15 Things You Didn't Know About MTV's 'Catfish'

MTV's Catfish: The TV Show is one of the most fascinating reality shows out there. It deals with a certain type of online dating: when you've been chatting with someone that you met on social media for months, sometimes even years, but there's just one hitch: you two have never met in person. In fact, there's no hope of you two meeting in person because the object of your online affection refuses to video chat and refuses to hang out IRL… or cancels on you when you have tried to set something up. That's where Nev Schulman and Max Joseph, the hosts of the show, come in. The "hopeful" (the person who wants to finally meet their online boyfriend/girlfriend) gets in touch and says that it's now or never. Then Nev and Max visit them, chat about the situation, and they all fly to where the "catfish" is living. It's fun to watch and also interesting on a psychological level and will teach you a lot about what it's like to date today. But how much do you know about this show? Read on to find out 15 things you didn't know about Catfish.

15 It's Based On An Awesome Doc

You've seen the show since it's been on the air for a while now (it's currently in its sixth season), but did you know that it's actually based on a documentary? Well, you do now. In fact, Nev was the star of the doc. In 2010, the film Catfish was released and it featured Nev in a confusing and strange online relationship. He thought that he was talking to a beautiful young woman named Megan… and he even got to know her entire family. As it turned out, nothing was as it seemed. Of course, saying what happened would be a major spoiler of epic proportions, but you can probably figure it out if you haven't seen it based on the name of the doc and the show. Once that movie was really successful, it became clear that there were more stories to be told and then MTV wanted to create a reality series. If you haven't checked out the original catfish story, you definitely need to put it on your list.

14 Some People Are Skeptical AF

Read any article or interview that has to do with the Catfish documentary and you will quickly find a whole lot of skeptics. Lots of people didn't believe that the movie was actually real and that Nev was actually catfished. To this day, there are people out there who think that Nev made the entire thing up… and to this day, there are people out there who think that Nev is making the entire show up, too. Of course, you're a huge fan of the show and Max and Nev, so you would never think that. You love these guys way too much. You just don't get that kind of vibe from the series since a lot of the time, the people involved in these situations are really hurting and struggling. You don't think that they would lie. Why would they? Because they want to be on television? No. You don't agree with that. You're surprised that not everyone thinks that the show is for real.

13 The Show Has A Therapist On Staff

Here's an interesting fact about the show: there's a therapist on staff. That's because the crew wants to be careful since the episodes often deals with very important and sensitive issues (especially mental health issues). So it makes sense that they would want to be smart about this and make sure that nothing happened. According to the producers, things have been okay, but they're still glad to have the security blanket of the therapist. This probably makes you even more of a fan of the series since it proves that the people making this TV show really care. They're not just trying to produce must see TV that makes you shocked and surprised and addicted (although that is definitely what the show is like). They truly get that they're dealing with real people with real lives and real problems, and that's something that you have to respect, especially in the world of reality television.

12 Nev And Max Have Known Each Other Forever

As it turns out, when Nev needed a co-host, he decided to call Max, his older brother Rel's friend since childhood. Nev and Max have known each other for a long time but they were never all that close until they started working on the show together. It's pretty cool that they have bee able to work on the project together and have bonded so much. If you're a regular viewer, then you definitely know how adorable these two are together. Nev and Max are pretty much the definition of "bromance" since they clearly care about each other a lot. They tease each other like brothers, they always seem to be having fun, and they share the big moments in each other's lives. You definitely loved the moment when Nev announced on the show that he was getting married… and that his fiancee was pregnant. Max said he was proud of him and they shared an adorable moment.

11 Sometimes There Are Guest Hosts

This season, Max has worked with guest hosts for two episodes since Nev was busy being the best dad ever to the best baby girl ever (named Cleo). One was iO Tillett Wright, who Nev has worked with on the show Suspect, and the other was Chantal Claret. In another season, Max was off directing his movie with Zac Efron (you might have heard of him… ) and so Nev had a few guest hosts as well. Even though you absolutely love seeing Max and Nev together because they are just so awesome, the truth is that the guest hosts are all great too. They switch things up and bring their own perspective to the series, which can be fun to see. The awesome thing is that even if Nev or Max are off doing something else, they usually pop in for a Skype or video chat, so you can still catch a glimpse of them and their super cute faces.

10 One Couple Got Engaged… Then Broke Up

Yup, this really did happen. Remember Lauren and Derek? You probably do since she was totally convinced that he was who he said he was and Nev and Max cautioned her against thinking that. You definitely watched that episode while thinking that would never happen. In fact, Derek really was Derek. Same name, same face, same everything. Lauren knew it all along so she was definitely super psyched. The couple ended up getting together and even got engaged. But then they actually broke up. Talk about a whirlwind. This is pretty sad since all you want is for the people to be who they say that they are and for the couple to end up together. You have seen so many sad episodes where crazy stuff goes down and so you get that this is often but a dream. But you can't help but wish for this each time that you tune in.

9 Some Catfish Have Passed Away

Death is a fact of life and so sometimes, when there's a reality show on the air, people are going to pass away. It's the worst but it does happen. This is a super tragic thing to think about but it's unfortunately true: a few of the catfish have actually passed away after appearing on the show. The most recent was Robert Brian Clark, who died while riding his motorcycle in December 2016. Two others have also died: Mike Fortunato and Ashley Sawyer. In fact, both Mike and Ashley were in the exact same episode -- one was the "catfish" and one was the "hopeful." This is really, really sad since everyone who has passed away has been in their 20s or 30s so they were young. Nev and Max are always very devastated when this happens, of course, and they will post about it on the show's social media pages and on their own personal pages as well.

