The following contains mentions of murder, suicide, bullying, violence, and sexual misconduct.
The series’ premise alone means it’s built for drama, but the most shocking Catfish episodes contain some wild twists that stand head and shoulders above the rest. Nev Schulman had no idea that his 2010 independent documentary Catfish would become a critical and commercial success, coining a term for something that was rarely talked about but was increasing within the general population thanks to the internet. Strangers duping unwitting victims on the internet into emotional relationships was becoming a more common phenomenon as technology progressed, but Schulman was the first to bring the problem out into the open.
Schulman’s documentary was so successful that MTV recruited him for a TV series that would see him answer requests from those seeking to find the true identity of their online lovers. Catfish is one of the highest-rated reality shows on MTV. Each installment sees Nev and his partner, who has changed with successive seasons, take on one relationship at a time as they do deep dives in an effort to uncover a catfish’s identity. While these installments do occasionally out a truthful individual, the most shocking Catfish episodes have uncovered some truly unrepentant folk, wild schemes, and a fair few outright crimes.
“Whitney & Bre” — Season 4, Episode 7
One of the most shocking Catfish episodes revealed that its two subjects had schemes of their own, and neither could be considered a victim. This was one of the most devious Catfish plots audiences have seen on the show — but at least it was for the right reasons. Whitney had called in Nev and Max to help her with a woman she was infatuated with in California named Bre.
Whitney claimed that Bre would never video chat and neither could afford to meet each other, a frequent hallmark of catfishing situations. It turned out, though, that they had been video chatting the entire time, and they just wanted to meet each other with Catfish’s help since they couldn’t afford a plane ticket. The reveal was just as shocking for Nev and Max as it was for audiences, both of them looking dumbfounded as Bre and Whitney admitted their plan.
“Alfred & Adonis” — Season 8, Episode 2
“Alfred & Adonis” contained one of the worst post-reveal fights in Catfish and in turn, became one of the most shocking Catfish episodes. Nev and his co-host Kamie caught up with Alfred in North Carolina, who had broken off a toxic six-year relationship with his ex Antonnio. He struck up a relationship on Facebook with a man named Adonis, who refused to video chat or call Alfred, hence Alfred calling Catfish.
Audiences were shocked to find out that Adonis was actually Antonnio, Alfred’s ex who had created the fake profile nearly a year before the pair had broken up. If this wasn’t indication enough that the two made a toxic couple, Antonnio and Alfred got into a knock-down drag-out fight during the reveal. However, physical fights weren’t enough to keep the two away from each other, and Antonnio and Alfred subsequently got back together.
“Lucas & Many” — Season 5, Episode 13
“Lucas & Many” comes from one of the highest-ranked seasons of Catfish. One of the most shocking Catfish episodes follows a former Playboy model and dancer named Jayme. She is suspicious about the man she is talking to online whom she met on Tinder, thanks to the advice of her friends. While Jayme was correct in her suspicions, Nev, Max, and Jayme were woefully ignorant of the breadth of the perpetrator’s crimes.
What is most shocking about Jayme’s story is that it is shared by several other victims. When Max and Nev investigate Jayme’s catfish, they hear from a few other women who have also been talking to him. They all soon find out he has been manipulating dozens of people online. What results is one of the most cathartic and gratifying confrontations the series has ever seen, as all of the victims get to confront the catfish.
“Ramon & Paola” — Season 2, Episode 3
In one of the most shocking Catfish episodes, Ramon thought he had fallen in love with a woman named Paola that he had met on Facebook. Then the catfishing type of behavior started with weird Skype calls and her asking for money and gifts. Unfortunately, as is the story with many of these online relationships, Ramon did give her all of those things and then some.
He later admitted he had briefly seen her face and body quickly on Skype before she hid again, and he knew she was not the same girl in the pictures she presented. However, he didn’t want to believe it. In a shocking twist, it was later found out that the real girl — Loyda — had revealed all personal details about herself including her driver’s license and actual pictures of her, but he never wanted to believe it. His delusion and her lack of care about the money he gave her made this quite the spectacle.
