t have the intention to meet the person on the other side of the screen. They just want to get away from their own life and live in a fantasy.
An example is that of Aaron (Season 1, Episode 8), who is a gay Afro-American young man in his early 20s living in Attica, a small town in Michigan. He pretended to be a girl online to seduce guys. He mentioned nobody in the town accepted him for being gay and he wanted to go online to find people who liked him for his personality. So he made a profile for a girl named Amanda and started talking to other guys online. The problem here is that the guys he talked to were usually heterosexual. If he would meet a nice guy that he liked, as was the case with Tyler, it wasn't possible to pursue that relationship. At the end of the episode it is mentioned that Aaron has moved to New York and feels more comfortable there because he can be himself. He is even dating people face-to-face.
Another example is that of Bianca and Brogan aka Tia in episode 10 of season 3. Bianca is a 20-year- old Afro-American lesbian girl living in the small town of Durham, North Carolina. She goes online
48 as herself to meet other lesbian girls she can talk to. The small town she lives in isn't very accepting of her being a lesbian. It is especially tough because she is Afro-American and a lesbian. She wants to get out of the small town and be a musician, but needs someone to make the journey with. Online, she met a girl called Brogan, who is into the same music and also has tattoos and piercings, something Bianca also likes. When she finally meets Brogan it is revealed that the person behind the profile is actually a girl called Tia. Tia is also a lesbian and never had the same problems as Bianca because people were accepting of her sexual orientation. She has a light skin and is a little overweight. She always pulled her own self-image down. Therefore she went online to be someone else. Tia does have real feelings for Bianca but Bianca cannot trust her after she lied so much about everything.
Another example of sexual orientation is in season 1, episode 1. Chelsea, an 18-year-old girl from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, made a fake male profile online. She then started talking to girls as RJ, a hot male model. When they find out about the fake profile and meet Chelsea, she didn't admit to being a lesbian. Later on she does admit she is bisexual and wanted to have control over someone because she was always bullied as a child.
In season 3, episode 5, Sammie is an Afro-American girl who is gay. She explains in the episode that she always knew but never told people about it. She even had a boyfriend and a child with him before she broke off the relationship and became more open about her sexuality. She doesn't feel like she has the support of family and friends, which is why it took some time to be honest about her sexuality. This is a reason why she went online seeking attention, something she couldn't find in real life. In this particular case Sammie didn't start an online relationship but felt the need to receive the attention she wasn't getting from family and friends.
3.3. Socioeconomic status
As previously discovered in the literature review socioeconomic status refers to occupation, financial status and education. In this section, the focus will be more on the first two elements. People have the opportunity to go online, create a fake profile and scam others into giving them money. This has also been the case in some of the episodes in Catfish: The TV Show, though not in the episodes that have been selected in the analysis. Mentioning this is to give the example that some people without occupation or with a low financial status can try to persuade people online into providing for them. In the case of Catfish: The TV Show this happens after they have created a bond or relationship with the person they want to scam. In the episodes the have been examined more closely not a great deal of socioeconomic factors is considerably emphasized. A lot of the people on the show live in small towns and if they have jobs they are not highly paid ones. The people on the show are also generally quite young, some are still students. Some seem to be well off though. This can be diverted from the place
49 they live. For example in season 3, episode 1, Cassandra lives in really big house which could be related to a good socioeconomic status of her parents. It also indicates that being rich doesn't mean you have all the love in life. Cassandra goes online because she doesn't receive the attention and love she needs.
An example of financial issues that are mentioned is in the case of Mike (season 1, episode 11), who lives in Clifton, New Jersey. He had to move back in with his parents because work had been really slow. The transition going back home wasn't really something he was very happy about. Being without a job and other factors made Mike go online to escape. He went looking for someone to talk to and maybe start a relationship. At the end of the episode Mike has found a job but is still living at his parents house. The fact that his occupational status was mentioned means it was really important for him and did make him feel lost. Because of the lost feeling, he went online and started communicating with Felicia. It made him less attentive for possible dangers of online interaction.
Another example of financial issues mentioned is in season 2, episode 9. Artis, who lives in Woodstock, Illinois, works at a local warehouse shipping and receiving. He says he loves his job, but viewers get the impression that he doesn't make a lot of money. He is in a relationship and has three kids but wants to break up with his girlfriend so he can meet his online romance. The problem is they have children together and have to make an agreement to support each other financially until they can move on. It is not mentioned if that would be able to happen soon or not.
Another example of mentioning financial issues is in season 3, episode 1. Craig, a 24-year-old living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, met a girl online called Zoe. Craig mentions that 'She was there to support me through my financial issues and she gave me the extra motivation that everything was going to be ok in the end. I keep her head up the way she would for me.' (Appendix 3, S3, E1, sequence 3). Craig needed someone to help him through his tough periods and found that he could talk to Zoe.
3.4. Education
This theme can have an influence on media literacy or socioeconomic status. It is an important aspect of how people go on in life or how their perception of the world is formed. Although it is an important theme, especially in the context of technology, it is not an element frequently mentioned in the series. The level of education impacts the extent to which people can critically examine messages and content found online.
50 An example of education is in season 1, episode 1. Sunny, a 21-year-old student, studies nursing at the University of Arkansas. She mentions that in her introductory e-mail to Nev and Max. She also mentions that her online romance has a successful career, which indicates that she falls for guys who have their act together and have a job.
Another example of education is in season 1, episode 8. In the beginning of the episode it is briefly mentioned that Tyler, a guy from Michigan, is a high school jock. Aaron, a gay Afro-American guy who talks to Tyler with a fake profile of Amanda, mentions he went to Southwestern Michigan College in Kalamazoo but got kicked out because of his fake profile. An art teacher was talking to him and found out it was Aaron instead of Amanda. Aaron does say that he will attend a new school. At the end of the episode it is mentioned that Aaron lives in New York while Tyler goes to Southwestern Michigan College.
3.5. Media Literacy
Media literacy is very important in a technology era. In the series Nev and Max are always amazed at how careless some people are online. People do very little research on the person they are talking to even though some have watched the show and know exactly how to investigate online. Nev and Max always look at everything critically. They tell everyone to keep in mind the possibility exists of finding a total stranger when meeting for the first time. There are two sides to this critical thinking though. People interacting online truly believe their online friends are telling the truth because they are also telling the truth. Although this is what most people want to believe it is important to be careful when interacting with someone you haven't met before. Critical analysis of the content is crucial. That doesn't necessarily mean individuals don't trust a person, it just means they are being cautious. People are usually cautious in face-to-face situations when the person is a stranger. Offline or online, people never know how someone is going to react. Media literacy looks at how people are able to use, evaluate and access content. Using content is usually not that hard for people especially younger generations who grew up with technology. Evaluating and accessing information can sometimes be more difficult. Nev and Max investigate the profiles of the people they are trying to find before calling them directly. They show viewers how to do a Google image search, finding out if the pictures are authentic. Viewers are also shown how to find out if the phone number is true, how to get in touch with third-party friends on Facebook asking for more information and how to look up information in general on Google. Even small things as video chatting on Skype or making a phone call can help evaluate and access more information. Some people who come on the show have not done any of these things even though they are sometimes aware of the shady information about their online romance. They don't want to do this because they don't want to break the trust of their online companion. Others are not so good with technology, do not
51 want to believe it is a lie or completely trust the person on the other side of the screen. People want to put off finding out the truth.
An example of someone who admits that he is not very good with technology is Mike (season 1, episode 11). He mentions that 'We talk on the phone everyday but I'm not great with technology, so we haven't had a chance to video chat.' (Appendix 3, S1, E11, sequence 3). Even if Mike is not good with technology it is not hard to look up how to use it or to ask a friend for help.
In season 1, episode 1, Sunny (a 21-year-old girl from Arkansas) is talking to a guy named RJ online. Nev and Max think he has a very unusual and over-the-top lifestyle. He is a model, want to be an anesthesiologist and is a writer. Sunny didn't question anything because RJ mentioned his three sisters died in a car accident. She finds that it is something you can't possibly make-up or tell someone if it is not true. It is the emotional bond and the emotional information that is keeping her from looking up some more information. Nev and Max quickly found out that RJ was not who he said he was by calling the place he was supposedly writing for. They had never heard of him and looking him up on Google they find out his sister's weren't dead. If Sunny had also done this she would have figured out something was wrong.
3.6. Religion/world view
Religions have certain norms and rules that define how people observe and process specific situations. There are also people who don't fall under the norms and are therefore excluded from the society. This is not always due to religion but can also be applied to small town thoughts and behavior.
An example of religion in the series is in season 3, episode 10. Bianca is a 20-year-old girl from Durham, North Carolina. She lives in a small town and is an Afro-American lesbian. She has had a tough time in her town because she is Afro-American and on top of that she is also a lesbian. She has been bullied a lot. Kate, Bianca's mother explains the situation: 'It is a town that still judges people by their colour, sexual orientation or religion. Bianca was bullied really bad and when we went to church nobody would hold our hands. The church said that if I couldn't make Bianca wear dresses or couldn't keep my house in order I wasn't allowed to be a Sunday schoolteacher anymore.' (Appendix 3, S3, E10, sequence 7). Kate and Bianca both had a tough time because of Bianca's sexuality.
3.7. Appearance
One of the most common themes in the series is appearance. The people behind fake profiles are often people who have been bullied about their appearance or are self-conscious. Usually the people are a
52 little overweight and don't want to be judged. Online, it is easier to make someone like personality instead of looks. The danger is that self-conscious people will use pictures of more attractive people instead of their own. Appearance stays a crucial factor even when dating online. The people on the show who are looking for their online romance are often physically attracted to the pictures they have. Even when looking for people online individuals look at profile pictures or pictures in general as a first point of attraction. Nearly all the people Nev and Max went out to help, found their online partner very attractive.
An example of appearance is already found in season 1, episode 1. Sunny, a 21-year-old girl is talking to Jamison, who she thinks is a handsome guy. It is in fact Chelsea who has made a fake profile and is the one talking to Sunny. Chelsea was bullied in high school for her weight and that is why she went online. 'It started a couple of years ago when a girl was harassing me on Facebook. After that I made the account to get revenge and it turned into something it wasn't supposed to.' (Appendix 3, S1, E1, sequence 11).
Season 1, episode 8, also contains the theme appearance. Tyler, a good-looking boy, is talking to a pretty girl named Amanda. Tyler says there is a connection between them and it goes beyond her looks. Max and Nev discover that the pictures Amanda uses, come from a MySpace profile and are at least 5 years old. The person Tyler is talking to is most likely not the girl in the pictures. Tyler says that even if she doesn't look like her pictures, he hopes she is just a cool chick. Later it turns out Amanda is actually a gay Afro-American guy named Aaron.
In season 1, episode 11, appearance is a big part of why someone created a fake profile online. Mike meets Felicia online and she is an Afro-American woman who is rather voluminous. Mike had tried to meet her on several occasions but it never worked out. When Nev, Max and Mike finally go up to meet her, they find out she is more overweight than Mike thought. She also lied about some other elements. Felicia says lying about her looks has become a habit for her because she wants people to get to know her on the inside. 'I started lying to get attention because I felt like I wasn't getting any. A lot of people, even my family, told me I was fat and ugly, so I needed an outlet. Online I could pretend to be someone I wasn't and get the attention I needed. When people like what they see on the outside, they want to get to know the person on the inside. Otherwise they are quick to judge and don't always give you a chance.' (Appendix 3, S1, E11, sequence 13). Mike eventually gave her a second chance but Felicia did have to gain back his trust after she lied about some essential details.
53 In season 3, episode 1, Craig starts talking online to a girl named Zoe. Zoe turns out to be Cassandra, an overweight girl, who doesn't seem to care about what she did to other people’s lives. She does apologize eventually but explains she got bullied so much it felt good to be able to control someone. Craig thought he was talking to a rather good-looking girl while in fact he was talking to a self- conscious, overweight girl who has serious issues concerning her appearance.
A last example about appearance is in season 3, episode 10. Tia pretended to be Brogan because she liked how confident the girl in the pictures she used seemed. Although Tia wasn't bullied about the way she looks, she was always self-conscious. She put on a lot of weight at some point in her life and never looked at herself as a pretty person. Being Brogan gave her more confidence.
3.8. Companionship
People go online looking for companionship. In some cases it can turn into love. Because Catfish: The TV Show is about people finding their online love, it can be assumed that the people in the show went online looking for someone to talk to and ended up in a relationship. Most people are looking for someone who cares about them, who asks them about their day and who is there for them when they need to talk. An example of this is in season 3, episode 1, when Craig mentions that he felt alone and wanted to talk to someone.
In season 3, episode 5, Sammie created a fake person on Twitter and used that person to get attention. Sammie is an Afro-American overweight gay girl who doesn't receive a lot of attention from friends or family. She created Reese, a fake person on Twitter, who was supposedly her best friend. She used the fake account to get attention from celebrities she was following and helping with campaigns. In the episode she explains that she doesn’t receive the love and caring she needs in real life. Her talent and creativity online had helped her get attention from famous people but had also made her want even more attention. She thus created an online companion Reese as her best friend but also went online to find people who value her and care for her.
3.9. Comfort after a life crisis
In the series, several people who went online looking for companionship or love after going through a rough time. Life crises can include a death of a loved one, loss of a job, a divorce, illness, etc. Some of the people making fake profiles use a life crisis to keep their online romances interested. In the case of Sunny (season 1, episode 1), Jamison supposedly lost his sisters in a car crash. This emotional story made Sunny want to comfort him. In the case of Mike and Caroline aka Heather (season, episode 15), she supposedly had cancer. She only made that up because Mike was getting frustrated with her controlling behavior and she didn't want him to leave. It turns out Mike's dad was just diagnosed with
54 diabetes and he didn't want to be an asshole to Caroline by shutting her out of his life. He was struggling with two people in his life being sick, one real and one fake.
Others go online looking for companionship after being through a real life crisis. A prime example of this motive is in season 2, episode 1. Cassie e-mails Nev and Max to explain how her online romance helped her get through a tough time in her life. 'Hi Nev, I need help in meeting my fiancé, Steven! Here is a little background information on how my relationship started. In 2010, my father passed away. It was a tough time for me because it was so unexpected and I was very close to him. My world began to crash. I began drinking every night and I also began engaging in a lot of sexual activities. Then one day, I was going through my friend requests on Facebook and there was Steve. I didn’t think anything of it because he was an aspiring wrapper. I get a lot of messages from people who are in the music industry because they see I work at Power 96, one of Miami’s top radio stations. What really got me to start talking to him was the fact that he seemed like he genuinely cared. Every day he reminds me that I am important, he has been my rock.' (Appendix 3, S2, E1, sequence 3). When Nev and Max meet with Cassie she explains that she had hit rock bottom after her dad was murdered unexpectedly. She drank too much and nearly lost her scholarship. Steve was the one who helped her get her life back together. They eventually discover that Steve is actually Gladys, Cassie's best friend. She wanted to help Cassie get through the rough period in her life but Cassie wouldn't listen. The only person she listened to was Steve. Because of that, Gladys kept the profile alive.
A little less dramatic is the case in season 2, episode 8. Artis is going through a rough patch in his relationship and goes online to get the attention he needs. He meets a girl called Jess but the profile is fake and made by a young man named Justin. What is really extraordinary though is the fact that Justin was trying to teach Artis a lesson that he shouldn't be cheating on his girlfriend. Justin started the fake profile after he was also cheated on. He says 'Not everything is as it seems and you can't always have it the way you want it.' Justin doesn't care about anyone or anything except himself and his girlfriend. His father died and Justin found his body. After that he was homeless for a long time. That is what made him an asshole he says. So both Artis and Justin have been through rough periods in life and go online to escape. Artis escaped by looking for love while Justin wanted to catch cheaters and teach them that you can't just mess around when you are in a relationship.
