MTV Catfish's Jasmine And Mhissy Episode Took A Moral Toll On Nev Schulman
One might suspect that producing a show that involves exposing long-running deceptions over an extended period of time might begin to wear on one's psyche over time. MTV's reality television show "Catfish" does just that. Host Nev Schulman is often contacted by one-half of an online relationship, wondering about the identity of their theoretical partner. The people in these relationships have never met in person and typically communicate entirely online, which makes obfuscation that much easier. More often than not, the subjects of these episodes are completely different from the characters they portray online, usually leading to some fairly shocking surprises and admissions.
One of the biggest upsets in "Catfish" memory took place between Jasmine and Mhissy. You see, these two women were both interested in the same man, and Mhissy decided to take things into her own hands and pretend to be a person named "Mike." Mike would then attempt to woo Jasmine, if only to keep her busy and away from Jasmine and Mhissy's mutual romantic interest. In other words, the interaction was purely malicious, and it was one that didn't sit well with Schulman.
Schulman felt used and threatened in the Jasmine and Mhissy episode
The "Jasmine and Mike" episode of "Catfish" originally premiered in December 2012. In the episode, "Mike" was finally revealed as Mhissy and the entire ruse came into focus. The meeting was tense between the pair, considering that Mhissy had spent around two years manipulating and lying to Jasmine. Mhissy's deception and sabotage of Jasmine was definitely something that required a serious time commitment.
During a Reddit Ask Me Anything session, "Catfish" host Nev Schulman was asked about the worst cases he has ever seen, and if he has ever felt threatened or endangered. Schulman replied, "I think the answer to both questions is probably the Jasmine & Mhissy episode from last season. I mean we really had no idea about Jasmine's past with Mhissy and never considered that she would have done all this to get revenge on her. I felt so bad that I unknowingly set Jasmine up for such an embarrassing and upsetting situation. I also didn't feel totally safe in that community considering that earlier that day police cars and a helicopter had come through chasing a criminal."
Schulman's comments mean that the "Jasmine and Mike" episode was one of the most uncomfortable experiences for him, which is quite the dubious distinction for a program like "Catfish: The TV Show."