“Tracie & Sammie” — Season 3, Episode 5
Not all of the most shocking Catfish episodes include a romantic relationship, but this one does include a celebrity. When actress Tracie Thoms (Rent) encounters an obsessive fan named Sammie, details about Sammie’s life cause her to become suspicious over time. Sammie tried to use a fake death to garner sympathy, so, Thoms contacts Nev and Max to get to the bottom of the situation, and what they find certainly doesn’t disappoint.
As it were, Sammie turns out to be a woman named Jacqueline, and what’s worse, Jacqueline has catfished countless other people and takes pride in her work. Jacqueline was wholly unrepentant for putting Thoms and others through the wringer and had a penchant for bullying people online. She was proud of all of her predatory misdeeds and refused to apologize for being calculating and cruel.
“Falesha & Jacqueline” — Season 4, Episode 13
“Falesha & Jacqueline” turns out to be not only one of the best episodes of Catfish but also one of the most shocking Catfish episodes. What makes this episode, much like “Tracie & Sammie,” stand out is that there isn’t a romance at the center. Rather, Falesha is the victim of something akin to identity theft. Someone has been stealing Falesha’s pictures and using them for a profile called “Jacqueline,” while spreading hate, drama, and vitriol online.
As it turned out, the perpetrator, Tracey Barbie, wasn’t all that difficult to find. However, Tracey is famed as one of the creepiest catfishes in history. Her response to being outed was troubling at best. Tracey held no remorse for the damage she inflicted on Falesha’s life and reputation. She didn’t seem to truly comprehend the weight of her actions, and even Nev was stunned into silence at her response during certain moments.
“Candic & Titus” — Season 5, Episode 16
One of the most shocking Catfish episodes has a twist that must be seen to be believed. Candic is a 27-year-old wife and mother who is carrying on an online relationship of sorts with a man she had met on a retail app she uses for work. He was interested in a handbag she was selling, and the two began talking consistently. Even though she’s already in a relationship, Candic asks Catfish for assistance in her search for Titus.
She was hoping to meet him with Nev and Max’s help — and all without telling her husband. Audiences were struck dumb when “Titus” actually revealed his identity. By the end of the episode, it is revealed that the man she had been speaking to was actually her husband all along who was looking to grow closer to his wife. In the end, it did bring them closer together, albeit in a questionable way.
“Catfish: The Untold Stories Part 10” — Season 6 Special Episode
Audiences can’t help but feel sorry for Nev in one of the most shocking Catfish episodes. In the middle of Season 6, Catfish gave audiences a few special episodes, with two under the title “Catfish: The Untold Stories.” The unique segments told viewers about catfish who set themselves apart from the usual flock presented in the show. Part 10 of The Untold Stories stands out because of one telling segment.
Catfish is inspired by the documentary which showcases host Nev Schulman’s story of woe with an online manipulator. In this special episode, Nev becomes victim to a catfish once again. Nev hired someone remotely to manage some of his personal social media accounts, but the catfisher had other plans. The catfish posed as Nev, texting people that he knew and even starting online relationships posing as Nev. It’s hard to believe that the man who invented the term would fall victim to the act again, but it just proves how nefarious catfishing really is.
“Kayla & Courtney” — Season 5, Episode 10
This was another one of the few episodes in Catfish’s many seasons that had nothing to do with a romantic relationship. However, what makes it one of the most shocking Catfish episodes is that it had to do with the supernatural and whether it’s possible to talk to the dead. Kayla is a young woman with a tragic past. Her father, who had mental health issues, murdered her pregnant mom when she was only a toddler.
A couple of years later, he took his own life in prison. However, a woman named Courtney was claiming that Kayla’s father had been contacting her. Courtney basically stated she could speak to Kayla’s deceased father, a man Courtney had never met. She knew things about him that not many knew and all of it was hard for audiences to wrap their heads around. By the end of the episode, even Nev and Max had changed their views on the matter.