Another example is found in season 3, episode 10. Brogan, who is actually Tia, was sexually assaulted when she was 14. After that she was depressed and stayed home from school. Later she found a profile of Chloe on Tumbler. Tia wanted to seem as self-confident as the girl in the pictures and created a profile of Brogan with pictures of Chloe. The profile was a way to forget what had happened.
55
Smaller life crises can also have an impact on decisions further on in life. In season 1, episode 11, Mike had to move back in with his parents after work was really slow. To top it all off, his girlfriend of 5 years dumped him. Both events made him go online looking for people to date. In season 3, episode 1, Craig went through a tough time as well. His father died when he was 8 but he never found out the real reason of his death. He just wished he had seen his father more before he died and that both his parents could have raised him. He met Zoe online and she gave him the love he was looking for but didn't fully receive through his parents.
3.10. Control over presentation and environment
People who have been bullied or excluded from society have a greater desire to have control over someone later on. Online, there is a big sense of anonymity and the possibility of having control over someone. Vulnerable people see it as a chance to be the one calling the shots and feeling powerful for once. People also have the ability to present themself as someone else. In the series, the online romance Nev and Max try to track down, usually uses a fake profile. The most common reason for wanting control over their presentation is because they want people to judge them on their personality instead of their looks. Most of the people in the series wanting control over their presentation are overweight or self-conscious about their appearance.
In season 1, episode 1, there is already an example of control. Chelsea made a fake profile pretending to by a guy named Jamison. She did this because she had been bullied when she was in high school and wanted to have control over someone else and take advantage of someone. For once, she wanted to be the one in control instead of being controlled.
Another example is found in season 2, episode 15. Mike meets Caroline online and falls for her looks and personality. At the end of the episode they find out that Caroline is actually Heather. Heather already had contact with Mike once. She had made a fake profile with a friend to find out if her friends husband was cheating. This is also a form of control, to be able to supervise family or friends without them knowing. Heather met Mike through this profile and liked him, so she sent him a message explaining the use of the fake profile together with her real name and a picture. Mike didn't respond nicely to this and ended contact. Heather wanted to get revenge so she made another fake profile, the one of Caroline. It wasn't supposed to last that long but she started liking Mike too much so continued. The primary goal of Heather's fake profile was to take revenge on Mike and to be in control of him, something she could do as Caroline but couldn't do as Heather.
56 There is another example of control in season 3, episode 1. Craig meets a girl online named Zoe. Craig feels alone and needs someone to talk to. After spending time talking to Zoe, Craig gave his Facebook password so she couldn't have any trust issues. She not only had full access to his Facebook, she also had control over his friends. Somehow Zoe had access to nude pictures of girls in Craig's high school. She threatened everyone that she was going to expose them, having everyone in control. No matter how much Craig changed his password, Zoe always seemed to be able to hack into his account. Eventually, they find out Zoe is actually Cassandra and she was bullied a lot when she was younger. Because of that it felt good to her to be able to bully other people.
3.11. Freedom from commitment and stereotypical roles
An online environment always functions as a sort of security because there is no direct contact like in a face-to-face situation. Most people in the series who made fake profiles didn't see the online interactions leading to an enduring relationship. Some did get stuck in the relationship and started having feelings or started caring about the other person. Most of the time the freedom from commitment together with the anonymity of the Internet influenced people to start online interactions.
Looking at the stereotypical roles there are some remarks to be made. In most cases, women seemed to be the more controlling ones on the Internet. They were able to communicate from behind their screen without having to be a tough person in real life. As seen in season 2, episode 15, Heather has a fake profile of Caroline and is interacting with Mike. Online, she is a tough girl and has control over Mike. But when they meet in real life and find out she is Heather, she bursts into tears and doesn't seem that confident anymore. The Internet is a sheltered environment where anyone can be as tough as they like. Physical abuse is not possible online, only verbal abuse. And although verbal abuse can be painful, women and men have an equal chance at being the most abusive. Some homosexuals or lesbians have fake profiles of the other sexuality. This way they can see what it's like to be the opposite sex.
An example of this can be found in season 1, episode 8, where Aaron made a fake profile of Amanda. Aaron is a homosexual Afro-American who made a fake profile of a hot blonde girl and was able to talk to a lot of good-looking guys with the profile. This was a way to explore his sexuality in a sheltered environment. Another example of this is in season 1, episode 1, where Chelsea created a profile of Jamison. She pretended to be a guy online and started a relationship with a blonde girl named Sunny. When it is revealed that Jamison is actually Chelsea, she didn’t want to admit she had questioned her sexuality even though she had made a fake profile as a guy. With that fake profile she was exchanging intimate comments with Sunny. Chelsea eventually does admit she is bisexual and is attracted to Sunny.
57 3.12. Online dating as an adventure
Most people are adventurous and exciting events are a part of living your life. The motives in the series for going online are diverse but it can be said that no matter what motive people have, the start of an online interaction is always an adventure. The exciting part is not knowing who is on the other side of the screen or not knowing the whole truth behind a person. The most adventurous part of online dating or online communication is deciding to meet face-to-face. This adventurous part is where the series comes in. They help create the adventure of finding the online romance of people. The whole series builds up to the point where there is no turning back and follows the journey of searching for the truth. Together with this, the journey is emphasized by the trips made to other states or places. This starts with information about the person they are trying to help and the online relationship to the actual face-to-face meeting. One episode brings the adventure of new people and can be seen as an adventure on it's own. It can also be the start of a real adventure if the online romance is taken to an offline level afterwards.
3.13. Online dating as a fantasy
As seen in the literature review, some individuals see online dating as a sort of romantic fantasy where they can construct their ideal partners. This makes the interaction very exciting. People creating fake profiles always choose to create a nearly perfect person. Most of the time they choose good-looking people and use their pictures to attract potential friends or partners. The fake individuals created have interesting jobs and are always busy, sometimes making it difficult to video chat, meet up or phone. They seem to have it all but behind the facade is often a very self-conscious person. On the other side of the screen, the person using their real profile falls for the created perfect individual. They create an ideal relationship in their head but are reluctant to examine all the information the person gives them, even though sometimes things really don't add up. This is because they have created a fantasy and don't want to ruin it. Meeting face-to-face or finding out the truth can change everything. The whole perfect relationship can come crashing down. In most cases in Catfish: The TV Show, the ideal fantasy relationship is gone after the first face-to-face meeting with the online romance.
58 4. Discussion and conclusion
Before analyzing the representation of online daters in the reality program Catfish: The TV Show a short introduction was given of the movie, structure and authenticity. This is because the structure and content of the TV show relates to the movie. Understanding the movie gives insight in the elements found in the TV show. First of all, the protagonist in the movie is the main moderator in the TV show. He is the one people can confide in because he went through the same issues as other individuals trying to find the truth about their online romance. Second, the structure of the movie can relate to the structure and content of the series. At first, information is given about the person in an online relationship and a profile is sketched of the person they are engaging with online. After that, an investigation of that person takes place, revealing details that don't seem to be true. Information of the investigation makes people want to meet the person they have been talking to. Generally people just want to know the truth. Following the investigation a face-to-face meeting is set up exposing the real person behind the often-fake profiles. The third element found both in the movie and series is the repeated categorization of two types of online daters. We see the naïve person trying to find their online romance and not critically questioning the person on the other side of the screen and the deceiving person with a fake profile or semi-fake profile.
Authenticity in both the movie and the series is often questioned. It is important to mention this issue because viewers and readers have to be critical when watching reality programs. Catfish doesn't give a view on all types of online daters but puts the focus on deception. As seen in the literature review, representation can sometimes lead to stereotyping because people want to categorize subjects in their head to make a perception of the world easier. If individuals are watching reality programs and this is their first contact with the online dating world, the individuals they see in the profile are either naive or deceiving. Representation can thus be affected by the categorization due to certain influences of recurring themes and motives discussed in the analysis. Reality TV puts forward certain truth claims that have to be assessed.
To analyze the representation of online daters in the reality program Catfish: The TV Show some recurring themes and motives for online dating were examined. Sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, media literacy, education, religion and appearance were the more directly accessible themes to analyze. Companionship, comfort after a life crisis, control over presentation and environment, freedom of commitment and stereotypical roles, online dating as adventure or fantasy were more in- depth recurring motives influencing representation or deception. Because it is a reality TV, there is less emphasis on the more serious themes as education, media literacy and socioeconomic factors. Entertainment factors such as appearance, sexual orientation and motives for online dating as control
59 over environment or comfort after a life crisis have a more prominent position. Analyzing these factors and associating them with both the naïve individual and the deceiving individual some different conclusions can be drawn. Going online after a life crisis can be associated with both the naive and deceiving individual. Going online because of appearance, sexual orientation or wanting control over someone are themes mostly associated with the deceiving person. People making fake profiles are often very self-conscious about their appearance or sexual orientation because they have been bullied earlier in life. This bullying made people want to have a feeling of control over someone instead of always being the one controlled by others. The security of the online environment gave them the possibility to do this.
The Internet has opened new possibilities for romantic interactions and representations. New television formats such as reality TV have given new possibilities to represent the world in a certain way. This view is not always as authentic as they might claim. This study has focused on the representation of online daters in reality TV, but has only examined one reality program, namely Catfish: The TV Show. Generalizing these conclusions to all reality TV programs is not possible. This program focuses on deception while other programs might focus on a different aspect of online dating. It is also why the literature review gives a general overview of definitions and possibilities that may influence online dating and representation. Further research should include more episodes although the episodes in a global point of view often contain a lot of the same themes and motives. It is also possible to conduct a more quantitative analysis where all themes and motives are examined using all the episodes. The choice of motivations for online dating or deception together with the themes is a personal one, which can be shortened or extended depending on the study.
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65 Appendix
Appendix 1: List of episodes
Season 1 (2012 -2013) No. in No. in Title Original air date series season 1 1 Sunny & Jamison November 12, 2012 2 2 Trina & Scorpio November 19, 2012 3 3 Kim & Matt November 26, 2012 4 4 Jasmine & Mike December 3, 2012 5 5 Jarrod & Abby December 10, 2012 6 6 Kya & Alyx December 17, 2012 7 7 Joe & Kari Ann January 7, 2013 8 8 Tyler & Amanda January 14, 2013 9 9 Rod & Ebony January 21, 2013 10 10 Rico & Ja'mari January 28, 2013 11 11 Mike & Felicia February 18, 2013 12 12 The Reunion Show February 25, 2013
Season 2 (2013) No. in No. in Title Original air date series season 13 1 Cassie & Steve June 25, 2013 14 2 Anthony and Marq July 2, 2013 15 3 Ramon & Paola July 9, 2013 16 4 Lauren & Derek July 16, 2013 17 5 Dorion & Jeszica July 23, 2013 18 6 Jen & Skylar July 30, 2013 19 7 Mike & Kristen August 6, 2013 - - Midseason Reunion August 13, 2013 20 8 Jesse & Brian August 20, 2013 21 9 Artis & Jess August 27, 2013 22 10 Ashley & Mike September 3, 2013 23 11 Aaliyah & Alicia September 10, 2013 24 12 Nick & Melissa September 24, 2013 25 13 Derek & Kristen October 1, 2013 26 14 Keyonnah & Bow Wow October 8, 2013 - - Catfish Season 2: Last Hooks October 13, 2013 27 15 Mike & Caroline October 15, 2013 28 16 Catfish: The Reunion Show 2 October 15, 2013
66 Season 3 (2014) No. in No. in Title Original air date series season 29 1 Craig & Zoe May 7, 2014 30 2 Antwane & Tony May 14, 2014 31 3 Antoinette & Albert May 21, 2014 32 4 Lucille & Kidd Cole May 28, 2014 33 5 Tracie & Sammie June 4, 2014 34 6 John & Kelsey June 11, 2014 35 7 Solana & Elijah June 18, 2014 36 8 Miranda & Cameryn June 25, 2014 37 9 Jeff & Megan July 2, 2014 - - Blake & Kiersten (aka Blake & Kendra) July 8, 2014 38 10 Bianca & Brogan July 9, 2014
67 Appendix 2: Character descriptions
Season 1 - Episode 1 Sunny Sunny is a cheerful and good-looking blonde girl. She is 21 and studying to be a nurse. She has nice friends and a caring sister. Her sister is jealous though that she is going to meet Jamison, as she was the one who started talking to him first on Facebook. Jamison Jamison is a model. He not only has good looks but he is also studying to be an anesthesiologist while working as a TV writer. He is successful and good-looking but doesn't have a lot of time to call Sunny because he is always somewhere else for a shoot. He is caring and talks about falling in love and having kids with Sunny someday. Chelsea Chelsea is an overweight girl who is struggling with the past. She was bullied when she was younger and is a bisexual. She made the Facebook profile to be able to have control over someone.
Season 1 - Episode 8 Tyler Tyler is a handsome high-school jock who has lots of friends. He also has lots of female attention but isn't into the girls from the area he lives in. Amanda Amanda is a blonde good-looking girl who is studying in the University of Kalamazoo. She is mature and that's why Tyler likes her so much. The can talk about everything but she doesn't have a phone. Aaron Aaron is an Afro-American slightly overweight gay guy. He lives in a small town with hardly any gay population.
Season 1 - Episode 11 Mike Mike is a slim and geeky looking guy. He knows Felicia is a little overweight and he doesn't mind. He was recently dumped by his girlfriend of 5 years because she wanted to start dating women. So he is scared of getting hurt again and is vulnerable. Felicia Felicia is an Afro-American overweight girl who lives in Florida. She lied to Mike about certain details and Mike also had the impression she was a little bit slimmer. She is sweet and funny. She was scared of meeting Mike because she thought he was going to reject her.
Season 2 - Episode 1 Cassie Cassie is a young Afro-American good-looking woman. She was very emotionally unstable for a while when her father passed away and started drinking a lot. She works at Power 96, one of Miami's top radio stations and is also still a student. Steve Steve is a handsome Afro-American guy with tattoos, a six-pack and looks like a model. He cares about Cassie and tells her she is important. He is a wrapper and producer, which makes it difficult to contact or see Cassie sometimes as he spends most of his days in the recording studio. Steve makes Cassie happy and was the only one she would listen to about her bad drinking habits. Gladys Gladys is Cassie's best friend. She cares a lot about Cassie and couldn't handle all her drinking after her dad passed away. Gladys and Cassie's mother tried talking to Cassie about her emotional problems but she never listened.
68 Season 2 - Episode 9 Artis Artis is an Afro-American father of three children. He works at a local warehouse shipping and receiving and is happy with his job. He is in a relationship with the mother of his children but is unhappy about it. Because of the unhappy relationship he has gone online to find love. Jess Jess is a blonde bombshell. She is a babysitter and loves children. She is in a controlling relationship and wants to get out of it. Justin Justin is a strange young man. He made the fake profile to catch 'cheating' boyfriends. He doesn't feel sorry about what he does and his girlfriend knows about it. He was homeless for some time after his father died which affected the way he is now. He doesn't care about anyone, only his girlfriend.
Season 2 - Episode 15 Mike Michael is a 27-year-old artist. He has fallen for Caroline, who he met online. Even though she lives in the same city, they haven't met. Mike has done some research to find out if she really is whom she says she is but hasn't come up with clear answers. Caroline disappeared for a while and then came back. Even though they haven't met, Mike is hung up on her and can't have a normal relationship with other women. Caroline Caroline is a good-looking girl living in the same city as Michael. She has anxiety and is reluctant to meet. She is also in the middle of treatment for cancer. Her parents are divorced so she uses two names. Heather Heather is a slightly overweight girl. She really likes Mike. At first she made the profile to get revenge on Mike after he made bad remarks about her appearance on a previous online encounter. Online as Caroline she seemed very self-confident but when meeting her in real life, she seems unstable.