8 Things Take Longer Than What Is Filmed

Did you know that Nev and Max take much longer to look into what's going on than what is actually filmed? You might have guessed that since every reality show only winds up airing a bit of what actually happened, but now you know for sure. It's really fun watching them investigate since you love that they are the cutest detectives ever. You love when they start inputting the photos of the catfish in Google since that's the first step toward getting to the truth. You almost cheer when you see that there's a match… and you almost boo when there isn't one. Okay, sometimes there's no "almost" about it and you find yourself talking to your television. That's cool. You never get the feeling that Nev and Max think that each new situation is super simple to solve and you understand that it must be frustrating when it takes a long time to figure out what's going on. You're always really impressed with how they always crack the case.

7 Nev And Max Are Super Talented And Creative

If you didn't know much about Nev and Max before tuning into Catfish, you might not know how totally creative these two hosts are. Nev worked as a professional photographer with a focus on dance, and Max is a working filmmaker. He directed the movie We Are Your Friends and has also worked on a ton of short films. It's really cool that these two have accomplished so much in the artistic world and it just proves that they're exactly as cool and compassionate as you always thought that they were. Don't you just love sensitive and artistic men?! Of course you do. It would be impossible not to. And Nev and Max are some of the most adorable and good-looking and sweetest male celebs out there. They really make the show. It just wouldn't be the same without them and you might not even tune in at all.

6 Some Episodes Never Air

Max and Nev have said that there have only been a handful of episodes that never aired, so this doesn't happen very often, but they do admit that some things just shouldn't be on television. Now that you know this very important fact, you're thinking about all of the episodes that you never got to see, right? Since you're a huge fan of the show, you're probably pretty upset about this. Sure, you get that Nev and Max and the crew know the deal and that if they didn't want to air something, they have a good reason for it. They have more than one good reason for it, actually. You just are really impatient because you want to see more and more Catfish episodes. Do you have a bit of a problem? Are you totally addicted to this show? Do you wish that you could watch it 24/7 and have considered re-watching it from the beginning? Maybe. As in definitely.

5 Nev And Max Understand People Are Not Sure It's Real

Did you know that the hosts of Catfish know that some people don't believe that this show is for real? Well, you know now. They have definitely heard this enough times but are quick to point out that everything is for real. Nev and Max participated in a Reddit discussion a few years ago, when the show had only been on the air for a brief amount of time. Nev answered the question of whether the show is for real in this way: "I can totally understand why people have doubts about the authenticity of Reality TV shows… most of them are staged and manipulated. Ours is not. The situations are real, the people are real, and the choices they make are totally genuine." While you definitely watch some reality shows and don't believe for a single second that what's going on is true, you probably believe that Catfish is true. There would really be no reason to air this show if it wasn't true.

4 Things Really Get That Crazy And Confusing

Read any interview with the lovely Nev and Max and they will talk about how there are crazy things that happen on the show that confuse even them. So you're not alone when you're sitting at home going "OMG!" because you can't even handle what you're seeing on your television screen. There was one episode in particular that was pretty scary because the guy was aggressive and wasn't sorry about catfishing in the least. Max admitted later that he was worried about this as well and that it was a very unsettling episode to film. Another crazy episode? That would be when people were talking about a ghost talking to them and visiting them. Nev and Max went into that situation with an open mind and they have said to this day that they do believe that there was something spiritual and ghost-related going on. Hmmm. You may or may not agree with that, but you can be sure that the crazy antics on the show are totally for real.

3 People Sign Waivers

Did you ever wonder how the show really works? Of course, right? It's such a fascinating show that you definitely have tried to figure out how things work. It turns out that everyone signs a waiver before so that's how you can be pretty sure that the hopeful and the catfish will end up meeting and that their interaction will be filmed. Well, kind of. Producers always know that there is a chance that sometimes the catfish won't actually end up wanting to meet the person or be filmed. They say that has never been the case but it's always totally possible. Every time that you tune into the show, you're on the edge of your seat wondering if the catfish won't show up after all, even though they always do appear onscreen. That's just one of the many suspenseful and mysterious moments on this show that you love and that keeps you watching.

2 The Term Catfish Really Is Based On The Fish

You might have thought that the name Catfish is based on something other than the fish, but that's exactly where it comes from. In the documentary, Nev is talking to someone (no spoilers here) who says that the catfish shake things up because otherwise life would be "dull and boring if we didn't have someone nipping at our fins.” Cool, right? The funny thing is that the term has become such a part of pop culture and millennial culture in general that you probably don't even picture a fish when you read or hear it. You literally picture someone lying about their identity, face, name, and everything else about their life. That's why when you're online dating, you really hope that the seemingly cute and nice guy that you're chatting with looks like his picture… and is the same person, too. You're always paranoid that you're being catfished thanks to the movie and show. Hey, what can you say?!

1 Sometimes The Episodes Actually Start Differently

Each episode always begins the same way: Nev and Max are in a hotel room reading an email that they have received. It's always from the "hopeful" aka the person who wants to set up a meeting with the guy or girl they've been talking to. But as it turns out, according to a story on Vulture.com, sometimes that's not the way that things really start. In fact, sometimes the "catfish" actually gets in touch and wants to meet the other person. Surprising, right?! You would love to see that at the beginning of each episode, but it does set up the narrative really nicely when the person who feels like they might be lied to gets in touch. So you totally understand why the producers set up each episode this way. So while you may not have known this fact about the show before this moment, you're okay with that. You still love the show and can never wait for the new episodes. You're a Catfish fan forever and always.