“Lucille & Kidd Cole” — Season 3, Episode 4
One of the most shocking Catfish episodes can’t even air anymore due to ongoing legal issues with the catfish himself. It’s surprising that a number of the wildest Catfish installments don’t have to do with romantic relationships, as the connection between Lucille and Kidd Cole was strictly a business partnership. Lucille met Kidd Cole online after discovering his music on SoundCloud and reaching out to him.
The two became friends, and after a series of cons, Lucille was out a lot of money. It was eventually revealed that he was, of course, not a famous music producer as he initially said, and his disinterest in Nev’s line of questioning led to his phone being thrown into a nearby river by Nev himself. The installment is responsible for a ton of Catfish memes, namely Nev throwing Kidd Cole’s phone into the river, and is one of the few examples of a time when the normally even-keel host lost his cool for the catfish’s lack of attention and remorse.
“Keyonnah & Bow Wow” — Season 2, Episode 14
An unfortunate theme on Catfish is people who genuinely believe that they’re in an online relationship with a prominent celebrity who tellingly refuses to video chat or call them. Keyonnah fell victim to this trap in one of the most shocking Catfish episodes and was under the impression that she was dating the rapper Lil Bow Wow. Of course, it was not Lil Bow Wow, but what made the relationship seem so real was that the catfisher sent Keyonnah $10,000 at one point.
Keyonnah’s episode showcased one of the most memorable catfishes on the series. The person claiming to be the famous rapper was actually a young woman named Dee, who made Keyonnah believe she was Lil Bow Wow. After the reveal that Keyonnah had received $10,000 from her catfish, audiences were teetering on the edge of the belief that the relationship could be genuine. As viewers rooted for Keyonnah to meet her celebrity childhood crush, they were sorely disappointed when Dee showed up.
“Sheila & Rich Dollaz” — Season 7, Episode 21
Sometimes a catfish performs an outright crime, and poor Sheila was a victim of sexual misconduct in one of the most shocking Catfish episodes. Sheila was someone who was just a fan of a celebrity on Love & Hip Hop by the name of Rich Dollaz. After watching one particularly emotional episode where he poured his heart out, she felt like she wanted to get to know the man himself and sent him a DM on Instagram to introduce herself.
After eight months of communication on Instagram where Rich Dollaz mostly just asked for explicit photos of Sheila, she called in the Catfish team for help. It was revealed that it was the celeb’s nephew who was handling the account and abusing his power with it. What’s worse is that the nephew didn’t feel remorseful about soliciting photos from Sheila. Chillingly, he felt that the whole situation was amusing.
“Catfish: The Untold Stories Part 9” — Season 6 Special Episode
One of the highest-rated on IMDb, “Catfish: The Untold Stories Part 9” is unlike many of the best Catfish episodes. While a typical episode of the series showcases nearly all documentary footage in a familiar format, Part 9 showcases a new kind of story-telling. Staged reenactments are presented in this episode, while individuals tell their catfish stories to an interviewer.
While the episode doesn’t have the same intensity of a story being filmed in real-time, it showcases some of the most bizarre catfish tales of the series. One of the most shocking Catfish episodes sees three separate stories, each of them wilder than the last. Each of the tales is an emotional rollercoaster, with some of the reveals being shocking beyond all belief and others having a more triumphant resolution.
“Kristina & Faith” — Season 7, Episode 30
Kristina first wrote into Catfish knowing that things were very complicated, and it was her complex situation that resulted in one of the most shocking Catfish episodes. When Kristina reached out to Nev, she was engaged to a woman named Sami but was also in an online relationship with a woman named Faith whom she had met in a chat room. She was willing to risk her engagement to find out who Faith was since she had no last name given and would never video chat.