Season 3 - Episode 1 Craig Craig is an Afro-American young man. Het met Zoe through his sister and they started having a good bond. She helped him through his financial troubles and kept his head up. He gets along very well with his sister but has lost some of his good friendships because of Zoe. Zoe Zoe is a pretty girl and in the beginning she cares about Craig. After a while she starts blackmailing people. She is also a friend of Craig's sister and some of his other friends but no one has ever met her in person. Zoe keeps hacking into Craig's Facebook and has nude pictures of some of his girlfriends. Everyone is scared of her because she is able to control them by having access to the pictures. Cassandra Cassandra is an overweight girl and created the profile because she was bullied so much when she was younger. At first she doesn't seem to care that she messed up so many people's lives. At the end she is more vulnerable and opens up a little. She is quite unstable and has tried to hurt herself before. It felt good to her to be able to bully other people.
Season 3 - Episode 5 Tracie Tracie is an actress in Hollywood. She is a confident and caring woman. Sammie Sammie is and overweight Afro-American girl who has a child. She is a lesbian but kept that a secret for a long time. She grew up with deaf parents and didn't receive the support and love she needed from family and friends. She is talented and that is why Tracie started caring about her and giving her attention. But Sammie found that she
69 wasn't getting enough attention and made a fake Twitter account for a girl named Reese. To receive more attention she gave Reese cancer and eventually killed her.
Season 3 - Episode 10 Bianca Bianca is an Afro-American lesbian girl living in a small town. It is town not very accepting of her sexuality and her color. She is also a fan of body modifications, tattoos and piercings. She is a confident girl but wants to get out of the small town and be a musician. That's where Brogan comes in. She sees her as the perfect person to run away with. Brogan Brogan is a blonde girl who is into tattoos and piercings. She has amazing tattoos and is into the same things as Bianca. She is caring and is able to connect with Bianca over same interests. Tia Tia is a self-conscious girl who was sexually assaulted when she was 14. After that she stayed home from school and put on a lot of weight. She wanted to be confident and found pictures of a girl named Chloe online. Chloe seemed to be very confident and that is how she made a fake profile of Brogan. She is a lesbian and her friends and family have always been ok with that.
70 Appendix 3: Sequence analysis
This method for analysis makes it possible to form conclusions about a film or series. Each segment will contain the following information: 1. Segment/sequence number 2. Duration (Time at beginning and end of the segment) 3. Who? (Characters) 4. Where? (Place of the events) 5. What? (Content of the segment, including dialogue/motives/behavior)
The following episodes are included in the segment analysis: Season 1 Episode 1: Sunny and Jamison - air date 12 November 2012 Episode 8: Tyler and Amanda - air date 14 January 2013 Episode 11: Mike and Felicia - air date 18 February 2013
Season 2 Episode 1: Cassie and Steve - air date 25 June 2013 Episode 9: Artis and Jess - air date 27 August 2013 Episode 15: Mike and Caroline - air date 15 October 2013
Season 3 Episode 1: Craig and Zoe - air date 7 May 2014 Episode 5: Tracie and Sammie - air date 4 June 2014 Episode 10: Bianca and Brogan - air date 9 July 2014
71 Season 1 Episode 1 – air date 12 November 2012 Sunny and Jamison
Sequence Duration Who? Where? What? 1 00:00 – Sunnny Outside a house Fragment of later on in the episode, to make the viewer 00:28 Nev curious and keep watching. We see Sunny, Nev and Max Max in the car, deciding on what they are going to do. They Camera are outside a house. crew Nev says ‘Hello, we were looking for Jamison.’ Then we hear a woman’s voice saying ‘It’s me’ Sunny says ‘What?’ and then the scene ends, we don’t see the other person supposed to be Jamison. 2 00:28 – Nev Intro 02:07 Nev telling us what the program is about with different images from episodes while he is talking. Hi, I’m Nev, a couple of years ago I fell in love online. Turns out my crush wasn’t who I thought she was. I thought I fell in love with Megan, but Megan was really Angela. I was heartbroken. But the weirdest part of it all, Angela and I actually became friends. Not only that, my brother and his film-making partner shot the whole thing and turned it into a documentary that was a pretty big hit. Suddenly my inbox was exploding with e-mails: ‘when I saw your movie Catfish, I couldn’t believe the similarities’ It felt like everyone on the Internet wanted to tell me their bizarre online romance. ‘I could just pursue everyone of these leads and we could make a show of it.’ So that’s what we decided to do. I’m hitting the road with my filmmaking buddy Max and a film crew from MTV to help people meet their online love for the first time. Is the person they had fallen for telling the truth, or hiding behind lies? Will they find love or heartache? No matter what happens, we are here to help solve the mystery. Catfish: The Movie was my story, Catfish: The TV Show is yours. 3 02:27 – Nev New York Nev and Max are in New York, looking through their e- 04:37 Max mail. They will select someone to help find their online romance. Dear Nev, My name is Sunny Cross. I’m a 21-year old nursing student at the University of Arkansas. I’m in an online relationship with the greatest guy ever. He is totally hot, funny, smart, successful guy who I fell for right away. We spend most of our days talking on the phone, texting, e-mailing, IM’ing, hours upon hours. We talk about falling in love, getting married and having kids someday. One problem, we haven’t met yet and I’m not sure why. Every time we are about to meet, something comes up and I just can’t take it anymore. I can’t wait to hold him in my arms and kiss him all night long but I’m afraid to do it alone, I need the help of someone who’s been through this experience before and that’s you. Please help! I’m desperate to finally put an end to the guessing and meet the man of my dreams. While reading the e-mail we see pictures of both Sunny and Jamison together with snapshots of texts they sent to each other. Nev and Max videocall Sunny She says he is a modal in LA so always on the run. She says Jamison is his boyfriend, they have never skypes but talk on the phone. She wants to be together with him. Nev, Max and the crew say they are going to come and
72 help her. 4 04:37 – Max New York Nev and Max travelling. We see them on the plane and 09:15 Nev Fayetteville, then in the car when they have arrived in Fayetteville, Sunny Arkansas – Arkansas. Film crew Sunny’s house They arrive at Sunny’s door with the crew. They all go into the house and into the living room. Nev starts talking to Sunny about the relationship. Her sister Summer was friends with Jamison on Facebook a few days before her and she saw him, thought he was cute and also added him. First conversation was 3h25min. Details about Jamison: - Model for Request Models Agency - Wants to be an anaesthesiologist (online classes) - Writer for Chelsea Lately Productions, writes the cue cards - Emotional connection, same interests - 3 sisters were killed in a car crash Wants to marry him, thinks he is very sexy. Have been talking for 8 months and she is confident that he is telling the truth. Shows her pictures of him. He sends her a text while the crew is there asking her what she is up to. 5 09:15 – Nev Fayetteville, Nev and Max get in the car and don’t seen convinced that 09:39 Max Arkansas he is telling the truth. It’s a very unusual, over the top lifestyle. They decide to investigate more about him. 6 09:39 – Nev Hotel room in Nev and Max are in their hotel room and make a list of 15:17 Max Fayetteville, things they want to investigate: Film crew Arkansas - RJ King (model): they find interviews on google, also find out he has three sisters but they are alive - Chelsea Productions (Borderline Productions LA): decide to phone them and ask for a reference, haven’t heard of RJ King or Jamison King They decide to just call Jamison, he says he is shopping in Paris. Nev says that Sunny wants to meet him, asks if he sometimes goes to New York. Jamison says yes, Nev asks if it is for work and he says yes again. Because Nev grew up in New York he asks Jamison where he normally stays but then he hangs up. Don’t believe he is telling the truth. Nev calls back and asks to meet again. Jamison says he will be in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in the weekend to see some friends. They decide to meet up in the weekend. Max says Nev was not being hard enough on him on the phone because he thinks the person on the phone was a kid. 7 15:17 – Nev Fayetteville, Nev and Max are in the car, they argue that Max hasn’t 17:32 Max Arkansas put his seatbelt on. They meet Sunny in a store with her Sunny friends Kelly and Ashley. They tell Sunny they are going Kelly to Tuscaloosa to go see Jamison. Ashley Nev talks to her friends and asks their opinion on Jamison. They find it odd that you can fall so in love with somebody you have never met, they don’t think it is going to be a happy end. Sunny fits a dress to wear to meet Jamison. Snapshots of texts they have sent to each other are shown: ‘We are a beautiful couple.’ ‘U have me, always.’ ‘Can I please marry you?’ 8 17:32 – Nev Fayetteville, Max, Nev and Sunny go and have lunch. Sunny talks 19:52 Max Arkansas about how nervous she is going to be and how she has to Sunny react. Nev says that there are some things they want to tell her about the research that don’t add up. They tell her about the interview they found and that RJ his sisters are all still alive. She doesn’t believe that he would lie about his sisters being dead. They also tell her that there is nobody who writes cue card. Sunny gets very defensive and says that they can’t possibly know everybody in the
73 department and that modelling is what he does for a living. Nev wonders why Sunny believes everything Jamison says. She says that it’s insensitive to google whether somebody’s sisters have died. Sunny doesn’t seem to think he is lying about anything and she can’t wait to meet him. 9 19:52 – Nev Fayetteville, Nev and Sunny are at her house while she is packing. She 23:00 Sunny Arkansas – mentions that her sister Summer is coming over to talk Summer Sunny’s house about something. Sunny tells Summer that Nev and Max Max are taking her to see Jamison. Summer is pissed off because she was talking to him first, maybe wanting a relationship. But Sunny came and took him away from her. Summer doesn’t like that she is going and doesn’t want to know anything about it. She leaves and Sunny doesn’t care about what everyone thinks because it’s her decision. 10 23:00 – Nev Fayetteville, Nev, Sunny and Max leave the house and head to the 24:50 Sunny Arkansas airport. Sunny wants to risk everything for the Max Tuscaloosa, relationship. Alabama Snapshots of texts are shown together with pictures of Sunny and Jamison. ‘Imagining u here with me.’ ‘Dreaming of you tonight.’ Roadtrip to Tuscaloosa. They stop so Sunny can get ready. 11 24:50 – Nev Tuscaloosa, Max, Sunny and Nev drive to Jamison’s house. Sunny is 32:06 Sunny Alabama – very nervous. They get out of the car and walk towards Max Chelsea’s house the front door. They knock on the front door but no-one Chelsea comes to open it. Rural area and not a very big house. They feel weird and then the door opens. A girl comes out and says she is Jamison. Everybody is at a loss for words. The girl says she is Chelsea. Sunny asks why she was pretending to be somebody else. Chelsea: ‘It started a couple of years ago when a girl was harassing me on Facebook, so I made the account to get revenge and it turned into something it wasn’t supposed to.’ Chelsea admits to having had the fake account for at least four years, talking to a lot of people. She is 18 and not attracted to girls. She does know RJ because she played soccer with his sisters, who are all still alive Nev finds it a little weird that Chelsea is not apologising, Sunny says it is because she obviously has a personality disorder. Chelsea says she doesn’t and that nothing was emotional. Sunny says that she has to be in a psychic ward because she has no conscience. Doesn’t understand how she could do that to so many people. Walks away from everybody. Nev asks if there is anything else Chelsea wants to say, she doesn’t. 12 32:06 – Nev Tuscaloosa, The next day, Max and Nev go and talk to Chelsea at her 34:06 Max Alabama house. Chelsea She says she is relieved it is all over. Nev wonders how she came up with all the lying, she says it is because she was bullied in high school. Being bullied, she wanted to have control over someone, and take advantage over someone else. Nev explains that he experienced similar situations in high school and says it gets better. He also mentions that maintaining the relationships online and making someone feel good must be because somewhere she is a good and caring person. Chelsea wants to apologize to Sunny 13 34:06 – Nev Tuscaloosa, Nev and Max are back at the hotel and ask Sunny how 35:25 Max Alabama everything is going. She is still in shock and angry. They Sunny ask if she wants to go and meet up with Chelsea to straighten thing out. Nev, Max and Sunny are in the car on their way to see Chelsea. Sunny is not very happy
74 about everything. 14 35:25 – Nev Tuscaloosa, Chelsea and Sunny go inside the house to talk. Sunny 37:49 Sunny Alabama – asks why Chelsea did it. She says that Sunny was always Chelsea Chelsea’s house there, it felt like some sort of security. Sunny wonders how she did not question her sexuality if she was able to send intimate things to Sunny. Also, how she was able to break apart her own personality and Jamison’s. Chelsea now admits that she is bisexual and does feel physically attracted to Sunny. Sunny feels humiliated and feels sad for Chelsea. She finally says that they can still be friendly because they have been close for the past months. 15 37:49 – Sunny Tuscaloosa, Chelsea and Sunny go back outside and Chelsea 38:40 Chelsea Alabama – apologizes. Nev Chelsea’s house They take a picture together and say they are friends, Max everybody seems happy. 16 38:40 – Nev One year later… 40:22 Max Nev and Max skype with Chelsea: Chelsea Text on the screen: Since filming ended, Chelsea has Sunny started “Win From Within”, an organization that helps RJ kids who’ve been bullied. The only Facebook profile Chelsea uses is her own. She and Sunny remain friends and are in touch a few times a month. She also says she has changed her life. She tries to help kids who have been bullied. Nev and Max skype with Sunny: Text on the screen: Sunny has stopped talking to strangers online. And she recently met someone special. She is now dating a real boyfriend. They also include the real RJ in the skype conversation.
75 Season 1 Episode 8 – air date 14 January 2013 Tyler and Amanda
Sequence Duration Who? Where? What? 1 00:00 – Tyler In the car and Nev says: ‘Game face’ and they get out of the car and 00:20 Nev outside a house walk towards a house. Max Tyler rings the doorbell and on the other side of the house, someone appears. 2 00:20 – Nev Intro 02:00 Nev telling us what the program is about with different images from episodes while he is talking. Hi, I’m Nev, a couple of years ago I fell in love online. Turns out my crush wasn’t who I thought she was. I thought I fell in love with Megan, but Megan was really Angela. I was heartbroken. But the weirdest part of it all, Angela and I actually became friends. Not only that, my brother and his film-making partner shot the whole thing and turned it into a documentary that was a pretty big hit. Suddenly my inbox was exploding with e-mails: ‘when I saw your movie Catfish, I couldn’t believe the similarities’ It felt like everyone on the Internet wanted to tell me their bizarre online romance. ‘I could just pursue everyone of these leads and we could make a show of it.’ So that’s what we decided to do. I’m hitting the road with my filmmaking buddy Max and a film crew from MTV to help people meet their online love for the first time. Is the person they had fallen for telling the truth, or hiding behind lies? Will they find love or heartache? No matter what happens, we are here to help solve the mystery. Catfish: The Movie was my story, Catfish: The TV Show is yours. 3 02:00 – Nev Long Beach, Nev and Max are joking around that the 25th of June is 05:11 Max California – national Catfish day. They decide to go fishing online. hotel room Hey Nev, I’m Tyler Hayden. A Michigan boy from the greater flint area. I’ve been talking to this girl online for a year or two now. Her name is Amanda Miller. Normally, I’m not the type of guy who would go for chicks online, but there’s something different about Amanda. She goes to college in Kalamazoo and is so much more together than the girls around here. I never thought I could be so attracted to someone I’ve never even met and I’m more of a face-to- face kind of guy so I’ve been pushing to meet her in real life. The problem is she lives on the opposite side of the state and is seemingly impossible to get a hold of because she doesn’t even have a cell phone. When I try and get her to video chat, she always has an excuse. I figure, you’ve been through this and I could use some help finding out if she’s all she seems. Thanks, Tyler Pictures of Tyler and Amanda are shown together with snapshots of texts while Nev is reading the e-mail. Music is also playing. Nev wonders how someone cannot have a cell phone, or even a land phone. Nev skypes with Tyler and asks what is so special about Amanda. He says she is drama free. He has never spoken to her on the phone though. Nev wonders why he is involved with someone online because he is a good-looking guy. They decide to fly to Michigan to help Tyler out.
