“Catfish” could quite easily become my new favorite show. Not only do I love watching people’s hopes get crushed into the ground and explode into a fiery furnace, but these types of shows always keep me on the right path to Nirvana with these cautionary tales.
The first episode of “Catfish” aired this week featuring a young woman named Sunny, who has been in an eight month relationship with her online boyfriend, R.J. King.
First of all, the things that “R.J.” told Sunny should have maybe set off some red flags.
1. He is a model in Los Angeles. Of course he is.
2. He writes for “Chelsea Lately” on the side, just for some extra cash. He makes cue cards and such … because they use cue cards on TV shows still.
3. He is studying to be an anesthesiologist … online. I may be completely wrong, but I’m pretty sure if you want to tranquillize people, you may have to go to an actual school.
4. All three of his sisters died in a car crash.
While this life is possible, it’s highly unlikely. So, if none of these set off any kind of worry within our main character, Sunny, I’d say she kind of deserved what she got.
The two have been exclusive for eight months and talk on the phone every day. Make sense, right? Unless, your boyfriend talks like a 12-year-old boy, with zits and braces.
Before I get to what actually happens in the end, I want to mention how in love I am with Nev Schulman. Nev is the creator of the show and he is absolutely the nicest guy to walk this planet. He is super considerate of his team and the people he is setting up.
One thing I appreciate about this show is that there’s no element of surprise when it comes to the people involved. Schulman is not trying to embarrass anyone — a refreshing turn for how these shows usually end up. I feel like every time I see shows like this, the filmmakers set up the “victims” with really unfortunate situations to get a genuine reaction, which really is not genuine at all — just shock.
SPOILER: The ending is coming up and I plan to talk about it.
So, this girl goes to visit her boyfriend in Tuscaloosa, and turns out her boyfriend is an 18-year-old bisexual lady-man-lady named Chelsea. Bummer, dude.
Ultimately, Sunny is ticked, gets over it, and the two become friends in the end. Chelsea starts an anti-bullying organization, since she claims that being bullied is what made her impersonate R.J. King with so many other people outside of Sunny.
While I think bullying, in fact, builds character, and everyone needs a little bit of it, I guess it can backfire. Case and point: if someone call you fat in middle school you’re going to prey on young girls, make them want to marry you, and then pull the rug out from underneath them.
Watching this show will absolutely be an every week occurrence for me.
Why?
Think of it this way: no matter how bad your day gets, it’s probably not as bad as the girl who just found out she’s dating another girl.
★★★★★
About Sydney Holmes
