Top 10 Most Awkward Moments on Catfish
#10: A Prior Engagement
“Lawrence & Cierra”
When a supposed catfish shows up to the meeting place and is exactly who they say they are, it should be a happy ending. Cierra is the real deal, and every detail of her story checks out. So, why is Lawrence so weird about it? As it turns out, he’s the one with secrets. When Lawrence has to step away for a phone call, Nev Schulman realizes the story is not over. Lawrence finally comes clean. He’s engaged to another woman and hoped that meeting Cierra would convince him he wasn’t making the right decision. His immature attitude toward relationships just makes him seem more like a little boy than a grown man.
#9: Chris Is Inside
“Shakinah & Chris”
The episodes where people believe they’re in a secret relationship with a celebrity they’ve never met are some of the hardest. In this season 7 episode, Shakinah seems convinced she’s really talking to singer Chris Brown. She, Nev, and Max are met by a woman at the end of a driveway, which is already a terrible vibe. This woman, Tricoci, insists that “Chris” is in the house. Of course, the person she brings out is not Chris Brown. It’s her friend, Johneesha, who clearly doesn’t care to be involved. Weirdly, Tricoci seems even more invested than her friend who is doing the actual catfishing.
#8: An Offer He Can Refuse
“Harold & Armani”
Meeting up with Harold’s catfish starts out like a horror movie. The first person who comes out of the apartment complex looks exactly like the woman he’s been talking to online. But in true “Catfish” form, she’s not the person he’s been talking to. That’s her friend, Tamila. There’s a lot going on here. She is immediately way too forward with the man she’s been lying to. In fact, she and her friend are downright amused by the lying they do. But when they’re alone together, she makes an inappropriate offer that he is most definitely not into. Read the room, Armani, or whoever you are.
#7: Supervillain Reveal
“Mike & Joey”
Dramatic is the word for this reveal. Nev and Max drive Mike to a creepy house in the woods, and no one answers the door. This episode’s catfish has a very special entrance planned. At the right moment, catfish Joey raises the garage door to reveal himself like a supervillain. Mike is not having it. He already knows and hates Joey, an ex-best friend whose real name is Mikey. The shade fest begins. Both of them lob accusations and insults, but ultimately, neither one of them comes off looking all that mature or easy to be around.
#6: “That’s Kia’s Girlfriend!”
“Victoria & Anthony”
Victoria is shocked when it turns out her catfish is not only a woman but also her best friend’s girlfriend. Anthony is really Ashanti. Not only that, but Ashanti’s been pretending to be Anthony longer than she’s been in her real-life relationship with Victoria’s best friend. Of course, this is reality TV. There’s always room to turn things up a notch. Things get even worse from there when the girlfriend, Kia, shows up. Ashanti has to confess to both of them at the same time. For someone who’s been lying to two people for years, she’s not even close to sorry.
#5: “Miss You”
“Lucas & Many”
Catfishing on a scale this grand takes hubris, at the very least. Lucas, whose real name is Zac, has that and more. When confronted by several of his targets, Zac tells a sob story about his low self-esteem at first. But then Nev takes his phone and reveals that Zac is catfishing so many women that he actually has a folder in his Google Drive so he can keep all his lies straight. This gives way to a truly uncomfortable cavalier attitude, and it becomes clear he’s just into the attention the show’s giving him. We can only assume that the bee that attacks him in the middle of the scene is karmic revenge.
#4: You ARE the Godfather
“Kim & Matt”
There’s a lot to unpack here. While Matt is who he says he is, Kim doesn’t really seem to know how to react to him. Matt doesn’t seem to know what to do either. He’s weirdly detached about the whole thing. This is odd enough. But there’s a reason Kim is so uncomfortable. Over their five-year Internet relationship, Matt has been upfront about not wanting kids and Kim has a two-year-old daughter. She immediately follows this with an offer for him to be her child’s godfather. This is a couple who feels like a complete mismatch in terms of emotions. But there is one thing they share: complete awkwardness.
#3: “I Was Giving Her a Gift”
“Jen & Skylar”
Bryan, aka Skylar, is so matter of fact about his catfishing of Jen that it immediately frustrates Nev and Max. He tells them he is just using this to become better at flirting. And the further on it goes, the worse he is. In fact, he considers this fake relationship a gift to Jen, despite the fact that he’s a huge and shameless liar. The blank look in his eyes as they accurately describe him as selfish actually seems to make them sick. There’s a feeling that this entire confrontation is only giving him the attention he clearly craves.
#2: Just an Internet Troll
“John & Kelsey”
John was hoping to meet the beautiful Kelsey when he and the “Catfish” crew arrived at a strip mall casino. What he found was a smiling, boastful, and completely shameless guy calling himself “Adam the Gambler.” No matter what they say, it feeds his ego. Every question they have, he laughs off. He monologues about how brilliant and manipulative he is. This is a guy acting out a 10-year-old boy’s idea of a movie villain, and it’s painful to watch. It becomes clear very quickly that he’s looking for an angry confrontation, and that’s not what he gets.
#1: “You Got Me There”
“Artis & Jess”
Of all the times for a physical confrontation to almost break out, it has to be when Nev is on crutches. We’re not sure why Justin catfished Artis. In fact, we’re not even sure if Justin knows why he catfished Artis. He approaches the “Catfish” crew with a taunting slow clap, as if he’s the Joker himself, and then does what feels like a half-cooked Nicolas Cage impression. Every over-the-top gesture and faux-philosophical statement makes for the most surreal reality TV. This moment isn’t just awkward. It’s confusing, bizarre, and a little scary. It’s also classic “Catfish.”
What “Catfish” moment lives in your head rent free? Let us know in the comments.