76 4 05:11 – Nev Davidson, Nev and Max rent a cabin at a Koa campground and then 08:54 Max Michigan – drive on to Tyler’s house. They walk around where Tyler Tyler campground and lives They find a burnt tree trunk with a hart in it. Nev Tyler’s house says that it could be a sign that they will find true love or that he will get burned. They then want to find out what Tyler his attraction is to Amanda. Nev asks why he doesn’t like the girls in his neighbourhood. Tyler says they are all immature and play head games. Max points out that the person he is talking to online could also be playing head games. Nev asks Tyler why he keeps going. And Tyler just wonders if it is real and that’s why he needs Nev and Max’s help. They go inside the house and look at their online message history. He has exchanged sexual texts with Amanda and sexual pictures. Nev asks about her phone situation, Tyler says she had a phone but her dad was paying it and when she went to college he didn’t want to pay for it anymore. They have a really close relationship. (Tyler does have a phone and it’s an Iphone) Nev and Max leave to go investigate the information. 5 08:54 – Nev Holly, Michigan Max wakes Nev up and they call Tyler to see what he is 09:23 Max – campground up to. He says he is going fishing at his friend Ellis and cabin invites them along. 6 09:23 – Nev Holly, Michigan In the car, Nev and Max talk about Tyler. He is a good- 12:07 Max – Ellis’s house looking jock and has never been in a relationship like Tyler with Amanda. Keegan They get to Ellis house and meet Tyler’s friends Keegan, Ellis Ellis and Trevor. Trevor They show Max and Nev how to fish and they all have a Tucker good time and even catch a catfish. Nev asks Tyler to talk about his group of friends. He says they are the best friends in the world and he can call all of them at any time and they will always pick up and be there for him. Nev asks Keegan what he thinks of Amanda, he says Tyler doesn’t seem to think about it but that he is sure Tyler does have feelings for her. Tucker says Tyler is not a player and he wants Tyler to find someone who appreciates the good guy he is. Tucker wonders why Amanda doesn’t have a phone. His friends think there is always the possibility that it’s a guy but they hope she is real. 7 12:07 – Nev Holly, Michigan Nev and Max are in the car and decide something is not 16:45 Max – in the car and right, especially because she isn’t able to make phone in a bar calls or she doesn’t want to video chat. They go to a bar to do some research. - They go to Amanda’s Facebook page and look at her posts, they don’t really find anyone posting anything to show they actually know her - They decide to send a message to Mikhail and Brendon asking them about Amanda and if they could give them a call - Mikhail phones Nev and Nev asks for information: He met Amanda on Facebook and they also exchange sexual texts. He has asked for her phone number but she said she doesn’t have a phone. - Brendon calls, he says they also exchange sexual messages and have been friends for about 3 months. - Google image search reveals a MySpace profile of someone named Trina. All the pictures on Facebook are the same and are at least 5 years old. Max mentions that a lot of catfishers on Facebook use pictures from profiles on MySpace. Nev wants to find out who the person behind the profile is and what their motive is. 8 16:45 – Nev Davidson, Nev and Max go to Tyler’s house to tell him what they
77 18:59 Max Michigan – found. Tyler Tyler’s house - They tell him about the comments on the profiles and tells him about the information that Brendon and Mikhail gave them about the sexual comments. - They tell him about the MySpace profile of Trina. Music is playing while pictures of Amanda are shown. Tyler feels betrayed after a year and a half of talking. Nev and Max will try and contact Amanda to meet up in the weekend. 9 18:59 – Nev Holly, Michigan Nev decides to chat with Amanda because they doesn’t 21:40 Max - campground have a phone to contact her. Camera She replies fast and says Tyler is her favorited person to crew talk to. Nev wonders why they haven’t met and she replies: ‘I just don’t like letting people down and that’s what I feel would happen.’ She is still very distant and considers Tyler as a friend. Nev says that this might be her last chance if she really wants to stay friends with Tyler. She decides she wants to meet if Nev will be there too. Amanda is in Attica. 10 21:40 – Nev Davidson, Nev and Max go to Tyler and tell him they chatted with 22:31 Max Michigan – Amanda. Tyler is very excited to meet her. Tyler Tyler’s house Nev warns him though that she has something to hide and that he has to be prepared. 11 22:31 – Nev Davidson to Nev, Max and Tyler are in the car and the gps says it is 23:06 Max Attica – in the only half an hour drive to Attica. Tyler car Tyler is getting nervous but says that he will go in there with an open mind. 12 23:06 – Nev Attica, Michigan They arrive at Amanda’s house and go knock on the front 29:02 Max – Amanda’s door. Tyler hopes that even though it isn’t Amanda, she Tyler house is still a cool chick. Amanda aka An Afro-American gay young man named Aaron comes Aaron out of the garage and identifies himself as Amanda Miller. They go to the garage to talk. Aaron says he has had the profile for a long time now. He used to talk to more than 100 guys but now doesn’t talk to that many because he likes Tyler. Aaron lives in Attica with his grandparents and used to go to South Western college but isn’t going back. He started talking to his art teacher as Amanda and got kicked out of school. They all take a seat. Max wonders what it feels like to be Amanda. Aaron says it feels better than being himself because people didn’t like him for being gay and now he wanted to get people online to like him because of his personality. Aaron would rather be a straight girl than a gay guy. Aaron says he wants to be Tyler’s friend. Nev, Max and Tyler leave to go process all the information. 13 29:07 – Nev Holly, Michigan Back at the campground, Nev and Max decide to go to 29:34 Max - campground the swimming pool. 14 29:34 – Nev Holly, Michigan Aaron started following Nev on Twitter. Before Nev, 30:17 Max - campground Max and Tyler went there the day before, Aaron tweeted about it. Aaron was excited about meeting Tyler. There are a lot of lists on Aaron his Twitter about things he wants to do in life. 15 30:17 – Nev Davidson, Tyler defriended Amanda on Facebook. Nev and Max 30:39 Max Michigan – want to go over and talk to Aaron and want Tyler to Tyler Tyler’s house come along. They leave for Aaron’s house. 16 30:39 – Nev Attica, Michigan Max, Nev and Tyler drive over to Aaron’s house and he 35:39 Max – in the car and is there with two of his friends: Taylor and Rebecca. Tyler at Aaron’s house They have been friends since high school. Taylor They all sit together in the living room and Nev asks Rebecca what Aaron’s friends know about the fake profiles. They say they have heard some rumours about fake profiles. Aaron has had 3 other fake profiles. Rebecca says he
78 doesn’t mean to hurt anyone. Tyler doesn’t find that the lies are harmless. Aaron his friends don’t know yet that he has been kicked out of college. Tyler says Aaron is living a lie Nev talks with Aaron alone. Aaron admits he needs help because he has lied to so many people. Aaron says without his family he would have left to a place where there is a bigger gay population. Nev says he should open up and try and be himself. He wants to try and get out of it. 17 35:39 – Aaron Attica, Michigan Tyler and Aaron talk with each other about it. Tyler says 38:31 Tyler – Aaron’s house he thinks Aaron is a pathological liar because he has been Max doing it for 7 years. Nev Aaron says he wants to stop and apologizes and realises Taylor that he has messed up people’s lives. Rebecca Tyler says that Aaron should not hide from reality online and re-evaluate who he really is. They both go outside to the rest of the gang and Aaron’s friends want him to be open about everything. Nev, Max and Tyler leave. 18 38:31 – Tyler Davidson, Nev, Max and Tyler meet up with Trevor and Tucker to 40:01 Nev Michigan tell them what has happened. Max They seem shocked that it was a gay man Tyler was Trevor talking to. Tyler says Aaron has had a tough life. Tucker 19 40:01 – Max One month later… 41:02 Nev Nev and Max skype with Tyler. Tyler He doesn’t have any ladies in his life at the moment. Aaron Text on the screen: Tyler now attends Southwestern Michigan College in Kalamazoow. Nev and Max skype with Aaron He is happy in New York to be able to be who he is without judgement. Text on the screen: Aaron has recently moved to New York City. He says he’s staying offline for now and is actually starting to go out on dates. Aaron and Tyler have not been in contact since filming completed.
79 Season 1 Episode 11 – air date 18 February 2013 Mike and Felicia
Sequence Duration Who? Where? What? 1 00:00 – 00:25 Mike Outside a Fragment of later on in the episode, to make the viewer Nev house curious and keep watching. Max Mike, Nev and Max are getting out of a car and going towards a front door. Mike is really nervous. Mike knocks on the door and last thing the viewers see is the door opening. 2 00:25 – 02:04 Nev Intro Nev telling us what the program is about with different images from episodes while he is talking. Hi, I’m Nev, a couple of years ago I fell in love online. Turns out my crush wasn’t who I thought she was. I thought I fell in love with Megan, but Megan was really Angela. I was heartbroken. But the weirdest part of it all, Angela and I actually became friends. Not only that, my brother and his film-making partner shot the whole thing and turned it into a documentary that was a pretty big hit. Suddenly my inbox was exploding with e-mails: ‘when I saw your movie Catfish, I couldn’t believe the similarities’ It felt like everyone on the Internet wanted to tell me their bizarre online romance. ‘I could just pursue everyone of these leads and we could make a show of it.’ So that’s what we decided to do. I’m hitting the road with my filmmaking buddy Max and a film crew from MTV to help people meet their online love for the first time. Is the person they had fallen for telling the truth, or hiding behind lies? Will they find love or heartache? No matter what happens, we are here to help solve the mystery. Catfish: The Movie was my story, Catfish: The TV Show is yours. 3 02:04 – 05:27 Nev Miami, Florida Nev and Max are setting up the camera at their laptop so Max they can film the selection of an e-mail of a person they will help find their online romance. Dear Nev, My name is Mike and I’m from New Jersey. A few months ago I had to move back in with my parents because work has been really slow. Living with my parents is bad enough but then my girlfriend of 5 years dumped me so she could try dating women. I was starting to think I’d never catch a break until I met Felicia on a dating website. Even though we haven’t met, she seems like the perfect girl for me. She’s sweet, funny and really has her life together. We talk on the phone everyday but I’m not great with technology so we haven’t had a chance to videochat. I’ve tried to meet Felicia in the past but is has never worked out. She used to live in Hoboken, New Jersey and I live in Clifton, which isn’t too far from there. I drove to Hoboken and arrived at her place and gave her a call. I got a phone call around midnight from Felicia saying she was in a car accident and her phone was shut off. I was relieved she was ok but I thought I was being stood up and was very disappointed. She has just recently moved to Orlando, Florida because she has a business that needed help. I’m really starting to care about this girl, but I’m scared of getting hurt again. I’m reaching out to you Nev to help me find out if this girl is the real deal. Best Regards, Michael Cooper As they read the e-mail, pictures of Mike and Felicia are
80 shown. Nev says that it sound fishy and calls Mike. Mike says he met Felicia on ‘Plenty of Fish’ a month ago and started texting her and talking but haven’t been able to meet up. When Mike went to see her the doorman at her supposed house said no-one with that name lived there. Now she’s moved to Florida and Mike really wants to know if she really is the person he thinks she is. Nev and Max decide to help him and leave to New Jersey. 4 05:27 – 09:08 Nev Clifton, New Max and Nev are in the car and driving to Mike’s house. Max Jersey – in the They get to Mike’s house and go inside, he lives back at Michael car and at his parents’ house because of work situations. Mike shows Mike’s house his artwork. Mike says he is very intuitive and can feel when someone is not telling him the truth. Nev asks if he has had that with Felicia because when she used to live close to him they tried meeting up a couple of times in Hoboken but she was never there. Mike shows pictures of Felicia, she is an Afro-American female, full body. He has never looked on her Facebook because he doesn’t have it himself. She has a hair salon in Orlando. They call each other, also leave voicemails. Mike lets them listen to one of the voicemails and says he really wants to be able to fall in love with that person. Nev asks, on a scale of 1 (friend) to 10 (in love), where Mike thinks he is. He says 8 or 9 because he has strong feelings for her. Mike is scared of getting dumped again so is cautious. Nev and Max decide to do some research and leave. 5 09:08 – 09:22 Nev Clifton, New Nev and Max are in the car talking about Mike, he is a Max Jersey vulnerable and honest guy and they don’t want him to get hurt. 6 09:22 – 14:30 Nev Clifton, New Nev and Max set up in the hotel room to do some basis Max Jersey – hotel searches on Felicia. room - Facebook page Felicia: they find that she is a Jersey girl but nothing about ever living in Florida (they find it strange that you would open a store somewhere you have never lived), they look at the amount of friends she has on Facebook and that seems realistic - Instagram: she gets a lot of likes and comments. She seems real. Nev want to ask someone in her pictures for information because they don’t have any hard evidence at the moment. They find that Charmaine is in a lot of the pictures an lives in Jersey City. They decide to send her a message: Hey Charmaine, I am making a TV show for MTV about online dating. Our story we are working on involves your friend Felicia, I would love to talk to you about her and get your opinion since you are obviously one of her best friends. They find the hair salon weird because she is only 24, and she has no pictures on Facebook: - They look up Fifi Boutique, Orlando: they find a Fifi’s Beauty Boutique in Orlando that is establishes in 2007 so unlikely she started it. They decide to call the phone number and find that it is disconnected. They phone Mike to find out when the car accident was that she was supposedly in, Mike says a week before her birthday so that was 15th or 16th. She was not injured badly but should have had her finger in a splint. They look at her pictures and don’t find anything. They are convinced Felicia is a real person but don’t know where she lives, if she has a store and why she would blow Mike off when they try and meet. 7 14:30 – 17:43 Nev Clifton, New The next morning in the hotel room, Nev and Max go over Max Jersey – hotel everything that they have found. Suddenly Charmaine has
81 Film crew room accepted Nev’s friend request and calls him. Conversation on the phone with Charmaine: Nev explains that he is making a new TV show and that it is about online romance. They ask her what Felicia her current relationship status is and where she lives. Charmaine knows that she is talking to Mike and also tells them Felicia moved to Orlando when she was 17. She does however also say that Felicia has lied to guys online before. She has lied about what she looks like and where she lives, Charmaine says it’s because she is probably a little insecure. She also says they have had an intervention for her before because of Felicia her lying activities on the Internet. She also says there is a possibility that Mike is not the only one she is taking to. Nev is concerned she is a compulsive liar. Max is concerned that she is not serious about Mike and that she is just using him to make herself feel better. They decide to go meet Mike and tell him what they have found. 8 17:43 – 22:42 Nev Clifton, New They sit down and Nev starts telling Mike what they have Mike Jersey – Mike’s found, starting with the fact that she is a real person. Max house - Nothing on her Facebook about owning a store - Didn’t find any evidence of an accident on her photo’s - Has been living in Orlando longer than she said - Her friend Chermaine said that in high school she had a problem with making fake profiles online Snapshots of texts appear together with pictures. ‘I could talk to you forever.’ ‘Can’t wait to be with you.’ Nev asks what Mike wants to do now he knows she has been lying. Mike still wants to meet her and Nev decides to give her a call outside: Nev tells her they are making a show and wonders if they could meet her. She says the weekend is good and Nec asks to meet her the following day but she says she has some stuff to do and doesn’t seem keen on meeting. Nev convinces her by saying it is probably the best opportunity know to show him that she cares and to make time for him because Mike has made her a priority. Nev concludes by saying they hope to meet her soon. 9 22:42 – 23:47 Nev Clifton, New Nev and Max pick Mike up at home to go to the airport. In Mike Jersey – airport the car they ask him if he has second thoughts and he says Max no. Snapshots of messages. ‘I think I’m falling for you.’ ‘Ahh, you’re so good to me.’ Images of them on the plane. Mike sends Felicia a text saying he can’t wait to meet her in person. She replies: Yay yay yay, me too!! 10 23:47 – 29:35 Nev Orlando, Nev, Mike and Max land in Orlando and get in the car to Mike Florida – go see Felicia. Another few snapshots of texts are shown. Max airport ‘When can we meet?’ ‘Soon, I promise.’ Felicia Mike is nervous as they get closer to the house. Rural area. Mike knocks on the door and Felicia comes out. Mike asks about the store and Felicia says she lied about some stuff. She lived in New Jersey before but lives in Orlando for school. She also says she doesn’t have a store but needed an excuse not to meet because then Mike would’ve found out she was lying about where she lived. Nev asks why she lied: she says it is a habit, she has lied to people in the past about what she looks like since she was 14. Mike is the first guy that wanted to get to know her for her real self and she didn’t want to lose that. She doesn’t want to do it again and says she will stop. They decide to leave her for a bit and in the car Mike says that he doesn’t know what to think because they had a connection but she lied about a lot of things they talked about.