There was a lot of turmoil that resulted in Catfish getting involved, with Sami calling off their engagement while still living with Kristina. However, the biggest gut-punch for audiences came when Faith’s true identity was divulged. It was later revealed while they were all stranded where Faith was supposed to be that Sami was Faith all along. Similar to “Candic & Titus” or “Alfred & Adonis,” the idea that Kristina’s catfish was actually her partner was too outlandish to initially believe.
“Gemini & Myranda” — Season 8, Episode 10
What makes “Gemini & Myranda” one of the most shocking Catfish episodes is that the catfish has actually been on the show before. In one of the later seasons of Catfish, audiences meet Gemini, a man who has been talking to a beautiful woman by the name of Myranda for seven years. But, of course, it turns out that Myranda is not who she says she is and is actually a repeat catfish offender.
The catfish is revealed to be Ashley Taylor, the same perpetrator who insulted Nev’s cohost Kamie and conned Red with a web of different profiles several episodes earlier in the Catfish season 8 premiere, “Red & Jalissa”. So, Nev and Kamie take matters into their own hands and stage an intervention for Ashley with two of her closest “friends,” or rather, victims, Gemini, and Red. It’s incredibly rare to see a catfisher appear on the show more than once, but Ashley was a special case.
“Artis & Jess” — Season 2, Episode 9
Artis was another catfishee who was willing to risk it all for the woman he thought he loved, though had never met. In one of the most shocking Catfish episodes, this woman was named Jess. Though Artis is technically already in a relationship, he carries on with an online romance with Jess, a woman who claims to be a model. He was putting a lot on the line for her in reaching out to Catfish, like the relationship he had with his current girlfriend, the mother of his children.
Turns out, Jess was actually a man named Justin who thinks of himself as a crusader of sorts. He teaches unknowing men who cheat the error of their ways by catfishing them. His reaction to being caught was the most interesting part of the episode. However, what also makes this one of the most shocking Catfish episodes is that it’s possible the entire premise could be a lie. Artis and Justin claimed behind the scenes that the entire event was set up, so the two could get on MTV.
“Antwane & Tony” — Season 3, Episode 2
This is the Catfish episode that will forever live on in infamy as one of the most shocking Catfish episodes the series has ever seen. After having an online relationship for three years with his boyfriend Tony, Antwane reaches out to Nev and Max for help. He also enlists his cousin Carmen to assist in their deep-dive mission, and the foursome goes on a highly intricate and twisty journey before a truly shocking reveal that undoubtedly had audiences screaming at their television sets.
In the end, Antwane’s cousin Carmen outed herself as the catfisher. Carmen’s main goal in catfishing her cousin, Antwane, for three years under the guise of Tony, was to exact revenge on him for body-shaming her years before. The insult clearly stuck with her, so she committed this act and even sent the Catfish crew on a wild goose chase until she revealed the truth herself. While Antwane was in the wrong for what he said to Carmen, it certainly didn’t necessitate a revenge plan that constituted three years of her and Antwane’s time.
“Spencer & Katy” — Season 5, Episode 15
Sometimes cognitive dissonance is too great a psychological burden to bear, and victims of a catfisher would rather believe the lie than confront the ultimate truth. In one of the most shocking Catfish episodes, Spencer was a man who believed for quite some time that he was in a relationship with American Idol judge Katy Perry, one of the most famous pop singers in the world. He was so invested that he even had an engagement ring ready for her. However, Catfish co-hosts Nev and Max uncovered who was really talking to Spencer for six long years.
Of course, it wasn’t Katy Perry he was speaking to. Instead, the catfisher was revealed to be a girl named Harriet who lived in England. Even though Nev and Max revealed this to him, he wouldn’t believe it, no matter what was said. The Catfish team even brought Harriet to the States to confront Spencer, but the end result was that Spencer believed the entire thing was a joke, put on by Katy Perry herself. Spencer continued to send messages to Harriet even after the Catfish episode, believing wholeheartedly that she was Katy Perry. It stands as one of the most memorable catfishes in the series history, and arguably one of the saddest.