Emotions always run high on MTV's Catfish — so maybe it's no surprise that both the hosts and the couples have seen their fair share of tragedy.
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00:00Emotions always run high on MTV's Catfish, so maybe it's no surprise that both the hosts
00:05and the couples have seen their fair share of tragedy.
00:09Given how popular the MTV series has become, it's easy to forget that Catfish all began
00:13with the 2010 documentary movie, which told Neve Schulman's own story about falling prey
00:17to a catfish in the early days of social media.
00:20Initially, Neve had become invested in the story of Abby, the family's youngest member
00:24who was ostensibly an 8-year-old artistic prodigy.
00:27But after becoming more acquainted with her and her family, he found himself developing
00:31romantic feelings for Abby's older sister, Megan.
00:34Of course, as you can probably guess, neither Megan nor Abby turned out to be real.
00:38They were both merely inventions of Angela Wesselman-Pierce, who catfished Neve for a
00:42period of nine months.
00:43If we met each other and the attraction exists in real life, like, it would be, like, instantaneous
00:50relationship."
00:51Angela did this with the dubiously obtained support of her husband, Vince, who was under
00:55the false impression that she was using the relationship for her own financial benefit.
01:00Even after learning that Angela had been lying to him as well, Vince seemingly stood by her
01:04actions, saying that her relationship with Neve offered him excitement and vitality.
01:08This doc is where the term catfishing originates.
01:11Vince says in an interview that his wife is like a catfish that has been shipped with
01:14cod to keep them lively enough to make it to their destination.
01:18In August 2024, Neve Schulman revealed on Instagram that, while cycling to pick up his
01:22son from school, he had collided with a truck.
01:25He wrote,
01:26"'I was alone on impact, me and the truck.
01:28And then I guessed the pavement.
01:29I was alone and unconscious."
01:31"'It's a miracle that it happened on my way to pick up my son and not on my way home with
01:36my son.'"
01:37Schulman fractured his neck in two places and had to be rushed to the hospital for emergency
01:41treatment.
01:42Fortunately, he not only survived the accident, but did so without any major permanent damage
01:47to his body.
01:48He wrote,
01:49"'It's hard to feel sorry for myself when I hear from the doctors about how many people
01:52with similar injuries will never walk again.'"
01:55In later interviews, he credited the quality of his helmet with his survival, in addition
01:58to the medical professionals working in the Southampton Emergency Room and the Stony Brook
02:02ICU.
02:03This brush with death seemingly put Schulman's life into perspective, giving him a new appreciation
02:08for what he's got.
02:09He wrote,
02:10"'I'm lucky to be here, alive, standing and hugging my family, projected to make a full
02:14recovery.
02:15And I'm really starting to understand the meaning of gratitude.'"
02:19With so many episodes ending in heartbreak and betrayal, it's always a pleasant surprise
02:23when a catfish journey sees a participant's faith rewarded.
02:26Such was the case of Robert Brian Clark and Jessie Bettinger, whose three-year online
02:30relationship was finally brought into the real world thanks to an intervention from
02:33Neve Schulman and Max Joseph.
02:36Bettinger contacted the catfish team after Clark backed out of plans to meet on two occasions.
02:41She feared she was being catfished, but when producers tracked Clark down, he was exactly
02:45who he said he was.
02:46Well, you can't see her, but Jessie is hiding behind Max.
02:50She's pretty nervous.
02:51There she is.
02:54In December 2016, Clark was killed in a freak motorcycle accident in Birmingham, Alabama.
02:59It was reported that, in trying to cross railroad tracks, he was somehow thrown off the bike
03:03onto a busy roadway and struck by an oncoming vehicle.
03:07He was pronounced dead 20 minutes after the accident.
03:10At the time of his death, Clark and Bettinger were no longer dating.
03:13Nevertheless, she paid tribute to him following his passing on social media with several photos
03:17and a short statement that recalled their good times together.
03:21Talk of a British version of Catfish began in 2016, but the show didn't make the jump
03:26across the pond until 2021, when Catfish UK finally debuted.
03:30Starting in the spinoff's second season, YouTuber and podcaster Nella Rose joined the show as
03:35co-host.
03:36For Rose, this big break came after a pretty rough few years.
03:39In 2016, just a few weeks after she had turned 19 years old, Rose's mother passed away with
03:44little warning due to an illness.
03:46This tragedy also caused immediate financial instability for her and her family.
03:51She later shared that she had hoped to live with her mother well into her 20s while she
03:54built her life.
03:55Instead, she suddenly found herself sleeping on friends' couches to make it through college.
03:59In 2020, Rose's father also passed away, seemingly also due to illness.
04:04She posted on Instagram,
04:05Watching you suffer for the past month has been the hardest thing I've ever done in my
04:08life, but at least you're not in pain anymore.
04:11Gonna make you the proudest dad ever in the years to come, because I know you're still
04:14by my side every step of the way."
04:18After appearing on a Season 2 episode of Catfish in 2013, Ashley Sawyer and Mike Fortunato
04:23earned their place as one of the show's most endearing couples.
04:25I really thought that if she saw the real me, that that would be it, that she would
04:32be gone.
04:33After overcoming their deception to rekindle a more honest love, Mike and Ashley met a
04:37tragic end.
04:38On October 12, 2013, just a month after his episode aired, Fortunato died at the age of
04:4426 due to a pulmonary embolism, which was itself exacerbated by other underlying health
04:48issues.
04:49Fortunato first realized something was wrong while he was at work, according to his sister.
04:53He tried to drive himself to the hospital before crashing and becoming stranded until
04:57medical personnel were able to find him.
04:59Though they were able to get him to a hospital for treatment, their attempts to save him
05:02were unsuccessful.
05:04Sawyer told MTV News at the time that their relationship was progressing and that the
05:08two of them had been looking forward to spending New Year's Eve together.
05:11Sadly, Sawyer died less than three years later on April 30, 2016.
05:16She was just 23.
05:17The local police department in Hoover, Alabama later told the media that she had died of
05:21a drug overdose.
05:22Upon hearing the news, Neve Shulman wrote on X,
05:25"'So sad to lose both Mike and Ashley.
05:28I hope they are happy and together now where nothing can hurt them.'"
05:32If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available.
05:36Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact
05:40SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
05:441-800-662-4357.