82 11 29:35 – 30:14 Nev Clifton, New Nev and Lance are in the kitchen and Nev wonders what Lance Jersey – Mike’s Lance thinks about everything. Lance says he is old-school (Mike’s dad) house and would want to meet face-to-face or go out on a date, Marie not talk from behind a computer. ‘You don’t know what (Mike’s you’re gonna get. You have to see the person now, not on mom) pictures.’ Marie agrees. 12 30:14 – 31:27 Nev Orlando, In the hotel, Nev and Mike are talking and Mike doesn’t Mike Florida – hotel understand how Felicia can go so lightly over everything. Mike wants to find that person who he had a connection with but doesn’t want to start out on lies. Truth is a big part of the relationship. They want to find out why she does what she does. Nev asks Mike if he wants to go out with her. 13 31:27 – 34:30 Max Orlando, Mike stays at the hotel and Nev and Max head off to see Nev Florida – Felicia. In a park Nev starts talking to Felicia. She says she Felicia outside in a started lying to get attention because she felt like she park wasn’t getting any. A lot of people, even family, told her she was ugly and fat so she needed an outlet. She started online dating because she could pretend she was someone she wasn’t and get the attention she needed. If people likes what they saw on the outside then they would want to get to know the person on the inside. She also says that if she was raised by her dad that wouldn’t have happened, but she grew up with her mom. She feels like everything she does is never good enough and she is always judged by her mom, also because of her weight. She was a spoiled kid, had everything she needed accept for love. The only time she felt like she had love was when she met people online so that’s why she kept doing it. She wants to take it one day at a time and see what happens. She has also cancelled accounts so she can’t relapse. With her real profile, she met Mike who loved her for who she really is. She admits she likes him. They decide to go back and see him. 14 34:30 – 39:34 Mike Orlando, Mika and Felicia go on a date in a restaurant. Felicia says Felicia Florida – at a that he is cute and that she is happy that they are there restaurant together. Mike is still upset because she lied. Felicia doesn’t think it is that bad because she lied about ‘minor’ things. Felicia wants to know if he likes her and if he sees them as something more. She wants to be together but Mike doesn’t know if he wants the same thing. Mike asks why she is getting upset when he needs time. He doesn’t want anything more at the moment. Felicia wants to leave because she is mad. They go outside and Mike says that he want to have a friendship and build form there. Felicia agrees 15 39:34 – 40:57 Nev Two months later… Max Nev and Max skype with Mike. Mike Text on the screen: Michael is still living with his parents Felicia and has found a job installing irrigation systems. He hopes to move to his own place soon. Mike and Felicia keep in touch, she will come see Mike in October. Text on the screen: Felicia continues to live in Orlando and go to school. She is grateful that Michael has given her a second chance. Felicia says she’s being 100% truthful with Michael and is doing her best to be honest with everyone else in her life as well. Felicia also says she’s planning to move back to New Jersey in six months. Because when she went to visit Michael, they officially became a couple. Nev and Max skype with Felicia. She is glad Mike has given her a second chance and that he is not a douchebag.
83 Season 2 Episode 1 – air date 25 June 2013 Cassie and Steve
Sequence Duration Who? Where? What? 1 00:00 – 00:22 Nev Outside a house Fragment of later on in the episode, to make the viewer Max curious and keep watching. Cassie Max, Nev and Cassie are at a house, Cassie rings the doorbell and nobody says anything. The door opens. 2 00:28 – 01:45 Nev Intro Nev telling us what the program is about with different images and dialogues from episodes while he is talking. Hi, I’m Nev, and this is my filmmaker buddy Max. Last year, we travelled across the country figuring out the truth behind online romances. Along the way, we opened the door to some big surprises. We made a few love connections and even did our fair share of mending broken hearts. Suddenly the idea of Catfishing, hiding who you really are to hook someone into an online relationship was being talked about by a lot of you. So, Max and I are headed back onto the road to investigate stories that seem too good to be true or too wild to make up. Will hope become love or is love in for a giant shock. You can be sure that Max and I will find out all the answer because sometimes a little bit of fiction leads to a whole lot of reality. Catfish the movie was my story, Catfish the TV show is yours. 3 01:45 – 05:26 Max Los Angeles, Nev and Max are in a hotel room and ready to start season Nev California – 2. Nev says he has received over 10 000 e-mails since the hotel room end of season 1. They pick out one that they are going to investigate. Hi Nev, I need help in meeting my fiancé, Steve! Here is a little background information on how my relationship started. In 2010, my father passed away. It was a tough time for me because it was so unexpected and I was very close to him. My world began to crash. I began drinking every night, I also began engaging in a lot of sexual activities. Then one day, I was going through my friend requests on Facebook and there was Steve. I didn’t think anything of it because he was an aspiring wrapper. I get a lot of messages from people who are in the music industry because they see I work at Power 96, one of Miami’s top radio stations. What really got me to start talking to him was the fact that he seemed like he genuinely cared. Every day he reminds me that I am important, he has been my rock. Now, 2 ½ years later, I’m desperate to meet him. By the way, he is from Atlanta. He travels a lot because he does shows to promote himself. We have never met and I’m fearful that there is a reason why. I tried to video chat once but his webcam wasn’t working and neither was his microphone. Please help me finally get to hold Steve. Thank you, Cassandra They skype with Cassie and she says she was the one who proposed and he accepted. She says he is the only one she can confide in and tell everything to. Snapshot of the message where she asks him to marry her. They tell each other ‘I love you’. She says she never asked to video chat again and knows he is Steven Gomez but that he is hiding something. Nev and Max decide to help Cassie. 4 05:26 – 10:40 Nev Los Angeles, Nev and Max pack their bags, get on the plane and fly to
84 Max California – Miami. Film crew hotel room to They go to Cassie’s house. Family means a lot to her. Cassie airport They go sit outside and Nev asks to talk about her dad. In North Miami, 2010 he went to Haiti to visit family. When he was there, Florida her cousin got kidnapped for ransom. Her dad tried to stop them but he got shot in the head. She misses hugging her dad. After that she hit rock bottom by drinking and nearly losing her scholarship. Steve helped her keep going. She wants Steve to come down and marry her. They go back inside and look at pictures. She only has six pictures of Steven but doesn’t find that strange. They do have phone sex. Snapshots of messages they sent to each other. Nev asks why she hasn’t googled him in the 2 ½ years they have been talking. She says she trusts him. Max and Nev are about to leave to investigate and Max tells Cassie that she has to be realistic and that he might not be who he says he is. Nev, Max and the film crew leave and Max doesn’t trust anything about Steve. 5 10:40 – 14:24 Nev Hollywood, Nev and Max are in the car driving to the hotel and Max Florida – hotel discussing how they will investigate. Nev mentions that if room he really is a producer or wrapper, they will find things about him online. They get to the hotel and set up the laptop to start investigating. - His music name is S-Killa, Cassie sent them some music so they start listening and decide to shazam them. They don’t find anything but the music is very amateur for someone in the studio nearly all the time. They decide to look up S-Killa but don’t find a hiphopper - They look on his Facebook page, he doesn’t seem to have a lot of friends. He is in a relationship with Cassie and is very open about it - They do an image search on the pictures and find they belong to a model Deonee Arnez Max concludes that whoever the person is, it’s someone who cares about Cassie and doesn’t want her to throw her life away but doesn’t want her to know who he/she is. But how to describe the phone sex and what about the future Cassie has in her head. 6 14:24 – 19:05 Nev Hollywood, Nev and Max go back to meet Cassie and her best friend Max Florida – nail Gladys, they are having their nails done. They have Cassie salon, bar known each other nearly their whole life and see each Gladys other as sisters. They can never stay mad at each other. Gladys says that Steve helped Cassie out of her black hole because she didn’t listen to anyone else. Gladys is a little sceptical towards the marriage, Cassie says she thought about it before asking. They all go to a bar so they can discuss what Nev and Max found. - They didn’t find the songs anywhere and didn’t find S-Killa - The image search lead to a model website Cassie is a little embarrassed about the situation. Nev says she can’t blame herself that someone lied to her and that being open and honest is not a flaw. All they know is that there are a lot of questions and that there is someone on the other end of the computer. 7 19:05 – 20:54 Nev Hollywood, Nev and Max are at the hotel and call Cassie to see how Max Florida – hotel she is doing. Steve just sent her an e-mail with a song and the guys ask her to forward it to them. They open the song and view the preferences to find who the author is. The author is YnotpartY and they google that. The music seems to come from a guy called Tony, first real person
85 linked to the Steve persona. They decide to go and see Cassie, maybe she knows Tony. 8 20:54 – 23:32 Nev North Miami, Nev and Max arrive at Cassie’s house, she seems really Max Florida – sad. They Tell her about the music related to a guy called Cassie Cassie’s house Tony. Snapshot of pictures of Tony. Suddenly Cassie Film crew recognizes Tony as Gladys’ cousin and says he has been staying at her house for a while. Cassie goes away to cry and Nev goes to see how she is doing. She feels ashamed and is going to be very mad at Gladys if she knew about it. They all get in the car to go and see Gladys. 9 23:32 – 31:18 Max Miami, Florida – Cassie can’t believe they had phone sex and experienced Nev on the road and some intimate things and that someone could just make Cassie at Gladys’ house that up. Gladys Gladys opens the door and doesn’t let them in. Gladys Tony explains that she made Steve up, Cassie walks away and Film crew gets into the car to scream. She calls her mom to tell her. Gladys did it because she wanted Cassie to change. Nev goes to the car and talks to Cassie. That it would be best to hear what Gladys has to say, even though it is totally messed up. Gladys wanted Cassie to be a better person, she made the Facebook profile and has two cell phones. They go inside to talk to Tony, Cassie says she feels embarrassed and Tony feels the same way. Tony says he cares about her and that he wishes he was Steve. He says it felt real to him. Cassie wants to go home. 10 31:18 – 31:51 Nev Miami, Florida - Little intermezzo of Max and Nev at a market having Max market some fun and learning dance moves. 11 31:51 – 35:44 Nev Hollywood, Nev and Max are discussing the meeting with Gladys and Max Florida – hotel Cassie and Max says Cassie was not just let down, she Gladys room was traumatised Nev and Max phone Gladys and ask her if the can come by. They go over to her house to figure out everything and why she lied. Gladys explains: when Cassie her dad died she started sleeping around, getting drunk all the time and didn’t know what she was doing. Gladys and Cassie her mom tried talking to her but nobody was getting through to her. Snapshots of messages by Steve. Gladys knows she really hurt Cassie but says Steve did keep her on the right path and straightened her out. Gladys want to talk to Cassie so they get in the car to go over to her house. 12 35:44 – 39:50 Nev North Miami, Max, Nev, Cassie and Gladys sit down to talk but decide Max Florida – on the it is better if Gladys and Cassie talk alone. Gladys road and Awkward silence. Cassie Cassie’s house Gladys did it to help her because she didn’t want Cassie to mess her life up. She is sorry she did it in the way she did because she didn’t want her to feel violated by Tony. She didn’t know how else to get through to Cassie. Cassie says Steve did help her be a better person and that she doesn’t hate Gladys but that they are not going to be as close as before. She says Steve made her love herself. They hug. Gladys says she will never touch Facebook again. Nev, Max and Gladys leave. 13 39:50 – 41:02 Nev Two months later… Max Nev and Max skype with Cassie Gladys Text on the screen: Cassie Cassie has put her dating life on hold. She’s currently devoting most of her time to working at the radio station and keeping up with her studies at school. Nev and Max ask her how things are going with Gladys. She says they have been hanging out together with other people but not one-on-one. She checks Gladys her phone
86 and computer now and then. Nev and Max skype with Gladys Text on the screen: Gladys has deactivated Steve’s profile and has not started one of her own. She’s still hopeful that she and Cassie will grow close again. Their friendship is going, but Cassie still doesn’t trust her again completely
87 Season 2 Episode 9 – air date 27 August 2013 Artis and Jess
Sequence Duration Who? Where? What? 1 00:00 – 00:23 Nev Fragment of later on in the episode, to make the viewer Max curious and keep watching. Artis Nev, Max and Artis are at a park waiting. Suddenly a car drives along. 2 00:23 – 01:46 Nev Intro Nev telling us what the program is about with different images and dialogues from episodes while he is talking. Hi, I’m Nev, and this is my filmmaker buddy Max. Last year, we travelled across the country figuring out the truth behind online romances. Along the way, we opened the door to some big surprises. We made a few love connections and even did our fair share of mending broken hearts. Suddenly the idea of Catfishing, hiding who you really are to hook someone into an online relationship was being talked about by a lot of you. So, Max and I are headed back onto the road to investigate stories that seem too good to be true or too wild to make up. Will hope become love or is love in for a giant shock. You can be sure that Max and I will find out all the answer because sometimes a little bit of fiction leads to a whole lot of reality. Catfish the movie was my story, Catfish the TV show is yours. 3 01:46 – 06:34 Nev Cullman, Nev and Max open an e-mail with the subject: A cry for Max Alabama – hotel help. room Hi, My name is Artis and I live in Woodstock, a small town in Illinois. I work at a local warehouse shipping and receiving and enjoy what I do. About four or five months ago I started talking to a nice young lady by the name of Jess. Jess is 23-years-old and she’s from Marengo, Illinois which is only 30min from me. We met on Facebook and she’s like no other woman I’ve ever met. She’s easy to talk to, she’s funny and I’ve fallen for her. She’s a babysitter and enjoys being around kids. One of the reasons I care about Jess is because we both share the same love for children. I have three children of my own and she is accepting of that. I haven’t been able to meet Jess because we are both in a relationship. Both of us are currently living with our significant others and are unhappy with our relationships. Neither one of them know we are talking. It is easier for us to send text messaged or chat on Facebook because we are keeping our relationship a secret. I know it’s wrong and I feel guilty but I need to get out of the relationship that is not working for me and into one that will. I think Jess is that relationship. I want to break up with my current girlfriend but I want to know where I stand with Jess first. Please help Snapshots of text messages appear: ‘Hey boy, just thinking about you.’ ‘I think about you nonstop’ ‘You look like a great dad.’ Nev and Max say it’s not ok and Artis has to break up with his girlfriend before they want to help him. They decide to give him a call. Artis says he has been together with his girlfriend for 3 years but is dating online. They both know it’s not working but it’s hard to just break up because they have kids. Jess sparks up his day. They have never phoned or video chatted and her boyfriend is very controlling. Nev
88 and Max say they don’t want to meet somewhere else and going behind Artis’ girlfriends back. Artis says he will take care of it. Nev and Max head out to Woodstock. Artis is an Afrro-American man. 4 06:34 – 06:58 Nev Woodstock, Nev is brushing his teeth and explaining that he hurt his Illinois – hotel foot and now he has a huge egg on it. room 5 06:53 – 10:39 Nev Woodstock, Nev and Max are discussing the situation. Max says he Max Illinois – in the once did the same thing and felt like a bad guy. He says Artis car and in the Artis just want to be loved. Nev and Max drive into the diner diner where they are meeting Artis. Artis says the relationship he is in now is over and there is no communication between him and his girlfriend making it hard to talk about breaking up. They stay together for the kids and Artis says they have bad days sometimes. Jess is the one who cares about him. Jess only has one picture on her Facebook because of her controlling boyfriend. She has dyed blonde hair and blue eyes and is quite exposed in her picture. Her name is Jess Venny. They have talked about a future and have sent sexual messages. Nev says they will help Artis if he talks to his girlfriend about it. They all leave the diner and go their separate ways. In the car Max says he is curious about who the woman is. 6 10:39 – 14:22 Nev Woodstock, Nev and Max go back to the hotel to investigate. Nev says Max Illinois – hotel that Artis his relationship is over and he is now looking room for attention but Jess doesn’t seem real. - They look on her Facebook: they find she works at Hooters and went to a well-known school. She also has a lot of friends from Marengo. But her status says ‘single’ while she supposedly has a controlling boyfriend. On one Facebook post, Jess writes ‘Bored and single, anyone want to hang or bang?’ someone (Kevin) responds to that ‘I don’t think you are real’ - They send a message to Kevin to ask him for some information. Kevin phones back really quickly. Kevin explains that Marengo is a small town and everyone knows each other when suddenly a profile comes up and starts adding everyone without anyone knowing her. - Google image search leads them to porn sites and they find the picture. Everything seems so obviously wrong. 7 14:22 – 18:59 Nev Woodstock, Max and Nev are in the hotel room wondering what to do. Max Illinois – hotel Nev was texting with Artis the night before: Artis room and diner Artis: Hey what’s going on? This was probably the longest talk I have ever had but it was good to talk and let things out. Nev says it sounds good that they talked about everything and they leave to meet up with Artis. Artis tells them about the conversation. They came to an agreement to support each other financially until they can move on. - Nev and Max tell Artis that they looked at the profile and reached out to Kevin. - They also tell Artis about the Google Image Search The person Artis is talking to is a real person but not the person he thinks it is. He now really wants to find out who he has been talking to for the past months. 8 18:59 – 22:58 Nev Woodstock, Nev and Max are back in the hotel room and wonder what Max Illinois – hotel to do next. They decide to just phone Jess but it goes over room to voicemail. Max thinks they should reach out to her on Facebook. They send her a message to ask her to contact them. They want her to phone them but she sends them a message back on Facebook wondering if it is really them. They
89 decide to take a picture with a paper with her name on it. She is still not sure it is them. Nev asks her if they can phone her but she can’t: ‘I’d love to but I am in a very controlling relationship. It is a fear you can’t understand.’ She is playing games with Nev and Max. Jess wants to know if what Artis feels for her is real. Nev says he has told his girlfriend about them and wants to be with Jess. She says she needs time to think and will let them know what she wants to do the next day. 9 22:58 – 24:03 Max Woodstock, The next day Jess has sent a message: ‘Meet me at Nev Illinois – hotel Emricson Park in Woodstock by the pond. Be there. Bring Artis room Artis too. I’m dying to see him. The meeting is set at 2 p.m. They call Artis to tell him the news and that they will pick him up. 10 24:03 – 34:04 Max Woodstock, Nev tells Artis he should prepare himself because they Nev Illinois – on the know nothing about this person. They park at the pond Artis road to the park and wait for someone to arrive. Jess aka Suddenly a car comes but they can’t see who is inside. Justin A guy comes out of the car and heads towards them clapping. He seems aggressive and won’t back off. He says he wants to talk to Artis and says he will be wearing the pants in the relationship. He acts really weird and admits he is Jess. Artis walks away. The guy says not everything is as it seems and that you can’t always have it the way you want it to be and that he is living proof of that. He says that Artis has a family and he was talking to him anyway. He says his name is Justin. Nev says he is gay and Justin says no but then says obviously. Justin made the fake profile and was joking around but then noticed that guys who were already in relationships started talking to him so he felt he had power to do something about it. He wants to say that you can’t just mess around when you are in a relationship. Justin wanted to teach Artis a leson. They were sending sexual messages. Nev goes to the car to talk to Artis. Justin is in a relationship and says his girlfriend knows that he has fake profiles. He says he hates cheaters and that is the reason he does it. He has already stood up other guys with the Jess profile. He just wants to catch cheaters. Justin doesn’t want to talk about it anymore and Nev says that if he is dealing with other stuff he should talk about it to someone. 11 34:04 – 38:35 Max Woodstock, Nev wants to try and get through to Justin. He phones Nev Illinois – hotel Justin to ask if they can come over. They go over to his Justin room and house. Justin’s house Justin says he is an asshole. Max mentions that is seems as if he just wants people to hate him. Justin says that Artis doesn’t even care who he is and that he wouldn’t even care if he would apologize. Nev wonders why he chose Artis. There was so much chemistry between Artis and Jess. Nev also wonders how he got in the situation he is in now. Justin says he was homeless. His father died and Justin found his body. After that he had nowhere to go so he needed someone else to live for. He says his girlfriend sees something in him. Max says he needs to figure out how to like himself. He has nothing he wants to say to Justin. 12 38:35 – 39:35 Max Woodstock, Nev and Max meet up with Artis. Nev Illinois – Artis says he has learnt his lesson and that he can now talk Artis basketball court to the mother of his kids. 13 39:35 – 40:50 Nev One month later… Max Nev and Max skype with Justin: he says nothing has Artis changed for him. He has stopped using the fake profile, he
90 Justin says it served its purpose so he can retire now. Max asks if he feels bad about it. Justin says he doesn’t think about it. He says he doesn’t care about anyone but himself and hangs up. Text on the screen Since filming has ended, Justin and Artis have has no communication with each other. Artis has explained everything that happened with Justin to the mother of his children. His willingness to be open and honest with her has greatly improved their relationship. Nev and Max skype with Artis: he says they are working things out. So something good did come out of the situation.
91 Season 2 Episode 15 – air date 15 October 2013 Mike and Caroline
Sequence Duration Who? Where? What? 1 00:00 – 00:25 Nev Outside a house Fragment of later on in the episode, to make the viewer Max curious and keep watching. Mike Nev, Max and Mike are in a car. Mike is very nervous. They arrive at a park, a white car comes and the door opens. 2 00:25 – 01:49 Nev Intro Nev telling us what the program is about with different images and dialogues from episodes while he is talking. Hi, I’m Nev, and this is my filmmaker buddy Max. Last year, we travelled across the country figuring out the truth behind online romances. Along the way, we opened the door to some big surprises. We made a few love connections and even did our fair share of mending broken hearts. Suddenly the idea of Catfishing, hiding who you really are to hook someone into an online relationship was being talked about by a lot of you. So, Max and I are headed back onto the road to investigate stories that seem too good to be true or too wild to make up. Will hope become love or is love in for a giant shock. You can be sure that Max and I will find out all the answer because sometimes a little bit of fiction leads to a whole lot of reality. Catfish the movie was my story, Catfish the TV show is yours. 3 01:49 – 06:22 Nev Atlanta, Nev and Max are in a hotel room being silly. They decide Max Georgia to look for someone they are going to help find their online romance. Nev and Max, My name is Michael, I’m 27 and live in Pensacola, Florida. I’m in desperate need of your assistance. I met this girl named Caroline on a dating website. The main problem I have is that Caroline and I live in the same city, however I have still yet to meet her. It has been roughly a year and a half now since we first met and I’ve tried everything in my power to meet this girl and nothing seems to work. She always cancels last-minute, stands me up or flees when I show up. I’ve also tried on multiple occasions to video chat with her but her camera is broken or covered. She claims that it is all anxiety or due to problems. But at the same time I wonder if maybe the problem is me. She is supposedly in the middle of being treated for colon cancer which makes every day harder because in developing a deep care for her it is hard not being around. I’ve tried the image search tricks that I have learned from the show and researched on my own but nothing I’ve done seems to work towards my ultimate goal of meeting Caroline. Caroline is the perfect person for me. I feel like, even though we haven’t met, the bond we’ve built up over this whole time is stronger than anything I’ve ever had with anyone else. I would like it very much if you guys helped me solve the mystery of this dilemma. Hope to hear from you soon, Michael Snapshots of images of Caroline and Mike are shown together with some text messages. ‘I wanna be with you forever.’ ‘I wanna have my lips on yours.’ ‘Soon boo! I swear.’ ‘You always make me happy.’ ‘I can’t help the way I feel.’ Music is also playing.
92 Nev and Max don’t understand how you can make plans to meet and cancel every time. They decide to call Mike. He still lives with his parents and he is an artist. Mike met Caroline on a dating website Plenty of Fish. After 4 or 5 months they started talking on the phone. They can just be themselves and get along well. She is always scared of meeting him. Once when they were going to meet up, she left when he was there. Then after a while she disappeared and came back months later, said she was ill and wanted to meet him. Max and Nev find everything fishy, a lot of red flags going up. But they decide to go and help him out. 4 06:22 – 11:48 Nev Pensacola, Nev and Max travel to Pensacola, Florida. They go to Max Florida – visit Mike at his house which is quite big. They look at Mike Mike’s house his art. Afterwards they sit down to talk about what he knows about Caroline. - In the beginning her name was Caroline Rhodes, not a lot of information was on her Facebook profile. When he looked her pictures up he found another profile that belongs to Caroline Olivia Ledford with more information and photos. He wrote to her more public profile that they were friends on her other profile but she never reacted. On the other profile he asked some questions and she said her parents were divorced and her mother’s name is Rhodes and her father’s name is Ledford. - She doesn’t seem like a girl who has social anxiety. Mike says in the beginning she was very active but when she found out she had cancer she was quieter. Mike’s mom had the same type of cancer before he was born so she can talk to him about it. Because of Caroline, he can’t have a normal relationship with other women. One night, she made a friend drive by Mike’s house and leave a note on his jeep that said: ‘Can’t wait to see you tomorrow. Boo-bear.’ She even takes photos of the outside of his house. Nev and Max see her as a stalker and that he has probably met this person. But she has a hold on Mike and Nev and Max want to solve the mystery. Nev and Max leave the house and say that this person has really crossed the line. 5 11:48 – 15:11 Nev Pensacola, Nev and Max check into their hotel room to start Max Florida – hotel investigating Caroline. She has been avoiding meeting Lauren room him for a year and a half now. - They first decide to send a message to the profile of Caroline Olivia Ledford to see what she has to say about everything. Her hometown seems to be in North Carolina. - They also send a message to Lauren, who seems to be a friend of Caroline and would know if she is going through chemo. - Then they look up if any of the pictures she uploaded have a geotag so they can find out from where she uploaded it. This is probably also the place she lives or spends time. They find one of the selfies was uploaded in Pensacola. They suddenly get a phone call from Lauren. They explain the situation and she says Caroline lives in North Carolina and doesn’t have cancer. She has never mentioned a Mike either. They want to wait until they receive a call from the real Caroline so they can show that to Mike. 6 15:11 – 17:27 Nev Pensacola, The next morning Nev has a message from Caroline that Max Florida – hotel she would love to talk to them. Caroline room They start a video chat and ask her if she knows Mike. She doesn’t and she also gets a lot of random Facebook
93 messages and doesn’t reply to most of them. She also leaves a message for Mike saying she is not Caroline Rhodes. Nev and Max conclude y saying this person stalking Mike could literally be anyone. 7 17:27 – 21:16 Nev Pensacola, Nev phones Mike to tell him they want to meet up to go Max Florida – over some serious things. They head over to his house. Mike Mike’s house They show Mike the video of Caroline saying that they have never spoken, she doesn’t have cancer and she is not called Rhodes. Mike seems generally really upset. Music plays and snapshots of texts are shown together with pictures of Caroline. ‘I trust you more than anyone.’ Nev and Max tell Mike that the selfie Caroline uploaded is tagged to a specific street. Mike then says he knows where she lives and that he drove past her house one day but she didn’t want to come out of the house. Mike leaves the house and says he always trusts people until they give him a reason not to. And that now it is a really big let-down. 8 21:16 – 24:24 Nev Pensacola, Nev and Max discuss why she wouldn’t want to meet. Max Florida – hotel Sometimes they are just doing it for fun with no intention room of meeting the person they are Catfishing. Nev calls Caroline and asks to video chat but she subtlety declines. They tell her that they know she is not the real Caroline and she starts crying. At first she is reluctant to meet and then she wants to meet in a public place. She says he is her Mike and that he is in her bubble where she normally doesn’t let anyone in. 9 24:24 – 25:37 Nev Pensacola, Nev and Max thinks they know each other and that’s why Max Florida – on the she didn’t give her name because he would know who it Mike road and at is. Mike’s house They head over to Mike’s house and tell him that they are going to meet her. While they are in the car, music is playing and messages and pictures of Caroline are shown. Mike says he has put a lot of emotional effort into Caroline. 10 25:37 – 31:41 Nev Pensacola, Nev, Max and Mike are headed to the park where they are Max Florida – on the going to meet ‘Caroline’. Mike is very nervous. They Mike road to meet arrive and go to a picnic table to wait. ‘Caroline’ aka A car drives into the parking lot and an overweight girl Heather gets out of the car. Mike knows the girl, her name is Heather and he has met her before on Plenty of Fish when she was pretending to be someone else. But Mike found out and she confessed. Heather starts crying. First she made up a fake profile for Clair, together with a friend to see if her husband was cheating on her. That’s when Mike sent a message to her and she found him cool so she gave him her number. Then she sent him a picture saying ‘Hi this is Heather’ and explained what they were doing. Mike wasn’t very nice and didn’t want to be her friend. Heather got upset and made up Caroline because she was mad at him. Initially it was not meant to last but to be mean but then she found out they liked the same things and had the same personality and she fell in love with him. She tried to stop, that’s why she disappeared but missed Mike so came back. She made up she was sick because she found that he was frustrated and was afraid he was going to leave. They decide to call it a day and leave. 11 31:41 – 32:13 Nev Pensacola, Intermezzo of Nev and Max having fun on the beach Max Florida – at the pretending to be lifeguards Woman beach 12 32:13 – 37:20 Mike Pensacola, Mike says he is too trustworthy. Nev Florida – Nev and Max convince Mike to go and talk to Heather. Max Mike’s house They call Heather and ask her if she wants to come over
94 Heather and talk about everything. Heather arrives. Nev and Max say that using cancer as a lie to keep Mike is a very stressful one. Heather even has family with cancer which makes it even worse. Mike then says his dad has been diagnosed with diabetes which has made a huge change in the family. Heather was afraid that she was going to lose someone important to her. She never let anyone in before but could tell everything to Mike. She apologizes and doesn’t want him to hate her. Mike says she needs help and should really talk to someone. Nev and Max also say that might be a good plan and that they have both done it as well. Sometimes you just don’t know where to go from a certain point in your life. Heather leaves while it is pouring with rain. 13 37:20 – 39:12 Nev Pensacola, Max, Nev and Mike are in the kitchen and Nev and Max Max Florida – say they have a surprise for Mike. Mike Mike’s house They set up a video chat with the real Caroline. They Caroline have a conversation and find out that they are both artistic. They decide to become friends on Facebook. 14 39:12 – 40:51 Nev One month later… Max Nev and Max skype with Heather Mike She hasn’t had a lot of contact with Mike. She changed Heather her eating habits and started a blog to write everything down that is going on in her life. Text on the screen: Since filming ended, Heather has been making positive changes to her life and is even planning to meet with a therapist. Nev and Max skype with Mike Mike doesn’t want to talk to Heather again but wishes her the best. He has a little bit of contact with the real Caroline. Text on the screen: Mike has been trying to move on from Heather and has no plans to talk to her again.
95 Season 3 Episode 1 – air date 7 May 2014 Craig and Zoe
Sequence Duration Who? Where? What? 1 00:00 – 00:22 Nev Outside a house Fragment of later on in the episode, to make the viewer Max curious and keep watching. Craig Nev, Max, Craig and Miriah get out of a car and go Miriah towards a house. No one seems to be there. 2 00:22 – 00:28 Intro It’s a real life Gossip Girl 3 00:28 – 04:25 Nev Los Angeles, Nev and Max are talking about hair products and they Max California decide to get down to business. They see an e-mail from Film crew Craig titles Heartbreak hotel. Craig Hey Nev, It’s Craig. I’m 24 and live right outside Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. I need your help because I met this girl on Facebook named Zoe. She was in Florida. We had a phone relationship but then we started to get feelings for each other. A couple of months after we first started talking we exchanged ‘I love you’ and things got more serious. She was there to support me through my financial issues and she gave me the extra motivation that everything was going to be ok in the end. I keep her head up the way she would for me. We talked about having a life together sometime soon but I would make attempts to see her and she always had an excuse. One night I stayed up until 4 a.m. waiting for her to arrive and then she said she had a family emergency. She did this to me four times. I’ve always been suspicious but I ignored it because I love her and I was lying to myself about what was real and what wasn’t. The love that we once had has now turned sour. I have been loyal to someone I don’t even know but if she turns out to be real I’d be torn and I would want to see if we could try and find what we once had. Please help me find the truth behind the real Zoe. Snapshots of exchanged texts and messaged appear together with photos while Nev is reading the e-mail. ‘Let’s lock this down.’ ‘Let’s make it official.’ Nev and Max call Zoe They were talking every day for a year, the whole day long. She had his back. After a year it was always the same cycle that they would try and meet up but she always had an excuse. They never video chatted and she was reluctant to sending him pictures. He wants to know who he gave his heart to. Nev and Max want to help him and travel to Pittsburgh. (Craig is an Afro-American) 4 04:25 – 09:54 Nev Pittsburgh, Nev and Max arrive in Pittsburgh and go to Craig’s Max Pennsylvania – house. He got to know Zoe through his sister. He went Craig Craig’s house down to Florida to see his sister and she showed him a picture of Zoe. She knew her through a friend but they never met. Craig was drawn to Zoe because he didn’t feel alone and had someone to talk to. He has had issues his whole life because his dad was never there. He wished he could have seen him but he has passed away. He doesn’t know exactly how his dad died, he was eight years old. Zoe gave him the love that he was looking for. But when they tried to meet up it never worked. Then he gave her the password to his Facebook so she couldn’t have any trust issues. Craig was trying to prove that he could really love her. He saw her paranoia and
96 obsession as protecting what is hers. He had photo sync on his account and a friend of him sent pictures of her to ask his opinion. Zoe s aw the pictures and put them on Craig’s account to upset him. Craig has changed his password several times but Zoe still seems to be able to hack into his account. One time, pictures from her phone synced to his Facebook and there was a picture of a heavier girl. Craig asked Zoe who it was and she said it was her friend Cassandra. Nev and Max think that girl might be the real Zoe. Every time Craig tries to move on she gets back into contact with him saying they can’t be apart. She calls him crying and apologizing. Craig loves and needs her. They look her up on Craig’s computer. She goes by the name of Zoe Peterson. She also has pictures with friends on Facebook. She says that she currently stays in North Carolina but all her friends are in Jacksonville, Florida. Nev decides it is best if they all go to Florida to see what is going on. 5 09:54 – 12:38 Nev Jacksonville, Nev, Max and Craig are on the plane to Florida. It is Max Florida – on the Craig’s first time ever on a plane. Craig road and at In the car Craig says he is extremely close with his Miriah Miriah’s house sister. They get to her house and she is really happy to see Craig. They all sit down to talk about Zoe. Miriah met her through her best friend Harrison. She got really close with Zoe but never met her. Her friends Kayla and Kalyn have known Zoe for a long time but only on Facebook. Zoe ruined the relationship of Miriah and Kayla. She always found a way to bully people on Facebook. Nev wants to talk to more of Miriah’s friends and see what they know. Miriah says that she will call them. 6 12:38 – 16:26 Nev Jacksonville, On the way to have lunch with some of Miriah’s friends, Max Florida – Nev and Max see that Zoe is a larger ‘problem’. She has Craig restaurant ended relationships and friendships and is sort of like a Kayla real life Gossip Girl. Kalyn They get to the restaurant and Kayla and Kalyn are there. They were best friends but Zoe broke them up, like she broke the friendship of Kayla and Craig. Zoe had some naked pictures of Kayla and sent them to Kalyn who asked where they came from. According to Zoe Craig sent them to her. She also said that Zoe is a psycho and Craig had to fix it. Kalyn wasn’t on Kayla her side saying she should never have sent the pictures, that way they wouldn’t be on Facebook. The next day, Zoe said (through Craig’s Facebook) that she wasn’t going to post the pictures but that she wanted her to know she had them. But Zoe did post pictures, not only of Kayla but also of other girls with their full name and what school they go to. Zoe was scaring everyone by saying ‘I’m just getting started. At 10 o’clock tonight I’m going to post another nude.’ And things like that. Craig is upset and leaves the table. Nev goes outside to comfort Craig who is crying outside. He is upset about all the betrayal and the ruining of all the friendships. Who else is she doing this to? He ends by saying: ‘I’m in love with someone who is just evil.’ 7 16:26 – 20:40 Max Jacksonville, Max and Nev are going over the events of the previous Nev Florida – hotel day. Zoe is a Catfish terrorist causing fear and sadness. room They are ready to start their investigation. - They have a phone number and they look it up on the internet. A name comes up with it: Mary Ann
97 Rozmus, a female of 60 years old living in Jacksonville, Florida. She does however have an address in Shelby, North Carolina which is also where Zoe says she has been. - They look for Mary Ann Rozmus on Facebook. They find a Michael Rozmus who lives in North Carolina and is from Jacksonville who seems to be Mary Ann her son. They also find a photo of a girl, probably the sister. But she is not tagged in the photos. They are still logged on to Craig’s Facebook and Nev thinks the profile might be blocked so decides to check out the profiles through his own Facebook. When logged on to his Facebook the picture is tagged as Cassandra Rozmuz. Cassandra is the supposed friend of Zoe. - They go onto Cassandra’s profile and find some photos. Her url is crozmusx3 which is the same as Zoe who uses zoepetersonx3. They find a picture of her house (if it is her house), it is huge. - Through the phone search they have the address and look it up on google streetview, it gives them the same house as Cassandra’s picture. - They look up Cassandra Rozmus on Youtube and find a video. They have found Zoe, who is manipulating a whole town from a state away. 8 20:40 – 25:30 Nev Jacksonville, They all sit down and Nev explains what they Max Florida – Craig’s researched. They did a reverse search for the phone Miriah house number which shows the locations North Carolina and Craig Jacksonville. Then they looked up other people and found a family. Cassandra is part of that family, a girl who is a little overweight. They also look at the Youtube video and Craig says it sounds like Zoe. Nev says it is probably the most destructive person they have had and wants her to come face-to-face with everyone she has hurt and messed with. Craig is really angry and wants to know why she did it. Nev tries to call Cassandra but only gets a voicemail and leaves a message that they are trying to meet up with her. Nev decides they will just go to North Carolina because they know where she lives. Someone needs to talk to the girl who is messing with so many people’s lives. 9 25:30 – 25:57 Nev Jacksonville, All four are travelling to North Carolina. Everyone is on Max Florida – Shelby, the plane. Craig North Carolina Snapshots of Zoe and Cassandra come on the screen Miriah with music playing. 10 25:57 – 33:08 Nev Shelby, North Later that day, after landing they are driving to Zoe’s Max Carolina – house. Nev says they have never just showed up at Craig Cassandra’s someone’s house before. Craig is nervous and wonders Miriah house who would do something like that. ‘Zoe’ aka They get to the house, which is the biggest on the block, Cassandra and knock on the door. No one seems to be home. Craig tries calling Zoe but no one picks up. They don’t know what to do. They think someone is in the house watching them. Suddenly a car comes I the driveway and it’s Cassandra. They head towards the car and Cassandra gets out. She directly admits to being Zoe. Nev wants to know if she has some explanation or excuse. Zoe says it is a joke that got out of hand. She says she is fully aware of what she has done. She wanted to mess with people. Nev says she has ruined lives. Miriah also says she has ruined relationships with close friends. Cassandra says she
98 doesn’t feel bad about it. Max says there must be some explanation for what she did. Cassandra says it just got out of hand, she did it for fun. She didn’t have any feelings for Craig. She says that fake profile wasn’t her. 11 33:08 – 33:50 Nev Shelby, North Craig wants her to see the damage she has done to Max Carolina – hotel people. Craig room They send her a text wanting to know if they can come Miriah over 12 33:50 – 39:01 Nev Shelby, North They get to Cassandra’s house. Craig and Cassandra sit Max Carolina – down to talk. She apologizes but says if she told the Craig Cassandra’s truth she knows how it would have ended. She doesn’t Miriah house believe it would even have been a friendship (probably Cassandra because she is overweight). Craig says she has issues of her own that he couldn’t help with even in the year and three months they were talking. She asks how he thinks she is. Craig says she has a fake profile and ruins other people’s lives. He doesn’t think she is fully aware of how many people’s lives she ruined. Craig has nothing left to say and Cassandra doesn’t explain anything. Craig and Miriah go sit in the car while Nev and Max talk to Cassandra. They try to get through to her by saying Craig really wanted to help her but ended up disliking her because of her behaviour. Max wants her to be honest with herself about why she did it. She starts crying and says she got bullied so much and it felt good to be able to do it back to someone. She says she has tried to hurt herself or thought about killing herself. Max and Nev say she has to try and be herself. If she doesn’t know how it is to lose friends, she can’t appreciate what it is to have friends. In the car they say Cassandra finally showed some emotion and let her guard down. Craig wishes the best for her. 13 39:01 – 40:20 Nev One month later… Max Nev and Max skype with Cassandra Cassandra She deactivated the profile of Zoe. She does think of Craig how bad she was to Craig. Text on the screen: Cassandra says she is still temped every day to reactivate Zoe’s profile. Craig is currently focused on building a career and mending the friendships that Zoe destroyed. Nev and Max skype with Craig Craig says he just found a job. He says he is mad but doesn’t want to spend any more time on it. Text on the screen: After filming ended, Craig cut all ties to Cassandra
99 Season 3 Episode 5 – air date 4 June 2014 Tracie and Sammie
Sequence Duration Who? Where? What? 1 00:00 – 00:29 Nev Driving to a Fragment of later on in the episode, to make the viewer Max public space curious and keep watching. Tracie Nev, Max and Tracie are driving to a public space. Nev says ‘this is it’. Tracie says ‘you know what, what’s gonna be, is gonna be’. Suddenly, someone appears from behind the corner. 2 00:29 – 00:33 Intro It’s really dark and twisted 3 00:33 – 05:32 Max Washington, DC Nev and Max and singing a song and decide to look for Nev – hotel room someone to help. Hello Nev and Max, My name is Tracie. I’m an actress and I currently live in Los Angeles. I need your help. I was in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Rent and was lucky enough to be in the closing Broadway cast. I was also in Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof. I had an online experience that I want to tell you about. It still haunts me to this day. However, my Catfish is not romantic in nature… I met a fan about two years ago on Twitter with the name Sammie. She quickly became what I call a super fan. She was awesome. She helped get the word out about projects I was involved in and made videos for me, created memes, created hashtags, retweeted anything I wrote and anything I was doing. I really grew to like this girl. I’ve had experiences with fans that have gone awry before. This girl was really clever and detailed in her deceit. I still don’t know how she pulled it all off. She created multiple accounts and personalities to garner more and more attention from me and even killed one off to get sympathy from me. I have had no interaction with her in a while, I have no way of knowing if she is still lurking about. Even after all she put me through, I’d like to know that she’s ok and in a perfect world she has reformed her Catfishing ways. Can you help me? Tracie Snapshots of pictures appear on the screen Nev and Max find it an interesting story. They decide to skype with Tracie. Tracie explains that she was working on a film called Raze. It was an independent movie and then you really have to rely on your fans. Sammie was awesome, smart, and funny and made amazing videos. Tracie was close to hiring her and then she introduced Tracie to her friend Reese. Reese was quieter and more devoted. At some point she wrote ‘I hope I get to meet Tracie before it’s too late.’ Tracie then asked what was going on and Reese said she has cancer. And then suddenly Reese passed away. Sammie told Tracie and then was asking how she was doing. Tracie found it weird that everything went so fast but also that Sammie was asking how she was doing while it was Sammie’s best friend. And then Reese ‘favorited’ her own RIP tweet and an hour later ‘unfavorited’ it. And then she discovered that there was no Reese and Sammie made her up for attention. Tracie wants to know if she is stalking other people or her. Nev and Max want to help her find Sammie.
100 Images of Nev, Max and the film crew traveling to LA 4 05:32 – 10:21 Los Angeles, Nev Nev and Max drive over to Tracie’s house. California – Max They sit down and want to know the whole story. Tracie Tracie’s Tracie starts by telling them that Sammie was really a super house Film crew fan, especially when she was doing the film Raze. She really had a soft spot for Sammie in her heart because she was sweet and talented. Through Sammie, she met Reese who has cancer. Tracie got more emotionally invested in Reese compared to Sammie. Both Sammie and Reese were also talking to Tracie’s friend Lotti, who was producing a film called ‘Chasity Bites’. Lottie got very close to Sammie and Reese because as a producer it is really good to have super fans who promote your films. One day Smmie asks Tracie: Have you talked to Reese today? Tracie doesn’t reply and the next day Sammie says: She died this morning. After that she sent a movie from at the funeral. Tracie finds that strange, why you would be filming at your best friends’ funeral. Then she tweeted the funeral banner but when you zoom in you can read a phone number. When Tracie called it they had never heard of a Reese. Tracie then asks Sammie for the obituary, Sammie says she doesn’t have it with her but she can send it. Tracie asks her to Tweet it but nothing happens. Then Tracie dug deeper and found other Tweets that said Sammie was dead but she came back again. MarissaCampaign was the account Sammie used and turned into Reese. Then after Reese ‘died’, Sammie started deleting everything. Tracie just wants to know why she did everything. Snapshots of tweets appear and pictures of Sammie. Tracie just wants to know that when she is talking to any fan it is not Sammie again. 5 10:21 – 10:46 Los Angeles, Nev Nev and Max are talking about it in the car. California – Max Nev is concerned Sammie could be dangerous. in the car 6 10:46 – 15:24 Los Angeles, Nev Nev and Max are in their hometown and go to the California – Max Catfish headquarters to investigate. Catfish They have gotten a lot of info from Tracie. headquarters - They look up the phone number on Spocio and find it belongs to Davis Samantha from Philadelphia. - They go to Facebook to look her up and use her Twitter shortcut @Sammierdx. They find a Facebook page that belongs to Samantha Regina. They look at her pictures and find out she has a son and that she is 25 and interested in women and men. Bonus trivia mentions that both her parents are deaf and that she is really good at celebrities. Her Twitter is twisted_lizbian according to her Facebook. - They go to the Twitter account and it’s not her but has the same background as on her Facebook page. Her Twitter page is a fan page for Liz which means she is still pursuing other stars. Liz is a Broadway actress and singer. Max says she is a serial super fan. - She has a type that she follows: female actresses and singers, on pinterest they find she is also linked to Marissa Von Bleicken from the Glee project and decide to send her a message - They also send a message to Liz Marissa calls Nev and mentions that Samantha is one of her good fans. They decide to meet up with her in the
101 morning. 7 15:24 – 18:26 Los Angeles, Nev Nev and Max are in the car and talking about the California Max meeting with Marissa and Lottie. Marissa Nev asks Marissa what her relationship is with Lottie Samantha Davis. Marissa says that she is probably one of her most zealous fans. She contacted her through social media and made another account named @MarissaCampaign. Marissa also brought the fan mail with her that she got from Samantha. Nev reads a poem sent by Samantha in the shape of a heart: You are the thought that starts each morning, The conclusion to each day. You are the smile on my face, the twinkle in my eye, the warmth inside my heart I will always love you Nev asks if she ever responded. She says she didn’t want to but felt compelled because of the nature and intensity of her fandom. Lottie tells her story to Marissa, telling her about Reese. They then ask Marissa when she last spoke to Sammie and with what account. She said a few months ago through twisted_lezbian. Lottie then looks on twitter and sees Sammie is still following her through a different account. 8 18:26 – 22:27 Los Angeles, Nev Nev and Max go back to visit Tracie, she is practicing a California Max song. Tracie They sit down to tell Tracie about the things they have Tracie’s singing found. partners The start off by telling her about meeting Marissa, who was on ‘The Glee Project’ and got a lot of fan mail. Tracie reads one of the letters where she says she never lets go and she loves hard. They tell her about her other Twitter account, which is a fan page for Liz, so she has moved on a little. Tracie wants to know if she is still following her with that account and she is. It seems as Sammie is obsessed and maybe dangerous. Nev sends Sammie a Facebook message and asks her to call them and that they want to hear her side of the story. 9 22:27 – 25:13 Los Angeles, Nev Max and Nev are at Nev’s house and check if Sammie California – Max has replied to their Facebook message. She replied: Nev’s house Shanee (Nev’s My hart dropped to the floor when I read this. I’m really girlfriend) nervous now. …. And at the end she says they can call her and she gives a phone number. Nev calls her and asks if there is a possibility of meeting her with Tracie. She is really reluctant but Nev can persuade her. They call Tracie to tell her they are going to Philadelphia. They head to the airport. 10 25:13 – 25:53 Los Angeles, Nev Nev, Max and Tracie are in the car and going to the California – Max airport. airport and Tracie Images of them traveling to Philadelphia. plane Max says: We’re going to go and look at the dark side of super fans. 11 25:53 – 29:07 Philadelphia, Max Tracie is talking about Sammie and that she still can’t Pennsylvania Nev believe someone would make a person up and kill her – going to a Tracie for attention. She only does it with celebrities. bar Sammie Images of Sammie and snapshots of letters and Tweets Film crew appear on the screen. They get to the bar to wait for Sammie. Tracie is very nervous. Nev goes into the bar to see if she is there. They start to think Sammie will stand them up and suddenly comes around the corner. She is an Afro- American girl who is a little overweight. Tracie immediately asks about creating and then killing Reese. Sammie says she didn’t plan that but got too far
102 into it. The funeral she filmed was her cousins. 12 29:07 – 29:36 Hotel room Max Intermezzo, Nev and Max are goofing around doing Nev yoga in the hotel room. 13 29:36 – 34:06 Ardmore, Nev Max says they better sit down and talk about everything Pennsylvania Max so they go into the bar. – outside a Tracie Max asks Sammie to tell them about herself. bar Sammie She says she was born and raised in Ardmore so she is an only child. She was a loner in school and got involved on the Internet and felt comfortable there. Nev asks about her sexuality because on her Facebook she says she is bisexual. Sammie says she is gay but didn’t tell people. So she had a boyfriend and then after her son was born she ended the relationship because she wasn’t happy. She first started helping Marissa first. She said the interaction on Twitter with celebrities made her feel special. She created the profile to get double attention and had already determined she was going to kill Reese in the end. She says she felt bad after she got caught. Tracie says that it was really painful because she gave Sammie a lot of attention. She couldn’t do more. Nev says she did get attention because of her help and creativity. They wrap it up and get back into the car. Tracie finds it all a little weird because Sammie doesn’t see she is doing something wrong until she is told so. They want to try and figure her out and help her. 14 34:06 – 34:25 Philadelphia, Nev Nev and Max are in the hotel room. Nev has received a Pennsylvania Max lot of texts from Sammie. – hotel room ‘Nev… I’m sorry that I wasn’t much held today. With everything going on I just didn’t know how to react. I really shut down today. My emotions really have gotten the best of me today. Tomorrow will be better I promise. I’m seriously sitting down and taking everything in. Will you come to my house… 15 34:25 – 39:25 Ardmore, Max Max, Nev and Tracie go to Sammie’s house. Pennsylvania Nev Sammie says she did try to think about why she created – in the car Tracie Reese and decided to kill her. Sammie says she thought and at Sammie more about why she chose Tracie to seek attention. Tracie’s Film crew Tracie was already giving her a lot of attention and she house saw her as a big sister. She gave her attention she wasn’t getting from her friends in real life, who don’t support the things she enjoys. Sammie got attached to the caring and sympathy because she didn’t have it in real life. That perspective is something Tracie never thought of. Tracie says that she is enough and that’s why people online respond to her. Tracie says she is talented. Max says she was getting respect because of the people she was helping. Nev says she should write a story because she does have talent and she has her own story, growing up with deaf parents, being gay and having a child with a man. Sammie does apologize to Tracie now. They hug and leave. Nev says they will be following her. 16 39:25 – 21:02 Nev One month later… Max Nev and Max skype with Tracie and ask how she feels Tracie about the whole experience. Sammie Tracie says Sammie is a talented girl and creative and that she hopes she will move forward. Text on the screen: Sammie says she’s now spending less time with social media and focusing on more important aspects of her life. Nev and Max skype with Sammie Sammie says she is feeling good and her son is good. Sammie says she has not being active online or following people on Twitter. Sammie says she has learnt a lot from it and has been writing. Sammie is
103 writing a comedy/drama.
104 Season 3 Episode 10 – air date 9 July 2014 Bianca and Brogan
Sequence Duration Who? Where? What? 1 00:00 – 00:25 Nev Outside a house Fragment of later on in the episode, to make the viewer Max curious and keep watching. Bianca Nev, Max, Bianca and Selita are driving to a house. Nev Selita asks Bianca if she expects anything. They arrive at the house and someone is coming. 2 00:25 – 00:30 Intro Let the games begin 3 00:30 – 05:22 Nev Jacksonville, Nev and Max are randomly talking about the Cherry Max Florida chap stick Max uses. The look at the e-mails and find one with an interesting subject line: The Vanishing Act. Hey Nev and Max, My name is Bianca, I’m 20 years old and I live in Durham, North Carolina. I’ve been talking to a girl named Brogan. We started talking on Facebook and had an immediate connection. Everything I enjoy, she shared a love for which is something that has been hard for me to find in North Carolina. I’m really into body modification and Brogan has amazing body tattoos and piercings. I feel like Brogan is the sort of person that is put into your life for a reason, someone that you can connect with in such a strong way that you that you’ll never forget them. I never asked her to video chat because I felt that our conversations were so great on the phone that maybe video chatting would be awkward. When I was finally getting comfortable with the thought of video chatting, Brogan vanished. She stopped responding to my messages and deleted her Facebook. The girl I was falling for was no longer in my life. I had no choice but to move on and try to forget about her but I never could. I always wondered what had happened to her and why she suddenly disappeared. A year later, much to my surprise, Brogan was back. She reactivated her Facebook page and began texting me again. It was like nothing had changed, we picked up exactly from where we left off and we still have an undeniable connection. She has never explained her disappearance but I was so happy to hear from her I never even brought it up. I just want answers. Thanks, Bianca Snapshots of messages appear while Nev is reading the e-mail. ‘I love your style.’ ‘You too, great tats.’ Also pictures of both Bianca and Brogan are shown, showing their tattoos and piercings. Bianca is Afro-American while Brogan is a blonde girl. Nev and Max call Bianca. They ask her about her body modifications and when she came out as a lesbian. She says at 14 and that everyone reacted badly. Some people even complained to the principal. No one there has the same interests as her. She was happy she found Brogan because it was someone she had things in common with. They started getting comfortable with each other and started flirting. Then when Bianca finally thought about video chatting, Brogan had disappeared. After Brogan came back online, Bianca didn’t ask anything about it because she was afraid Brogan would disappear again.
105 Bianca wants to get out of North Carolina and be a musician and wants someone to share the journey with. Nev asks Bianca if they can bring model Selita Ebanks along on the episode because she loves the show and has had experience with fake online profiles as well. Nev phones Selita and invites her along on the episode. 4 05:22 – 06:37 Nev Durham, North They arrive at the hotel in Durham and Selita is waiting Max Carolina – hotel for them in the lobby. Selita Nev and Max ask Selita about her experience with fake profiles. She says someone pretended to be her to the point where that person even had a voicemail that pretended to be her. She wants to come along because the wants to see everything from different perspectives. The three of them head out to see Bianca. 5 06:37 – 09:44 Nev Creedmoor, They are driving to Bianca’s house, which seems to be in Max North Carolina – a rural area and it is a very small town. Which would Selita Bianca’s house explain why people are against Bianca being a lesbian. It Bianca is not part of the southern small town way of life. They get to Bianca’s house and Selita is really nervous. Bianca lets them in and starts talking about Brogan. How they got along so well and were talking about moving to Portland or Seattle. She also mentions that there are hardly any gay people in the area she lives in now. They had been talking for about 5 months when Brogan disappeared. Bianca never had any alarm bells go off while talking to Brogan. Just that it was very weird that after a year she pretended like nothing had happened. They ask Bianca to show them who Brogan is. - Facebook profile: there is activity on her pictures. She supposedly has a brother but he is not tagged. She has a big tattoo on both her legs that says sweetheart. They leave to do some research. Selita says that Bianca is somehow counting on Brogan to save her from the small town. 6 09:44 – 15:06 Nev Creedmoor, In the car Selita goes over the possibilities that might Max North Carolina – have made her disappear for a year: army, strict parents, Selita bar being pregnant… They arrive at a little bar where they will do the research. As they are about to start, Selita gets a phone call from a friend wishing them luck on the show. - They decide to start off by looking up her name: Brogan Lynn Acaster. They find pictures of her and some information. She is a 20-year old female from Davenport, Iowa. - They do an image search on some of her pictures. They find nothing. - They look up the phone number and come up with nothing. - They look up her name on Spokeo but find nothing. - They do a google search for Brogan Acaster (without Lynn). They find some sort of blog ‘An ever-growing wonder’ with the question ‘Who the hell is Brogan Acaster’. But the blog has been deleted. They wonder whose blog it is and looking at images they find a picture with a pregnant woman in the bath who has the same tattoo on her legs as Brogan that says sweetheart. The girl in the pictures got pregnant so Brogan couldn.t use the anymore. The now look further into finding the person behind the blog. - Googling ‘An ever-growing wonder’ they find out the blog belongs to Chloe, who is 19 and lives in the UK. She has a husband named Chris. - Googling Chloe Acaster, they find a profile belonging to Chris Acaster who is supposedly Brogan’s brother. They find a picture of Brogan,
106 whose real name is Chloe Purdon. They decide to ask Bianca what they should do next. But they know that the girl she has been talking to is not Chloe Purdon. 7 15:06 – 18:01 Nev Creedmoor, They get to Bianca’s house and her mother is there as Max North Carolina – well. They sit down to talk. Kate says moving to the Selita Bianca’s house town was a culture shock and she didn’t know Bianca Bianca was going to go through so much. It is a town that still Kate – judg es people by their colour, sexual orientation or Bianca’s religion. Bianca was bullied really bad and when they mom went to church nobody would hold their hands. The church then said that if she couldn’t make Bianca wear dresses or keep her house in order she was not allowed to be a Sunday schoolteacher anymore. Kate then got upset with Bianca telling her she’d rather have her be a whore instead of gay. That hurt Kate and Bianca. Later she told Bianca it didn’t matter and she would always love her unconditionally, which was a big relief to Bianca. Nev then asks Kate what she knows and thinks of Brogan. Kate says Bianca always goes into something with her heart. She is concerned though that any person can send her a picture but she is worried Bianca is going to get hurt. Kate leaves them to go over what they found in the research. 8 18:01 – 23:08 Nev Creedmoor, They sit around the table to tell Bianca what they found. Max North Carolina – - They didn’t find anything with reverse phone Selita Bianca’s house search Bianca - They did however find a blog and the picture of a pregnant Chloe, who lives in the UK with Chris Bianca is really upset and said it was all a lie. Selita says that even though the person in the pictures isn’t the girl Bianca has been talking to, that person on the phone has made her life a little better. Nev goes outside to give Brogan a call and asks if they can meet her. Nev asks her name and is seems to be Tia. Bianca says that she hates lying. Tia says she wants to meet. She lives in Iowa. They decide to go meet her. 9 23:08 – 23:53 Nev Traveling to Nev, Max, Bianca and Selita head to the airport. Bianca Max Iowa deletes all the messages with Brogan because she finds it Selita upsetting to read them. Bianca 10 23:53 – 30:36 Nev Bettendorf, Iowa Max, Nev, Selita and Bianca are in Bettendorf Iowa, Max – outside Tia’s going to see Tia. Bianca just wants honesty. Selita house. Nev goes to knock on the door. At first, no one comes to Bianca open the door. Then Tia opens the door. She is a slightly ‘Brogan’ overweight girl. aka Tia Bianca asks why she did it. Tia says she made the fake profile and got too deep into it and got addicted to being Brogan. She lost sight of who she really was. She apologizes to Bianca and explains she found the pictures of Chloe on Tumblr and felt like that was who she wanted to be. And it was really addicted. Max says that when Tia came out of the house he found that she does look a lot like Brogan. Tia says she lost a lot of weight, making Bianca say that she doesn’t judge people because she has been judges so much herself. Tia says she disappeared for a year because she knew that what she was doing was wrong but thought about Bianca a lot and that’s why she came back. Tia does really like Bianca. Tia had dated other people online with the fake profile before Bianca. She has even come clean to some of them. At the moment Bianca doesn’t trust Tia or anything she says about her feelings for her.
107 They get back into the car and Bianca says she felt bad because she didn’t feel bad when Tia started crying but she can’t just trust someone who lied like that. 11 30:36 – 31:39 Nev Bettendorf, Iowa Bianca says it is going to be a while until she gets over it. Max – hotel room Nev, Mac and Selita will go and see Tia to talk to her. Selita Bianca stays behind to think of questions she wants to Bianca ask Tia later on. 12 31:39 – 36:10 Nev Bettendorf, Iowa Tia says she moved to Iowa in freshman year and didn’t Max – Tia’s house come out straight away. She didn’t want to just say ‘Hi, Selita I’m a lesbian.’ Tia says that everyone there was ok with Tia her being gay, even her parents. Tia says she understands that Bianca needs some time. But she did it because she was really overweight and she didn’t think people were going to accept her as she was. She didn’t get bullied about her weight but it was more for self-image. She didn’t make a lot of friends in her school. Selita says that she can’t see the same struggles between Tia and Bianca, and that Tia pulled herself down. She wants her to dig deeper because she wants her to know how much she hurt Bianca. Tia was sexually assaulted when she was 14 and after that she wanted to escape. Nev, Max and Selita take Tia back to the hotel so she can talk to Bianca about it. 13 36:10 – 39:12 Nev Bettendorf, Iowa Bianca and Tia go outside to talk to each other. Max – hotel lobby Tia explains that when she was 14 she was sexually Selita assaulted. She says she was quite depressed after that and Bianca gained a lot of weight. The profile was a way to escape Tia and enjoyed talking to Bianca a lot. She disappeared because she was scared that Bianca was going to reject her. Tia hopes they can continue talking and that she can gain her trust back. And they hope they might be able to be friends. They take a group picture.
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